If you remember, the cycle from yesterday was incomplete
- Relapse: The people did evil in the eyes of God
- Retribution: the Philistines ruled over the Israelites for 40 years
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Repentance: Manoah and his wife called out to God for a child. God gave them Samson
Today we will complete the cycle in our study of Samson’s life.
Judges 15 presents the childish side of Samson. In Judges 14 it appeared as if Samson was spoiled in his demand for a Philistine wife. It seemed as if God uses that behavior and turns it for His glory for it accomplishes His purpose. Judges 15 shows Samson throwing a fit because he could not return to the woman he had almost married in chapter 14. When he returned to the bride, her father turned him away because Samson abandoned her. He gave her to the best man, as we see her and at the end of chapter 14. The reason for this may be cultural. I need to look into the cultural back ground for this.
God will also use this tantrum to accomplish His work. Sometimes God uses our sins to accomplish His work. Remember Joseph in Genesis who stated what his brothers intended for evil God used for good. Or, remember Paul’s reminder in Romans 8 that God causes all things to work together for His good (glory).
Samson accomplishes the defeat of the Philistines by burning the fields of the Philistines using torching foxes and setting them loose in the fields. The Philistines retaliate against his almost wife and father-in-law. In the eyes of the Philistines they were married. Samson swears vengeance on them for doing so a thing to his family.
Samson allows the men of Judah to bind him and turn him over to the Philistines as a means of killing them. When he was in the midst of them, he slew one thousand of them in the power of God with the jawbone of a donkey. It is here that the amount of years Samson ruled is given. Notice, though, that it does not state the Israelites were at rest. To finish the cycle:
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Relapse: The people did evil in the eyes of God
- Retribution: the Philistines ruled over the Israelites for 40 years
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Repentance: Manoah and his wife called out to God for a child. God gave them Samson
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Rescue: Samson led Israel for 20 years
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Rest: None stated
I don’t think the Israelites rested due to the apparent spoiled nature of Samson. He never went to war to defeat the Philistines to remove them from power, he merely threw tantrums and killed many of them. Yet, he is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 and 1 Samuel 12. God can be glorified despite us.
Judges 16 introduces the sin that led him into captivity and his “greatest” victory over the Philistines. He allowed his lust to control him, again, and visited a prostitute. He then “fell in love” with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines use her to find the source of Samson’s strength. The pity of this is that she did what she was asked and that Samson gave into her, even after he realized what she was doing. It appears his pride overwhelms his senses. The other item to pity is that Samson believed his strength was in his hair, not in his God. The Hebrew of verse 19 states that Delilah began to torment him then his strength left him. I wonder what that means.
Because of his sin, the Spirit of God left him. This is unique to the Old Testament. The New Testament shows us that the Holy Spirit is our guarantor of salvation and will not leave us. Here, however, the Spirit leaves Samson and he is powerless. Even for us, who have the Spirit dwelling in us, if we refuse to maintain our fellowship with God as He commands, we are not living in the power of the Spirit and are weak and helpless before our enemies.
Verses 23-31 of chapter 16 presents Samson’s greatest victory and that was in his death. God gave him strength as he called to Him. Although he did this out of revenge, God used it to accomplish His goals.
What would Samson’s life had been like if he used God’s presence in his life in a godly manner instead of a self-centered manner? Would the Israelites have found rest? What about us? What would our lives look like if we submitted more to the Word of God and made our daily, moment-by-moment, decisions in light of Him? Would our area of influence be holier?
Thoughts to ponder.