Judges 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
This passage of scripture tells us of a critical mistake that Samson made as he was now entering upon the prime of manhood, the time above all others when he should have been walking closely with God so that he could be guided with wisdom and discretion in right paths. The reason for his choice of a philistine wife was not because of her character, but because she pleased him well, as he himself stated. But this does not constitute a good enough reason to get married, for a person may please another very well, but without the steadfastness of character, a change will come sooner or later, and furthermore, The Lord had specifically outlined the evil results of intermarrying with people of different beliefs, for there would occur conflicts and difficulties that would cause much unnecessary heartache, and the marriage and the children would ultimately suffer greatly as a result. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 7:2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, ..... thou shalt make no covenant with them, ...... 3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods".......
This is exactly what happened to Samson, and as we observe in the sacred record, this first decision was just the beginning of a series of mistakes which ultimately led to his untimely demise. Let's read:
Judges 16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. 4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 19 ... "And she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. 21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and he did grind in the prison house.
The word of God is filled with instructions that many people feel are arbitrary, but history shows that they are given in infinite wisdom for the longevity and well-being of the human family, and furthermore, because God cannot lie, the results of a wrong course of action which He states will accrue, will certainly come to pass, sooner or later. Even though the marriage institution is sacred, yet His blessing cannot be invoked on a course of action that He has forbidden, and although the marriage vow is legally and spiritually binding, yet if we choose to walk contrary to what has been written then we must also be prepared to live with the results.
Now it is true that God is merciful, and we can always turn to Him if we have made grievous mistakes in life, yet we should remember that He is also very practical too, and though He will forgive if we turn to Him with true confession and repentance, yet the natural results of our decisions will follow, for He will not force change on anyone, in order to alleviate marital woes that have come about as a deliberate disregard of His instructions. Hence the reason why the following instruction is so critically important for us to follow, whenever contemplating the life-long union of marriage. Let's read:
2nd Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
In our day many Christians are making similar mistakes as did Samson, with negative results that seem hard to bear. A knight in shining armor comes along, promising the world on a silver spoon, or a beautiful "Delilah" professes to love a Christian young man with all her heart. Yet, if the two are not spiritually aligned under the Christ, the marriage is certainly going to have very serious difficulties, because different values, morals, habits and priorities will undoubtedly take a toll, and the marriage which was intended by God to be a blessing could turn into a lifelong curse, as is witnessed by thousands of broken marriages and homes across the land.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to follow the instructions of The All-Wise God who knows the end from the beginning, and therefore can give us perfect counsel as to what course of action to pursue in every situation. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 4:39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. 40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. "Good night" and God bless!