Judges 12-14 Jephthah’s Conflict and Samson

Thoughts

Judges 12

The men of Ephraim were upset at Jephthah, accusing him of not asking them to fight the Ammonites. They go so far as to say they will burn down his house.

Jephthah responds that he did call them, but they didn’t come. He had to fight without them and God gave victory.

(this is very similar to the Gideon-Ephraim dispute in Judges 8)

Jephthah gathers Gilead’s men and fights Ephraim. They defeat them and take over the fords of Jordan.

In order to figure out who was from Ephraim, they made them pronounce “Shibboleth”. If they didn’t pronounce the “h” they were revealed to be Ephraimites.
42,000 Ephraimites are killed

The “Shibboleth” test became so famous that “shibboleth” is now a modern English word for any password-like marker of group identity.

Jephthah judges Israel for 6 years, and dies and is buried in his town in Gilead.

Three Other Judges

• Ibzan of Bethlehem:
  • Judges 7 years.
  • Has 30 sons and 30 daughters and arranges marriages outside his clan.
• Elon the Zebulunite:
  • Judges 10 years.
  • Buried in Aijalon in Zebulun.
• Abdon son of Hillel, the Pirathonite:
  • Judges 8 years.
  • Has 40 sons and 30 grandsons who ride 70 donkeys

Judges 13 Birth of Samson

Israel does evil again, and the Lord gives them over to Philistines for 40 years. 

A man named Manoah from Zorah, of the tribe of Dan, is married to a barren woman. The Angel of the Lord appears to her, saying she will conceive and bear a son.

She must avoid wine, strong drink, and unclean food during pregnancy. The boy is to be a Nazirite from the womb: he will start the process to deliver Israel from the Philistines. She tells Manoah.

Manoah asks God to send the man again to teach them how to raise the boy. The Angel appears again to the wife again, who runs to get Manoah. He repeats the instructions exactly.

verse 18: “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” The Hebrew for wonderful here is פִּלְאִי (pili’) and it means ‘wonderful’ as in ‘beyond comprehension’.
This is the same root used in Isaiah 9:6, where the Messiah is called “Wonderful Counselor” (pele yo’etz).

Manoah offers to prepare a meal, but the Angel says to offer it as a burnt offering to God. (Manoah still doesn’t realize he’s speaking to the Angel of the Lord). When the offering is made, the Angel ascends in the flame of the altar and Manoah and his wife fall facedown.

The name Samson in Hebrew is שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon), which comes from the root שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh), meaning “sun.” Although, apparently this is something that people have strong opinions about.

Judges 14

Samson goes to Timnah and sees a Philistine woman he wants to marry, but his parents protest as she is not an Israelite. Samson insists. 

The narrator explains: this was from the Lord, who was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines 

On the way to Timnah with his parents, Samson is attacked by a young lion. The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him, and he tears the lion apart with his bare hands. Apparently his parents were not with him during this time because we are told he chooses not to tell them. 

Samson returns later to marry the woman.On the way, he turns aside and sees a swarm of bees and honey in the lion’s carcass. He eats the honey and gives some to his parents, but doesn’t tell them where it came from (important, because touching a carcass violated his Nazirite vow).

Samson holds a 7-day feast (Philistine custom). He poses a riddle to 30 companions:
“Out of the eater came something to eat,
Out of the strong came something sweet.”

The answer is based on the honey in the lion which is a secret only he knows. He says if they solve it, he gives them 30 linen garments; if not, they give him the same.

On the 4th day, the Philistines threaten to burn Samson’s wife and her family unless she gets the answer. She weeps and presses Samson until he tells her, and she tells the Philistines.

On the last day hey answer:
“What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?”

Samson knows his wife betrayed him:
“If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.”

The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him again and he goes to Ashkelon, kills 30 men, takes their garments, and gives them to the riddle-solvers. He returns to his father’s house and his wife is given to his best man.

Questions

There are so many stories about barren women in the Bible, why is that? Is it supposed to contrast the virgin conception?

Interesting in chapter 13 how the instructions are repeated 3x – what is the narrative meaning of this?

Why don’t we get the name of Manoah’s wife?

Is Samson marrying a Philistine a sin and God uses it for good or was it God’s original will?

“he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat” Does one????
edit: I learned this probably means goat carcass

So Samson carried bloody honey in his hands and his parents ate it?

Did his wife let him know she was going to die if she didn’t tell them?

Application

Obedience prepares us for God’s plan. From the beginning of Samson’s mom’s pregnancy, she was instructed (3x!) to follow a strict set of Nazarite rules. When Samson was born he was to take the Nazarite vow. This was to set him apart before he started his mission. God doesn’t want to restrict us by having us obey but instead to equip us for whatever we are called to do. And even if we mess up or are not perfect (like we see with Samson) God can still use us for His purpose.