JUDGES 15 “A WALKING TIME BOMB” Mark Kolbe

INTRODUCTION

Fans of Actor Martin Short may recall a movie from 1991 that he starred in called, “Pure Luck”. Martin played a character named “Proctor” who was cursed with extremely bad luck. Regardless of what Proctor did or experienced, chaos, injury and destruction always followed. Throughout the movie, Proctor does things like walk into a glass window, fall downstairs, get hit by lightning - twice, and swells up with an allergic reaction after a bee sting. His reputation was so well known, and his tendency was so predictable that he was hired by a wealthy businessman to help find his missing daughter in Mexico. The businessman chose Proctor for the job because he believed that his daughter was missing due to her own ill-fated ways. Who else better to find someone with a lot of bad luck, than someone else with a lot of bad luck?

Today we continue our study of Samson, a judge of Israel whose life was also marked by chaos and destruction. However, in contrast with Proctor from the movie “Pure Luck”, Samson’s life experiences were a result of his bad choices, not misfortune.

REVIEW

Samson’s role as a judge of Israel began in Judges 13 when God revealed that to his parents (you will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”) 13:25 - and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol).

In Judges 14 we learned that Samson had two character flaws that stood out above all others: a) a woman’s beauty was more important to him than her religion and moral character, b) his uncontrollable anger. Those weaknesses are going will continue to manifest themselves throughout Samson’s life, including in chapter 15.

We learned about Samson’s first major weakness when he set out to marry a Philistine woman that he was attracted to. Samson’s words to his parents in Judges 14:3 are telling: “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes”. That one phrase revealed Samson’s attraction and the condition of his heart. By getting married to this woman, Samson was ignoring God’s command: “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods” (Deut. 7:3–4). However, even though Samson’s motivation for marrying the Philistine woman was sinful, God was going to use Samson’s relationship with her for his own purpose (Judges 14:4 - His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

We then saw Samson’s explosive temper on display during the 7-day marriage ceremony to the woman. He had posed a riddle to a group of Philistines as part of a contest. However, the Philistine woman’s persistent nagging spoiled the riddle and Samson’s plan. As a result, Samson became so angry with the Philistines it led to violence, and him returning to his hometown before the wedding ceremony was over.

Judges 14 ¹⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. Burning with anger, he returned to his father’s home. ²⁰ And Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions who had attended him at the feast.

It isn’t apparent whether Samson knew about the threats to the woman’s life before he left, but he went home anyway because he felt that his wife had betrayed his trust. Based upon the details in this passage and those we’ll see in Judges 15, it seems that Samson left before he had consummated the marriage and that he also did not communicate whether he planned to return. What we do know for sure is that when Judges 14 ends, Samson was angry with his wife, with her father, and with the Philistines.

JUDGES 15

Samson Spurned

15 But after a while, in the time of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a young goat, and said, “I will go in to my wife in her room.” But her father did not let him enter. 2 Her father said, “I really thought that you hated her intensely; so I gave her to your companion. Is her younger sister not more beautiful than she? Please let her be yours instead.”

The marriage took place in early spring. However, these verses tell us that Samson decided to return to his wife during the wheat harvest, which was probably during the month of May or June. We aren’t told specifically why Samson chose to come back. It could have been that his anger had subdued, and the goat was merely a gift to make up for abandoning his wife before the marriage ceremony had been completed (Judges 14:20). Another possibility is that Samson was following a marriage custom in which the groom would bring gifts to the bride’s family for a time after the wedding when the bride would continue to live in her father’s house.

Either way, it seems that Samson is intending on consummating the marriage for four reasons: he had left for home before the 7-day ceremony was over, the woman had been given to another man in place of Samson, the father doesn’t allow Samson to enter his daughter’s bedroom, and because he offers his younger daughter as an alternative. Even if Samson had consummated the marriage already, the father’s offer of the younger daughter would have caused Samson to be in violation of the Mosaic law (Leviticus 18:17) and therefore especially problematic for a Nazirite like Samson.

Regardless of the exact details, when you mix disobeying God, a bad temper, sexual desires, and rejection into the same pot, the results are quite volatile.

NASB - 3 Samson then said to them, “This time I will have been blameless regarding the Philistines when I do them harm.”

NIV - ³ Samson said to them, “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them.”

After being rejected by his wife and her father, Samson feels justified in carrying out vengeance on someone. This time he declares his actions will be blameless. That implies that, previously when he got angry with those who spoiled his riddle and had taken it out on the 30 men from the town of Ashkelon, he was not blameless. However, after feeling mistreated by the Philistines for a second time, he intends on a type of holy war. This time, he directs his anger towards the Philistines in general. So, while Samson’s intentions aren’t a direct response to follow God’s command to destroy the Philistines, he does plan to do battle with them.

Samson’s spite

4 And Samson went and caught three hundred jackals, and took torches, and turned the jackals tail to tail and put one torch in the middle between two tails. 5 When he had set fire to the torches, he released the jackals into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to both the bundled heaps and the standing grain, along with the vineyards and olive groves.

Despite his shortcomings, Samson is quite a creative and resourceful person. Your version of the Bible may say that Samson captured 300 foxes instead of jackals. The Hebrews word used in this scripture is Shoo-awl, which is used to describe an animal that burrows in the ground. While both foxes and jackals make their homes in the ground, the animal Samson captured was more likely a jackal because they were more numerous and ran in packs. Capturing 300 jackals seems more reasonable than capturing 300 foxes (let alone finding 300 of them).

Rather than personally running from field to field himself to light the fires, Samson found it more effective to set fire to multiple fields as quickly as possible by letting loose 150 pairs of jackals. His plan worked as he’d hoped, and the fires did a great deal of damage.

Samson’s revenge

6 Then the Philistines said, “Who did this?” And some said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father to death with fire. 7 Then Samson said to them, “If this is how you act, I will certainly take revenge on you, and only after that will I stop.” 8 So he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter; and afterward he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

In response to Samson’s revenge against their crops, the Philistines take revenge on him by killing his wife and father, fulfilling the threat back in Judges 14:15. As a result, Samson responds in his typical way - retaliating out of anger by killing another large group of men. It seems that Samson is aware of his vengeful and violent spirit, because he claims this will be the last time he reacts this way. In hopes of stopping the cycle of revenge, Samson goes into hiding in a small cave. However, that doesn’t solve the problem.

Samson’s betrayal

9 Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah, and spread out in Lehi. 10 So the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” And they said, “We have come up to bind Samson in order to do to him as he did to us.” 11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “Just as they did to me, so I have done to them.” 12 Then they said to him, “We have come down to bind you so that we may hand you over to the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me.” 13 So they said to him, “No, but we will bind you tightly and give you into their hands; but we certainly will not kill you.” Then they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.

The Philistine army had positioned itself in such a way that it became an even greater threat to the army of Judah. However, the army of Judah is not looking for a fight. So not only does Samson have faults, but his army is also weak. There were several reasons that Samson and his men should have been working together to defeat the Philistines. First, God had commanded them to do that. Second, there were historical examples of God coming to Israel’s rescue by helping to defeat superior military forces. Third, Samson was blessed with superhuman strength. However, Samson’s army is merely trying to save their necks and appease the enemy. So, they go to Samson’s hideout in the rocks intending to hand him over to the Philistines.

It is interesting to note that when any judge of Israel had more than a paragraph written about them, they are always mentioned in the context of leading an army. However, when it comes to Samson, there are 4 entire chapters about his life, yet there isn’t anything describing him leading the Israelites into battle. That doesn’t mean he never did, but it is interesting that all the Biblical stories are about him personally. The only time when Samson is mentioned in the context of his Israelite soldiers, is in this case when they rebelled against him.

Samson’s victory

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him so that the ropes that were on his arms were like flax that has burned with fire, and his restraints dropped from his hands. 15 Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out with his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. 16 And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.” 17 When he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi.

Despite Samson’s weaknesses, God works in his life in two miraculous ways. First, was the fact that the new ropes that had been used to bind Samson (verse 13), just disintegrated, and fell off. The second miracle was Samson’s ability to kill one thousand men with only the jawbone of a donkey. Just like the author detailed the fact that the ropes that fell of Samson were brand new, he now tells us the jawbone was “fresh” to indicate it was a more effective weapon than an old, brittle jawbone would have been.

Besides being blessed with great strength, and being so resourceful, Samson was also a kind of wordsmith. If you recall, he used a riddle in chapter 14 to gain an advantage over his adversaries. Here in chapter 15, he boasts of his accomplishment and taunts the enemy by using a homonym – which is the use of a word that has two meanings. In verse 16, Samson creates a bit of Hebrew poetry that contains the word “hamor” (kham-o-raw'), which can be interpreted to mean either "donkey," or "heap”. In other words, Samson is making a pun about using a donkey's jawbone to kill numerous enemy soldiers. He was either intending to paint a picture of him killing soldiers so fast that their bodies fell in piles, or that he killed so many men, their bodies had to be put in piles to be disposed of later. His accomplishment led him to name the place Ramath-lehi, which means “Jawbone hill”.

Samson’s Gratefulness

18 Then he became very thirsty, and he called to the Lord and said, “You have handed this great victory over to Your servant, and now am I to die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank, his strength returned and he revived. Therefore, he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. 20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

Despite all his weaknesses, at least Samson knows where his strength comes from and who it is that really makes him victorious. He is careful to give God the credit for the victory. However, these verses teach us that those who follow God must also bring personal effort and commitment to work alongside God’s power and sovereignty. God didn’t just wipe out 1,000 men in one fell swoop, Samson fought ferociously in hand-to-hand combat. In fact, the fighting took so much out of him physically that he was extremely thirsty. So, God answers Samsons plea with another miracle and provides water for him out of the hollow of a rock. In response to God’s intervention, Samson names the place “En-hkkore” (ane-hak-o-ray), which means a spring or fountain of one who called out or prayed.

SO WHAT

1. We experience the consequences of bad decisions and sin committed by others.

As a follower of God, Samson was inviting trouble on himself by attempting to form close relationships with the Philistines. He ended up compounding his mistakes, leading to a life of chaos and destruction.

When people sin, they do it to satisfy the desire of one person only themselves. In their haste for pleasure or relief, they don’t consider how their actions may affect anyone else at all. As inhabitants in this fallen world, we will all naturally become victims of sin in some way – even experiencing collateral damage due to the selfishness of others people.

Since our lives can be impacted by the sin of others, we must do what we can to mitigate this risk. We must be careful who we associate with and who we align ourselves with. 2 Corinthians 6:14 is a well-known passage about this issue – “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? 17 - Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, 18 And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. “

2. We experience the consequences of bad decisions and sin committed personally.

Samson was aware of his weakness – so much so that he even made a pledge to improve his behavior. Regardless of whether he repented or changed for the better, Samson had to live with the consequences of his failures: broken relationships, going into hiding, being handed over to the enemy, and in need of miracles from God to bail him out.

When we willingly choose to disobey God, at a minimum we lose close fellowship with Him, and at worse it can lead to a lifetime of difficulty or even death. Sin always looks like a viable alternative to help us navigate life on earth. However, it never delivers in the long run. When sin doesn’t bring us the joy or relief we hope for, we get angry, depressed, and defeated. An individual who reverts to sin as his go to response in life is like someone trapped in a pit up to their waist, who frantically scrapes and claws at the sides of the pit, bringing more sand down on himself.

As the Bible warns us - we need to hate sin, resist it, and flee from it.

3. Others experience the consequences of our bad decisions and sin.

Samson was a compulsive, stubborn, vengeful, and impassioned man. These characteristics helped lead to the death of the Philistine woman and her father.

Sin doesn’t discriminate, it destroys anything it can, even extending out to people around us. At a minimum our sin can be a stumbling block to others, causing them to not want anything to do with God. At worse, our bad choices can cause other people, even those we love, to be forced to suffer along with us. Proactive holiness is always better than reactionary sin. Rather than sinning to the detriment of others, the Bible says we should do just the opposite.

Romans 12:14-21 - Bless those who persecute ^[q]you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be ^[r]haughty in mind, but ^[s]associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. ¹⁷ Never repay evil for evil to anyone. ^[t]Respect what is right in the sight of all people. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. ¹⁹ Never take your own revenge, beloved, but ^[u]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

4. A good leader sets a good example.

Although God used Samson for the purpose of being a judge or ruler over Israel, Samson wasn’t always the best example to others. Perhaps that’s why the stories in Judges are all about him, and not about others courageously following him into battle. As we’ll see when we get to chapter 16, Samson’s army never comes to rescue him in the end.

Sometimes we take on leadership roles in subtle, informal ways by befriending someone in need or coming alongside one who has made past mistakes. Other times we have more formal leadership roles like that of parent, husband, pastor, teacher, office manager, president, bible study leader, or coach.

Regardless of what the leadership role is, the ability to motivate is a fundamental requirement. History is filled with examples of various ways that leaders attempt to motivate. Some leaders will intentionally create conditions that cause others to become so weak or vulnerable that they feel they have no choice but to submit to or rely upon the supposed leader. Some leaders only lead with their lips, using inspirational speeches, carefully chosen words or even blatant lies to sway opinion and behavior. Other leaders instill fear in their followers, using threats, physical force, or yelling and screaming. However, the most effective leaders, the ones that are in it for the long haul, the ones that raise people to a better place than where they were previously, the ones for whom others will gladly make sacrifices are those who consistently lead by good example.

One of the things the apostle Paul used to convince people to follow God was teaching them to fear the Lord. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade people… (2 Corinthians 5:10-11a).” The fear scripture describes isn’t of a God who has wicked intentions, uncontrollable rage, or an evil heart – healthy biblical fear is a recognition of Who God is, and is fear of actual, future events that could result in personal loss.

Not only did Paul encourage people to fear God, but he also preached that God was worthy of being followed because of the loving example He set for us. In Philippians 2 Paul described how Jesus wanted the best for other people so badly that He humbled Himself, willingly taking on the body of a man and allowing Himself to be killed as a sacrifice for our sins. If you want to be a good leader in any way, you must first bring the best out of yourself. You must display excellent, Godly character, and do what you tell others to do.

5. Despite our failures God is always victorious

Scripture clearly says that God desires wholehearted, committed followers. Being a wholehearted and committed follower is even in our long-term best interest. Thankfully, our failures don’t make it more difficult for God to do what He is going to do. His omnipotence makes anything possible without real effort on His part. Regardless of how stubborn and foolish we are, God is orchestrating everything to His intended and perfect ending.

The question for us to answer is in what kind of way do we want to be used by God? Do we want to be people who participate with Him, or people whom God merely works around? 2 Timothy 2:19-26 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” 20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.