Chapter 13 describes Samson's potential: his godly heritage, supernatural birth, calling in life, and divine enablement. The Israelites enjoyed each of these privileges, as does every Christian. Chapter 14 reveals Samson's problem and God's providence.
"Despite all these advantages and this special attention, Samson accomplishes less on behalf of his people than any of his predecessors. Perhaps herein lies his significance. . . . Though Samson is impressive as an individual, he turns out to be anything but a military hero. He never leads Israel out in battle; he never engages the Philistines in martial combat; he never experiences a military victory. All his accomplishments are personal; all his victories, private."253
Timnah was only about four miles southwest of Zorah. The word "woman"in verse 2 is in the emphatic position in the Hebrew text. Samson described her to his parents as the ideal woman from his viewpoint. Dating was unknown in Samson's culture. The parents of young people contacted each other and arranged for their children to meet and eventually to marry.
Samson's godly parents' response to his desire was undoubtedly a mixture of brokenhearted grief and anger. Instead of opposing the Philistines he now wanted to ally with them in marriage. His intention reveals disregard for his divine calling in life (13:5). The reference to this woman as an "uncircumcised Philistine"stresses the fact that she was an unbeliever. Circumcision was the rite that identified believers in God's promises to Abraham (Gen. 17). It was inappropriate for Israel's deliverer to marry someone who did not share a common faith and purpose with God's people (2 Cor. 6:14).
"Mixed marriages were uniformly disastrous early (Gen 26:34-35) and late (Neh 13:27) in Israel's history. Moreover, the Philistines were the one nation near Israel that did not practice circumcision of any kind. In Egypt, Moab, and elsewhere, circumcision was often associated with reaching puberty or with premarital rites; but at least it was circumcision."254
Evidently the appeal of this woman was her external appearance only. Verses 2 and 3 paint Samson as a very strong-willed child.
"It is true that the only marriages expressly prohibited in Ex. xxxiv. 16 and Deut. vii. 3, 4, are marriages with Canaanite women; but the reason assigned for this prohibition was equally applicable to marriages with daughters of the Philistines."255
Samson's parents viewed his plan to marry the woman as unwise, but it was "of the Lord."This means that God permitted it though it was not a marriage that He preferred. It did not violate the Mosaic Law, and it was a situation God would use to punish the Philistines (v. 4; cf. v. 19). This fact did not mitigate Samson's guilt, but it shows how God providentially overrules human folly and brings His will to pass in spite of it (cf. Ps. 76:10).
"Judges 14:4 is not only shocking, but it is also the key to chaps. 14-15. Accordingly, although Yahweh is largely absent from the narrative, in one way or another his agenda is being achieved in Samson's life. At the same time, while Yahweh's agenda is being achieved, the course of Samson's life is all downhill, a fact reflected by the fivefold repetition of the verb yarad, to go down' (14:1, 5, 7, 19; 15:8)."256
The first recorded indication of Samson's superhuman strength is his ability to tear the lion apart with his bare hands (v. 6). A young lion tried to leap on Samson (v. 5), but instead the Spirit of the Lord leaped upon him (v. 6). The writer probably intended this incident to show Samson that God could empower him to dismember the Philistines. However, Samson did not abandon his plan to marry the Timnite but proceeded down to her home to continue his courtship. Even though God strengthened Samson, he used that strength for his own purposes, not to fulfill God's will.257
"Like bees in a carcass, Israel was to inhabit a country of idolaters, a country that became habitable for God's community only through the death of God's enemies."258
Bees normally do not inhabit cadavers; flies and maggots do. This unusual situation provided a temptation and a test of Samson's character. When he scraped the honey out of the lion's carcass with his hand (v. 9), he broke part of his Nazirite vow. Nazirites were not to touch dead bodies (Num. 6:6). He thought so little of his privileged position as separated to Yahweh that he forfeited some of that separate condition. Perhaps he did not tell his godly parents about the honey because he knew that he would have disappointed them by breaking his vow. By giving them some of the unclean honey without telling them that it was unclean, Samson callously led them into defilement. His parents had previously sanctified him, but now he desecrated them.
It was customary among the Philistines for a seven-day feast to precede the actual wedding ceremony (v. 10). In Samson's case the groom provided this feast, and it took place at the bride's home. It is most probable that during this seven-day feast Samson drank wine. Drinking was a standard activity at this type of celebration, especially among the pagans. Since he had previously disregarded the Nazirite prohibition against touching a corpse, it is likely that he also broke the prohibition against drinking wine (Num. 6:4). If this is true, Samson indulged his desire for drink as well as food (v. 9) even though that affected his separated relationship with God.
The bride's family invited 30 guests to the feast (v. 11). They were evidently proud of their prospective son-in-law. He fit into Philistine society quite comfortably. It was also common in ancient times for people to propound riddles as entertainment (v. 12).259
The "linen wraps"(v. 12) were "large rectangular pieces of fine linen which were worn next to the body by day or by night."260The Hebrew word translated "clothes"means festal garments, namely, garments for very special occasions that were quite expensive and very beautiful. We now discover that Samson not only lusted after women and food and drink but clothing as well. Fancy clothes were items that connoted wealth and status in the ancient world (cf. Gen. 45:22; 2 Kings 5:22). If Samson owned 30 fine changes of clothing, he would have been wealthy indeed.
The writer called the Timnite Samson's wife even though the engaged couple had not yet consummated their marriage (v. 15).
"The usual length of a [wedding] celebration was seven days and the marriage was not consummated until the end of that period."261
Samson's loyalty to his parents above his "wife"is understandable since he had not yet consummated his marriage to her (v. 16).
Samson's "wife"was afraid that her guests would kill her and her family because of Samson's riddle.262Ironically, Samson could have defended her and her family easily with his great strength. Evidently the Philistines thought she had some part in proposing the riddle and either knew the answer to it or could find out what the answer was.
Samson "could not withstand the corrosive influence of three or four days of weeping."263
He finally told her the answer, and she then passed it on to the Philistines in a misguided attempt to protect herself and her father's household.
"In calling her a heifer' he was ridiculing her for her untamed and stubborn spirit (cf. Jer. 50:11; Hosea 4:16)."264
Perhaps to avoid recognition or to preclude having vengeance taken on him by the Philistines in Timnah, Samson trekked down to Ashkelon 23 miles southwest of Timnah. There he killed 30 Philistine men and took their clothes as booty. He gave these garments to the wedding guests and went back home to Zorah in disgust without claiming his bride who had deceived him.
The writer said God's Spirit motivated Samson to slaughter the 30 Philistines in Ashkelon (v. 19). Samson was not just taking personal revenge for what his Timnite guests had done to him. He was perhaps unwittingly fulfilling his role as a judge in Israel by slaying the enemies of God's people. This was an act of holy war though Samson appears to have carried it out with carnal vengeance. He did God's will but for the wrong reason. God had chosen Samson as His instrument to begin defeating the Philistines, and He would use him for that purpose even though Samson was a reluctant servant. Thus we see God's providence overcoming the problem that Samson posed.
It was after Samson had paid his debt of 30 garments that the text says he became angry. The object of his wrath here was his "wife,"not the Philistines.
Samson did not intend to abandon his plan to marry the Timnite (15:1-2). He went back home to let his anger cool.
". . . instead of looking at the wrong by which Samson felt himself aggrieved, and trying to mitigate his wrath, the parents of the woman made the breach irreparable by giving their daughter as a wife to his companion."265
Samson's self-will ironically yielded no satisfaction for him. By disregarding his God-given privileges he lost his bet with the Philistines, his wardrobe, his wife, and his honor. Samson's basic problem was that he did not submit to God's authority over his life. This authority problem manifested itself first in his refusal to submit to his parents' authority (v. 3; cf. 17:6; 21:25). Samson did not exercise self-discipline. He let his passions control him (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27). Self-discipline is essentially a matter of submission to God's authority, not a matter of self-denial. Separation is essentially unto God, not just from things.
