Religion & Spirituality
Because of disobedience, much of Israel c. 1100 B.C. was controlled by the Philistines. As a teenager in the village of Zorah, Samson walked four miles to Timnah on the Israel-Philistine border and was attracted to a Philistine woman. Be careful where you walk as your location affects your options (Eph. 5:15)! Because parents arranged marriages, when Samson tells them about her, they counsel against it. While Philistines weren’t a banned group to marry from, it was unwise as they didn’t have similar values (Deut. 7:1-4). Those that are closest influence the most (1 Cor. 15:33; 2 Cor. 6:14, 15).