Time had drawn a softening veil over things that had passed.”
–James Oliver Curwood (In Honor of the Big Snows)
“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the Lord will do nothing to them, either good or bad.”
–Zephaniah 1:16(NLT)
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I don’t want to leave Samson out in the wilderness waiting for his chance to fight the Philistines. Remember, he was to judge Israel for twenty years; he was to begin to start the judgment against the enemy of God’s people. We have found Israel to be in a sorry state. They have freely given themselves over to the Philistines. They have forgotten their identity and their promises before God. They are complacent, especially the tribe of Dan.
We don’t know all of the judgments that Samson was responsible for, only those that are told in the Bible. He has just destroyed the livelihood of the Philistines by using the jackals/foxes to destroy the fields with fire. (That is a feat in itself, 300 jackals tied together, then setting their tails afire. It must have been quite a sight). However, his fellow-men considered him a troublemaker. He was wrecking the status quo and Samson found that even though he was to judge the people, he had no followers.
Gary Inrig said that Samson was a “Man with passion for freedom in the middle of a society committed to compromise.” Compromisers have no time for the committed; they would rather see Samson dead than change or join him to fight the Philistines. These complacent people led by Judah conspire to turn Samson over to the Philistines. Judah, wimpy Judah for it took 3000 men to betray their leader, tie his hands behind his back and give him to the Philistines. Peace was more important than liberty. “Sin dispirits men, nay, it infatuates them, and hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace.” (Matthew Henry)
Samson made them promise that they wouldn’t kill them. The Spirit of the Lord was leading him. The Philistines were rejoicing in the capture of Samson, they railed against him, mocked him. “…Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reaching out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.” (Judges 15:14-15, NKJV)
Samson was a freedom-fighter. He saw what was happening to his tribe of Dan and to Israel. Wiersbe writes, “A nation is in a sad state indeed when the citizens cooperate with the enemy and hand over their own God-appointed leader.” I wonder what the men of Judah thought when they saw Samson break the cords. I wonder if they were amazed when he began to fight the Philistines. Here was their chance. Join him, destroy the enemy, but they didn’t and Samson fought alone.
———————————————
I don’t want to leave Samson out in the wilderness waiting for his chance to fight the Philistines. Remember, he was to judge Israel for twenty years; he was to begin to start the judgment against the enemy of God’s people. We have found Israel to be in a sorry state. They have freely given themselves over to the Philistines. They have forgotten their identity and their promises before God. They are complacent, especially the tribe of Dan.
We don’t know all of the judgments that Samson was responsible for, only those that are told in the Bible. He has just destroyed the livelihood of the Philistines by using the jackals/foxes to destroy the fields with fire. (That is a feat in itself, 300 jackals tied together, then setting their tails afire. It must have been quite a sight). However, his fellow-men considered him a troublemaker. He was wrecking the status quo and Samson found that even though he was to judge the people, he had no followers.
Gary Inrig said that Samson was a “Man with passion for freedom in the middle of a society committed to compromise.” Compromisers have no time for the committed; they would rather see Samson dead than change or join him to fight the Philistines. These complacent people led by Judah conspire to turn Samson over to the Philistines. Judah, wimpy Judah for it took 3000 men to betray their leader, tie his hands behind his back and give him to the Philistines. Peace was more important than liberty. “Sin dispirits men, nay, it infatuates them, and hides from their eyes the things that belong to their peace.” (Matthew Henry)
Samson made them promise that they wouldn’t kill them. The Spirit of the Lord was leading him. The Philistines were rejoicing in the capture of Samson, they railed against him, mocked him. “…Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reaching out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.” (Judges 15:14-15, NKJV)
Samson was a freedom-fighter. He saw what was happening to his tribe of Dan and to Israel. Wiersbe writes, “A nation is in a sad state indeed when the citizens cooperate with the enemy and hand over their own God-appointed leader.” I wonder what the men of Judah thought when they saw Samson break the cords. I wonder if they were amazed when he began to fight the Philistines. Here was their chance. Join him, destroy the enemy, but they didn’t and Samson fought alone.