JUDGES 14

1 ¶ And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

• One Bible linguist tells us that the name Timnath means “portion assigned”. So, Samson, the Nazarite is leaving the portion assigned to the people of God in order that he might seek a portion with the Philistines. Displeasure with the providence of God will always lead to compromise and a carnal, independent spirit.

2 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.

3 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 (she looks good to me).

• Jon Courson said that Samson was a he-man with a she-weakness. Two other women we find in Samson's life are a harlot of Gaza and Delilah.  According to God’s Word, Samson has no business being with this woman or any woman outside of the covenant people of Israel. I believe it is safe to say that by demanding a Philistine wife, Samson showed a sinful disregard for his parents and for God's will.
• Deut 7:3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
• 2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
• May I take that one step further beloved. Before you get involved with a man or a woman, make sure that they are really following Jesus Christ and not wanting to get you into bed. Agape can wait, lust can’t. If that man or woman truly loves Jesus and respects you as we read in 1 Timothy 5.1,2, then they will not pressure you to sin.
• I stand here tonight telling you as your pastor that there have been many pretended conversions, which ended up being nothing more than calculated efforts to entice a Christian or woman into sin.
• It isn't because those who are not Christians are not lovable - they are sometimes more lovable than believers. It is not because they aren't good enough, or worthy of our love. It is simply because to be a Christian means Jesus Christ is the most important thing in your life; and when a Christian and a non-Christian get together, you have two people who disagree on the most important things in life. David Guzik
• Get her for me, for she pleases me well (looks good to me).  Her physical appearance was all that he noticed. It appears that he knew nothing of her character or her religious convictions, if any. He made this decision based on gratifying his lusts instead of submitting to the Word of God.
• Marriage arrangements were customarily made by the parents as they are in many parts of the world today. Samson is beginning to show signs of the weakness and compromise in his vow to God which are going to lead to his inevitable downfall.
• He began by going "down to Timnah," to an area populated by the pagan Philistines.
• Because he was in a place that he ought not to have been, he saw a woman there who did not come from the lineage of Israel or serve the God of Israel, and by outward appeal, he demands that his father allow him to take her as his wife.

4 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.

• He sought occasion against the Philistines. This does not mean that God caused Samson to sin in order that He might find a way to infiltrate the Philistines. It means that God in His providence used this sinful situation to accomplish a purpose that He would have accomplished anyways. Though God can make even the evil of man to serve His purposes, as was the case of Josephs brothers selling him into Egypt, it never justifies the evil that man does. None of Samson's actions can be justified.  

5 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.

• Remember that Samson to be a Nazarite, and one of the conditions of being a Nazarite was that he was not to drink wine or grape juice or eat grapes. Where do we find Samson? The vineyards of Timnath. That is about as unwise as a person with a gambling problem pitching a tent outside of OTB!
• The lion is the type of Satan (1 Pet. 5:8). He roared at the Nazarite, as Satan still roars against any one who bears the marks of separation unto God.

6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent (tore) him as he would have rent a kid (young goat), and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.

• Though Samson flirted with compromise - both with his impending marriage and the vineyards of Timnah - he still had miraculous strength because the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.
• It is important for us to understand that The Holy Spirit dwells within us to empower us to walk with Jesus and enable us to live for God and be His witnesses. As we walk in The Spirit, God at times will empower us from on high to do say or do things that testify of His truth.

7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

• In the power of the Spirit he tore the lion and then falls victim to the enemy in another form.

8 And after a time he returned to take (marry) 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.

9 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.

• Why didn’t Samson tell his parents about where he got the honey? Because he took it out of the dead carcass of a lion, and another one of the conditions of a Nazarite was that he was to stay away from anything that was dead.
• It is interesting to me that Samson compromises after he experiences the power of The Spirit of God in his life. The divine gifting of The Spirit does not make us holy apart from a deliberate decision to obey God. Never confuse divine gifting with holy character.

10 ¶ So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.

11 And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

• This is what we would call in our culture a bachelor’s party. Now Samson is “hob-nobbing” with the wrong crowd. As we will see, nothing came of his alliance with the Philistines but trouble and unpleasantness for himself.
• Samson was gifted by God to be of help to others, but he allowed his ministry to be linked with the corruption of death in his association with the Philistines.

12 And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:

13 But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments.

• Changes of clothing: This literally describes a fine suit of clothes you would wear to an important occasion. Therefore 30 fine suits were wagered.

And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat (something to eat), and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so? (have you called us here to rob us?)

16 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?

• She did not tell Samson about the threat (as a wife surely ought to have), but she wept in urging him to tell her the answer to the riddle; and when Samson capitulated she told the Philistines the answer. Cambridge Bible Commentary

17 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.

• Samson’s wife is displaying what I would call emotional manipulation on her husband. Granted, she has reason to be concerned because of the threat made to burn her and her fathers alive in the house (which we will see in chapter 15 backfired!). I wonder why she did not tell Samson about the threat to burn her and her father alive?
• Whenever one spouse uses emotions and manipulation in order to get something from their spouse, it may indeed succeed in the short term, but in the long run, it sets a precedent that can poison the relationship and end up costing more than it gains.
• The willingness of Samson's Philistine wife to side with her people against Samson shows why he should not have married her in the first place. Because she was not committed to The Living God, she did not see any reason or purpose for obeying the principle of leaving one's father and mother to be joined in a one flesh relationship to their spouse. Never expect someone who does not love the God of Israel to build a marriage on God's principles.

18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house.

• The Spirit of the Lord did not come upon Samson to avenge the hurt feelings of a husband. God's strategy was larger: He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines (Judges 14:4).
• In order to pay off his debt, Samson travels 40 miles to Ashkelon and kills 30 Philistines, takes their garments and pays off these guys for guessing the riddle. Samson was a man that had no control over his emotions.
• Prov 25:28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
• Lust and anger were two emotions in his life that were out of control. Are there emotions in your life that regularly get you into trouble? Uncontrollable spending? Sins of the tongue? To walk after the flesh is insane and deadly to all and any who come into contact with you.

20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

• Samson's anger was such that he did not stay with his wife, but went back to his father's house, where he remained for a while (vs.19).  The girl's father evidently considered this to be desertion, and therefore gave his daughter to Samson's close friend, one of the thirty companions of the Philistines.

• Samson's wife "won" what she wanted through manipulation, but she lost her husband's heart.
• I know that husbands can be manipulative as well, but since the context here is Samson’s wife, let me simply state that When a man gives in to his wife's manipulations so as to keep peace, it almost always builds anger and resentment in the man - and guilt in the woman for what she did. The way of manipulation is tempting (because it works), but always brings real destruction.

JUDGES 15

1 ¶ But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid (young goat); and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.

2 And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she (more attractive)? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

• When Samson returns with a gift of a goat for his wife, he finds out that his wife has been given to his best man by his father-in-law, for he had no idea that Samson was going to return for her.

3 And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.

5 And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.

• A Judge was to rally the people together to fight against the enemy, but Samson never does that. The only reason he fought against the enemy was for revenge because they did something against him. Revenge is a horrible master!

6 Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion (because his wife was given to his friend). And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

• I find it very interesting that Samson’s wife was concerned about her and her father getting burned alive back in chapter 14.15. Ironically, after she wept and manipulated her husband into telling her the meaning of the riddle, she set into motion a series of events that resulted in the very thing that she wanted to avoid.

7 And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.

• We have here the bitter story of retaliation - of trying to avenge wrongs done to us. Retaliation is a never-ending story, and one that never wins in the end. Those who trust in God must be able to say, "Retaliation belongs to God. I'll let Him settle the score." David Guzik

8 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

9 ¶ Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.

10 And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

12 And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.

13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords (ropes), and brought him up from the rock.

14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him (came toward him shouting): and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.

15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.

16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.

• Samson, in using the jawbone of a donkey, again broke the rules of his Naziriteship by touching the bone of a dead animal (Num. 6:6). This is a picture of a believer using a wrong weapon to fight God's battles. This sin also a picture of how often God will accomplish His purposes in spite of the vessel doing the work.

17 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi (jawbone hill).

18 ¶ And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?

• Did you catch Samson changing his tune between verse 16 and verse 18? In verse 16, he is making the statement that he slew the enemy with the jawbone of the donkey. Here in verse 18, The Spirit of God corrects him and he changes the statement to read that it was The Lord who gave to him the deliverance.

19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore (caller’s spring or the spring of him who prayed), which is in Lehi unto this day.

• Though we can be sure that God never approves of fleshly motivation, we also know that our God is a God of mercy in our times of need. God in His grace provided Samson with some much needed water from a split in the rock in Lehi. 
• Water is a symbol of The Word of God. How vital it is for us to gather daily refreshment from God’s Word.

20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

We talked about Samson and how his emotions were out of control. It is good for every believer to go before The Lord and ask Him to show us the way we really are. The hardest thing you’ll ever say is, “God, I need help or God, I need help but my pride will not allow me to look for it.” Chronic life problems usually do not take care of themselves apart from deliberate prayer and deliberate steps to handle them…is that you tonight?

In the words of Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live, Samson never “put to death” the deeds of the flesh, therefore he continually gave in to his carnal and fleshly lusts. As I said earlier this evening, It is very possible for a Christian to be empowered by the Spirit of God to do certain things and yet not to have his life yielded to the full control of the Holy Spirit.

Dr Ray Pritchard gives us some very helpful insights in keys to living a self controlled life…..take out your pen and write them down.

1. Live for God on Monday just as much as you do on Sunday
2. Bend your powers toward righteousness.
3. Take your intellect and put it into the service of the King of Kings.
4. Transform the fire of worldly desire into passion for Jesus Christ.
5. Establish some “hedges” in your relationships
6. Invest your time and talent and energies to win others to Jesus Christ.
7. Make your wife and children your first priority.
8. Say no to temptation and yes to purity.
9. Decide to be as strong morally as you are physically.

10.Choose to be a giver rather than a taker.

     11.Admit mistakes without making excuses.

12.Allow others to rebuke you without getting angry.

And remember this beloved, biblical freedom is not the right to do what you want, but the power to do what you ought.