Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. – Judges 14:1

Today's Scripture Reading (May 10, 2025): Judges 14

*Warning – This post uses Politically Incorrect images that might offend the delicately formulated.

The Northern Pikes are a band out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, who made a splash with the song "She Ain't Pretty." And, yeah, I have to admit that I kinda like the track. The premise is pretty sexist, so I apologize on their behalf, especially if it is misunderstood. "She Ain't Pretty" talks about a woman who looks good (which is sexist and politically incorrect, I understand) but who acts like (you can probably fill in the blank). I have known these kinds of people of both genders throughout my life. Their looks and personality are a mismatch. Okay, maybe there are a lot of these people out there. 

The second verse of "She Ain't Pretty" kind of sums up the entire song.

        We made a date to go for a drink.

        I wore my jeans, and she wore a mink.

        There was this misconception all over town.

        That she ate lonely guy heart by the pound

        She said, "Take me home; there won't be no fuss."

        I said, "Sure, you got some change for the bus?"

        Watching her leave, I heard the bartender say

        She ain't pretty; she just looks that way.

Remind you of anyone in your life. They look good, but their personality is a disaster. There is another song by a band out of Vancouver, so maybe this kind of thought pattern is a Canadian thing. For that, I apologize to any delicate Americans out there. The band is Trooper, and they sang a song entitled "A Three Dressed up as a Nine." Again, it is a sexist song that puts women on a scale between 1-10 (hopefully, my previous apology is still in force). Trooper actually takes a lot of heat, even in Canada, for its misogyny and prejudicial lyrics. However, here is how they describe the woman in their song.

        Hey, wait a minute

        Who do you think you are

        Comin' on, comin' on

        Just like you're some kinda movie star

        Well, you can say what you like

        Be what you wanna be

        You can suit yourself, baby.

        But you don't suit me.

        

        You're just a three dressed up as a nine.

        You're only wastin' my time.

        A three dressed up as a nine.

The story of Samson has always seemed to be a bit of a strange one. He is a judge, but he lacks a sense of morality. He never seems to leave his childhood and grow up. He is immature and petulant and complains if he doesn't get his own way. He seems to live like that kid in the supermarket who screams until mom buys him that chocolate bar he wants. Samson sees something, and he wants it; he has no concept of delayed gratification, and in this case what Samson wants is a Philistine woman. Maybe the truth is that this couple probably deserved each other. If I can paraphrase the Northern Pikes, I would argue that "Samson wasn't pretty, he just looked that way," and this unnamed Philistine woman was nothing more than "a three dressed up as nine." 

So, it shouldn't be surprising that the marriage doesn't work out. Nothing that is born out of our immaturity ever does, which fundamentally sums up Samson's entire existence. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Judges 15