Samson Marries a Philistine Girl who is burnt to death

The Faith of Samson - Part 3:

In our last study we found Samson infatuated by a Philistine girl for she "pleased him well," Judges 14:3 & 73 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.

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.

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.

6 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.

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

. As was the custom he asked his parents to arrange marriage and they did so (even though they pointed out to him that he should have chosen an Israelite) so Samson was betrothed to her. According to a Jewish Encyclopedia found at the web site: (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=995&letter=B) betrothal in Bible times meant the couple was as good as married at the time they were betrothed. However the "house taking" did not occur until one (1) year later, that is, the marriage was not supposed to be consummated until after a year had passed. (An exception to this rule was when the bride was a widow or the groom a widower in which case the betrothal was 30 days and not a year.) The betrothal was formal and a divorce was required to dissolve the relationship/marriage. Therefore the Philistine girl was Samson's wife from the time of their betrothal, i.e., at the time the marriage was arranged - Judges 14:1515 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?

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?

, 16, 20; 15:1. (We see an example of this in the case of Joseph and Mary, the mother of Jesus. During the time they were betrothed Mary showed up pregnant and Joseph knowing he was not the father thought about divorcing her until the Lord explained what had happened - Matthew 1:18 - 2018 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

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Thus, about a year passed from the time Samson killed the lion while on the way to have his marriage arranged, Judges 14:5 - 75 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.

6 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.

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

, and the time he and his parents returned when Samson found honey in the carcass of the lion - Judges 14:8 & 98 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.

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.

. At the appointed time a wedding feast was held to which Samson's wife/family invited 30 Philistine men as guests: "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:" - Judges 14:1212 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:

. If they could not answer his riddle they were to supply Samson with 30 sheets and 30 garments. According to commentaries the sheets were night clothes or bedding sheets and the change of garments were clothes worn during the day. "And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle." Judges 14:1414 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

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On the seventh day the bride's Philistine "friends" told her to get the answer to the riddle from Samson or they would kill her by burning her father's house with her in it - Judges 14:15. These cut throat Philistines knew nothing of God or His just law and Samson's wife being one of them went right to work in order to save her hide. She appealed to her husband by turning on manipulative tears, after all, she was his wife and he should let her in on the secret. He answered that he had not even told his parents but she kept pestering him for another seven days (the feast must have lasted 14 days total.) No doubt Samson came to the realization there was little chance of intimacy with his wife unless he gave in, so he did. She told her Philistine friends and they, probably with a big smirk on their faces, told Samson the answer to his riddle. Of course Samson knew they had gotten to his wife, otherwise they would not have been able to figure it out, and he told them so - Judges 14:16 - 1816 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?

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.

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.

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The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, gave him strength, and he went to the Philistine town of Ashkelon where he killed 30 men and took their garments, which he brought back and gave to the wedding guests. He left his wife in anger and went home to his parents. One of the 30 Philistine "friends" had acted as Samson's friend or best man, as referred to in John 3:2929 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

, and when Samson left, the bride's father gave her to his "friend" - Judges 14:19 & 2019 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.

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

. (The other companions were called the children of the bride chamber, as in Matthew 9:1515 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

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Samson must have loved his wife because when he got over her betrayal he wanted to go to her "into the chamber" (he had intimacy in mind.) He took a kid goat (as a peace offering meal) and went to join her. However, his father in law told him he should not go in, claiming he had thought Samson hated her and so she had been given to the best man at the wedding feast. In an attempt to placate Samson he offered his younger daughter, claiming she was more attractive than the one Samson had married - Judges 15:1 & 21 But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; 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? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

. However, Samson's affection was on the girl he married and he stated he had a right to take vengeance on the Philistines for being thus wronged - Judges 15:33 And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

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He caught 300 foxes or Jackals, which had to be quite a chore for one man working alone. Tying pairs of them together by their tails he attached a fire brand between each pair and set them loose in the Philistine's grain fields, vineyards and olive orchards, destroying their food supply. We can understand the Philistines were afraid of Samson because when they found out he was responsible they made no attempt to take vengeance on him, but took vengeance for him by burning his father in law and wife to death, (the same fate she was threatened with before if she would not find out the answer to the riddle) - Judges 15:4 - 64 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.

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. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

. However instead of appeasing Samson he took it as an affront and claimed revenge, Judges 15:77 And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.

, literally kicking their behinds and so slaughtered a great many of them. Afterwards, there is no indication he fled or had any fear of the Philistines but he just went to stay in "the top of the rock Etam" - Judges 15:88 And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.

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To be continued.