Samson Conquers the Philistines

God's Urgent Call
Called to Be Strong

Samson's Call

Judges 15:1-8 The Message

15 1-2 Later on—it was during the wheat harvest—Samson visited his bride, bringing a young goat. He said, “Let me see my wife—show me her bedroom.”
But her father wouldn’t let him in. He said, “I concluded that by now you hated her with a passion, so I gave her to your best man. But her little sister is even more beautiful. Why not take her instead?”
3 Samson said, “That does it. This time when I wreak havoc on the Philistines, I’m blameless.”
4-5 Samson then went out and caught three hundred jackals. He lashed the jackals’ tails together in pairs and tied a torch between each pair of tails. He then set fire to the torches and let them loose in the Philistine fields of ripe grain. Everything burned, both stacked and standing grain, vineyards and olive orchards—everything.
6 The Philistines said, “Who did this?”
They were told, “Samson, son-in-law of the Timnite who took his bride and gave her to his best man.”
The Philistines went up and burned both her and her father to death.
7 Samson then said, “If this is the way you’re going to act, I swear I’ll get even with you. And I’m not quitting till the job’s done!”
8 With that he tore into them, ripping them limb from limb—a huge slaughter. Then he went down and stayed in a cave at Etam Rock.

For Reflection

Vengeance belongs to God, not to humankind.  Samson sought reconciliation with his wife only to be crossed by his father- in-law. Letting anger take hold of him, Samson, in a fit of vengeance, burned the Philistine crops. The act of revenge yielded more vengeance which spiraled into even more violence.   Only evil results from getting even.  It is not for us to give into anger and be tempted into Godlessness.

Pray

Pray that you will never give into the hate that is inherent in vengeance. Pray that you will find the grace to forgive those who trespass against you.