people in God’s mighty power!
He glanced at the dead lion on the side of the road. God was with Samson. Perhaps the marriage in Timnah would be alright after all!
Chronicles of the Host
War With the Philistines
Unknown to both the Host and the fallen angels, it was neither devil nor angel who had placed the Philistine woman upon Samson’s heart—it was the Most High God. Seeking a provocation with the cruel and profane worshipers of Dagon, the Lord used the affection between pagan and judge to begin the deliverance of Israel.
So it was that when Samson came down again to Timnah, he planned to marry the girl and take her back to Dan with him. But the Philistine men, jealous of the girl and wanting nothing to do with Samson, came to the wedding party to provoke Samson and keep the girl with them.
Bethlehem, 4 B.C.
“The riddle! The riddle!” exclaimed Jarod, suddenly breaking into Eli’s story. “Is this where he tells them the riddle?”
Eli grinned at the boy.
“Yes, Jarod,” the old man said. “Samson knew that the Philistine men were only there to cause him trouble. So he told them a riddle.”
Daniel looked up at Eli.
“You have been speaking in riddles all night long, Eli,” he said. “Riddles are apparently not new among our people!”
“No, Daniel,” Eli agreed. “As your attitude this evening indicates, we are a people filled with riddles.”
Some of the shepherds laughed at this. Daniel smirked at Eli and casually tossed a small stick into the fire.
“Riddles don’t deliver a people, boys,” said Daniel, leaning back. “Cold steel and blood are all that will throw off that yoke!”
Jarod and Joshua glanced over at Daniel, a puzzled look on their faces. Some of the shepherd men also glanced his way. They were beginning to have enough of this man and his spiteful talk.
“Riddles do not deliver indeed,” said Eli. “But God used a riddle that day to provoke the Philistines. Samson told the men that if they could guess the answer within the seven days of the marriage feast, he would give each of them a new cloak. Do you recall the riddle, Jarod?”
“I do!” Joshua said excitedly. Eli indicated that he should tell it. Joshua proudly stood among the men as if he were Samson, telling the riddle to the Philistine men: “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet!”
“Well done, Joshua!” said Eli, as the boy sat down. Joshua’s dad winked at him proudly. “And indeed the men could not understand the riddle. For several days they tried to come up with the answer. Finally, they talked Samson’s wife-to-be into getting the answer from him so they might not be taken in by this mere Danite. Do you recall the solution to the riddle?”
“Well,” said Joshua, “when Samson had gone back home one time, he saw the body of the lion that he had killed. Some bees had made a hive in it, and he ate some honey they had made.”
“Right!” said Eli. “Out of the eater came something to eat and out of the strong something sweet! It was a marvelous riddle. But when the men guessed it, Samson discovered that his wife had told them and he became furious. He went out and killed 30 men of the Philistines, taking their cloaks to give to the men at the party as he had promised. Samson then left for his father’s house, and his new wife was given to another man. That began the deliverance of God’s people as war broke out between Samson and the Philistines.
“Samson was killing many of the Philistines’ best men and they didn’t know how to stop him. Finally, they were able to force Samson’s own people to turn him over, who bound Samson to take him to the Philistines. But as they approached Lehi, where the Philistines had come to collect him with over three thousand men, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. There he killed over one thousand of his enemies that day.”
Eli looked at the two boys.
“Do you know what weapon he used?” he asked
He glanced at the dead lion on the side of the road. God was with Samson. Perhaps the marriage in Timnah would be alright after all!
Chronicles of the Host
War With the Philistines
Unknown to both the Host and the fallen angels, it was neither devil nor angel who had placed the Philistine woman upon Samson’s heart—it was the Most High God. Seeking a provocation with the cruel and profane worshipers of Dagon, the Lord used the affection between pagan and judge to begin the deliverance of Israel.
So it was that when Samson came down again to Timnah, he planned to marry the girl and take her back to Dan with him. But the Philistine men, jealous of the girl and wanting nothing to do with Samson, came to the wedding party to provoke Samson and keep the girl with them.
Bethlehem, 4 B.C.
“The riddle! The riddle!” exclaimed Jarod, suddenly breaking into Eli’s story. “Is this where he tells them the riddle?”
Eli grinned at the boy.
“Yes, Jarod,” the old man said. “Samson knew that the Philistine men were only there to cause him trouble. So he told them a riddle.”
Daniel looked up at Eli.
“You have been speaking in riddles all night long, Eli,” he said. “Riddles are apparently not new among our people!”
“No, Daniel,” Eli agreed. “As your attitude this evening indicates, we are a people filled with riddles.”
Some of the shepherds laughed at this. Daniel smirked at Eli and casually tossed a small stick into the fire.
“Riddles don’t deliver a people, boys,” said Daniel, leaning back. “Cold steel and blood are all that will throw off that yoke!”
Jarod and Joshua glanced over at Daniel, a puzzled look on their faces. Some of the shepherd men also glanced his way. They were beginning to have enough of this man and his spiteful talk.
“Riddles do not deliver indeed,” said Eli. “But God used a riddle that day to provoke the Philistines. Samson told the men that if they could guess the answer within the seven days of the marriage feast, he would give each of them a new cloak. Do you recall the riddle, Jarod?”
“I do!” Joshua said excitedly. Eli indicated that he should tell it. Joshua proudly stood among the men as if he were Samson, telling the riddle to the Philistine men: “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet!”
“Well done, Joshua!” said Eli, as the boy sat down. Joshua’s dad winked at him proudly. “And indeed the men could not understand the riddle. For several days they tried to come up with the answer. Finally, they talked Samson’s wife-to-be into getting the answer from him so they might not be taken in by this mere Danite. Do you recall the solution to the riddle?”
“Well,” said Joshua, “when Samson had gone back home one time, he saw the body of the lion that he had killed. Some bees had made a hive in it, and he ate some honey they had made.”
“Right!” said Eli. “Out of the eater came something to eat and out of the strong something sweet! It was a marvelous riddle. But when the men guessed it, Samson discovered that his wife had told them and he became furious. He went out and killed 30 men of the Philistines, taking their cloaks to give to the men at the party as he had promised. Samson then left for his father’s house, and his new wife was given to another man. That began the deliverance of God’s people as war broke out between Samson and the Philistines.
“Samson was killing many of the Philistines’ best men and they didn’t know how to stop him. Finally, they were able to force Samson’s own people to turn him over, who bound Samson to take him to the Philistines. But as they approached Lehi, where the Philistines had come to collect him with over three thousand men, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. There he killed over one thousand of his enemies that day.”
Eli looked at the two boys.
“Do you know what weapon he used?” he asked
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