Judges 15 - Samson & the Philistines

Samson’s Wife (1-8)

Judges 15:1 ESV

1 After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, “I will go in to my wife in the chamber.” But her father would not allow him to go in.

TWO-STAGE MARRIAGE in ANE

Betrothal

Nuptials

1 - After some days, at wheat harvest

Went to his wife with a young goat (perhaps an offering to give her father for the time between the events - reconciliation effort)?

Samson to her father, “I will go into my wife in the chamber” = “I will go consummate the marriage now”

Her father would not allow it

Judges 15:2 ESV

2 And her father said, “I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.”

2 - I really thought you utterly hated her

So, I gave her to your companion (Judges 14:20)

Take her younger sister isn’t she MORE beautiful?!?!

Judges 15:3–6 ESV

3 And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.” 4 So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5 And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards. 6 Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

3 - Samson said to her father (and others) - This time I SHALL BE INNOCENT (?) in regard to the Philistines

4 - Caught 300 foxes (!?!) and attached torches to them

one torch to each tail

5 - And he set fire to the torches

Let the foxes go into...

The standing grain

The stacked grain

The olive orchards

6 - Philistines - Who has done this?

and they (?) said: Samson, the son in law of the Timnite

Because (her father) took Samson’s wife and gave her to his companion

and the Philistines came and burned HER and HER FATHER with fire.

Judges 15:7–8 ESV

7 And Samson said to them, “If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.” 8 And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

7 - Samson said to them - If this is what you do, I will be avenged on you and after that I will quit

8 - He struck them “hip and thigh” (???)

Went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam

Samson Defeats the Philistines (9-17)

Judges 15:9–10 ESV

9 Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. 10 And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” They said, “We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.”

9 - Philistines came and encamped against Judah and raided Lehi

10 - Men of Judah: Why have you come up against us?

Philistines: We’ve come to bind Samson for what he did to us

Judges 15:11–13 ESV

11 Then 3,000 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, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.” 12 And they said to him, “We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.” 13 They said to him, “No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

11 - 3,000 Men of Judah went to Samson at cleft of rock of Etam

Said to Samson:

Don’t you know Philistines are our rulers?

What have you done to us?

Samson said: As they did to me, I did to them

12 - They said to him: We have come to bind you to give you to the Philistines

Samson said: Swear that you won’t attack me yourselves

13 - They agreed AND bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

Judges 15:14–17 ESV

14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. 15 And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. 16 And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.” 17 As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi.

14 - When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him

Then the SPIRIT OF THE LORD rushed upon him

The ropes on his arms became as flax on fire and his bonds were melted off his hands

15 - He found a fresh (?) jawbone of a donkey

Took it and struck 1000 men

16 - Sang about it! :)

17 - When he finished his poem, he threw the jawbone out of his hand

Place was called Ramath-lehi (hill of the jawbone)

Samson Calls on the Lord (18-20)

Judges 15:18–20 ESV

18 And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. 20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

18 - He was thirsty and called up on the LORD

You have given this salvation

but now will I die among the uncircumcised?

19 - God heard his cry and responded...

God split open the hollow place at Lehi

Water came out!

When he drank his spirit returned to him, revived

Place named El-Hakkore (the spring of him who called)

20 - Samson judged Israel for 20 years in the days of the Philistines

GO WITH THIS...

The Lord has chosen you

In the same way the Lord showed up to Manoah and his wife and told them their son would begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistine’s

In just as miraculous of fashion as this…2,000 years ago, Jesus, son of God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, and gave Himself on a Roman cross for the atonement of the sin of the world.

The Lord chose you and is calling you to respond to Him in repentance and faith…repenting of your sinful nature before holy God and calling on Jesus to be your Only Savior and Lord

The Lord has equipped you with talent as a means of provision and of worship

2 Thessalonians 3:10–12 ESV

10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

Ephesians 6:5–9 ESV

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

Colossians 3:23–24 ESV

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

The Lord desires to partner with you and as we draw near to Him, our desires are molded and shaped into desires that align with the Lord’s.

The Lord chose Samson to rise up against the Philistine’s

In the same way the Lord has chosen you to set the light of the Gospel in the midst of the darkest places on earth

1 Thessalonians 3:2 ESV

2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,

Matthew 9:37–38 ESV

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 ESV

5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

All of this is not easy…at times it leaves us thirsting.

And EVEN when we feel poured out on the task the Lord has give,

The Lord is our salvation even then

Judges 15:18 ESV

18 And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”