When Strength Meets Weakness: Samson's Impact on Family (Jdg 14:1–11)

Summary: Samson's demand for a Philistine wife causes distress and tension in his relationship with his parents, highlighting the cultural and personal conflicts between divine purpose and human decisions.

Application: This passage serves as a reminder for Christians about the importance of familial relationships and values. It prompts reflection on how personal choices can affect loved ones and reminds us to seek wisdom and guidance from God in our decisions, especially when they may conflict with family expectations or cultural norms.

Teaching: This sermon teaches the importance of evaluating how our choices impact others, especially family members. It emphasizes the need for seeking God's will over societal pressures and personal desires.

How this passage could point to Christ: Samson's life ultimately points to Christ in that both are set apart for divine purposes. Samson's flaws remind us of the need for a true deliverer, which culminates in Jesus, who fulfills God's plan for perfect strength and deliverance.

Big Idea: Our choices, especially those driven by cultural influences, can have profound effects on our family dynamics and lived faith. We must seek God's direction and remember the weight of our decisions on those we love.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider exploring the cultural context of marriage in ancient Israel using the Logos library. Pay attention to commentaries that detail the implications of Samson's choices on familial relationships. Additionally, investigate how similar themes are presented in other narratives of the Old Testament, particularly in relation to the interplay between divine purpose and human emotion.

1. Seeking Divine Guidance

Jdg 14:1-3a

You could introduce the idea of 'Seeking Divine Guidance' by exploring how Samson's desire for a Philistine wife causes distress for his parents. This sets the stage for examining the conflict between personal desires and divine will. Highlight how Samson's parents' hesitation reflects their concern for spiritual and cultural heritage, prompting listeners to consider the impact of their choices on family and faith. Encourage the congregation to seek God's direction when confronted with decisions that might cause familial and spiritual tension.

The Law:

Deuteronomy 7:1–4 NASB95

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.

But expressed more as a preference than a commandment.

2. Seeing Beyond the Surface

Jdg 14:3-5

Perhaps, delve into 'Seeing Beyond the Surface' by discussing how God used Samson's flawed desires for a greater purpose. This point emphasizes the notion that God can work through our weaknesses and missteps. Relate this to Christ's redemptive power, reminding the congregation of Jesus' ability to turn our errors into blessings. Encourage believers to trust that God's purposes can prevail, even through imperfect choices, while still striving to align actions with His will.

“She is right in my eyes”

Proverbs 14.12; Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Starting in Judges 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

God doesn’t cause us to sin

(James 1:13–15 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”), but

(1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”).

We ought to pray (Matthew 6:13 “‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”

God did not lead Samson into temptation, but God did use the resulting sin to release the grip of the Philistines.

The Vineyards of Timnah

The Law:

Numbers 6:1–4 NASB95

Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the Lord, he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. ‘All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.”

While not explicitly stated, Samson is dangerously close to not keeping his vow.

We may often quote the KJV (1 Thessalonians 5.21-22 - Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.) The point is to avoid evil in every from it takes.

We may think sin won’t harm us, but (1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” )

And look who is there with him (v. 5), although they may have separated for a bit (v. 6).

3. Sweetness of Sin’s Snare

Judges 14:6-9

Maybe highlight the honey from the lion, which marks further violation of Samson's Nazirite vow by touching a dead body. This moment symbolizes the sweetness of sin and the progression of compromise. It poses as a cautionary tale that repeated indulgence can lead to spiritual decay. Christians are encouraged to abstain from temptations that lead them away from Christ's path.

The Law:

Numbers 6:6–7 NASB95

‘All the days of his separation to the Lord he shall not go near to a dead person. He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.’

Perhaps Doubly Unclean:

Leviticus 11:24–28 NASB95

‘By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean. Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.’

Now, it could be that this is an instance to save life

Matthew 12:1–8 NASB95

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

But I doubt it because, “But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.”

4. Compromising Community Choices

Judges 14:10-11

Reflect on Samson's wedding feast, a customary Philistine celebration, as a final departure from his Nazirite identity. This illustrates the allure and eventual spiritual isolation when we indulge in compromising community. This sermon point challenges believers to scrutinize the company they keep and seek community that strengthens their walk with Christ, reshaping priorities towards holiness.

Why was it important to mention the vineyards in v. 5? It is likely that this was an “occasion for drinking, drinking-bout” (BDB).

The Law (again): Numbers 6.3-4

Numbers 6:3–4 NASB95

...he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.