Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. That number again!
We are about to relay the story of Samson’s birth. Yea! I love it when we come to anything in the Bible that I can relate to visually, thanks to Cecil B. DeMille and other early film directors! Victor Mature as Samson. Ooh, yum. Hedy Lamarr as Delilah. Early hottie. So follow along with the real story.
A man appears to Samson’s mother who up till now has been childless, and tells her she is going to be pregnant, so to stop drinking fermented drink. Stop there. Isn’t it amazing how early on we knew of these dangers (not the 1970s). Anyway, his parents accept this man as an angel of God after he evaporates in a flame.
Following this auspicious beginning, Samson’s is a life fraught with challenges. As a young man he is confronted by a charging lion, which he destroys with his bare hands. He returns later to the carcass to find bees in it. Scooping up honey from the lion’s belly, on he goes. His father arranges for a marriage to a lady Samson fell for and at the traditional bridegroom’s feast (original bachelor party?) he is “given” 30 companions to whom he gives the following riddle and promise of clothes if they can answer it before his wedding:
“Out of the eater, something to eat,
Out of the strong, something sweet.”
They threaten his intended for the answer, she begs him for answer for entire 7 days of wedding feast, he won’t tell her, she won’t stop crying, he finally gives in, she tells her whole tribe the answer.
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than the lion?”
Ah! The original Jeopardy where question is the answer!
Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!” Ouch to them. Double ouch to his heifer – er – his fiancé. (“Plowed with” hmmm, that’s a new one.)
Samson was so mad he struck down 30 of her people and went home.
Later when he returns to see his wife, her father says, "Gee I thought you didn’t want her, I gave her to someone else. How about her sister; she’s better looking anyway.” Samson then goes berserk and destroys much of the village’s vineyards. So the Philistines killed his bride and her father. So Samson slaughtered many of them. So the Philistines had him taken prisoner and he was bound. But the power of the Lord came over him and by his strength, with the jawbone of an ass he struck a thousand men down.
And Samson led the Israelites for 20 years (that’s half of 40).
Confession #70: We women do have a nasty way of needling, crying, pleading to get our way. Have I ever used tears as a ploy? Hmmm… this is called Confessions…uh…yep. But I find the older and less helpless I feel, the less I resort to such despicable tactics. I now consider it beneath me. Right, honey?
Out of the strong, something sweet.”
They threaten his intended for the answer, she begs him for answer for entire 7 days of wedding feast, he won’t tell her, she won’t stop crying, he finally gives in, she tells her whole tribe the answer.
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than the lion?”
Ah! The original Jeopardy where question is the answer!
Samson said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!” Ouch to them. Double ouch to his heifer – er – his fiancé. (“Plowed with” hmmm, that’s a new one.)
Samson was so mad he struck down 30 of her people and went home.
Later when he returns to see his wife, her father says, "Gee I thought you didn’t want her, I gave her to someone else. How about her sister; she’s better looking anyway.” Samson then goes berserk and destroys much of the village’s vineyards. So the Philistines killed his bride and her father. So Samson slaughtered many of them. So the Philistines had him taken prisoner and he was bound. But the power of the Lord came over him and by his strength, with the jawbone of an ass he struck a thousand men down.
And Samson led the Israelites for 20 years (that’s half of 40).
Confession #70: We women do have a nasty way of needling, crying, pleading to get our way. Have I ever used tears as a ploy? Hmmm… this is called Confessions…uh…yep. But I find the older and less helpless I feel, the less I resort to such despicable tactics. I now consider it beneath me. Right, honey?
NEXT: Delilah
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...that's right...
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