But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her. And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure (Judg. 15:1-3). Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire. And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease(Judg. 15:6-7).
Chapter 14 of the Book of Judges ended with Solomon angrily returning to his father’s house, leaving his wife behind. In response, his father-in-law voided the marriage contract and gave Samson’s bride to one of the groomsmen for his wife. Chapter 15 picks up an unspecified amount of time later with Samson returning to the Philistine village with the intent of having marital relations with his wife. After discovering what his father-in-law did, Samson flew into a rage and enacted vengeance on the entire village, burning all their crops, harvests, and vineyards to the ground. From there, the cycle of anger and vengeance continued unabated.
The Philistine villagers couldn’t attack Samson directly, so they burned his wife and father-in-law to death. Samson was further angered by this and, in turn, slaughtered all the villagers. This caught the attention of the Philistine nation as a whole, and they came down on the men of Judah, over whom they currently ruled, which prompted Samson’s kinsmen to bind him and turn him over to the Philistines for judgment. After being brought before the Philistines, God imbued Samson with the might of the Holy Spirit, and Samson broke free, snagged a bone from the ground, and wiped out the Philistine army surrounding him, thus fulfilling the promise God made before his birth: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (Judg. 13:5).
There are those who will hold up this chapter and proclaim Samson’s actions righteous, claiming that since they brought about the furtherment of God’s plan, the end justifies the means. Others will use it to decry what they perceive as the violent, immoral nature of God, claiming that He was the author and illustrator of all that transpired. The truth is that Samson acted of his own volition, motivated by self-righteous anger, and set into motion a series of events that God then used for His purposes. God did not need, nor did He inspire or instigate, Samson’s lust, anger, or desire for vengeance. God’s plan would have just as easily been fulfilled (likely with far less bloodshed and certainly with far more grace on the principal player, Samson) if Samson had humbly set himself to serve God and live under the auspices of His word. God can and will use our sins to bring about good, but He will never condone or accept them.
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with Thee(Ps. 5:4).
Thought for Today: Though the wicked of the world oppose His teachings and His will, they will never hinder Him in any way.
Christ Revealed:Through the strength God gave to Samson for his last victory over the Philistines (Judg. 16:28-30). I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Phil. 4:13).
Word Studies:15:2 I verily though = I felt sure; hated = disliked; 15:3 a displeasure = great evil; 15:4 firebrands = torches; 15:8 cleft = cave or cliff; 15:10 bind = capture; 15:17 Ra’math-le’hi = hill of the jawbone.
Pray For Staff:15:2 I verily though = I felt sure; hated = disliked; 15:3 a displeasure = great evil; 15:4 firebrands = torches; 15:8 cleft = cave or cliff; 15:10 bind = capture; 15:17 Ra’math-le’hi = hill of the jawbone.
Optional Reading John 19