If you've ever heard about Samson from the Bible, you've probably heard his name linked to a woman named Delilah. They have a pretty famous juicy romance story (we'll read about it later). But before Delilah, Samson was actually married to another woman.
I've read Samson's story before, but I had forgotten this part. As I read today's passage, it was interesting to think about Samson's life and some of the lessons he perhaps could have learned that perhaps could have spared him some heartaches and headaches.
In some ways, it's kind of refreshing to read about a guy who had God's favor and blessing on his life...but who was also a real man with real struggles. From what I can tell, Samson was a sucker for pretty girls with manipulative charm/claws. Samson's God-fearing parents actually questioned his choice for a bride. They said:
"Isn't there a woman among the girls
in the neighborhood of our people?
Do you have to go get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?"
I like their wording--there's a difference (beyond age) between a woman and the girls (or a man and the guys). Their main concern, though, was the fact that the Philistines were not God-honoring people. They worshipped idols.
Samson's response to his parents?
"Get her for me. She's the one I want— she's the right one."
His rationale is interesting given the context of this passage and the context of his culture. At the beginning of the passage, you'll see that Samson's parents actually were visited by the angel of the LORD (who some theologians actually believe was God Himself) who instructed them to raise Samson in a special, set apart way to dedicate his life to God. They obeyed. They were good parents in a culture where children were instructed to obey their parents (hello, ten commandments!). That's why I think Samson's response is odd. He completely dismisses his parents' advice and doesn't even cite God's direction for his decision.
Samson's unnamed Philistine wife turns out to be more loyal to her people than to him. She deceives him into losing a big bet and then turns around and marries his best man (while Samson believes she's still married to him). It sounds totally crazy. You'd think that if that happened to someone, they'd work really hard to avoid a repeat occurrence. And who knows? Maybe Samson did try to avoid a repeat...but famously, he ended up being deceived by another godless and manipulative woman.
As I read this, I thought about a few different take-aways for us. The first one is similar to something I wrote earlier this week--despite Samson's mistakes, God forgave him and stuck with him. Secondly, I wonder if Samson's life could have been different if he had learned from his early experience with the unnamed Philistine girl. Would he have been seduced by Delilah later? Would he have jeopardized his commitment to God?
I don't know the answers to those last two questions. Nobody's perfect. But living by faith sometimes means getting up when you fall and trusting God to guide you in a different direction.
Tomorrow: Judges 16-18
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