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If we are well read in the Bible and God's instructions to his people, and also have been brought up in a Christian environment that seeks to live by those principles, the immediate reaction we have is that Samson was acting in disobedience to God, and that he was letting the desires of his flesh overcome his spiritual understanding. Further, we may well feel shocked at the way Samson does not seem to let spiritual considerations, or the ways that God has laid down for his people, in anyway govern his actions. He seems wholly to be given up to gratifying the desires of the flesh.

Our first reaction is to say that Samson is working according to his human desires and wisdom, and is departing from the will of God. We approve of the restraint that we see his parents seeking to place upon him. Then we are hit straight between the eyes with the statement in verse 4, "His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking a way to confront the Philistines." We are also left with the realisation from the end of verse 3, where Samson says "She is the right one for me" that Samson seemed to know that it was the will of God that his marriage to this woman should go ahead.

When we come to such strange contradictions in the Bible we may well wish that they were not there. We may try, as some preachers and commentators do, to explain away the problem, and seek to get round the words which tell us that Samson's marriage to this Philistine was God's will.

However, God's word is always true. We have no right to avoid the plain meaning in it. Surely this incident calls us to be humble as we approach the Word of God. It also calls us to be careful as we face situations in the life of Christians, and not to be ready to condemn or criticise as some so often seem to do. We need to understand that there is more to our understanding of any particular part of God's word than we have yet been able to grasp. We need to be careful that we are not governed by prejudice, instead of the word of God, and also we need to appreciate that God sometimes overrules his own recommendations so that he may work his perfect will.

We see in this part of Judges that Samson is seeking to get married. We need to notice also that as yet he has not commenced his public ministry as a judge and deliverer, for it is in the context of his call to be a deliverer that God permits him to seek a wife amongst the heathen Philistines.

Before we go any further we must to understand the nature of God's injunction to his people concerning marriage with people who were not Israelites.

God's instruction to his people on marriage with heathen people is clear. In both Deuteronomy 7:3 and Exodus 34:12 God clearly tells the Israelites that they were not to inter-marry with the heathen people around them, because they followed false Gods. This instruction from God is plainly in the mind of Samson's parents. In the light of this instruction, Samson's parents were quite right to question Samson's determination to marry a Philistine woman. In Deuteronomy and Exodus the Philistines are not mentioned. They are not one of the nations that the Israelites were to avoid marrying into, but this is not important. The instruction of God is plainly that the Israelites were not to marry any heathen people, that is people who did not believe in Jehovah. People who worshipped and followed other gods.

But we must understand the true nature of the command of God in this matter. Nowhere is it suggested that to marry someone who was not an Israelite was morally wrong. Both Deuteronomy and Exodus make it plain that the problem is not a moral one. There was no reason from a moral, health or psychological point of view, or any other human point of view, why marriage should not take place been Israelites and people from other nations. In the same way there is no reason from a moral or human point of view that a Christian, or anyone else, should not marry anybody of the opposite sex from any other nationality in the world. There is nothing wrong in this.

The reason for God's prohibition against marrying people of other nations was for spiritual reasons. The reason for the prohibition was because of the influence of the unconverted partner upon the Christian partner. In Israel's case the spiritual problem was the influence of the heathen partner to turn the Israelite from Jehovah. Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 4 expresses this fear - "they will turn your sons away from me to serve other gods." It was no sin to marry a Philistine, but it may lead to a very serious sin of turning away from God and rejecting him.

This is the basic reason for the advice in Scripture that a Christian should marry another believer. It is a sad fact of spiritual experience that where a Christian does marry an unbeliever, whatever promises there may be of each leaving the other to believe as they wish, that the believer is soon effected adversely away from the Lord, rather than the unconverted partner being drawn to the Lord. The plague of our fallen human nature and the bias to sin which is so powerful in us, means that Christians are very easily influenced away from God. It is much more hard to live in a spiritual way when the one we love does not share that life. It is more difficult to spend time with God in private prayer and Bible study. We are not so free to go to church, or to attend activities in the week in the fellowship of the church. It is more difficult to keep Bible standards, when our partner finds them silly and over scrupulous. The instruction of God is very wise, and for our spiritual good. Why then, in the important business of the marriage of one who is to be a leader in Israel, should God overrule this wise instruction?

The problem is made more difficult because Samson plainly is governed and moved, not by spiritual consideration or by the will of God, but by his human affections and desires. He seems to have chosen his bride simply for her looks. He does not consider her faith or way of life. It was only later in verse 7 that he finds that he likes her conversation, and that this fits her looks.

It is plain, however, that it was God's will for Samson to marry one who was a heathen, and that it was for the purpose of furthering his will for Samson to begin delivering Israel from the domination of the Philistines. There is much to encourage us here and to deepen our understanding of God's sovereign action in the world, and the way he furthers his plans for salvation.

Many years had passed since the birth of Samson at the end of Judges chapter 13. We do not know how old Samson was at the time he sought this woman as his wife, but it must have been over twenty years since the previous chapter in Judges. Samson would have been told by his parents what God had said when he was promised as a son to Manoah and his wife, but no doubt this purpose of his life did not feature too strongly as he grew up, and at this time it was probably not very much to the forefront of his mind.

Even if Samson was thinking at this time about his work as a deliverer, he had no way or idea how he was ever to begin it, let alone accomplish it. How often have God's servants been called to a knew work, and find themselves asking the question of however was the work to be begun, let alone brought to any measure of success.

Into this situation which Samson was in, God steps in. He accomplishes the impossible. God even uses the weaknesses of his servant to further his work. Samson's problem was that he liked women and relationships with them. He delighted in feminine beauty and company. He could not live without it. We see this problem later in his life when he has relationship with a prostitute and then in his living, unmarried, so long with Delilah. Here God uses this part of Samson's nature to bring about a confrontation with the Philistines, and to push Samson into the work of subduing the Philistine's power.

Again we will notice Samson is a passionate man, acting quickly in anger. This facet of his natural character, God also uses and turns to good. When Samson find his wife has passed on the meaning of his riddle and the Philistines had taken advantage of him, his quick temper takes over. But this also is used by God, whose purpose is that Samson should attack the Philistines at this time, and God enhances Samson's ordinary natural powers with supernatural strength, as God's Spirit comes upon him.

It is extraordinarily encouraging to see and understand that God has in his hands even our weaknesses and uses them to his glory, and keeps us for himself. Samson illustrates this, and also the fact that without God we can do nothing good.

Though God used this fact of Samson's humanity, which was undoubtedly a weakness and a problem for him, God kept him through it. Even though later he sinned with the prostitute and with Delilah, God still worked his purposes and furthered his work in Samson as a deliverer of Israel, and kept him spiritually. Although Samson went after women he should not have done, and sinned against the second part of the ten commandments concerning his duty to his neighbour, God kept him faithful concerning the first part of the ten commandments. Samson never forsook God, and never turned to idols. He was always faithful to God and made plain that God was his God and Lord. Even with Delilah he made plain that he was God's man, and testified to his separation to God as his servant. So we see God kept him as his servant and in salvation in spite of his weaknesses.

This is always true. God may allow his servants to be overcome in their weaknesses, and this for his good purpose, but he keeps his people in love with him, and keeps them as his faithful children. They do not turn from the living God to idols or to atheism or agnosticism.

We need to distinguish also between what is morally wrong, and that which, because of our fallen human nature, is usually best. God purposed here that Samson should marry this Philistine woman. It was not morally wrong. When Samson went after Delilah, we are not told that God sanctioned this, even though in his gracious providence, after much affliction for Samson on account of this sin, Samson was brought eventually by God to the place when he would bring about the greatest act of deliverance of his whole life.

When God makes rules for our spiritual good, but which are not for moral considerations, he can overrule them from time to time for his good purposes. We must, therefore, understand why God makes these rules, so that we do not become inflexible, so that when God does overrule them in a particular case we don't become dogmatic, and so fight against God.

What can we learn from this episode. I believe there is at least six useful and important things.

Firstly, we learn that God turns even the weaknesses of his servants to good. Samson was attracted to women. He had little control naturally over his impulses. He also was a passionate man, easily overcome by his temper. God turned these characteristics to his own use, and to further his purposes of deliverance for Israel. God used these characteristics so that Samson may begin his ministry of deliverance. Without this work of God, Samson probably would have never begun it. Even those things which lead us into difficulties, and sometimes sin, God can turn into usefulness in his purposes. How comforting this is.

Secondly, when God sees fit, he overrules his own wise and good directions for a good and specific purpose. God's instructions to his people not to marry a heathen partner was a wise and loving provision of God for his people. It was for their best welfare. It is something God has never gone back upon, yet at this time, for a very good and wise purpose, God allows Samson to marry a heathen woman, and positively promotes it. Moral wrong God never leads his people to do, but where there is no moral application, he may overrule his directions to his people.

Thirdly, when God does overrule his wise directions, he keeps his people in the situation. God keeps his people by his grace, and keeps them in his way, in spite of their weaknesses. God was in this episode right through to the end of it. Samson was kept and he was constantly under God's direction. Even in the case of Samson's infatuation with Delilah. Though he failed morally, God kept him from turning from God to idols. He was always faithful in his faith and allegiance to God. Even Delilah was left in no doubt of this. God will never let his people fall from grace and be lost to him, and from his eternal glory.

Fourthly, we need to be humble when we approach the way God works, and in the way he sometimes leads his servants. We must not assume that a believer is wandering from the will of God just because they seem to be living contrary to some direction in the Word of God. As long as it is not a moral question or failure, it may be that God is overruling this situation for his own purposes and allowing his people to transgress some direction to further his purposes.

Fifthly, when God does overrule some direction, we must not suppose that this is a definitive action, which changes God's direction from that time on. God does not change his wise instruction, even when he disregards it on some particular occasion. These deviations are only for an immediate situation, and never meant to change the way God as ordered life.

Sixthly, we need to refrain from judgement. Samson's parents were right to question the action of Samson in taking a Philistine woman as his wife, but they were also right to accept it and promote it, when they understood that God's will was being done, and that God was in it. Some Christian people are all too ready to make judgements and cast people out from fellowship. God sometimes waits his good time, before he manifests his purposes in situations. We need to be wary of quick unformed criticism, and the belief that we know exactly what is right for someone, and that we have understood perfectly the Word of God on a matter.

God's ways are strange sometimes. But God's ways are sure, true and right. If we are rather perplexed, let us wait upon God for his grace to remove our perplexity. Let us learn from this incident in Samson's life, that things are not always so cut and dried as we suppose, and that God has so many more and varied ways of working, which we have yet to perceive.