The Holy Spirit's Power

Judges 14, 15 - Episode 140

When the power of the Holy Spirit came over Samson, he got very strong and was able to kills animals that threatened his life and the enemies of Israel. But, today, when we put our faith in Jesus and dedicate ourselves to Him, the Holy Spirit’s power comes to us, too. But He doesn’t just rush upon us when we need Him. He comes into us to stay and gives us much more than just physical power. After we see the power that the Holy Spirit gives to Samson, we will look at several verses that show the power we have with the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit lives in us.

Samson Marries a Philistine – Judges 13:24-15:20

Just as the angel of the Lord said, Manoah and his wife had a son, whom they named Samson. God blessed the boy, and as he grew, the Holy Spirit began to impel him towards God’s will. As a young adult, while in the land of the Philistines, he met a woman that he wanted to marry. His parents were against him being with a foreigner, but he was insistent, saying that she looked right in his eyes. In saying this, it seems that Samson was only interested in what he wanted and was not considering what was right in God’s eyes. But then, the passage says his parents were opposed to the marriage because they did not know it was from the Lord who was using it as an opportunity against the Philistines.

Some scholars say that God agreed with Samson’s parents and had forbidden marriage with foreigners but was willing to use Samson’s sinful desire as an opportunity against their enemies. Others believe that since the Philistines were not one of the seven nations God specifically listed when forbidding the Israelites to intermarry, it was not technically against God’s law for him to marry a Philistine. (Deuteronomy 7:1-5) But God commanded them not to marry anyone from these nations so they would not be tempted to worship their gods. As a matter of fact, they were supposed to drive all the people from the land and take possession of it themselves. The Philistines may not have been listed because they had only recently come to the land themselves, but Dan and Judah were specifically given the land that the Philistines occupied. So, rather they were listed or not, if their land was given to the Israelites and they also worshipped other gods, it seems like the same rules would apply to them as all the other nations listed. So, presumably, God would have fulfilled his purpose for Samson against the Philistines in another way if he would have kept his distance from them. But since he wanted to marry a Philistine woman, God was willing to use it as an opportunity against them.

Since Samson’s parents couldn’t talk him out of it, they agreed to visit the woman’s family with him. On the way, a lion charged at him. But the Holy Spirit rushed upon Samson, giving him such strength that he tore the animal apart with his bare hands. This was the first indication of what he would be able to do through the power of the Lord. After this, Samson met with the woman but did not tell his parents about the incident with the lion.

A year or so later, when their betrothal time was complete and it was time for the marriage ceremony, Samson journeyed back along the same road. On the way, he saw the carcass of the lion he had killed and noticed that some bees had made a hive inside. So, Samson scooped and ate some honey from the carcass as he walked. He also gave some to his parents, although he did not tell them where it had come from. Then, when he arrived at the wedding venue, the people gave Samson 30 men to accompany him during the week-long feast.

Many scholars believe that Samson broke his Nazarite vow by touching the lion carcass, and because there was always wine at these feasts, they assume he broke his vow not to drink alcohol, too. But even if everyone else had wine, there is no evidence that Samson drank any. Then regarding the dead lion, the vow specifically said that Nazarites “shall not go near a dead body.” So, it depends on whether a person was unclean only when they went near the dead body of a person or if it included dead animals, too. Also, if you consider the details that followed the command, they say that Nazarites should not even go near the dead body of a family member, then further explain what they should do if someone suddenly died beside them. The specifics all pertain to people, not animals. Then, in the purification laws, everyone became unclean for a week after touching a dead body, and it even lists men who had been killed in the field, dead men’s bones, and graves. Dead animals were not specifically mentioned anywhere, and no where did it say that Samson broke his Nazarite vow, or that he was punished for it. Therefore, everyone must draw their own conclusions. (Numbers 6:6-7, 19:11-19)