Thursday, November 21, 2013

A lion

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Judges 14:1–9, “And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion. And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.”

The Lord led Samson to move among the Philistines, who were severely oppressing Israel at that time. He saw a Philistine woman and found her attractive, so much so, that he asked his parent if they could arrange a marriage between him and that woman. It seems that Samson didn’t understand the implications of being a life long Nazarite or he wasn’t properly educated as to his responsibilities. Samson was attacked by a lion and, because of his great strength, he killed the lion with his bare hands. His parents were trying to persuade him to marry and good Israeli girl but he was looking for an opportunity to have and argument with the Philistines. Later, Samson saw that some bees had made a hive in the lion’s carcass and he took the honey and gave some of it to his parents. A Nazarite was forbidden from touch any dead body as long as he was under the vow. (Num 6:6, “All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.”) He was trying to do obey the Lord but wanted to obey the Lord under his own terms rather than the terms that were written down in the Law.

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