Judges 14:7-9 – Violating the Nazirite Vow
Last week, we saw that Samson was to be a Nazirite for life. That is, he was dedicated to a special service for the Lord. For the time of Nazirite service, which for Samson was from before he was born, he was not to touch an unclean thing, drink alcohol, or cut his hair. Samson will systematically violate at least two and probably all three of these points of his Nazirite vow. In today’s reading, we see the first violation.
Again, we see in verse seven that Samson makes his judgments based on what seems right to him, and not on God’s Word. He visits the woman he intends to marry and confirms that she is right in his own eyes. Having shown himself to make his decisions according to his own wisdom and not according to God’s revealed will, he proceeds to disregard his Nazirite regulations. Coming across the body of the lion he has recently slain, he finds that bees have made their hive in the carcass. He gets their honey and takes it home with him, eating of it on the way. He even gives some to his parents, not telling them it had come from the corpse of an unclean animal. By touching the carcass and by eating food from it, Samson has disregarded his Nazirite vow according to which he is to touch no ceremonially unclean thing.
If we make our decisions based on what seems right to us and not on what God has said is right in His Word, we inevitably will sin against our Savior. We get used to doing what we like and excuse even those things which God has clearly forbidden. As the Lord’s people, Christians are called to govern our lives by God’s wisdom and not by our own judgments (see I Corinthians 1-2) and to take every thought captive to obey Christ, as II Corinthians 10:5 commands us. Let us learn to make our decisions based on what God has said is right, and not on what is right in our own eyes.
Questions
- By what standard did Samson make his decisions?
- How did he first violate his Nazirite vow?
- By what standard should we make our decisions?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the renewal of our minds, that every thought may be held captive to obey Christ.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.