The Weirdness of the Samson Story

Aim: To understand that Christ is our only hope.

Doctrine: Disobedience eventually results in misery and frustration. Samson got his way (in marrying the Philistine woman), and he also got a lot more than he ''bargained for.''

Exegesis: Why Samson's story is so relevant for us today: because natural barriers are no longer in place (vv. 15-16); because natural affections can no longer be assumed (vv. 17-18); because natural order is no longer prevalent (vv. 19-20).

Further application: What the church should glean from texts like these: that we must cling to Christ by faith, and that we cannot count on any ''help'' from the world.

Key verse: v. 16 ''Then Samson's wife wept on him, and said, 'You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.' And he said to her, 'Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?'''