Samson Married
Comments for Study 13
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I. Give Her to Me (14:1-7)
>1. Where was Timnah in relation to Samson's home? (1, 13:2)
* Judges 14:1 "Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman."
* Judges 13:2 "A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless."
* "Timnah" - There are two places named Timnah. It means allotted portion." This town was assigned to Dan (Josh. 19:43), located on the southern border with Judah (Josh. 15:10). The site is likely tell el-Batashi about four miles northwest of Beth-shemesh in Judah. Philistines occupied the site at the time of Samson (Judg. 14:1-5). Uzziah likely took the site as part of his conquest of Philistine cities (2 Chron. 26:6). His grandson Ahaz lost the city to the Philistines again (2 Chron. 28:18). The city fell to the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 701 B.C. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
* "Zorah" -Zorah is a place name meaning, "wasps" or "hornets." City of Dan (Josh. 19:41) about thirteen miles west of Jerusalem on the border with Judah (Josh. 15:33; "Zoreah," KJV). It was the home of Manoah, Samson's father (Judg. 13:2). Rehoboam, king of Judah, strengthened Zorah in case of war (2 Chron. 11:5-12). It is modern Sarah. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
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>How did Samson's demand go against tradition and God's law? (2; Deut. 7:3-4, 22:9-11; 2 Cor. 6:14-18)
* Judges 14:2 "When he returned, he said to his father and mother, "I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife."
* Deuteronomy 7:3-4 "Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you."
* Deuteronomy 22:9-11 "Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled. Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together. Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together."
* 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
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>Did Samson know this was from the Lord as verse 4 states?
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>2. Was Samson's parents request reasonable? (3)
* Judges 14:3 "His father and mother replied, "Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me. She's the right one for me."
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>Why? (4)
* Judges 14:4 "(His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)
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>How might you feel if you were his parents? (Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20)
* Ephesians 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."
* Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
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>3. Did Samson's parents accept his request? (5)
* Judges 14:5 "Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him."
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>What did the Lord arrange? (6-7)
* Judges 14:6-7 "The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her."
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>When lion's jump into our lives how should we respond? (1 Peter 4:12-13; John 15:18-21)
* 1 Peter 4:12-13 "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."
* John 15:18-21 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me."
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II. A Riddle (14:8-14)
>4. What did Samson notice about he lion's carcass? (8-9)
* Judges 14:8-9 "Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey, which he scooped out with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass."
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>Had he revealed to anyone about he lion?
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>5. Was the marriage arrangements different than normal? (10-11)
* Judges 14:10-11 "Now his father went down to see the woman. And Samson made a feast there, as was customary for bridegrooms. When he appeared, he was given thirty companions."
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>During the feast what did Samson say? (12)
* Judges 14:12 "Let me tell you a riddle," Samson said to them. "If you can give me the answer within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes."
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>What did the guests agree to at the beginning of the feast? (13)
* Judges 14:13 "If you can't tell me the answer, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty sets of clothes." "Tell us your riddle," they said. "Let's hear it."
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>6. What was the riddle? (14)
* Judges 14:14 "He replied, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet." For three days they could not give the answer."
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>Was this a fair riddle?
* Yes. Whether drunk or otherwise the thirty agreed to it.
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>Why did Samson give it? (4)
* "this was from the Lord" -Samson would use this as an excuse to attack the Philistines without endangering the rest of Israel.
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III. Samson's Wife Betrays Him (14:15-20)
>7. What threat did the thirty tell Samson's new wife? (15)
* Judges 14:15 "On the fourth day, they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband into explaining the riddle for us, or we will burn you and your father's household to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?"
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>What rift can be see between Samson and his new bride? (15)
* Judges 14:16 "Then Samson's wife threw herself on him, sobbing, "You hate me! You don't really love me. You've given my people a riddle, but you haven't told me the answer." "I haven't even explained it to my father or mother," he replied, "so why should I explain it to you?"
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>8. What position did Samson put his bride in and she on him?
* Judges 14:17 "She cried the whole seven days of the feast. So on the seventh day he finally told her, because she continued to press him. She in turn explained the riddle to her people."
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>Did she tell him the whole truth?
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>Why or why not?
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>9. What did Samson know about the Philistines? (18)
* Judges 14:18 "Before sunset on the seventh day the men of the town said to him, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?" Samson said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle."
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>How did Samson respond? (19)
* Judges 14:19 "Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of their belongings and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he went up to his father's house."
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>Why?
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>10. What can be learned from verse 20?
* Judges 14:20 "And Samson's wife was given to the friend who had attended him at his wedding."
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