September 26th - Reflection

Judges 14:1-20 (NRSV)
Samson's riddle explained
Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw a Philistine woman. Then he came up, and told his father and mother, "I saw a Philistine woman at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among your kin, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, because she pleases me." His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for he was seeking a pretext to act against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When he came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion roared at him. The spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he tore the lion apart barehanded as one might tear apart a kid. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson. After a while he returned to marry her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands, and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.


His father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there as the young men were accustomed to do. When the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." So they said to him, "Ask your riddle; let us hear it." He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." But for three days they could not explain the riddle.

On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me." He said to her, "Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?" She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. The men of the town said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
"What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?"

And he said to them,
"If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have found out my riddle."

Then the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Reflection
Samson was drawn in the direction of the Philistines by God's hand. God was about to act among the Philistines on behalf of Israel.

The wedding tradition was different from those of the Israelites and even old time for the Philistines. The bride did not come to live with Samson, rather here the bride remained with her own family and the husband visited.

On Samson's journey to his future bride he encountered and killed a lion. Returning later to marry his bride he saw the lion's carcass filled with honey. Samson violated his Nazirite code of no contact with a corpse when he scraped out the honey from the lion carcass. Therefore he didn't want his parents to know about this action.

Part of the wedding feast included bridegroom companions, possibly intended for bodyguards  for the bridegroom. The linen garments were large sheets that could be worn during the day and used to sleep on at night. So here we have all the components of the riddle that Samson gave to the Philistines.

No one would have ever figured out the answer to the riddle without some kind of inside information. Samson knew this. So when the riddle was answered, Samson knew that he had been betrayed by his wife, since only she had been told.

In anger Samson took revenge on the Philistines and supplied those who had answered the riddle with the garments and went back home.

Samson was willing to have God lead him into a strange land and a strange people to show the power of God. God picked Samson out of his usual place of living and used him to bring glory to the One God for all peoples. Sometimes, when calls, we must be willing to go along with God's call in our lives and go into unusual situations and unfamiliar traditions in order for God to work through us. It's a bold step to take and takes a faithful servant.

Prayer
Lord, when you call me to move, help me to recognize your will and your way... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen