Ruth 2
KingCommentsRuth 2:1
Samson Kills a Lion
Samson’s parents follow him on his wrong way. Think about this, that he, the Nazirite, of whom God has said that “he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5), will marry a Philistine woman! On his way to Timnah, close to the vineyards, a young lion comes roaring toward him. It seems that he took a different road than his parents, because later they don’t know what happened, see also Judges 14:9. From this we can learn some lessons.
Take a look at the vineyards. This is an extremely dangerous environment for a Nazirite, who is not allowed to eat anything from the vine (Numbers 6:3). Samson looks for the danger. He walks on the border. Anyone who wants to be a true Nazirite will stay as far away from dangerous places as possible.
Samson does what also can happen in the lives of young Christians. They go out of curiosity to places of which they know they should not go. The pub, the cinema, the funfair, the red light district of the big city, these are all areas where a Christian should not be without a command of God.
If we choose to take such a ‘side road’ ourselves, there is a good chance that a ‘lion’ will come to us. The lion is here a picture of the devil. “Be of sober [spirit], be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). If we leave the path of obedience, the devil comes toward us. In 1 Kings 13 there is also mention of someone who meets a lion on his way (1 Kings 13:23-24). The lion is used by God to kill the man of God from Judah, who has deviated from the way God has appointed for him.
This is not the case with Samson, as fortunately it is not always the case with young believers, when they look for wrong places out of curiosity. When the brutal violence or the sucking power of seduction suddenly penetrates them, they run away quickly. Running away from a wrong place where someone has ended up through one’s own fault is a defeat that must be confessed. Such a one leaves no witness for the Lord in that place.
Samson uses his strength to free himself and not to defeat the enemy. Characteristic of Samson is his great strength. God has given him this enormous physical strength to overcome the Philistines. For us this means that we need strength to overcome what the Philistines represent. God has also given us this power: “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). By being dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to overcome the things that people have come up with to make the Christian faith attractive. That is to say, we will recognize and reject such things.
But the power of the Spirit is not experienced if we let our flesh work. We then easily fall under the spell of what in faith makes the experience of man central and not what God says about it. In their eyes, the experience of faith must be a cheerful one. The fact that the Spirit came upon Samson mightily proves that God is above Samson’s self-will. Without the power of the Spirit Samson would have been lost, for he was not in the way of obedience. Sometimes, where the flesh reveals itself, God can still, through His Spirit, do something above it for the protection of His own, even though they behave carnally.
Samson has overcome the roaring lion in the power of the Spirit. However, he does not realize this, because he follows his own path. That is why he falls for the seduction of a woman. The daughters of the Philistines represent principles that make religion pleasant, attractive to the flesh. All kinds of regulations are created to make serving God ‘tastier’, such as music, impressive speakers, flags, dances, external frills. People must be lured by what appeals to them. All these things are not a help for the Nazirite, but an obstacle.
Ruth 2:2
Honey From the Dead Lion
When Samson sets off to marry the Philistine woman, he visits the place where he killed the lion. There he sees a swarm of bees that has made honey in the lion’s body. Death gives rise to an abundant and ordered activity, which is represented in that swarm of bees. The product of bees, the result of their activity, is honey. Together with the milk, honey is the blessing of the land. Israel is a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).
Here we see in picture that life arises from death. This picture speaks, despite that it is connected with a deviated Samson, of the death of Christ “who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light” (2 Timothy 1:10). The believer derives everything from the death of Christ.
Honey is the product of diligently cooperating bees in the body of a dead lion. Honey represents the sweet, the lovable in creation, something God has given in the natural relationships between people. One of the characteristics of the “last days” (2 Timothy 3:1) is that people are “unloving”, which is ‘without natural love’ (2 Timothy 3:3).
To enjoy the sweetness of mutual love in marriage and family, that love must be based on the death of Christ. If this is the starting point of our life, we will work together in preparing honey. This requires an active cooperation, nourished by love. There is no ‘Philistine’ who knows this. In the days described in 2 Timothy 3, having an active spiritual life is necessary, and the power of God comes to our aid.
Samson takes the honey in his hands and eats it. The hand that killed the lion is also the hand that holds the blessing. Every victory a believer gains over the devil in his life, for example by resisting a certain temptation, gives him food. After all, it is through God’s power that he gained this victory, didn’t he? That awareness makes grateful and prevents self-esteem.
However, it is a pity that Samson doesn’t tell his parents anything about his experiences. It is a good thing to share as a young person with your parents the experiences you have with the Lord. If parents do not know the Lord, it is difficult, but it is not impossible. The Lord wants to give wisdom for that. There are also parents who know the Lord, but show little interest. In that case, your experience may be an incentive for them to become more involved with the Lord and His Word. Then you can experience the opposite of what we saw earlier with Samson, that he dragged his parents along on the wrong road.
It’s an assumption, but it may be that Samson didn’t want to tell his parents because deep in his heart he knew that he was carrying out a wrong plan. His physical strength was great, but he did not have enough spiritual strength to free himself from this snare. We can draw this conclusion from what we read about him.
Ruth 2:3
Honey From the Dead Lion
When Samson sets off to marry the Philistine woman, he visits the place where he killed the lion. There he sees a swarm of bees that has made honey in the lion’s body. Death gives rise to an abundant and ordered activity, which is represented in that swarm of bees. The product of bees, the result of their activity, is honey. Together with the milk, honey is the blessing of the land. Israel is a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).
Here we see in picture that life arises from death. This picture speaks, despite that it is connected with a deviated Samson, of the death of Christ “who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light” (2 Timothy 1:10). The believer derives everything from the death of Christ.
Honey is the product of diligently cooperating bees in the body of a dead lion. Honey represents the sweet, the lovable in creation, something God has given in the natural relationships between people. One of the characteristics of the “last days” (2 Timothy 3:1) is that people are “unloving”, which is ‘without natural love’ (2 Timothy 3:3).
To enjoy the sweetness of mutual love in marriage and family, that love must be based on the death of Christ. If this is the starting point of our life, we will work together in preparing honey. This requires an active cooperation, nourished by love. There is no ‘Philistine’ who knows this. In the days described in 2 Timothy 3, having an active spiritual life is necessary, and the power of God comes to our aid.
Samson takes the honey in his hands and eats it. The hand that killed the lion is also the hand that holds the blessing. Every victory a believer gains over the devil in his life, for example by resisting a certain temptation, gives him food. After all, it is through God’s power that he gained this victory, didn’t he? That awareness makes grateful and prevents self-esteem.
However, it is a pity that Samson doesn’t tell his parents anything about his experiences. It is a good thing to share as a young person with your parents the experiences you have with the Lord. If parents do not know the Lord, it is difficult, but it is not impossible. The Lord wants to give wisdom for that. There are also parents who know the Lord, but show little interest. In that case, your experience may be an incentive for them to become more involved with the Lord and His Word. Then you can experience the opposite of what we saw earlier with Samson, that he dragged his parents along on the wrong road.
It’s an assumption, but it may be that Samson didn’t want to tell his parents because deep in his heart he knew that he was carrying out a wrong plan. His physical strength was great, but he did not have enough spiritual strength to free himself from this snare. We can draw this conclusion from what we read about him.
Ruth 2:4
The Feast Starts
Once the way down is taken, it goes from bad to worse. Samson, in the words of Psalm 1, puts himself here “in the seat of scoffers” (Psalms 1:1). This is partly due to the powerless performance of his father. He did make a protest, but he adapted himself further to the wishes of his son. A strong protest without a consistent attitude is unsuccessful. A proverb in Proverbs 29 warns against such an attitude: “A slave will not be instructed by words [alone]; for though he understands, there will be no response” (Proverbs 29:19).
Samson is already so far under Philistine influence, that he organizes a feast according to the customs that are common among Philistine youth. It is a feast in which the world can participate. It is held in accordance with the insights and standards of a new generation. For young believers there is always the danger of celebrating in a way that is customary in the world. The expression ‘they all do it like this’ can be heard among young people.
In this way, the masses are followed in fashion, in celebrating and also in organizing the meetings of the church. What the Word of God has to say about all these things is hardly asked anymore. Anyone who wants to place these things in the light of the Bible will be confronted with remarks such as ‘outdated’ or ‘not of this time’.
Samson also doesn’t wonder how God wants him to proceed. He can’t do that either, because he is working on the wrong case. He cannot expect anything else now but to be given the wrong means. But not only that. He has come to marry one woman, but he gets thirty companions added.
This means that if you reach a compromise on one point, you will adopt that attitude on many more points. Whoever allows one Philistine principle, adopts more and more. More and more useful arguments are arising. Such reasoning then becomes ‘spiritual friends’.
Ruth 2:5
The Feast Starts
Once the way down is taken, it goes from bad to worse. Samson, in the words of Psalm 1, puts himself here “in the seat of scoffers” (Psalms 1:1). This is partly due to the powerless performance of his father. He did make a protest, but he adapted himself further to the wishes of his son. A strong protest without a consistent attitude is unsuccessful. A proverb in Proverbs 29 warns against such an attitude: “A slave will not be instructed by words [alone]; for though he understands, there will be no response” (Proverbs 29:19).
Samson is already so far under Philistine influence, that he organizes a feast according to the customs that are common among Philistine youth. It is a feast in which the world can participate. It is held in accordance with the insights and standards of a new generation. For young believers there is always the danger of celebrating in a way that is customary in the world. The expression ‘they all do it like this’ can be heard among young people.
In this way, the masses are followed in fashion, in celebrating and also in organizing the meetings of the church. What the Word of God has to say about all these things is hardly asked anymore. Anyone who wants to place these things in the light of the Bible will be confronted with remarks such as ‘outdated’ or ‘not of this time’.
Samson also doesn’t wonder how God wants him to proceed. He can’t do that either, because he is working on the wrong case. He cannot expect anything else now but to be given the wrong means. But not only that. He has come to marry one woman, but he gets thirty companions added.
This means that if you reach a compromise on one point, you will adopt that attitude on many more points. Whoever allows one Philistine principle, adopts more and more. More and more useful arguments are arising. Such reasoning then becomes ‘spiritual friends’.
Ruth 2:6
The Riddle
Then Samson uses an experience he gained through the Spirit of God to amuse the Philistines. Philistines are people who can never solve such a riddle themselves. They cannot possibly understand that life can come from death. They may be able to give the right answers. However, this can only be done by borrowing or stealing the answers from others, but this is also acting ‘like a Philistine’.
We must be able to solve the riddle. Whoever solves the riddle will get different clothes. This is the reward that is promised. Changing clothes is a picture of changing lifestyle habits. Clothes we can see; they belong to the part of man that is visible.
We can look at the riddle from the side of God. Then it means that our lives will change as we gain a real understanding of the fact that the death of the Lord Jesus life has come forth for us. This will affect our attitude and behavior, everything that people see of us. We will show a new style of life.
Solving the riddle must be the result of inner, spiritual exercise. If we have come this far, we learn to see that nothing has any value if we have not received it through the death of Christ. The result of this is visible in the way we interact with each other within the family or the local church: in love from which food and sweetness originate.
However, if we look at the riddle from Samson’s side, we see that he represents someone who communicates a ‘spiritual’ experience as a kind of entertainment to the religious world. If the riddle is not guessed, Samson is given thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. From whom? From the Philistines. It will not bring him profit, but loss.
Someone who shows off his experiences runs the risk of taking over the habits and behavior of the Christian world. Even if the riddle is solved in a Philistine way, the result is not that the one who solves the riddle changes by it. We see what happens with Samson. What he finally did was to provide the Philistines with a number of extra Philistine clothes (Judges 14:19). The changing is not a substantial change.
But now to the meaning of the riddle. What does it represent? The devil is the eater, the lion. A conquered lion provides ‘food’, spiritual food. On the cross the lion is defeated. The Lord Jesus destroyed on the cross by death “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). As a result, the treasures of God have opened and we can feed ourselves with all the spiritual delicacies that result from the victory of the Lord Jesus. Applied to our own experience a victory over the devil gives strength and refreshment.
Ruth 2:7
The Riddle
Then Samson uses an experience he gained through the Spirit of God to amuse the Philistines. Philistines are people who can never solve such a riddle themselves. They cannot possibly understand that life can come from death. They may be able to give the right answers. However, this can only be done by borrowing or stealing the answers from others, but this is also acting ‘like a Philistine’.
We must be able to solve the riddle. Whoever solves the riddle will get different clothes. This is the reward that is promised. Changing clothes is a picture of changing lifestyle habits. Clothes we can see; they belong to the part of man that is visible.
We can look at the riddle from the side of God. Then it means that our lives will change as we gain a real understanding of the fact that the death of the Lord Jesus life has come forth for us. This will affect our attitude and behavior, everything that people see of us. We will show a new style of life.
Solving the riddle must be the result of inner, spiritual exercise. If we have come this far, we learn to see that nothing has any value if we have not received it through the death of Christ. The result of this is visible in the way we interact with each other within the family or the local church: in love from which food and sweetness originate.
However, if we look at the riddle from Samson’s side, we see that he represents someone who communicates a ‘spiritual’ experience as a kind of entertainment to the religious world. If the riddle is not guessed, Samson is given thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. From whom? From the Philistines. It will not bring him profit, but loss.
Someone who shows off his experiences runs the risk of taking over the habits and behavior of the Christian world. Even if the riddle is solved in a Philistine way, the result is not that the one who solves the riddle changes by it. We see what happens with Samson. What he finally did was to provide the Philistines with a number of extra Philistine clothes (Judges 14:19). The changing is not a substantial change.
But now to the meaning of the riddle. What does it represent? The devil is the eater, the lion. A conquered lion provides ‘food’, spiritual food. On the cross the lion is defeated. The Lord Jesus destroyed on the cross by death “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). As a result, the treasures of God have opened and we can feed ourselves with all the spiritual delicacies that result from the victory of the Lord Jesus. Applied to our own experience a victory over the devil gives strength and refreshment.
Ruth 2:8
The Riddle
Then Samson uses an experience he gained through the Spirit of God to amuse the Philistines. Philistines are people who can never solve such a riddle themselves. They cannot possibly understand that life can come from death. They may be able to give the right answers. However, this can only be done by borrowing or stealing the answers from others, but this is also acting ‘like a Philistine’.
We must be able to solve the riddle. Whoever solves the riddle will get different clothes. This is the reward that is promised. Changing clothes is a picture of changing lifestyle habits. Clothes we can see; they belong to the part of man that is visible.
We can look at the riddle from the side of God. Then it means that our lives will change as we gain a real understanding of the fact that the death of the Lord Jesus life has come forth for us. This will affect our attitude and behavior, everything that people see of us. We will show a new style of life.
Solving the riddle must be the result of inner, spiritual exercise. If we have come this far, we learn to see that nothing has any value if we have not received it through the death of Christ. The result of this is visible in the way we interact with each other within the family or the local church: in love from which food and sweetness originate.
However, if we look at the riddle from Samson’s side, we see that he represents someone who communicates a ‘spiritual’ experience as a kind of entertainment to the religious world. If the riddle is not guessed, Samson is given thirty linen wraps and thirty changes of clothes. From whom? From the Philistines. It will not bring him profit, but loss.
Someone who shows off his experiences runs the risk of taking over the habits and behavior of the Christian world. Even if the riddle is solved in a Philistine way, the result is not that the one who solves the riddle changes by it. We see what happens with Samson. What he finally did was to provide the Philistines with a number of extra Philistine clothes (Judges 14:19). The changing is not a substantial change.
But now to the meaning of the riddle. What does it represent? The devil is the eater, the lion. A conquered lion provides ‘food’, spiritual food. On the cross the lion is defeated. The Lord Jesus destroyed on the cross by death “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). As a result, the treasures of God have opened and we can feed ourselves with all the spiritual delicacies that result from the victory of the Lord Jesus. Applied to our own experience a victory over the devil gives strength and refreshment.
Ruth 2:9
How the Riddle Is Solved
The way in which the Philistines work to find the solution to the riddle shows their merciless character. They threaten Samson’s wife with burning if she doesn’t take the solution from him and pass it on to them. The woman shows that, despite a connection with Samson, she has remained essentially a Philistine woman. Her contact with him did not affect her heart. She still feels one with the Philistines and speaks in Judges 14:16 of “the sons of my people”.
She blackmails him with one of the strongest weapons a woman has: her emotions. The strong Samson is not resistant to this. He becomes a poor, weak Samson who cannot keep secrets. This will happen again later and then it will be fatal to him. From both cases we can learn that something that we allow as an illicit ‘partner’ – in the sense of illicit ideas, behaviors, connections – in our lives, becomes the traitor of our secret.
Betrayal here is hooking up with the enemy. The betrayal consists in the application in this, that we know the meaning of the riddle as a believer, but that we treat it the way the enemies treat it. So it does not bring about any real change in our lives.
Samson did not have much joy at the whole feast. There’s nothing festive about your wife trying with tears to fidget a secret you want to keep to yourself. The whole relationship makes it clear that they both live for themselves. Yet the most affected person in this story is the woman. She did not look up Samson, but he wanted her. Through his performance he makes sure that the feast is not an undivided pleasure to her either.
That’s still the practice today. When a believer and an unbeliever marry, the victim is the unbeliever. The unbeliever thinks to marry someone with whom he/she can have fun in life. Such a person does not marry a Christian but a wife/husband. Soon it turns out that the believer, if he still attaches any value to the faith, does not want to go to all kinds of occasions or friends where the unbeliever wants to go to. Of course, this was discussed in the time before marriage, but the reality only really presents itself when one is married a bit longer.
Ruth 2:10
How the Riddle Is Solved
The way in which the Philistines work to find the solution to the riddle shows their merciless character. They threaten Samson’s wife with burning if she doesn’t take the solution from him and pass it on to them. The woman shows that, despite a connection with Samson, she has remained essentially a Philistine woman. Her contact with him did not affect her heart. She still feels one with the Philistines and speaks in Judges 14:16 of “the sons of my people”.
She blackmails him with one of the strongest weapons a woman has: her emotions. The strong Samson is not resistant to this. He becomes a poor, weak Samson who cannot keep secrets. This will happen again later and then it will be fatal to him. From both cases we can learn that something that we allow as an illicit ‘partner’ – in the sense of illicit ideas, behaviors, connections – in our lives, becomes the traitor of our secret.
Betrayal here is hooking up with the enemy. The betrayal consists in the application in this, that we know the meaning of the riddle as a believer, but that we treat it the way the enemies treat it. So it does not bring about any real change in our lives.
Samson did not have much joy at the whole feast. There’s nothing festive about your wife trying with tears to fidget a secret you want to keep to yourself. The whole relationship makes it clear that they both live for themselves. Yet the most affected person in this story is the woman. She did not look up Samson, but he wanted her. Through his performance he makes sure that the feast is not an undivided pleasure to her either.
That’s still the practice today. When a believer and an unbeliever marry, the victim is the unbeliever. The unbeliever thinks to marry someone with whom he/she can have fun in life. Such a person does not marry a Christian but a wife/husband. Soon it turns out that the believer, if he still attaches any value to the faith, does not want to go to all kinds of occasions or friends where the unbeliever wants to go to. Of course, this was discussed in the time before marriage, but the reality only really presents itself when one is married a bit longer.
Ruth 2:11
How the Riddle Is Solved
The way in which the Philistines work to find the solution to the riddle shows their merciless character. They threaten Samson’s wife with burning if she doesn’t take the solution from him and pass it on to them. The woman shows that, despite a connection with Samson, she has remained essentially a Philistine woman. Her contact with him did not affect her heart. She still feels one with the Philistines and speaks in Judges 14:16 of “the sons of my people”.
She blackmails him with one of the strongest weapons a woman has: her emotions. The strong Samson is not resistant to this. He becomes a poor, weak Samson who cannot keep secrets. This will happen again later and then it will be fatal to him. From both cases we can learn that something that we allow as an illicit ‘partner’ – in the sense of illicit ideas, behaviors, connections – in our lives, becomes the traitor of our secret.
Betrayal here is hooking up with the enemy. The betrayal consists in the application in this, that we know the meaning of the riddle as a believer, but that we treat it the way the enemies treat it. So it does not bring about any real change in our lives.
Samson did not have much joy at the whole feast. There’s nothing festive about your wife trying with tears to fidget a secret you want to keep to yourself. The whole relationship makes it clear that they both live for themselves. Yet the most affected person in this story is the woman. She did not look up Samson, but he wanted her. Through his performance he makes sure that the feast is not an undivided pleasure to her either.
That’s still the practice today. When a believer and an unbeliever marry, the victim is the unbeliever. The unbeliever thinks to marry someone with whom he/she can have fun in life. Such a person does not marry a Christian but a wife/husband. Soon it turns out that the believer, if he still attaches any value to the faith, does not want to go to all kinds of occasions or friends where the unbeliever wants to go to. Of course, this was discussed in the time before marriage, but the reality only really presents itself when one is married a bit longer.
Ruth 2:12
How the Riddle Is Solved
The way in which the Philistines work to find the solution to the riddle shows their merciless character. They threaten Samson’s wife with burning if she doesn’t take the solution from him and pass it on to them. The woman shows that, despite a connection with Samson, she has remained essentially a Philistine woman. Her contact with him did not affect her heart. She still feels one with the Philistines and speaks in Judges 14:16 of “the sons of my people”.
She blackmails him with one of the strongest weapons a woman has: her emotions. The strong Samson is not resistant to this. He becomes a poor, weak Samson who cannot keep secrets. This will happen again later and then it will be fatal to him. From both cases we can learn that something that we allow as an illicit ‘partner’ – in the sense of illicit ideas, behaviors, connections – in our lives, becomes the traitor of our secret.
Betrayal here is hooking up with the enemy. The betrayal consists in the application in this, that we know the meaning of the riddle as a believer, but that we treat it the way the enemies treat it. So it does not bring about any real change in our lives.
Samson did not have much joy at the whole feast. There’s nothing festive about your wife trying with tears to fidget a secret you want to keep to yourself. The whole relationship makes it clear that they both live for themselves. Yet the most affected person in this story is the woman. She did not look up Samson, but he wanted her. Through his performance he makes sure that the feast is not an undivided pleasure to her either.
That’s still the practice today. When a believer and an unbeliever marry, the victim is the unbeliever. The unbeliever thinks to marry someone with whom he/she can have fun in life. Such a person does not marry a Christian but a wife/husband. Soon it turns out that the believer, if he still attaches any value to the faith, does not want to go to all kinds of occasions or friends where the unbeliever wants to go to. Of course, this was discussed in the time before marriage, but the reality only really presents itself when one is married a bit longer.
Ruth 2:13
The Reward
Samson is the loser. He first loses the challenge related to the riddle. He has to keep the agreement and has to give thirty pieces of clothing. For that he goes to Ashkelon, one of the five Philistine cities. There he kills thirty men and gives their clothes to those who have given the solution of the riddle. The application is that while ‘the riddle’ of the cross of the Lord Jesus can be ‘answered’ by unbelief, this does not really change lives inwardly. The clothing remains Philistine.
It is remarkable that here we read again that the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Samson mightily, while he is still busy fulfilling an agreement he should never have made. Possibly this has to do with the fact that here he is fighting the enemies of God’s people and is therefore busy with the execution of his actual task.
He also loses his wife. She is given to another. His father-in-law has no idea whether Samson will ever come back. The man, when he gave his daughter to another person, did not suspect what the consequences would be for him and his daughter.
Ruth 2:14
The Reward
Samson is the loser. He first loses the challenge related to the riddle. He has to keep the agreement and has to give thirty pieces of clothing. For that he goes to Ashkelon, one of the five Philistine cities. There he kills thirty men and gives their clothes to those who have given the solution of the riddle. The application is that while ‘the riddle’ of the cross of the Lord Jesus can be ‘answered’ by unbelief, this does not really change lives inwardly. The clothing remains Philistine.
It is remarkable that here we read again that the Spirit of the LORD comes upon Samson mightily, while he is still busy fulfilling an agreement he should never have made. Possibly this has to do with the fact that here he is fighting the enemies of God’s people and is therefore busy with the execution of his actual task.
He also loses his wife. She is given to another. His father-in-law has no idea whether Samson will ever come back. The man, when he gave his daughter to another person, did not suspect what the consequences would be for him and his daughter.
Ruth 2:16
Introduction
This chapter describes – in a practical sense – the end of Samson’s service to God. The last verse makes this clear. In the next chapter Samson is no longer recognized by God as His servant, although He uses him one more time.
The Connection Disconnected
When his anger has calmed down a bit, Samson returns to his wife to complete the wedding by having relations with her. He takes a young goat with him, probably to celebrate with. These are the days of the wheat harvest, which takes place in late May, early June and is accompanied by all kinds of festivities.
In the spiritual application, the wheat harvest tells something about the Lord Jesus and the fruit of His work on the cross. In John 12 He says: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). In the days when the wheat is ripe to be harvested, Samson goes to visit his Philistine wife to confirm his relationship with her! Spiritually, this may mean the following. Someone who is a Nazirite must realize, by seeing the fruit of the Lord Jesus’ work, that it is unthinkable to connect with ‘something’ that is not based on that work.
In any case, it is inconceivable that God should consent in this connection. It is unimaginable that a Nazirite should be married to a Philistine! God prevents this marriage from being definitively concluded. But Philistines are always willing to make a new connection. The father offers him another daughter, even more attractive than the first one. Samson does not go into this. He feels cheated and wants to avenge himself.
Ruth 2:17
Introduction
This chapter describes – in a practical sense – the end of Samson’s service to God. The last verse makes this clear. In the next chapter Samson is no longer recognized by God as His servant, although He uses him one more time.
The Connection Disconnected
When his anger has calmed down a bit, Samson returns to his wife to complete the wedding by having relations with her. He takes a young goat with him, probably to celebrate with. These are the days of the wheat harvest, which takes place in late May, early June and is accompanied by all kinds of festivities.
In the spiritual application, the wheat harvest tells something about the Lord Jesus and the fruit of His work on the cross. In John 12 He says: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). In the days when the wheat is ripe to be harvested, Samson goes to visit his Philistine wife to confirm his relationship with her! Spiritually, this may mean the following. Someone who is a Nazirite must realize, by seeing the fruit of the Lord Jesus’ work, that it is unthinkable to connect with ‘something’ that is not based on that work.
In any case, it is inconceivable that God should consent in this connection. It is unimaginable that a Nazirite should be married to a Philistine! God prevents this marriage from being definitively concluded. But Philistines are always willing to make a new connection. The father offers him another daughter, even more attractive than the first one. Samson does not go into this. He feels cheated and wants to avenge himself.
Ruth 2:18
The Revenge of Samson
The connection with the Philistines has only brought Samson misery. He is personally hurt and acts in carnal anger. Here is no mention of the Spirit of the LORD who comes upon Samson. He uses his special power to catch foxes, or rather jackals. These are unclean animals that a Jew, and certainly a Nazirite, do not touch. Foxes in the Bible are related to weakness (Nehemiah 4:3) and sins (Song of Solomon 2:15). He makes the unclean fox a servant of his revenge. Unclean, sinful means are more often used to express indignation.
The meaning of a torch depends on who lights it. If God does, it has a positive meaning, for example in Genesis 15 (Genesis 15:17). Here Samson lights it and it speaks of carnal anger. In James 3 a comparison is made between fire and the human tongue: “See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the [very] world of iniquity” (James 3:5b-6). The fire can only do its job well if it is kept under control, just like the tongue. There must be self-control. Those who let themselves go, like Samson, and do not keep their tongues under control, can cause the greatest disasters, both a world war and a brotherly strife.
Here the fire is connected to the tail. In the Bible, the tail is sometimes used to indicate a false teaching: “And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail” (Isaiah 9:15b; cf. Revelation 9:10-19). Samson has descended far below his dignity as a Nazirite. What a contrast between Samson and his 300 and Gideon and his 300.
Let us summarize once again what is being represented in Samson’s actions. Foxes or jackals are animals that rout the earth and feed on corruption. They represent the unclean, sinful means that a believer can use to take revenge for injustice suffered. This can happen, for example, with the fire of the tongue, by spreading lies and evil rumor.
The result of Samson’s actions is that the proceeds of the land are destroyed. Both the standing corn and what has already been mown, and even the vineyards and olive trees, are set on fire as a result of Samson’s anger and can no longer serve as food. Samson should have chased the Philistines away and given the enjoyment of the land’s proceeds to his fellow countrymen.
How often has personal struggle been the cause of a destruction of the blessing that could have been enjoyed? In many local churches there is great unrest because the believers are engaged in a battle of words among themselves. The fruit of the land represents the blessings with which the Christian is blessed in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). This fruit is richly present. We live as it were ‘in the days of wheat harvest’ (Judges 15:1).
Instead of fighting the enemy to save the proceeds of the land from his hand, a battle of words is waged, “which is useless [and leads] to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14). The result is that there is nothing to enjoy. The cause of all this is ‘only’ an offended mind that is unable to bring the matter before the Lord. Instead of together with Him seeking for a solution, he goes to work himself in a carnal way.
Ruth 2:19
The Revenge of Samson
The connection with the Philistines has only brought Samson misery. He is personally hurt and acts in carnal anger. Here is no mention of the Spirit of the LORD who comes upon Samson. He uses his special power to catch foxes, or rather jackals. These are unclean animals that a Jew, and certainly a Nazirite, do not touch. Foxes in the Bible are related to weakness (Nehemiah 4:3) and sins (Song of Solomon 2:15). He makes the unclean fox a servant of his revenge. Unclean, sinful means are more often used to express indignation.
The meaning of a torch depends on who lights it. If God does, it has a positive meaning, for example in Genesis 15 (Genesis 15:17). Here Samson lights it and it speaks of carnal anger. In James 3 a comparison is made between fire and the human tongue: “See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the [very] world of iniquity” (James 3:5b-6). The fire can only do its job well if it is kept under control, just like the tongue. There must be self-control. Those who let themselves go, like Samson, and do not keep their tongues under control, can cause the greatest disasters, both a world war and a brotherly strife.
Here the fire is connected to the tail. In the Bible, the tail is sometimes used to indicate a false teaching: “And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail” (Isaiah 9:15b; cf. Revelation 9:10-19). Samson has descended far below his dignity as a Nazirite. What a contrast between Samson and his 300 and Gideon and his 300.
Let us summarize once again what is being represented in Samson’s actions. Foxes or jackals are animals that rout the earth and feed on corruption. They represent the unclean, sinful means that a believer can use to take revenge for injustice suffered. This can happen, for example, with the fire of the tongue, by spreading lies and evil rumor.
The result of Samson’s actions is that the proceeds of the land are destroyed. Both the standing corn and what has already been mown, and even the vineyards and olive trees, are set on fire as a result of Samson’s anger and can no longer serve as food. Samson should have chased the Philistines away and given the enjoyment of the land’s proceeds to his fellow countrymen.
How often has personal struggle been the cause of a destruction of the blessing that could have been enjoyed? In many local churches there is great unrest because the believers are engaged in a battle of words among themselves. The fruit of the land represents the blessings with which the Christian is blessed in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). This fruit is richly present. We live as it were ‘in the days of wheat harvest’ (Judges 15:1).
Instead of fighting the enemy to save the proceeds of the land from his hand, a battle of words is waged, “which is useless [and leads] to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14). The result is that there is nothing to enjoy. The cause of all this is ‘only’ an offended mind that is unable to bring the matter before the Lord. Instead of together with Him seeking for a solution, he goes to work himself in a carnal way.
Ruth 2:20
The Revenge of Samson
The connection with the Philistines has only brought Samson misery. He is personally hurt and acts in carnal anger. Here is no mention of the Spirit of the LORD who comes upon Samson. He uses his special power to catch foxes, or rather jackals. These are unclean animals that a Jew, and certainly a Nazirite, do not touch. Foxes in the Bible are related to weakness (Nehemiah 4:3) and sins (Song of Solomon 2:15). He makes the unclean fox a servant of his revenge. Unclean, sinful means are more often used to express indignation.
The meaning of a torch depends on who lights it. If God does, it has a positive meaning, for example in Genesis 15 (Genesis 15:17). Here Samson lights it and it speaks of carnal anger. In James 3 a comparison is made between fire and the human tongue: “See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the [very] world of iniquity” (James 3:5b-6). The fire can only do its job well if it is kept under control, just like the tongue. There must be self-control. Those who let themselves go, like Samson, and do not keep their tongues under control, can cause the greatest disasters, both a world war and a brotherly strife.
Here the fire is connected to the tail. In the Bible, the tail is sometimes used to indicate a false teaching: “And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail” (Isaiah 9:15b; cf. Revelation 9:10-19). Samson has descended far below his dignity as a Nazirite. What a contrast between Samson and his 300 and Gideon and his 300.
Let us summarize once again what is being represented in Samson’s actions. Foxes or jackals are animals that rout the earth and feed on corruption. They represent the unclean, sinful means that a believer can use to take revenge for injustice suffered. This can happen, for example, with the fire of the tongue, by spreading lies and evil rumor.
The result of Samson’s actions is that the proceeds of the land are destroyed. Both the standing corn and what has already been mown, and even the vineyards and olive trees, are set on fire as a result of Samson’s anger and can no longer serve as food. Samson should have chased the Philistines away and given the enjoyment of the land’s proceeds to his fellow countrymen.
How often has personal struggle been the cause of a destruction of the blessing that could have been enjoyed? In many local churches there is great unrest because the believers are engaged in a battle of words among themselves. The fruit of the land represents the blessings with which the Christian is blessed in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). This fruit is richly present. We live as it were ‘in the days of wheat harvest’ (Judges 15:1).
Instead of fighting the enemy to save the proceeds of the land from his hand, a battle of words is waged, “which is useless [and leads] to the ruin of the hearers” (2 Timothy 2:14). The result is that there is nothing to enjoy. The cause of all this is ‘only’ an offended mind that is unable to bring the matter before the Lord. Instead of together with Him seeking for a solution, he goes to work himself in a carnal way.
Ruth 2:21
Revenge Answered With Revenge
Once the Philistines know the reason for Samson’s revenge, his wife, and also her father, still find the fate that is said to her in Judges 14 (Judges 14:15). Samson is once again acting out of feelings of revenge, but these are now also more justified. It is not merely a question of being personally hurt, but the retribution of a brutal act. Samson engages in a direct and open battle with the enemy. In a few words, it is said that he has achieved an enormous victory.
Then he goes to live in the cleft of the rock of Etam. A rock is a suitable place to live for a powerless people, like the shephanim (or coney or badgers) (Proverbs 30:26), and also for all people with ‘long hair’. Moses also knew that place (Exodus 33:21-22). The rock is a picture of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), Who is represented here as the abode of faith, the true abode of the Nazirites.
Samson does not return to his father’s house as he did before (Judges 14:19), but goes to live in this place independently. He dwells there separated from the Philistines, and also separated from God’s faithless people.
Ruth 2:22
Revenge Answered With Revenge
Once the Philistines know the reason for Samson’s revenge, his wife, and also her father, still find the fate that is said to her in Judges 14 (Judges 14:15). Samson is once again acting out of feelings of revenge, but these are now also more justified. It is not merely a question of being personally hurt, but the retribution of a brutal act. Samson engages in a direct and open battle with the enemy. In a few words, it is said that he has achieved an enormous victory.
Then he goes to live in the cleft of the rock of Etam. A rock is a suitable place to live for a powerless people, like the shephanim (or coney or badgers) (Proverbs 30:26), and also for all people with ‘long hair’. Moses also knew that place (Exodus 33:21-22). The rock is a picture of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), Who is represented here as the abode of faith, the true abode of the Nazirites.
Samson does not return to his father’s house as he did before (Judges 14:19), but goes to live in this place independently. He dwells there separated from the Philistines, and also separated from God’s faithless people.
Ruth 2:23
Revenge Answered With Revenge
Once the Philistines know the reason for Samson’s revenge, his wife, and also her father, still find the fate that is said to her in Judges 14 (Judges 14:15). Samson is once again acting out of feelings of revenge, but these are now also more justified. It is not merely a question of being personally hurt, but the retribution of a brutal act. Samson engages in a direct and open battle with the enemy. In a few words, it is said that he has achieved an enormous victory.
Then he goes to live in the cleft of the rock of Etam. A rock is a suitable place to live for a powerless people, like the shephanim (or coney or badgers) (Proverbs 30:26), and also for all people with ‘long hair’. Moses also knew that place (Exodus 33:21-22). The rock is a picture of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4), Who is represented here as the abode of faith, the true abode of the Nazirites.
Samson does not return to his father’s house as he did before (Judges 14:19), but goes to live in this place independently. He dwells there separated from the Philistines, and also separated from God’s faithless people.