Today's passage: Judges 14:1-20
Helpful thoughts:
- God's sovereignty does not nullify the responsibility of man. God is able to use the wrong choices of people to bring about His will.
- In touching the carcass of the lion, Samson broke a part of his Nazarite vow and then shared this “uncleanness” with his parents.
- Evidently, there was a type of marriage in this region, during this time, where the bride would stay with her parents and the groom could come “calling”. Samson may have left without his bride. But he would not have assumed his bride was given to another man.
Questions to consider:
- What seemed to be Samson's motivation to marry this Philistine woman? Did he desire to love her as Christ would love the church?
- In what ways did Samson show a lack of respect for his parents? In what ways were his actions and words towards his parents similar to the way Israel had treated God?
- What does Samson's desire to make a wager on a riddle and calling his fiance a cow tell you about him? If the Spirit of the Lord didn't rush on him in these moments of crisis, what would have happened to him? Whose fault would it have been?