Samson, having become of age, is traveling to Timnah. While there he sees a Philistine and urges his father to arrange a marriage. Manoah urges Samson to reconsider and marry an Israelite as the law commanded. Samson pushed back and was able to convince his father. This was most likely due to influence from the Lord who was looking to pick a fight with the Philistines. Samson while on the road back to Timnah rips apart a lion. They are successful in arranging the marriage.
On his way back to the wedding feast, he found honey in the carcass of the lion he had killed. He ate the honey and shared it with his family a violation of the law. Later at the feast, Samson makes a bet, for 30 pieces of clothing, about a riddle. The people at the feast accept the bet as long as Samson gives them seven days to answer the riddle. On the fourth day of the feast, the feasters began to threaten Samson’s wife. She sobbed for the whole feast and on the seventh day, he told her the answer. The men gave the answer back to Samson and so he went and made good on his end of the bet, taking the clothing from 30 men in the Philistine city of Ashkelon.
This story is one of the oddest events and recordings I can think of in the Bible as it seems to all have been orchestrated by God. There are certainly odder events, but they are often explained either by future prophets, apostles or events. Here though, God orchestrates dispute using entirely mundane efforts. The only supernatural thing is the strength of Samson to kill the lion (though David is recorded with a similar feat) and how Samson acquires the garments (also similar to David’s engagement). It is almost such a normal story that we could just as easily watch it on any Soap Opera on daytime TV.
It seems that God is saving His people from themselves. They are comfortable under the rule of the Philistines and inter-marriage is clearly going on. Perhaps they do not even realize they are being pulled away from God. I wonder how often God pulls me out of things when I do not even know I am in trouble. I know I save my son from stuff that would hurt him all the time, namely the grill while I am cooking. Sometimes we only get glimpses of what we have been saved from in retrospect. What has God saved you from and you didn’t realize it until later?