“Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.” (vv.1-4)
Here in chapter 14 Samson decides to go down to the city of Timnath. There, he sees a women (who was a Philistine) and desires her so, that upon his return home, he instructs his parents to get her for him (v.2). But, both of his parents object to his request as she is not from the nation of Israel. Furthermore, she comes from one of the seven nations of the Canaanites with whom marriage is forbidden by law.
Love at first sight is a powerful, but dangerous thing. It is entirely possible for us to fall in love with someone that we have no business falling in love with – which was exactly the case with Samson here. As well, love at first sight feels wonderful, but doesn’t last in its initial form forever. We can be attracted more to the feeling of love itself than the person we focus upon – whom we don’t really know at first sight.
In demanding a Philistine wife, Samson showed a sinful disregard for his parents and for God’s will (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). Bound by romantic feelings, there are many people who still demand from God a mate out of God’s will. As the rest of the chapter shows, some good ultimately came out of this ungodly marriage. Many Philistines were killed, and they were kept off balance in their attempts to dominate the Israelites.
What satan means for evil, God can use for good. Even though Samson is rebellious against both God’s law and his parent’s wishes, God used the situation to accomplish His purposes concerning the Philistines by raising up a champion to fight against this evil nation.
However, no matter how much good God can bring out of even the bad things we do, He can always bring far more good out of our obedience – and we ourselves experience much less pain.
The Truth: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! Who has know the mind of the LORD? Who has become His counselor?" (Romans 11:33-34)
