Juízes 15

Juízes 15

Spurgeon - “It is very usual for God’s people, when they have had some great deliverance, to have some little trouble that is too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then he must needs die for want of a little water!” Warren Wiersbe rightly points out that "Samson's victory celebration didn’t last very long, for God reminded him that he was only a man and had to have water to stay alive. So often in Scripture, testing follows triumph. No sooner had the Israelites crossed the Red Sea than they became thirsty (Ex 15:22-27) and hungry (Ex 16). Elijah’s victory on Mount Carmel was followed by his humiliating flight to Mount Horeb (1Ki 18,19). If triumphs aren’t balanced with trials, there’s a danger that we’ll become proud and self-confident. If Samson had only heeded this warning and asked God not only for water but for guidance! “Lead us not into temptation” would have been the perfect prayer for that hour. (Mt 6:13) How quick we are to cry out for help for the body when perhaps our greatest needs are in the inner person. It’s when we’re weak that we’re strong (2 Cor. 12:10+); and when we’re totally dependent on the Lord, we’re the safest. (See context in The Bible Exposition Commentary) Servant (05650) 'ebed from 'abad = work in any sense) means a slave or bondservant. Slavery in Israel amounted to indentured servitude. A fellow Israelite could not be held indefinitely against his will. In fact, his time of service was limited to 6 yr (Ex 21:2). The master could be punished if evil intent against the slave was proven (Ex 21:14) or if the slave died (Ex 21:20). These types of servants held a position of honor (Ge 24:2ff; 41:12, 15:2). Uncircumcised (06189) arel from orlah = foreskin) is an adjective which means one with foreskin intact or "having foreskin." The majority of passages which use this term refer to the literal state of being uncircumcised (e.g., Ge 17:14; Exo. 12:48; Josh. 5:7+; Jdg. 14:3+; Jdg 15:18+; 1Sa 14:6; 17:26, 36; 31:4; 1Chr. 10:4). Arel was a word of contempt, particularly of Philistines who did not practice circumcision (Jdg 14:3; 15:18; 1Sa 14:6; 17:26, 36; 31:4 thru 1Chr 10:4; 2Sa 1:20). The Israelites looked upon the Philistines with contempt, due to their lack of conformity to the practice of circumcision, thus illustrating the Philistines' opposition to Israel's God (2Sa 1:20). Foreign nations who remained uncircumcised were considered pagan and unclean. It was a serious covenant violation to bring uncircumcised individuals into the Temple, because it desecrated the holiness and purity of the Lord's sanctuary (Ezek. 44:7, 9). Moses described himself as having "uncircumcised lips," an indication of his speech impediment and difficulty in making people listen to him (Ex 6:12, 30). This term was associated with moral and spiritual uncleanness (Isa 52:1) as well as with organs that did not function properly (Ex 6:12, "uncircumcised lips" do not speak well; Jer 6:10, "uncircumcised ears" cannot listen). See circumcision of the heart as used in Jer 9:26. Arel - 32v - Gen. 17:14; Exod. 6:12; Exod. 6:30; Exod. 12:48; Lev. 19:23; Lev. 26:41; Jos. 5:7; Jdg. 14:3; Jdg. 15:18; 1 Sam. 14:6; 1 Sam. 17:26; 1 Sam. 17:36; 1 Sam. 31:4; 2Sa 1:20; 1Chr. 10:4; Isa. 52:1; Jer. 6:10; Jer. 9:26; Ezek. 28:10; Ezek. 31:18; Ezek. 32:19; Ezek. 32:21; Ezek. 32:24; Ezek. 32:25; Ezek. 32:26; Ezek. 32:27; Ezek. 32:28; Ezek. 32:29; Ezek. 32:30; Ezek. 32:32; Ezek. 44:7; Ezek. 44:9 Morning and Evening - C H Spurgeon Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty more weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered. It is very usual for God’s people, when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water! Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes “halting on his thigh!” Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he said, “I have slain a thousand men.” His boastful throat soon grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer. God has many ways of humbling his people. Dear child of God, if after great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he said, “I am this day weak, though anointed king.” You must expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, your present difficulty is only like Samson’s thirst, and the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson’s words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long. Ray Pritchard - Now our story is almost over but there is one more part: Samson’s humble prayer to the Lord. Because he was very thirsty (Killing one thousand men really works up a thirst) he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” (15:18) This is the greatest prayer Samson ever prayed. He’s saying, “Lord I know that this victory did not come by my power.” It’s the one place where he really acknowledged God’s presence in his life. And God opened up a hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore (which means the spring of one who cries out to God). And it is still there in Lehi. (15:19) That last little phrase is interesting. The writer of Judges is telling us that, even though many years have passed, there was still water coming out of that spring. The flow of water was a present reminder of God’s past provision for his people. Samson’s great prayer comes after his greatest victory. His prayer is immediately answered and it reveals to us something which we might not have known otherwise. Beneath the carnality and beneath the worldliness and beneath all that compromise that there was a bedrock of faith in Samson’s life. Samson was a man of faith. That’s unbelievable. After all that carnage and all that killing and all that lust and all that anger, God is saying Samson is a man of faith. And he let this spring keep on flowing as a monument to Samson’s faith and as a rebuke to the compromising, cowardly men of Judah. It was a perpetual reminder that when things were at their worst, there was one man who was willing to stand up and fight. This is one of the wonderful stories of the Old Testament. What a sinner Samson is. Samson sins and sins. And he doesn’t do it by halves either. When he sins, he really sins. He went down, down, down, down and then he begins to come up and his faith at the end is clear. In the end, Samson wins a great victory for God. Three Abiding Principles This story has a lot to say to us. Let me point out three abiding principles. 1. Whenever we come to one of those all too rare moments of spiritual victory we ought not to be surprised that other people do not understand us. Whenever we come to one of those places of great spiritual victory, when we have prayed and worked and we have fought through, we ought not to be surprised that other people don’t understand us. If anything is clear from Judges 15, it’s that they were ready to give Samson up. They handed him over to the enemy because they didn’t understand that Samson, at this point, is God’s freedom fighter. It’s the one point where Samson’s faith is really shining. The men of Judah just look like a bunch of cowards, and that’s what they really are. I was talking this week with a young lady who works in one of the stores here in Oak Park. She told me this week that she had to give up her job. I said, “Why?” She said, “Because I’m a Christian.” I said, “What do you mean?” She said, “When my boss found out I was a Christian, he put so much pressure on me that finally I could not work there anymore.” That’s in Oak Park, U.S.A. We should not be surprised that when we reach the moment of real spiritual insight, some of the people who are closest to us will not understand. A husband won’t understand, or a wife won’t understand, or your brothers and sisters won’t appreciate the fact that you have discovered Jesus Christ. Your relatives won’t understand or your kids won’t understand or your grandparents or your neighbors or your friends at school or the people where you work won’t understand. We shouldn’t be surprised that when we decide to go all out for Jesus Christ, some people who ought to understand won’t understand at all and some of them will actively oppose what we are doing. It happened to Samson. It will happen to you and me, too. 2. Whenever the Spirit of God starts to work, incredible victories can be accomplished by means of the most unlikely instruments. Suppose you were going to fight one thousand Philistines, what would you take? I’d take Rambo and a pickup full of Uzis. I’d bring along an AK-47 and a bag full of grenades. I’d take my chances that way. I wouldn’t go out with the jawbone of a donkey. I’m not that stupid. Or maybe, I’m just not that smart. When Samson defeated one thousand Philistines, he only had two things: he had the jawbone of a donkey, and he had the Spirit of God. And with the jawbone and with the Spirit he had enough to defeat one thousand men and set the army of the Philistines to flight. I like that little gospel chorus: “Little is much when God is in it. Labor not for wealth or fame. There’s a crown and you can win it if you go in Jesus’ name.” It’s true. And that’s one of the lessons of this chapter. Little is much when God is in it. Anybody here this morning feel like the jawbone of a donkey? Anybody here feel you’re about as useless as that? Let me tell you something. When the Spirit of God begins to move, with the jawbone of a donkey a whole army is put to flight. When the Spirit of God begins to move, incredible victories are accomplished by the most unlikely instruments. 3. When we yield ourselves to the Spirit of God the life of Jesus is reproduced in us. If you read the old commentators on the life of Samson, you discover something fascinating. Those old commentators (I’m thinking of the Puritans and the 19th-century English writers) find in Samson a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know what a type is? It’s an Old Testament picture of a New Testament truth. They find that Samson is an Old Testament picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you realize how incredible that sounds? But it’s true. Samson And Jesus This is how they put it together: Samson was rejected by his countrymen. Jesus was rejected by his countrymen. Samson was arrested by his own people. Jesus was arrested by his own people. Samson was handed over to certain death. Jesus was handed over to die. Samson didn’t resist his own people when they betrayed him. Jesus said not a word to those who attacked him. Samson’s hands were bound with cords. Jesus’ hands were bound as he went off to trial. Samson broke the cords which bound him. Jesus in his resurrection broke the cords of death. Samson in his mighty victory put the army of the Philistines to flight. Jesus in his victorious resurrection from the dead defeated Satan and the demons and all the powers of the devil. He disarmed the devil and made a public spectacle of all the demons. He led captivity captive when he ascended on high. Samson in his victory delivered his people. And Jesus in his victory delivered his people. Do you want to know why this picture of Christ is in the Bible? Because Samson is the last man on earth that you would ever think would be like the Lord Jesus. You couldn’t think of a more unlikely person. It’s there to encourage people like you and me, who have a whole lot of Samson in us, that we can be like the Lord Jesus Christ. Samson the man who went down and down and down and down at this moment is a type of Jesus. What happened to Samson could happen to you and to me. When we yield our life to the Spirit of God the life of Jesus is reproduced in us. Hope For Modern-Day SamsonsThis is Samson’s finest moment, his greatest victory, his noblest prayer, and his most holy character. You want to know the most amazing thing I’ve said yet? It’s Samson’s greatest moment—the pinnacle of his faith—and it comes at the end of a whole series of incredibly stupid decisions. He went to the wrong place. He looked for the wrong thing. He married the wrong girl. He made a bad bet. He gave in to revenge, and in uncontrollable anger he went down, down, down, down. And it is at this hopeless moment Samson achieved greatness. His past didn’t matter. It really didn’t matter. That’s the grace of God. Some of you are laboring under the burden of a long string of bad decisions, stupid moves, wrong choices, blind alleys, dead end streets, broken relationships and broken promises. Every time you think about doing something great for God a voice inside whispers, “You’re dirty. You’re unclean. You’re no good. You’re a fake, a fraud, and a hypocrite.” I’ve got good news for you. I don’t care if you’ve been like Samson, or worse. Your past doesn’t matter. If you will come to Jesus Christ you will find in one shining moment that you are forgiven. Your past does not have to hold you back unless you let it. You already know what’s holding you back, don’t you? Those mistakes and bad decisions from the past, those blind alleys and broken relationships, and those stupid choices. You’ve condemned yourself a thousand times for them; they’re like chains around your neck. You need to take all that ugliness and place it at the foot of the cross. You need to leave it there and never go back for it again. It is my privilege to introduce you to the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross. His broken body and his shed blood have opened the way into heaven. Do you want a new life this morning? You can get one. Do you need a new start this morning? You can have one. Do you need to be forgiven? You can be forgiven right now. Do you need a new beginning? Now is the time, this is the place. Jesus Christ has made it possible. Good News, Samson! Good News! And Good News to all of Samson’s twentieth-century sons and daughters. Your best days may be just ahead of you! (How an Angry Man Gets Even) Judges 15:18 F B Meyer Our Daily Homily - And now shall I die for thirst? It had been a great victory. With the jawbone of an ass Samson had smitten a thousand men. But he knew where to attribute the glory. It was not he, but the Spirit of the Lord which had come mightily upon him. This is distinctly recognized when he called unto God, and said, “Thou hast given this great deliverance by my hand.” It was because he had been expending his strength for God, had been, so to speak, burnt up by the Divine fire, that he was able to claim God’s interposition for his thirst. This is the great law of prayer. We have no right to count on God in the agony of a crisis, unless we have been walking in fellowship with Him previously, or are exhausted in fighting his battles. There is nothing that we may not claim of Him when we are living in the current of his life, or when we are exhausted in his service. “Thou hast given this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant; and now shall I die for thirst?” God’s springs burst out in unlikely spots. He is never at a loss. If there is no natural spring, He can create one. If all around the mighty rocks reflect the sultry heat, and our spirit seems on the point of exhaustion, then in the wilderness He will cause streams to break out. Be of good courage, fainting warrior! The God who made thee, and has used thee, knows thy frame, and what thou needest before thou askest. Hereafter the place shall be known as “the spring of him that called!” He can cause the refreshing stream to pour forth from the flinty rock; He can turn the bitter water sweet for thee to drink thereof; He quenches thy soul-thirst with the water of life. Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - The pursuit of the Philistines, however, and the conflict with them, had exhausted Samson, so that he was very thirsty, and feared that he might die from exhaustion; for it was about the time of the wheat-harvest (v. 1), and therefore hot summer weather. Then he called to the Lord, “Thou hast through (בְּיַד) “Thy servant given this great deliverance; and now I shall die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised!” From this prayer we may see that Samson was fully conscious that he was fighting for the cause of the Lord. And the Lord helped him out of this trouble. God split the hollow place at Lechi, so that water came out of it, as at Horeb and Kadesh (Ex. 17:6, and Num. 20:8, 11). The word מַכְתֵּשׁ, which is used in Prov. 27:22 to signify a mortar, is explained by rabbinical expositors as denoting the socket of the teeth, or the hollow place in which the teeth are fixed, like the Greek ὁλμίσκος, mortariolum, according to Pollux, Onom. ii. c. 4, § 21. Accordingly many have understood the statement made here, as meaning that God caused a fountain to flow miraculously out of the socket of a tooth in the jaw-bone which Samson had thrown away, and thus provided for his thirst. This view is the one upon which Luther’s rendering, “God split a tooth in the jaw, so that water came out,” is founded, and is has been voluminously defended by Bochart (Hieroz. l. ii. c. 15). But the expression אֲשֶׁר בַּלֶּחִי, “the maktesh which is at Lechi,” is opposed to this view, since the tooth-socket in the jaw-bone of the ass would be simply called מַכְתֶּשׁ הַלְּחִי or מַכְתֵּשׁ בַּלֶּחִי; and so is also the remark that this fountain was still in existence in the historian’s own time. And the article proves nothing to the contrary, as many proper names are written with it (see Ewald, § 277, c.). Consequently we must follow Josephus (Ant. v. 8), who takes הַמַּכְתֵּשׁ as the name given to the opening of the rock, which was cleft by God to let water flow out. “If a rocky precipice bore the name of jaw-bone (lechi) on account of its shape, it was a natural consequence of this figurative epithet, that the name tooth-hollow should be given to a hole or gap in the rock” (Studer). Moreover, the same name, Maktesh, occurs again in Zeph. 1:11, where it is applied to a locality in or near Jerusalem. The hollow place was split by Elohim, although it was to Jehovah that Samson had prayed, to indicate that the miracle was wrought by God as the Creator and Lord of nature. Samson drank, and his spirit returned, so that he revived again. Hence the fountain received the name of En-hakkore, “the crier’s well which is at Lechi,” unto this day. According to the accents, the last clause does not belong to בַּלֶּחִי (in Lechi), but to קָרָא וגו׳ (he called, etc.). It received the name given to it unto this day. This implies, of course, that the spring itself was in existence when our book was composed.—In v. 20 the account of the judicial labours of Samson are brought to a close, with the remark that Samson judged Israel in the days of the Philistines, i.e., during their rule, for twenty years. What more is recorded of him in Judg. 16 relates to his fall and ruin; and although even in this he avenged himself upon the Philistines, he procured no further deliverance for Israel. It is impossible to draw any critical conclusions from the position in which this remark occurs, as to a plurality of sources for the history of Samson. (Judges 15 Commentary) Judges 15:19 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. so that water came out of it: Isa 44:3 When he drank, his strength returned: Ge 45:27 1Sa 30:12 Isa 40:26 Judges 15 Resources Related Passages: Exodus 17:6+ “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Numbers 20:11+ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank GOD ANSWERS SAMSON'S SUPPLICATION But God (note) - There's another one of those great "But God" statements marking a strategic change of direction. Split the hollow place that is in Lehi ("jawbone") so that water came out of it - NET = "So God split open the basin at Lehi and water flowed out from it." CSB = "God split a hollow place in the ground at Lehi." Hollow place is used only one other time in Pr 27:22 translated "mortar." God provided water for Samson just as He had miraculously done for Israel in the desert. (Ex 17:1-7+; Nu 20:2-13+). NET NOTE says hollow place (basin) "refers to a circular-shaped depression in the land’s surface." When he drank, his strength returned and he revived (chayah) - Strength is ruach which means breath, wind, spirit. Samson experiences a little "R & R" return and revival. Unfortunately Samson's revival was physical not spiritual (cf Jdg 16:1+!) Physical water revives the body, but spiritual water revives the soul My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word. - Ps 119:25+ Therefore, he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi ("jawbone") to this day - Given his renewed state of spirit and body, he memorializes the site. The spring was thereafter called “Caller’s Spring” (or "Spring of the One Who Cries Out" or "Suppliant's Spring" = Constable) because of God’s wonderful answer to prayer. Davis explains that "Samson had to rename the place: Jawbone Hill became Caller’s Spring (v. 19b). God’s servants often do that, whenever they realize their endurance does not come from their own adrenaline but from Yahweh’s refreshing grace." Adam