Judges 15

Judges 15:1

3. Samson’s Reprisals (Chap. 15)15:1-6 When his father-in-law refused to let Samson have his wife, Samson took personal revenge by tying the tails of three hundred foxes in pairs, putting a lighted torch between each pair of tails, and releasing the animals in the grain fields, vineyards, and olive groves. The Philistines learned the cause of this cruel and wasteful act and retaliated by burning to death Samson’s wife and her father. 15:7-13 Samson’s answer was to slay a great multitude of Philistines; then he retired to the cleft of the rock of Etam in the territory of Judah. But violence triggers more violence. When the Philistines marched after him, the men of Judah slavishly reminded him that the Philistines were their rulers. To save their own skin they agreed to tie Samson securely and turn him over to the enemy. Samson agreed to this as long as his own countrymen did not attempt to kill him. They had sunk to a vassal mentality, and chose to betray their own countryman and remain loyal to their oppressors rather than to befriend Samson and rid themselves of their chains. 15:14-17 Then follows one of the glorious moments of Samson’s career. When he was brought out bound, the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him. With the jawbone of a donkey he proceeded to slay a thousand Philistines. He named the place Ramath Lehi (Jawbone Heights, NKJV marg.). There is a play on words in verse 16, as if to say, “With the jawbone of an ass I have ass-ass-inated them,” or “With the jawbone of an ass I have piled them in a mass! With the jawbone of an ass I have assailed assailants” (Moffatt). One wonders why the Lord gave such a great victory through such an unlikely weapon. Samson was forbidden to touch anything that was unclean, and the jawbone was certainly that, being part of a dead animal. But this unusual weapon made it all the more evident that the victory was a supernatural one, given by God through base means. This is an example of the Lord allowing irregularities during a time of extreme crisis which ordinarily would not be permitted. 15:18-20 In response to Samson’s prayer for water, God miraculously provided a spring out of “Jawbone Heights.” This place was named En Hakkore, Spring of the Caller (NKJV marg.). It is at this illustrious period in Samson’s career that the Spirit of God records his judging of Israel for twenty years.