A Twist of the Tongue

Dei Break

Judges 12:5 – 14:4

A short passage in Chapter 12 presents us with an interesting insight into the real life of Israel. Since the "cousins" looked pretty much alike, some of the Ephriamites might try to escape across the river to safety after losing the battle. To thwart this possibility, all who crossed were asked to say the word, "shibboleth" simply because the accent of the Ephriamites would give them away (vs.6).

At the beginning of Chapter 13 we read for the seventh time "again the Israelites did evil…."

And, who were the Philistines? Where did they live? Where the Philistines lived is pretty well known. However, how they came to be there is less clear. As we get further into the history of Israel and Philistia, we'll explore the nation and its cities more deeply.

"Nazarite" refers to a word meaning "devoted" or "consecrated". Nazarite vows were usually for a limited time, but Samson was to be a Nazarite his whole life. Read more about the Nazarite vow in chapter 6 of Numbers.

Samson's mother seems to have been more spiritually tuned to God than her husband. Why didn't they die after seeing the Lord? That an appearance of the angel of the Lord was not an appearance of God in His all-glorious form is a possibility. When God came personally to His people, He did not reveal His total glory in their presence.

Samson was born and raised by his parents, and blessed by God, but was he possibly also spoiled rotten by his parents? Chapter 14 certainly seems to indicate this. He demands of his parents that they get him the wife of his choice, even though she was of the Philistine nation.

Judges 14:4 sounds a little like Genesis when Joseph explained to his brothers that what they had meant for evil, God used for good. He could use Samson's poor and sinful choices toward accomplishing His will of breaking the Philistine domination of Israel. But what a mess Samson was about to make of his life.

Next Time: Samson: a human being