Juízes 15
David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin
Juízes 15
Guzik - It seems that Samson submitted to this. Assuming this was true; it showed great faith on Samson’s part. He was willing to put himself in a difficult position and to trust God to take care of him. George Bush (recommended resource) Brought him up from the rock. From the cleft or cave of the rock in which he had taken shelter. See on Jdg 15:8. From hence he was brought to Lehi, where the Philistines had pitched their camp. Keil and Delitzch - Jdg. 15:13. When they promised him this, he let them bind him with two new cords and lead him up (into the camp of the Philistines) out of the rock (i.e., the cleft of the rock). (Judges 15 Commentary) Ray Pritchard - What you have in verses 13-17 is the pinnacle of Samson’s faith. He’s on the bottom but now he’s starting to rise to the top. And what you’re going to see in the next few verses is Samson rising to the top to the highest point he’s ever going to reach in his whole life. See what happens. It all begins at the end of verse 12: Samson said, “Swear to me that you won’t kill me yourselves.” “Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” Those cowards. Those sniveling cowards. Those peace-at-any-price compromisers. Those lousy bums. “We won’t kill you, we’ll just hand you over to those guys.” What do you think those guys are going to do with him? They’re going to kill him. O, that really stinks. But notice how Samson responds. He says, “If you want to hand me over to the Philistines, that’s all right.” Notice how graciously he treats his countrymen. So here comes Samson, his hands bound with two new ropes, walking toward the Philistines. Verse 14 says that as he approached, the Philistines came toward him shouting. Well, I guess so. They think they’ve got him now. They think they’ve got the man who’s been terrorizing their crops and killing their people. They think they’ve finally got Samson. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax (that is, the ropes that bound him just fell off) and the bindings dropped from his hands.” (15:14) Keep reading. It gets better: “Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey …” That word for fresh really means moist. It means a donkey that hasn’t been dead very long. Samson found it, stripped off the skin, picked it up and waded into the Philistines. Donkeys have narrow chins so picking up a jawbone is like squeezing a boomerang. Verse 15 says that he took the fresh jawbone and with it he struck down one thousand men. You say, how did he do it? Well, I don’t know. But I discovered an intriguing suggestion in one book. Maybe he took a rope and tied it on to the end of the jawbone and tied the other end around his wrist and swung it over his head. You could do some serious damage that way. The Bible says he killed one thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey. Eventually it’s all over. The Philistines have fled, leaving the battlefield littered with corpses. Then Samson, as he surveys the carnage, composes a little poem. That’s Samson again. He’s into gloating. Verse 16 records his poetry: With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men. Actually the Hebrew word for donkey and the Hebrew word for heaps sound alike. That’s why some of the translations will say, “With a donkey’s jawbone, heaps upon heaps.” This little bit of poetry tells us what happened. Samson would take the jawbone and kill a few men and then make a heap of dead bodies and then kill a few more and make another heap and kill a few more and make another heap. Or if you want to use the King James terminology it’s something like this: “With the jawbone of a jackass I have made jackasses out of them.” With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed one thousand men. When he had finished speaking he threw away the jawbone and the place was called Ramath Lehi. Ramath means hill and Lehi means jawbone. Ramath Lehi means Jawbone Hill. Just a reminder of the great victory he had won. (How an Angry Man Gets Even) Judges 15:14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands. the Philistines: Judges 5:30 16:24 Ex 14:3,5 1Sa 4:5 Job 20:5 Mic 7:8 the Spirit: Judges 3:10 14:6,19 Zec 4:6 the ropes: Judges 16:9,12 1Sa 17:35 Ps 18:34 118:11 Php 4:3 Judges 15 Resources SAMSON AT "JAWBONE" RIDGE When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. The Philistines’ battle cry was a sign that they sensed victory over their hated foe. Notice they give out their cry of victory before the bursting of the ropes! Israel was later to raise a shout as they pursued the Philistines staggered by Goliath’s death (1Sa 17:52). Shouting provided a psychological advantage over the enemy (cf. 1Sa 4:5), but not this time! In this instance the shouting only served to arouse Samson. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily (tsalach) (ESV - "rushed upon him") so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands - Note God's perfect timing. Samson bound on Jawbone Ridge, prime meat for the bloodthirsty Philistines! Before the charge they let out a war whoop, probably a victory cry. But before they can rush on Samson, the Spirit rushes in to save the day! I like that picture of the Spirit, the Ruach (Wind) of God, rushing to the rescue! Have you ever experienced the "rush" of the Spirit in a time of temptation? I pray you have. He is there, waiting for us to cry out, something Samson actually did not do! The first mention in Jdg 13:25 of the Spirit is like a preview of his future "power encounters." There are at least Seven "power encounters" - (1) Jdg 14:6, (2) Jdg 14:19, (3) Jdg 15:4-5 (power implied), (4) Jdg 15:8 (power implied), (5) Jdg 15:14-15, (6) Jdg 16:3 (power implied) and (7) Jdg 16:30 (power implied). Seven is the number of completion (just wondering!) Study the Spirit of the LORD came - 7 verses - Jdg 3:10; Jdg 6:34; Jdg 11:29; Jdg 14:6; Jdg 14:19; Jdg. 15:14; 1Sa 16:13, 2Chr. 20:14. Cf related phrase Spirit of God came - 7 verses - Nu 24:2; 1Sa 10:10; 1Sa 11:6; 1Sa 19:20; 1Sa 19:23; 2Chr. 15:1; 2Chr. 24:20 George Bush (recommended resource) Became as flax that was burnt. A flaxen or hempen cord that has been burnt in the fire will still retain its form when taken out, but it has no strength; it is henceforth a mere cinder and falls to pieces at the slightest touch. Such, in point of weakness, were the cords with which Samson was now bound. In the ensuing clause, ‘his bands loosed (Heb. melted),’ the figure is varied and the bands represented as flowing off his limbs like a liquid substance. Keil and Delitzsch Commentary - But when he came to Lechi, and the Philistines shouted with joy as they came to meet him, the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, “and the cords on his arms became like two that had been burnt with fire, and his fetters melted from his hands.” The description rises up to a poetical parallelism, to depict the triumph which Samson celebrated over the Philistines in the power of the Spirit of Jehovah. (Judges 15 Commentary) Came upon mightily (06743)(tsalach) means to rush or rush upon, to break forth, to come mightily. As discussed below this verb describes the Holy Spirit’s affect on persons, making them powerful (Jdg. 14:6, 9; 15:14; 1 Sa 16:13); or causing persons to prophesy (1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 11:6). It indicates the effect of an evil spirit as well (1 Sa 18:10). It has the sense of persons breaking out, rushing forward in battle (2 Sam. 19:17); and of God breaking out in acts of judgment (Amos 5:6). Tsalach is used of the Spirit rushing mightily on Samson in Jdg 14:6 and Jdg 14:19. Judges 15:15 And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it. slew (KJV): Judges 3:31 4:21 7:16 Lev 26:8 Jos 23:10 1Sa 14:6,14 17:49,50 1Co 1:27,28 Judges 15 Resources NO WEAPON - NO PROBLEM I'M AT JEHI - A JAWBONE WORKS And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it. - Note the providential provision of Yahweh! Not only does He give Samson the supernatural power, but He gives him a fresh jawbone! Why fresh? Because a fresh one would be decayed and brittle and would still have the teeth, making it a wicked weapon in the hands of the strongest man in the world!. Again (as most likely in Jdg 15:8) the men of Judah had a chance to follow up Samson devastating defeat and throw off Philistine domination, but they remained sadly inactive. Passivity had set in like concrete that is hardened over time! There is similarity to the exploits of Shamgar, who struck down 600 Philistines with an oxgoad (Jdg 3:31) with not additional action of Israelites mentioned. Samson's slaughter however was different for it lacked the commentary on Shamgar's judgeship that "he also saved Israel." G Campbell
Juízes 15
Guzik - Samson needed this thirst to remind himself of his own weakness and need right after such a great victory. After a great victory we need to remember our mortality. You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant ('ebed; Lxx - doulos) - His prayer begins with acknowledging the gracious gift of power from the Lord ("You" is emphatic in the Hebrew) that brought about the great victory. It worth noting that for the first and only time in Jdg 13-16 Samson does see himself as a servant of Yahweh and he is the only judge that calls himself a servant of the LORD. The Hebrew word for servant ('ebed) is translated in the Septuagint with the word doulos which generally describes one who serves in obedience to the master's will and who is under the total control of his master. Samson was hardly a "poster child" for a doulos most of his life. Samson’s weariness after the battle sound's like Elijah's when he won a triumph over the prophets of Baal only to feel as if he was near death shortly after... But he himself (Elijah) went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Ki 19:4) And now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised (arel; Lxx - aperitmetos) - A wonderful theocentric prayer quickly turns into a self-centered complaint! Samson has a little "pity party!" Woe is me! I'll be undone without a drop of water! Mark it down that you are a prime target for attack after spiritual victory! Samson may have even thought "God you owe me for my great victory." All it took was thirst to remind Samson of his weakness and his total dependence on God. Had he prayed as earnestly for character as he did for physical help, he would have been a better man and a more successful judge. Or even if he had just prayed "Lord help me? Give me a drink please." But in fact he actually does not even ask for help, but just laments about dying of thirst (exaggeration! He is not going to die!) or fall into Philistine hands (which would be bad for them, not him)! Good grief. he's just decimated an uncircumcised platoon! Does he fully grasp the power of the God he serves? At this moment, it sure does not sound like it. Samson is a bit like the prodigal son, who prayed, “Give me!” (Lu 15:12+) but sadly not like the repentant one who prayed “Make me!” (Lu 15:19+). Gary Inrig - Once again it is all about him, and again he misses the point. Besides, the reason that Samson was in such a situation was because of the consequences of his own actions. Not once before has there been any suggestion that Samson has been attentive to God’s direction. The fire in the fields and the brutal revenge on the murderers of his fiancée had been his idea, not God’s. How often we complain to God about things that are the result of our own foolish choices! Regardless, suddenly the man who had walked fearlessly into a horde of bloodthirsty Philistines and been delivered through God’s enablement is complaining about dying of thirst. For a moment, let me give Samson the benefit of the doubt. His experience is not unique. Victory often makes us vulnerable to a letdown. It is a short journey from the mountain peak of excitement to the bottom of the valley of depression. We must be careful that in the middle of victory we do not lose fellowship with the Lord. We also need to learn to protect ourselves against the inevitable letdown that follows great emotional experiences. Matthew Poole is probably correct in pointing out that Samson’s great thirst "was “partly sent by God, that by the experience of his own impotency he might be forced to ascribe the victory to God only, and not to himself.”
Juízes 15
Guzik - God used Samson’s ungodly anger for His purposes. As Psalm 76:10 says, Surely the wrath of man shall praise You. This doesn’t justify Samson’s anger, but it shows the glory and power of God to use all things to His purposes. Pritchard - Samson said to them “This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines. I will really harm them.” Now underline this. The first two things he did—he killed thirty men and then he left his wife—those are relatively small things if you can call killing thirty men relatively small. But now he’s going to get serious. (How an Angry Man Gets Even) There is a very significant omission here. It does not say that the Spirit of God either moved him or empowered him to do this. This was not divine judgment, it was the venting of Samson's personal resentment and anger. It grew out of his pique and had nothing to do with God's will. It was a very cruel and inhumane thing to do. But it evened the score: Samson - 2; the Philistines - 2. The passion to get even seemed to govern Samson’s life. His motto was, “As they did unto me, so have I done unto them” (Jdg 15:11). Certainly as the defender of Israel, Samson’s calling was to defeat the enemy; but you long to see him fighting “the battles of the Lord” and not just his own private wars. When David faced the Philistines, he saw them as the enemies of the Lord and sought to honor the name of the Lord in his victory (1Sa 17). Samson’s attitude was different. As Christians, we need to beware of hiding selfish motives under the cloak of religious zeal and calling it “righteous indignation.” Personal vengeance and private gain rather than the glory of the Lord has motivated more than one “crusader” in the church. What some people think is godly zeal may actually be ungodly anger, fed by pride and motivated by selfishness. There is a godly anger that we should experience when we see wickedness prosper and defenseless people hurt (Ep 4:26), but there’s a very fine line between righteous indignation and a “religious temper tantrum.” George Bush - Samson said concerning them. Said to himself. It is very improbable that he would have announced verbally to any one the purpose which he had now conceived in his mind. In forming this resolution, he acted rather in a public than a private capacity. Had he aimed to avenge only his personal injuries, he would have been sufficient to have chastised his rival and his father-in-law only: but as the slight which excited his indignation had no doubt been put upon him because he was an Israelite, he determines as an Israelite to seek revenge. He had done what was proper in endeavoring by a present to effect a reconciliation with his wife, but as his overtures had been repulsed, no one could blame him if he now showed his just resentments. When we have done our best to prevent a quarrel, we cannot be charged with the consequences of it. (resource) Keil and Delitzsch - Enraged at this answer, Samson said to them (i.e., to her father and those around him), “Now am I blameless before the Philistines, if I do evil to them.” נִקָּה with מִן, to be innocent away from a person, i.e., before him (see Num. 32:22). Samson regarded the treatment which he had received from his father-in-law as but one effect of the disposition of the Philistines generally towards the Israelites, and therefore resolved to avenge the wrong which he had received from one member of the Philistines upon the whole nation, or at all events upon the whole of the city of Timnath.(Judges 15 Commentary) Judges 15:4 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned the foxes tail to tail, and put one torch in the middle between two tails. Judges 15 Resources HOW TO START A FOX FIRE And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned the foxes tail to tail, and put one torch in the middle between two tails - Hebrew = “He turned tail to tail and placed one torch between the two tails in the middle.” The “foxes” Samson were probably jackals, a closely related animal that moves in packs and can be more readily caught. Either animal would, however, be difficult to catch in such quantities. The fire spread with incredible speed, and soon the Philistines’ crops were ruined. It is worth noting that Dagon was the god of grain! He could not prevent destruction of the grain. The fire destroyed the sheaves of stacked grain and also the grain ready to be harvested in the fields (Dt 23:25). Keep in mind what time of year this was in Philistia the time of wheat harvest (Jdg 15:1), so the wheat was ripe for Samson to harvest with his fox brigade! Guzik - Some object that Samson could not have captured 300 foxes. Yet the word translated foxes probably refers to a jackal, not a fox, and jackals are known to run in large packs, sometimes up to 200. Second, there is nothing that says Samson did this all by himself. Third, there is nothing that says he did it all in one day. Adam Clarke on three hundred foxes - In other countries, where ferocious beasts were less numerous, great multitudes have been exhibited at once. Sylla, in a public show to the Roman citizens, exhibited one hundred lions; Cæsar, four hundred; and Pompey, nearly six hundred. The Emperor Probus let loose in the theatre, at one time, one thousand ostriches, one thousand stags, one thousand wild boars, one thousand does, and a countless multitude of other wild animals: at another time he exhibited one hundred leopards from Libya, one hundred from Syria, and three hundred bears.—See Flavius Vopiseus in the Life of Probus, cap. xix., beginning with Dedit Romanis etiam voluptates, &c. Foxes (shual) - 6v - Jdg. 15:4; Neh. 4:3; Ps. 63:10; Song 2:15; Lam. 5:18; Ezek. 13:4 Warren
Juízes 15
Guzik - We have here the bitter story of retaliation—of trying to avenge wrongs done to us. Retaliation is a never-ending story, and one that never wins in the end. Those who trust in God must be able to say, “Retaliation belongs to God. I’ll let Him settle the score.”. Much of the war, disaster, deep-seated hatred, and pain in our world come from this instinct to retaliate. But Jesus told us to not retaliate an eye for an eye, but to take control of the situation by giving even more (Matthew 5:38–42). When we do this, we act like God, who did not retaliate against man for his sin and rebellion, but instead gave His only Son to die for man. Herbert Wolf - Though he intended to “stop” when he got even, neither side quit seeking revenge till Samson and thousands of Philistines were dead. How rapidly the effects of sin and hatred spread! (See context in The Expositor's Bible Commentary) Stone has an interesting thought - Samson was to avenge a deed done against his own wife and father-in-law. To reduce this to a petty, personal vendetta is to deny the historical, human ties depicted in the story. Standing before the smoking ruins of the home of his brutally murdered wife, living in a culture whose fundamental notion of justice was rooted in reciprocal actions of honoring and shaming, who would not have vowed to even the score? To walk away would also have left the Philistines confident that they could defy Israel with impunity. Samson's vengeance is therefore much more than a personal grudge. (See context Joshua, Judges, Ruth) George Bush - Though ye have done this, &c. Though you have thought by this act of cruelty to my wife and kindred, to make amends for the injury done to me, yet flatter not yourselves that I am thereby appeased, and that I shall forbear farther hostilities. He doubtless saw that his wife and her family were victims to a hasty indignation occasioned by their own losses, rather than the subjects of a righteous and well-considered retribution, and that accordingly there was no reason for him, as a public judge, called and appointed of God to deliver his country from oppression, to cease to prosecute that work. (resource) Take revenge (05358) naqam means to avenge, take vengeance, revenge, avenge oneself, be avenged, be punished. To exact punishment for a wrong. To inflict a punishment or penalty in return or retaliation for a harm or injury. To avenge, take vengeance, to entertain revengeful feelings. Naqam in Judges - Jdg 15:7, Jdg 16:28. NET Note - The Niphal of נָקָם (naqam, “to avenge, to take vengeance”) followed by the preposition ב (bet) has the force “to get revenge against.” See 1Sa 18:25; Jer 50:15; Ezek 25:12. Judges 15:8 And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter; and he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam. Isa 25:10 63:3,6 Judges 15 Resources SAMSON'S SLAUGHTER CAUSES HIM TO SEEK SHELTER And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter: That evened the score at 3-all. KJV = "smote them hip and thigh" which is more literal. The Hebrew "leg on thigh" is an idiom for a complete or total massacre. It may be an expression from wrestling terminology indicating a complete victory. As Pritchard says below "It’s a metaphor which stands for a violent, bloody massacre. Do you know what Samson did at this point? His anger has consumed him. When he kills them, he rips them apart hip and thigh. Arms over here, legs over here, heads over here, and chests over here. Boling suggests Samson "left them a tangle of legs and thighs." We are not told how many died except that the number was great. When you try to seek revenge for wrongs done to you, you set in motion an unending cycle of violence. -- Ray Pritchard Ray Pritchard - Samson is not finished yet. He does one more thing to get revenge on the Philistines. Fourth, he slaughtered many of the Philistines. He said to them, “Since you acted like this, I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” All bets are off now. Samson is an extremely angry man. By the way, do you notice what’s happened here? Do you see the cycle of revenge? The Philistines do something and then Samson does something. And then they do something and Samson does something back to them. And they do something again and Samson does something again. Only each time it’s getting more and more serious, and more and more brutal, and more and more bloodthirsty. That’s what happens when you try to seek revenge in your life. When you try to seek revenge for wrongs done to you, you set in motion an unending cycle of violence. The only way to get off the cycle of violence is to not seek revenge in the first place. As long as you want to get even, you’re going to go down, down, down and down. But now look what happens here. Samson says to them, “I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” Jdg 15:8 says, “He attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them.” The KJV has a more accurate translation of this verse. It gives a very literal rendering of the Hebrew—"He smote them hip and thigh.” What does that mean? It’s a metaphor which stands for a violent, bloody massacre. Do you know what Samson did at this point? His anger has consumed him. When he kills them, he rips them apart hip and thigh. Arms over here, legs over here, heads over here, and chests over here. Do I have to go any further? This is the Old Testament version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is it right here. Samson was a guy you didn’t want to get mad at you because he could lose control real fast and just go way over the line and it would be too late. (How an Angry Man Gets Even) And he went down and lived in the cleft of the rock of Etam: Following the attack, he retreated to a cave in the “rock of Etam.” This is not the Etam mentioned either in 1Chr 4:32 (too far away) or 2Ch11:6 (hadn’t been built yet) but was some elevated place in Judah, near Lehi, from which Samson could safely and conveniently watch the enemy. It is interesting that the same combination of ca'iyph (“cave”) and cela‘ (“rock”) occurs in Isa 2:21+, which speaks of men fleeing to the hills to escape the terror of the Day of the Lord. Pritchard on "Samson the Caveman" - So Samson slaughtered the Philistines. “Then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam.” (Jdg 15:8) All you see so far is revenge, revenge, revenge, revenge. Now Samson goes and stays in a cave in the rock of Etam. That seems odd. Why hide in a cave? Because he is scared of the Philistines. And you say, “my gracious, I thought it would be the other way around.” That’s the strange thing about Samson. Even though he is a violent killer in his heart, he is scared to death of the Philistines. Scared of what they are going to do to him because of what he has done to them. I’m going to tell you something that I cannot prove. I cannot prove the following statement, but I do believe it’s true. I believe that the beginning of a spiritual turn around in Samson’s life took place in the cave of Etam, while he was hiding from the Philistines. I believe he, like David who would come after him, began to think about his life and his background and the kind of family he had and his godly heritage. And I think Samson began to re-evaluate the course of his life. I say that because as soon as Samson comes out of the cave of Etam his life is beginning to change. He has gone from the top down, down, down. He’s made an unending series of stupid decisions. Now he has become nothing more than a violent, bloodthirsty terrorist kind of killer. He’s at the bottom now. When he comes out of the cave, he begins to act like a different man. (How an Angry Man Gets Even) George Bush - Smote them hip and thigh. Heb. יך אותם סוק על ירך yak othâm shōk al yârëk, smote them leg upon thigh. Apparently a proverbial expression, implying, according to Gesenius, that he cut them in pieces, so that their limbs, their legs and thighs, were scattered and heaped promiscuously together; equivalent to saying, that he totally destroyed them. Whether this be the genuine interpretation admits of some doubt, but as we have nothing more plausible to propose, it is left to the reader’s judgment, as one of the cases where entire satisfaction as to the writer’s meaning, is unattainable. That a signal overthrow and a great slaughter is intended, seems to be unquestionable. Dwelt in the top of the rock Etam. Rather, according to the Heb., ‘in a cleft, in a fissure of the rock.’ Of the exact position of this place, or of Samson’s motive in resorting thither, we are not informed. It was probably a natural fortress, affording peculiar advantages for defence, of which Samson no doubt foresaw, that he would soon be in need of availing himself. Their recent defeat would naturally rouse the wrath of his enemies and bring them upon him in all their force. It seems altogether likely from his words in the concluding part of v. 7, that he had accomplished his present purpose of revenge, and designed no farther annoyance to the Philistines unless provoked to it by new aggressions on their part. If they then will rouse the sleeping lion, let them expect to pay dear for their temerity. (resource) Keil and Delitzsch - “Then he smote them hip and thigh (lit. ‘thigh upon hip;’ עַל as in Gen. 32:12), a great slaughter.” שֹׁוק, thigh, strengthened by עַל־יָרֵךְ, is a second accusative governed by the verb, and added to define the word אֹותָם more minutely, in the sense of “on hip and thigh;” whilst the expression which follows, מַכָּה גְדֹולָה, is added as an adverbial accusative to strengthen the verb וַיַּךְ. Smiting hip and thigh is a proverbial expression for a cruel, unsparing slaughter, like the German “cutting arm and leg in two,” or the Arabic “war in thigh fashion” (see Bertheau in loc.). (Commentary) Judges 15:9 Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah, and spread out in Lehi. Lehi: Judges 15:17,19 Judges 15 Resources PHILISTINES PREPARE TO DESTROY SAMSON Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah, and spread out in Lehi (jawbone): Went up denotes the advance of an army and they are seeking revenge for Samson's slaughtering of their countrymen. It looks like the Philistines are going to take out their revenge on the Judahites. Since Lehi means "jawbone," it is probable that Lehi was not named until after the battle took place. The writer uses the name Lehi in anticipation of those events which is a common device used in Hebrew narrative. The exact site of Lehi is not known. The Philistines disarmed the Jews (1Sa 13:19-23) and therefore had little fear of a rebellion. Jdg 15:9-13 in fact indicates that the Jews were apparently content with their lot and didn’t want Samson to “rock the boat.” It’s frightening how quickly we can get accustomed to bondage and learn to accept the status quo. George Bush - Pitched in Judah and spread themselves in Lehi. Etam, the stronghold to which Samson had now taken himself, was in the tribe of Judah, and the Philistines probably intended by suddenly appearing with a large army in their borders, to intimidate that tribe, and make them subservient to their design of capturing Samson. ‘Lehi’ (jawbone) is so called here by anticipation, as it received that name from the slaughter with the jaw-bone, which had not yet taken place. (recommended resource) Judges 15:10 And 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." Judges 15 Resources JUDAHITES CONFRONT SAMSON And 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 Instead of seeing Samson as their deliverer, the men of Judah considered him a troublemaker. What a contrast with the relationship godly Samuel had with all Israel (cp 1Sa 25:1). The goal of the men of Judah was to deliver Samson to the hands of the Philistines so that they might appease them and remove any desire for revenge against Israel (Judah). They would rather please their oppressors than support their deliverer. -- David Guzik Ray Pritchard - When God’s People Sell Out - Three simple words tell us the story. In verse 10 we have intimidation. The Israelites were scared to death of the Philistines. They were so frightened that they approached Samson asking him to surrender. In verse 11 we have accommodation. They were too accustomed to the status quo. They said, “We like having the pagans rule over us. We’re scared of what they’ll do if you upset the apple cart.” And in verse 12 you have the inevitable result of intimidation and accommodation—cooperation. This is one of the saddest verses in the whole story. “They said to him, ’We’ve come to tie you up and to hand you over to the Philistines.’” We who are supposed to be your friends have come to hand you over to the Philistines. Israel, whose side are you on? Are you on the side of God or are you on the side of the devil? The people of God are now doing the pagan’s dirty work for them. This is a tragic picture of the spiritual decline of the whole nation. They didn’t want to be set free because they were too scared to fight. They were scared of the unbelievers, intimidated by what the unbelievers might do to them. So they just said, “It’s supposed to be this way, Samson. It isn’t good but it’s supposed to be this way. Don’t rock the boat.” (How an Angry Man Gets Even) Gary Inrig - “It is a sad fact of Christian experience that if you are a Christian committed to growing and maturing in Jesus Christ, you will often be hindered the most by other Christians who have become accustomed and accommodated to an anemic, wishy-washy spiritual life. George Bush (recommended resource) To bind Samson are we come up, &c. From the sequel it would appear that their answer included also a demand upon the men of Judah for their services and co-operation in making a prisoner of Samson. Keil and Delitzsch Commentary- Jdg 15:10ff. When the Judaeans learned what was the object of this invasion on the part of the Philistines, three thousand of them went down to the cleft in the rock Etam, to bind Samson and deliver him up to the Philistines. Instead of recognising in Samson a deliverer whom the Lord had raised up for them, and crowding round him that they might smite their oppressors with his help and drive them out of the land, the men of Judah were so degraded, that they cast this reproach at Samson: “Knowest thou not that the Philistines rule over us? Wherefore hast thou done this (the deed described in v. 8)? We have come down to bind thee, and deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines.” Samson replied, “Swear to me that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.” פָּגַע with בְּ, to thrust at a person, fall upon him, including in this case, according to v. 13, the intention of killing. (Judges 15 Commentary) Judges 15:11 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 I have done to them." Philistines: Judges 13:1 14:4 De 28:13,47,48 Ps 106:41 Judges 15 Resources WHEN IT TAKES 3000 MEN TO BIND ONE MAN! 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 (mashal) over us? - 3000 men to bind one man! You have to be kidding! Samson's reputation as a man of strength had spread far and wide! What a sad question to pose to their deliverer! As also described in Jdg 14:11 God's Chosen People had clearly capitulated to a state of submissive surrender to the uncircumcised Philistines. Virtual prisoners in God's Promised Land! This is tragic! (THOUGHT - There are a lot of Christians living at "peace" with the pagans for fear of ruffling feathers by living a righteous lifestyle!) And so despite Samson's capacity to defeat the Philistines, the people did not rally around him. In fact they saw Samson's antics (as a God ordained deliverer Jdg 13:5) as a threat to their "peace" with the Philistines! If you don't want to be free, God will let you remain in bondage! Israel is a people who can forsake Yahweh instantly but who would not think of being faithless to the Philistines! What a pitiful question! -- Dale Ralph Davis What then is this that you have done to us? - Look at that first question! Note the pronoun "us" (Judah) not "them" (Philistines)! What had Samson done to Judah? Nothing! They were stuck in the quicksands of their passivity to the pagans. The spiritual climate had reached such a low point that there is not even a record of Israel crying out (see note below) during this time as they had in times of past pagan oppression! Their only "crying out" now was directed against Samson! And so they protested his behavior, reminding him that the Philistines were their rulers. When the men of Judah learned that the Philistines wanted only to capture and bind Samson, they offered to help. They were content to be subjugated to the Philistines which is consistent with no reference to Israel crying to the Lord for deliverance. A nation is in a sad state indeed when the citizens cooperate with the enemy and hand over their own God-appointed leader! This is the only time during Samson’s judgeship that the Jews mustered an army, and it was for the purpose of capturing one of their own! Tragic! But this is what happens when a nation begins to do what is right in their own eyes, not God's eyes! And he said to them, "As they did to me, so I have done to them." - I just gave them tit for tat. What they did to me, I did to them. We are "even steven" now! It's not his fault that the Philistines are overreacting! What some people think is godly zeal may actually be ungodly anger, fed by pride and motivated by selfishness. -- Warren Wiersbe Warren
Juízes 15
Guzik - This is an example of the principle that God’s work, done God’s way, will always be provided for by God. Here the LORD showed His faithfulness to Samson by supplying the needs of His servant. In his sermon The Fainting Hero, Charles Spurgeon pointed out that the believer can look at heaps upon heaps of defeated enemies: Heaps of your sins, heaps of your doubts and fears, heaps of our temptations, heaps of many of your sorrows. Yet, despite all these victories, fresh challenges will come, even as a deadly thirst and fatigue overcame Samson. Through this all, Samson could count on the fact that the past victory was a promise of future deliverance. “With that simple minded faith which was so characteristic of Samson, who was nothing but a big child, he turned his eye to his heavenly Father, and cried, ‘O Jehovah, thou hast given me this great deliverance, and now shall I die for thirst? After all that thou hast done for me, shall the uncircumcised rejoice over me because I die for want of a drink of water?’ Such confidence had he, that God would interpose on his behalf.” (Spurgeon) “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.” (Meyer) Judges 15:20 So he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines. Judges 15 Resources SAMSON JUDGED FOR 30 YEARS Samson, unlike other judges who gave their generations rest from their enemies, never threw off the enemy yoke. During his judgeship the Philistines continued to dominate Israel (Jdg 14:4+). So he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines: Samson judged Israel 20 years, but he brought her no rest to the nation of Israel. He only began to deliver them, even as the Angel of the LORD had predicted in Jdg 13:5+. If the story had ended here it would be a story of triumph, because Samson learned that God was adequate to meet any need he had, that the Spirit of God could be to him a well of water springing up to eternal life, satisfying every desire giving him the capacity to slay the Philistines. This verse marks a turning point in the account of his life. The first stage in the account (Judges 14; 15) began with Samson seeing a woman and ends with his calling upon the Lord's provision (Jdg 15:19). The second stage (Jdg 16:1) begins with Samson seeing a harlot and ends with his calling upon the Lord's power before his death (Jdg 16:28). It is interesting to note that there are 3 references to the Spirit in Judges 14-15 (Jdg 14:6, 19; Jdg 15:14), but no references in Judges 16. Gary Inrig - With all his shortcomings, we must never forget that Samson stood almost alone. Weak as he was, he did what no one else did. He began to loosen the Philistine chokehold on his people. But how sad to think of how much more he might have accomplished had he not kept missing the point, always perceiving his circumstances to be about him, and not about his God. George Bush - His administration is supposed not to have been strictly universal or extended over the whole of Israel, but limited rather to the southwestern district of Palestine, where the oppression of the people was most severe. The phrase, ‘in the days of the Philistines,’ is peculiar, implying the days or the period during which the Philistines had the upper hand of Israel; leaving us to infer that Samson’s efforts did not avail entirely to crush, but only to restrain, limit and weaken the power of the oppressors. The Lord did not grant a full deliverance, because his people were not yet sufficiently chastised for their sins. Indeed it was not till the days of David that the Philistine yoke was completely shaken off, 2 Sam. 3:18. Of the adjustment of the period of twenty years here mentioned, see ch. 13:1. (resource) Ray Pritchard has some thoughts on Samson’s Mid-Life Crisis - The key to the story is found in the last verse of Judges 15. “Now Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.” (Jdg 15:20) That’s exactly the kind of verse we would tend to pass right over, but it’s very crucial to properly understand what is about to happen. Samson, from such a great beginning, went down, down, down and then came back and won a great victory and delivered his people. He was about 20 years old when he burst on the scene. This verse is telling us that he led Israel for 20 years. From the time he was 20 until the time he was about 40: twenty years of peace, twenty years of prosperity, and twenty years of relative freedom from the Philistines (ED: WITH THE CAVEAT OF THE FACT THAT THE PHILISTINES WERE RULING OVER ISRAEL - Jdg 14:4+). So it was that Samson, as he approached the mid-life years, began to feel restless. He began to feel ill at ease. He began to wonder if there wasn’t more to life. And Samson at the age of 40 begins to take a turn for the worse (see Jdg 16:1ff). Not that it appeared obvious. I imagine his old friends looked at him and said, “At last he has conquered his problems.” They would have said, “When he was growing up, he had quite a temper. Back in those days, you didn’t want to get him mad at you.” And when his buddies would get together and talk would turn to the old days, someone was bound to say with a snicker, “He used to be the biggest skirt-chaser in town.” They would laugh and then somebody would say, “I guess he just grew up or something.” It truly looked like Samson had finally put all his problems behind him. The truth of the matter is, Samson hasn’t put all his problems behind him. He’s covered them up. He’s ignored them. He’s played them down. He’s pushed them away. He’s managed to live a pretty straight life. Samson never really dealt with the problems that plagued him way as a young man. And now at the end of twenty years, those same problems are about to come out of hibernation and trip him again. Only this time they’re not just going to trip him. The same problems he refused to deal with are the same problems that are going to bring him down now. The hardest thing that you will ever say in your life is, “I have a problem.” That’s the way it always is, isn’t it? The hardest thing that you will ever say in your life is, “I have a problem.” Nobody likes to say that. Samson is just like you or me. He wanted to forget what had happened. He wanted to rock along peacefully, to pretend the things of the past were in the past. And as long as they were twenty years behind him he didn’t want to have to worry about them anymore. But the jig is up. It’s time to pay the piper. Because he hasn’t dealt with his problems, they’re going to come up again, and this time they are going to destroy him. (Little Steps to a Big Fall) THE JAWBONE OF AN DONKEY F B Meyer In the roll-call of God's heroes, Samson is spoken of as a man of faith (Heb. 11:32). It is so strange to find him classed with David, and Moses, and Enoch, for as we look upon the deeds recited in this chapter, they seem to us altogether so stormy, and boisterous, and savage. We find it hard to think of him as being inspired by the same holy purpose as filled the hearts of the saints, and that the hand of faith was indeed there beneath the plated armor of the warrior. Truly, "God fulfils Himself in many ways:' And yet it is comforting that God's children are clad in a very different guise, speak many dialects, and are not expected to live higher than according to the light they have. Samson was a genial, good-natured, happy soul; full of joke and mirth (Judges 16:25); willing enough to forgive and forget; and so he made new advances to the woman who had so basely betrayed his confidence, but he found that she had become the wife of another (Judges 15:1, 2). Judges 15:3-8 His acts of vengeance were terrible. -- The destruction of the standing crops and the vineyards, with the "great slaughter" (Judges 15:8) of the Philistines proved that Samson was moved by anger in a very high degree. But there is a sense in which we may emulate Samson, who, when he had completed his act of vengeance, went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock. There we are secure from the attempts of faithless friends and the assaults of bitter foes. Judges 15:9-17 Judah's treachery was mean in the extreme. It shows to how low a pitch of servility those will come who yield meanly to a foreign despot's yoke. The men of Judah treated Samson, as in after years they treated Christ, whom they bound and delivered to the Gentiles. But as Samson could not be restrained by the ropes, so did the bands of death fall off the limbs of Christ, when raised from the dead on the third day in the might of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:24). If any should read these words who have been bound by strong ropes and rendered powerless to do God's work as aforetime, let them trust and not be afraid, for there is that in the mighty descent of the Holy Spirit which shall set them free. The Philistines had not allowed any weapon to remain in the possession of the Israelites (1Sa 13:19, 20, 21, 22), so that Samson was dependent upon the jaw-bone of an ass to avenge himself upon his enemies; but in the hand of God a little thing is sufficient to accomplish a great result. Often the "weak things" confound "the things that are mighty," and "the things that are not" bring to nought "the things that are" Judges 15:18-20 A lesson of dependence. -- Samson gloried too much in his own strength. It was in the moment of exultation that this great thirst came, from which his right arm could not save him. He was driven to plead that he might be delivered for God's glory, lest the uncircumcised should rejoice. So when flushed with success, we are often reminded that it is not ours, but God's good gift. Many a well of comfort opened to us might be called En-hakkore "the fount of him that cried" (Ps. 34:6).(CHOICE NOTES ON JOSHUA THROUGH 2 KINGS) Henry Rossier - Victories (Judges 15) Judges 14 and 15 form really a single narrative, and before going further, I would like to return to the consideration of two or three points common to both. The first is, that God always works out His ways, and that too through a multitude of circumstances that are far from answering to His thoughts. Yea, further, He uses these very circumstances to make good His purposes, which are, in the case we are considering, the deliverance of Israel by an instrument moulded by Him with this end in view; and this explains the words, "It was of the Lord" (Judges 14:4). God brings about His ways, not only by means of things that He approves of, but also by making, our very faults, His discipline, the opposition of Satan and of the world, in a word, everything to conduce to the desired result. Unfaithfulness on our part does not disturb the ways of God. This is seen, in a remarkable manner, all through the life of Samson, and can be verified in the history of the Church. These ways of God all culminate in victory and in the blessings consequent thereon. How encouraging to prove it! Very often, to our confusion, our own ways come to nothing. Witness Samson, who did not take the daughter of the Philistine as his wife. Frequently do the children of God find themselves unable to proceed farther in the path they are upon, because of some divine obstacle blocking up the way, and they are forced to retrace their steps with humiliation. At other times, our course, which should have been continued in the power of service, is suddenly interrupted without return to the point of deviation being possible. Samson again furnishes us with the proof. Nothing like this ever occurs in the ways of God. They overrule our ways. It was by the death of a blind Samson that Jehovah achieved the greatest victory. A Moses, whose way was stopped before entering the land of promise, was forthcoming on the holy mount in the same glory as Christ. The second point is, that mixed as Samson's motives were, "he sought an occasion" in a time of ruin (Judges 14:4). And wherefore? To deliver Israel by smiting the enemy that held them in bondage. May this motive be ours also. "Redeeming the time" (seizing opportunities), says the apostle, "because the days are evil" (Eph 5:16-note). May we then, Nazarites ourselves, have our hearts filled with tender pity for our brethren who are still in bondage, under the world's yoke, and seek occasion, in love and the energy of the Spirit, to deliver them from it. These two chapters strikingly illustrate the fact that Samson sought an occasion against the Philistines, and that the intensity of his desire enabled him to find it, and that too when the slothful and indifferent, meeting an obstacle in their path, would have turned back. A third expression constantly occurs in these chapters: "The Spirit of Jehovah came upon him" (Judges 13:25; Judges 14:6, 19; Judges 15:14). When we see these words we may be sure that the conflict is entirely according to God and without mixture. We likewise may achieve such victories, not by being dependent upon a temporary action of the Holy Spirit coming upon us from without, but because we have, in virtue of redemption, been sealed by the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of power. Nevertheless, it is important to remark that we cannot estimate the moral worth of a man of God by the greatness of his gift. Nowhere in the Scripture do we find a stronger man than Samson, nor one weaker morally. The New Testament gives us a similar example in the Assembly at Corinth, which came behind in no gift of power, and yet permitted every sort of moral evil in their midst. Samson was a Nazarite, upon whom the Spirit of God often came, but he was also a man whose heart had never been judged, and so his state was not in keeping with the gift he exercised. Not once, from the beginning to the end of his career, did he hesitate following the path of his lusts; going, without a struggle, wherever his heart led him. Notwithstanding the power of the Spirit, he was a carnal man. When he visited his wife with a kid, his kindness was carnal; when the world proposed giving him another woman, which he did not care for, in exchange for the one he so earnestly desired, his anger was carnal. Yet thus it ever is that the world treats us, to our loss and shame, when we have desired anything from it. That which it gives, after so many fine promises, has no value to the child of God, and cannot satisfy him. In the matter of the three hundred foxes, the Spirit of Jehovah did not come upon him, for, as I have already said, his anger was carnal. He wanted to "do a displeasure" to the Philistines, by attacking them in their outward circumstances; and, with a view to this, resorted to a device which does not at all seem to be according to the mind of God. The enraged Philistines went up and burnt his wife, who was their accomplice, and her father. Samson found in their vengeance (Jdg 15:7) a fresh opportunity for doing the work of God. Here again we find much mixture: "Yet will I be avenged of you," and it is not added that the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him; but if He did not openly appear, God was behind the scene, and, in spite of all, it was a deliverance for the people. "And he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam." It must necessarily be the case, that the believer finds himself isolated, when he takes sides with God against the world, and Samson understood this. Those who would be witnesses for Christ in a day of ruin must expect to be set aside, and this, too, alas! by the people of God. The three thousand men of Judah, the stillness of whose servitude was disturbed by Samson's testimony, consent to help the world which wishes to get rid of him; preferring the yoke of the Philistines to the difficulties and risks arising from this testimony. Nowhere in the hook of Judges do we find a lower moral state than this. Not only does Israel no longer cry to Jehovah, but they do not wish to be delivered. The man of God, their rightful deliverer, was an encumbrance to them. The Philistines said: "We are come up, to do to him as he hath done to us" (Jdg 15:10). Judah said: "What is this that thou hast done unto us?" (Jdg 15:1). In thus identifying themselves with the enemy who enslaved them, Judah was no longer Judah, but morally exchanged their name for that of the Philistines. Fellowship between them was complete; both were enemies of the testimony, though Judah was far the worse, preferring slavery to the unhindered power of the Spirit of God, of which Samson was the instrument. Samson allowed them to bind him, and this finds its counterpart in the history of Christendom. The people of God have acted towards the Holy Ghost in a similar manner that Judah did to Samson. His power disturbed them; and not wanting the liberty of the Spirit, they have hindered His action, fettering Him, as it were, with their new methods, like the new cords with which Judah bound their liberator, saying to him all the time: "Surely we will not kill thee." Samson could have acted very differently, for these worthless fetters were to him like so many spider's webs, as he proved later on. The strong man laughed at their new cords, but he consented to be bound. What a responsibility for the three thousand men of Judah who had such a slight appreciation of the gift that God had given them! What shame for them! Surely there was no shame for Samson. If anything casts merited reproach upon the Christians that are linked with the world, it is the restraint put upon the free working of the Holy Spirit among them, because His action embarrasses them, and they are at a loss what to do. But, at a given moment, the power of the Spirit bursts all bonds. "The Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands" (Jdg 15:14). Then God made use of a bone cast away in the fields, the worthless jawbone of an ass, to gain a signal victory, and the place was called Ramath-lehi, from the name of the despicable instrument used in the combat. Such instruments are we m the hands of the Spirit of God (see 1Co 1:27, 28, 29), but it pleases the Lord to associate our names with His victory, as if the jawbone of an ass had slain "heaps upon heaps." After his victory Samson "was sore athirst" (Jdg 15:18). The activity of the believer is not all; conflict does not quench the thirst. Something was necessary for Samson to meet his personal need, otherwise, as he said, "I shall die for thirst, and tall into the hand of the uncircumcised." If we do not wish to lose the results of conflict, we must use the word of God for our refreshment, and not only for combat. In his extremity, Samson called on Jehovah, who showed him a refreshing spring flowing out of a rock cleft by God's hand. The rock everywhere and always is Christ. "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink" (John 7:37). Let us get back into Christ's presence after conflict. His word will refresh us Samson was alive to the dangers which closely attend victory. The fact that God had "given this great deliverance into the hand of His servant" would be very likely to make us "fall into the hands of the uncircumcised," if the soul does not at once seek shelter, refreshment and strength by the waters of grace, of which Christ is the dispenser. In that day of blessing, Samson was characterized by these two things: a great activity in conflict for others, and, as to himself, a humble dependence upon God, which enabled him to avail himself of the resources in Christ. The first part of Samson's history closes with these words: "And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years" (Jdg 15:20), It contains, notwithstanding all the failures which we have pointed out, God's approbation of the public career of His servant. The ensuing chapter shows us the loss of his Nazariteship.