Then Samson said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey,
Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have killed a thousand men.”
Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25).
What the Lord is Saying: As I continue to study Joshua and now Judges, one thing that stands out is while God used these men and worked his will through them, many of the men he used were not necessarily men of piety that I am to emulate. It also makes sense that in the last 20 years, there have been biblical like TV shows chronicling these individuals and to good reason, they lived sordid lives. They had difficulty often with temptations from women that we have today. They did not stay true to God's ways but entered into relationships with people of the world. On one level, their imperfect ways is encouraging for me, for I am far from perfect. Somewhere in Joshua I recorded that certain leaders from tribes allowed the non-Israelites to remain in the land.
The Philistines are one of those groups that remained. Samson's first wife, Timnah, was a Philistine, though he later abandons her.
This chapter begins with a back and forth of fighting fire with fire. It starts with Samson approaching the abandoned wife, Timnah, bringing a gift of a young goat, and wanting to sleep with his wife. But the father intercedes with the idea, "That ship has sailed but I can offer her younger sister." Samson doesn't like that idea. He therefore plans an attack, grabbing foxes, torches between the tails, end to end, lighting fire to the torches and releasing the foxes to run and burn themselves and the all of the crops. Naturally, the people did not like this. They find out the reason for him doing this is vengeance toward his wife and her father for not getting what he believes is his. The Philistines then kill the father and daughter. Samson did not like that and responded by striking many people and then hid in a cleft of a rock (1-8). Samson's remark, "As they did to me, so I have done to them" (v. 11).
The Philistine go to Judah but Judah shows up to Samson wondering why the Philistines have been come to them with anger when the Philistines rule over them. Samson agrees to allow Judah to tie him up and hand him over to the Philistines. But the Lord was not done with Samson. His death probably loomed so the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (v. 14) and used a jawbone from a donkey to kill a thousand men. He goes to the Lord for provision of water and the Lord makes a way for him to have water and his strength returned to him.
There is a good way to serve the Lord and a not so good way. I am not to emulate this episode in Samson's life. There is also the reminder, that God's will is to be done, no matter what the circumstances appear. God is in control. I think he obviously prefers Godly people, but either way he will carry out his purposes. His plan is bigger than we can see.
Summary: Samson and the Philistines fight fire with fire. Eventually, Samson prevails, but only because of the Spirit of the Lord giving him the power.
Promise: The Lord redeems us and uses us despite our sin.
Prayer: You are Lord of All, God. I believe we need to be a people that honors you at all times, but your ways will occur whether we are faithful in all the areas we need to be. You choose your people to be your people. You have a purpose in that. I admit, it is not always clear. Maybe it seems clearer today amongst many because of the morality of the day, but there continue to be men of God that falter - struggling with sexual sin and/or other types of vices in their lives that often cause hurt and pain to many around them. I am not to condone that behavior and yet the work you have done through them is not null and void. Our culture does get caught up in cancelling them and everything they did and have done, but you still do great deeds through people who sin. I pray that people would see that your will is to be done.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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