Excellent message from Pastor Keith Battle
This sermon is a good listen, with good humour. I listened to it twice.
Judges 14 New American Standard Bible
14 Then Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 So he came [a]back and told his father and [b]mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” 3 Then his father and his mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your [c]relatives, or among all [d]our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she [e]looks good to me.” 4 However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.
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Looking at the text, it is reasonably possible to interpret the benefits of this marriage in a more positive light than the pastor did is this sermon. Samson was used by the Lord:
4 However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines.
Does this make Samson a good example, or was he rather used by the Lord, despite actions that lacked significant morality and ethics?
“I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”
Yes, in agreement with this wise pastor, Samson is a bad example on this point. This is indeed how many in Western society and even more sadly, the Evangelical Church and Christian Church choose a potential mate.
As opposed to really seeking to know the character of a person, but this requires significant character by the seeker. The Christian, spiritual, character for both parties.
The results speak for themselves with the problematic dating and marriage culture (s) within the Western Christian Church.
