12-11-05

(Judg 14:10-15)  So his father went down unto the woman [and a period of time passed]: and Samson [sunlight] made there a feast; for so used the young men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions [Philistine men] to be with him [Why?]. And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle [dark saying (parable)] unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast [symbolic of the seven days of creation, or the seven days of your life (your creation)], and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments [symbolic of wedding garments (coverings)]: But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it. And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat [food], and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they [the thirty companions] said unto Samson's wife, Entice [delude: allure, deceive, flatter, persuade] thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?

1.     Commentary: No saved person in the Bible, no person who was either imputed for righteousness (OT) or born again (NT), was ever burned to death with fire. Why not?

2.     (1 Th 5:8-10)  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath [anger, indignation, vengeance], but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

3.     (John 3:36)  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

4.     (Deu 4:24)  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. [Heb 12:29]

5.     (Deu 9:3)  Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.

6.     (Rev 14:9-11)  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture [i.e. dilution] into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

7.     (Isa 11:9,11)  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse [Who is this?], which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

8.     ensign = Heb: a flag; also a sail; a flagstaff; a signal; a token: banner, pole, sail, (en-) sign, standard /// to gleam from afar, i.e. to be conspicuous as a signal; [through the idea of a flag as fluttering in the wind]; to raise a beacon: lift up as an ensign, standard bearer.

9.     (Hab 2:14)  For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

10.            Commentary: What is the motivating emotion of the thirty companions? What is God’s “motivating” emotion? What is Satan’s “motivating” emotion?

11.            (Gen 3:6,7)  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the [natural] eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons [a belt: armour, girdle /// to gird on (as a belt, armor, etc.): be afraid, gird, restrain, X on every side].

(Judg 14:16-18)  And Samson's [Philistine] wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee? And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people. And the men of the city [??] said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer [a female calf, espec. one nearly grown], ye had not found out my riddle.

1.     (Prov 21:19)  It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious [a contest or quarrel: brawling, discord, strife] and an angry woman.

2.     (Prov 27:15)  A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.

(Judg 14:19,20)  And the spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them [his thirty Philistine companions at the wedding feast] which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.

1.     Ashkelon = Heb: in the sense of weighing-place (i.e. mart) /// weigh [one of the five principal cities of the Philistines situated on the seacoast]

2.     Commentary: The thirty men Samson slew in Ashkelon were Philistines, whose garments (worldly coverings) Samson took and gave to the thirty Philistine companions at the wedding feast who had provided an answer (vs. The Answer) to the riddle. But what had the thirty companions gained?

3.     kindled = Heb: to glow or grow warm; fig. (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy: be angry, burn, be displeased, X earnestly, grieve, be (wax) hot, be incensed, kindle, X very, be wroth.

(Judg 15:1,2)  But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest [Feast of Pentecost], that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion [2^nd mention]: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

(Judg 15:3-5)  And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless [innocent] than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure [ra', rah; bad or evil]. And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands [torches], and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn [grown up stalks] of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks [a stack of sheaves, corn], and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives [i.e. all the fruit of the Philistines – in judgment].

1.     Commentary: Joseph gave Benjamin “three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment” (Gen 45:22). God gave Gideon “three hundred men” (Judg 7:16). What does it all mean?

2.     (Luke 13:31,32)  The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox [a cunning person], Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

3.     (Hosea 6:1,2)  Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us [restore us]: in the third day he will raise us up [resurrection], and we shall live in his sight.

(Judg 15:6)  Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he [the father in law] had taken his [Samson’s] wife, and given her to his [Samson’s] companion [3^rd mention]. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

1.     (Isa 14:12)  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

(Judg 15:7,8)  And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease. And he smote them hip and thigh [by euphem. the generative parts] with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam [hawk-ground /// a hawk or other bird of prey (eagle) /// to swoop down upon].

Amen