Judges 15:1 – 8 “Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter. “I was sure that you thoroughly hated her,” said her father, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.” Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless in doing harm to the Philistines.”
Then Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. And he took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and fastened a torch between each pair of tails. Then he lit the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the piles of grain and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.
“Who did this?” the Philistines demanded. “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,” they were told. “For his wife was given to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father to death.
And Samson told them, “Because you have done this, I will not rest until I have taken vengeance upon you.” And he struck them ruthlessly with a great slaughter, and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.”
Let’s get this straight. Samson attempts to marry a Philistine girl despite his parents’ objections, breaks his life – long Nazirite vow, and causes all kinds of problems at his marriage feast. Samson, incensed because his bride has leaked the answer to his ridiculous riddle to the wedding guests, slaughters 30 Philistines from Ashkelon and gives their garments to fulfill the terms of his riddle. After misconducting himself in this fashion, Samson then stalks home with his humiliated parents. Samson’s would – be in – laws don’t know what to do because their daughter is no longer a virgin. Fortunately, there is another young man in Timnah willing to marry the girl, so her parents give her to him.
After months of absence, Samson suddenly reappears on the scene as if nothing untoward has ever happened, and wants to visit the girl in her room, obviously to sleep with her. The girl’s parents do the best that they can, offering the girl’s beautiful younger sister as a substitute. (There is no record of what this young lady might have thought of becoming a consolation prize.) Samson refuses and instead goes ahead to catch three hundred foxes, tie them together in pairs and tie torches to their tails so that all the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves catch on fire. The Philistines are so furious that they burn Samson’s intended bride and her father to death. Samson then retaliates by slaughtering a large number of Philistines.
There are several parts of the story that are difficult to believe. For one thing, how does one catch three hundred foxes all at once? Foxes can run very fast and are masters at evasive action. For Samson to catch three hundred foxes, he must have been able to run even faster. The retribution taken by the Philistines and then by Samson boggles the imagination; however, even today, many different religious groups slaughter any who are thought to have betrayed the faith with impunity.
APPLICATION: The big question as we consider this passage is this: did God really want such awful slaughter to happen to the Philistines? The amazing answer would seem to be that God allowed Samson to do these things as a means of loosening the Philistine hold on Israel.
Was this God’s perfect will for the Philistines? No. In the beginning, God wanted Israel to be a graphic demonstration of how to worship and Whom to worship. Had the Philistines turned away from the evil gods such as Dagon that they were worshiping, God could have stopped Samson. God used Samson, imperfect as he was; however, it is entirely possible that God may have had a far better plan. But Samson had already abandoned his Nazirite vows except for the length of his hair, and so God had to use him as he was.
God has a perfect plan for each one of us; however, we can always mess things up. God says in Jeremiah 29:11“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ‘” God had a perfect plan and a hope and a future for Samson. Perhaps God intended for Samson to become a truly godly man who would marry a godly wife and raise children of excellent character who would become a blessing to generations of future Israelites. Unfortunately, Samson spoiled those plans, wasting his talents as he lurched from one woman to another. There is no record that Samson ever fathered any children.
What if we have already messed up God’s plan for our lives? God is a God of infinite resourcefulness. Although we might never fulfill God’s original plan for our lives, God can still use us and guide us into righteousness, peace, and joy if we only will allow Him to do so. But we must first recognize that we are headed in a wrong direction and then ask God to help turn us around and to straighten us out. Once that process occurs, God can do amazing things with anyone who is yielded to Him.
Today you might feel as if you have made a complete shambles of your life! Nothing has turned out the way you have hoped. But it’s never too late. Ask God for help; He is as close as your heart beat.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and for caring for us. We confess that we have gone in the wrong direction. Please turn us around. Straighten us out and help us to be willing to cooperate in that process. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment