Joshua 14
Judges 14 is the first part in which the distinctive life of Israel’s judge Samson unfolds in earnest. Samson was a judge specially set apart by God, and this chapter records his marriage story and the conflict with the Philistines.
1verseThese are the inheritances which the children of Israel took in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed to them,
2verseby the lot of their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half-tribe.
3verseFor Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan; but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.
4verseFor the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. They gave no portion to the Levites in the land, except cities to dwell in, with their pasture lands for their livestock and for their property.
5verseThe children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses, and they divided the land.
6verseThen the children of Judah came near to Joshua in Gilgal. Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the thing that the LORD spoke to Moses the man of God concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh Barnea.
7verseI was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land. I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
8verseNevertheless, my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9verseMoses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where you walked shall be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’
10verse“Now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as he spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. Now, behold, I am eighty-five years old, today.
11verseAs yet I am as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, to go out and to come in.
12verseNow therefore give me this hill country, of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and great and fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as the LORD said.”
13verseJoshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
14verseTherefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel wholeheartedly.
15verseNow the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba, after the greatest man among the Anakim. Then the land had rest from war.
Development of the Scene
Samson sees a Philistine woman in Timnah and tells his parents that he wants to marry her. Unlike the background that Israelites and Gentile peoples were not to intermarry, God uses this as a means to save Israel from the Philistines. After that, Samson experiences God’s power as he kills a young lion with his bare hands while on his way, and a few months later the scene shows him taking honey from the lion’s carcass as he passes by the same road. At the wedding, Samson puts riddles to the Philistine young men, and because of this the conflict steadily intensifies.
Structure and Flow
- Meeting the woman of Timnah and the request to marry (Verses 1-4): The background to Samson’s decision to marry reveals God’s providence, different from his parents’ perspective.
- Killing the lion (Verses 5-6): The presence of the Spirit of the LORD and supernatural power become evident.
- Obtaining honey from the lion’s carcass (Verses 7-9): A seemingly coincidental event appears that involves the risk of violating the regulations for a Nazirite.
- The wedding feast and the riddle (Verses 10-18): Tension rises due to Samson’s wisdom and the pressure from the Philistine young men.
- Striking the Philistines (Verses 19-20): Samson’s strength and rage are revealed, and the prologue to a tragic ending begins.
The Overall Meaning
Chapter 14 clearly shows how human desires and God’s providence intersect in Samson’s life. Samson appears to act according to his own desires, but in the end all of it becomes a tool for God to strike the Philistines. It suggests that God’s plan is being fulfilled within human weakness.
Points for Meditation
- God can accomplish his great plan by using humanity’s weaknesses and mistakes, and sometimes even our unexpected choices.
- Through the story of Samson, reflect on where the point of intersection is between my desires and God’s will.
Applying It to Me
- Even the ordinary events and mistakes in my life can be used by God, and I can live each day in faith that everything is within his plan.
- I can also strengthen my resolve to live with determination to seek God’s guidance at moments of my strengths, weaknesses, and choices.
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