July 17 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 78—Judges 14:1–4

¹Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. ²Then he came up and told his father and mother, "I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife." ³But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, 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, for she is right in my eyes."

⁴His father and mother did not know that it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.

Devotional:

We are used to affirming that "the Lord works in mysterious ways." The Samson cycle holds more tension, starker contrasts, and raises more nagging questions than the preceding ones, though one may well ask, "Is this even possible?"

As 14:4b indicates, the time of Samson was a period during which the Philistines held sway over Israel. The Philistines had come to southwestern Canaan from Crete and the Aegean sea. When they arrived at the coastal plains of Canaan, their navy soon began to threaten Egyptian interests in the region, who knew the Philistines as the "sea peoples." In a series of hard fought battles, the Philistines were subjugated, but Pharaoh Ramesses (12th/13th century BC) eventually allowed them to settle in southwestern Canaan, which is precisely the area in which biblical accounts locate them.

By the time of Samson, the Philistines dominate southwestern Canaan. If you think Israel would once again cry out to Yahweh for deliverance, you will be disappointed. Israel does not even desire to be saved from their oppressors anymore. They have become thoroughly canaanized.

Israel's arrangement with the nations of Canaan is reflected in Samson's taste for foreign women, both here and elsewhere in the cycle. He falls in love with a Philistine girl and orders his parents, "Get her for me!" Samson's parents know all too well that the covenant of Sinai condemned intermarriage with Canaanites (cf. also 2:2; 3:6). But Samson is the kind of guy who won't take no for an answer. He insists, "Get her for me, for she is right in my own eyes" (14:3). This word from Samson is ominous of the book's refrain that characterizes all Israel in the final and most tragic section of Judges: "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (16:6; 21:25).

But just as we are ready to rise in euphoric outrage over Samson's foolishness, the author administers a slap in the face with an interpretative comment: "His father and mother did not know that it was from Yahweh, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines" (14:4). This qualifies as one of the most controversial moments in the book. We have seen God at work in and through messy circumstances and flawed characters, but nowhere does the author come flat out and say, "Yahweh somehow steers someone to disobey his own prohibitions (here: against intermarriage) in order to save Israel. He is creating a pretext to attack his enemies." Of course, we can dress up the language of the text by arguing that God merely allowed Samson to act this way. Fair enough, but then the author could have said this, if only he had wanted to. We must be careful not to lose the shock and with it the theological depth of the statement. Certainly, Samson sinned, and God could hardly have been pleased with his champion, but he is still free to use people when, where, and how he wills.

God orchestrated the crucifixion of our Savior in this way. His trial, condemnation, and execution violated the laws of man and God. But God wanted it so (cf. Acts 2:22-23). Through it all he delivered his elect and defeated the world. Here too one could have said, "But it was of the Lord…" May we never lose the ability of marveling at the wisdom of "Him who works all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11)!

The author of these devotionals, the Rev. Martin Emmrich, is an ordained OPC minister (Westminster OPC, Corvallis, Oregon) as well as the author of Pneumatological Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book on the teaching of Hebrews on the Holy Spirit. We are happy to make these devotionals on Ecclesiastes and other passages of Scripture available to you.