Samson's fascinating riddle - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 14:14,

"Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet."

Following the Lord's Spirit coming upon Samson, the Lord did some
things that provide for a fascinating tale of provocation. The Lord
arranged for Samson to become enamored with a Philistine girl. When he
persuaded his parents to get her for his wife they headed down to
Timnah to make it happen. On the way the Lord arranged a lion attack
that eventually became the inspiration for Samson's riddle above. On a
subsequent trip Samson noticed a bee hive in the lion's carcass and
took from it honey to eat.

Samson couched his riddle in a bet with thirty Philistines at the
feast with him and his father. If they could not answer its meaning in
seven days they would have to pay Samson thirty sets of clothes and
linen garments, if they could then vice versa. The Philistines were
incapable of figuring out the riddle and so decided to defraud and
cheat Samson by threatening his bride with death if she didn't get the
answer out of Samson on the sly. She did so and when Samson learned of
it he declared to the cheats, "If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle." He went out and slaughtered
thirty other Philistines in Ashkelon took their clothes and belongings
and paid off the thirty Philistine cheats.

This initiated Samson's great conflict with the Philistines. The Lord
implemented a fascinating series of events to provoke the conflict
that would lead to Samson freeing the Israelites from the Philistines
and leading them for twenty years. The story doesn't stop there, as
further intrigue follows Samson in his dealings with the Philistines.

My observation in these accounts is how fascinating and intriguing the
Lord carried out his activities through Samson, a wild and colorful
character, given to personal passions that assured the explosive
events would transpire. As I consider the accounts of God in the pages
of Scripture the following words come to mind: absorbing, engaging,
gripping, intriguing and riveting, enthralling.

How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com