“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.” (Judges 15:1)
Sampson was still infatuated with his Philistine wife. And he returned to her with the gift of a young goat. This becomes a problem. The woman he considered his wife, was married to Sampson’s best friend. The woman’s father tries to get Sampson to wed her younger sister. Sampson has another idea.
Sampson catches 300 fox, tie them tail to tail, and between each pair he ties a torch. Sampson lights the torch and turns the foxes loose in the crops of the Philistines. That must have been a sight. Whirling, burning foxes, setting fire to crops.
The Philistines were upset about this and wanted to know who did it. They all said Sampson did it. The Philistines then burned Sampson’s wife and father.
” 7And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.
8And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.” (Judges 15:7-8)
God led Sampson to sit in plain sight of the Philistines and the tribe of Judah.
The Philistines were in control of Judah and they took their forces to attempt to tie Sampson up so they could do to him what he did to them. The tribe of Judah approached Sampson and told him they were there to tie him up, not to kill him. Sampson complied and they tied him up.
When Sampson was in the midst of the Philistines they began to yell at him. The Spirit of God came to Sampson. The bonds around Sampson were loosed. Samson found the jawbone of an ass, then slaughtered the Philistines where they stood.
Obviously battling with 1000 Philistines is hard work for one man. Equally obvious is that God was with Sampson. Sampson is thirsty. God provides him with water from the jawbone of an ass.
For the next 20 years Sampson Judges Israel.
Stay Tuned…
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