Judges 15 REVENGE OR JUSTICE When Samson returned to his wife in Timnath, he found she had been given to another and he began to take personal revenge. "This time I shall be blameless in regard to the Philistines." He began taking seriously the call of God in his life and took action to strike at the Philistines at the source of their life - their food source. By setting the fields, vineyards and orchards on fire, he certainly got the attention of the enemy and God used him to begin deliverance for Israel. However, violence begets violence. If we choose sin there will always be consequences. Three lessons in verse 10 - 12 regarding the consequences of compromise are first, the people of God can become accommodated to the status quo and will accept that as normal if it is continued. Secondly, compromise is more comfortable than commitment to the call of God. Complacency will put up with compromise under the excuse of being tolerant of people's differences. Third, compromisers have no time for the committed. Those who are committed to the Lord and to obedience to the word of God are an embarrassment to those who are willing to compromise the truth of God.
By its very nature revenge begins a cycle of retribution and retaliation that can only be broken by forgiveness. The attraction of a form of godliness is only outward. Samson burned product but the Philistine enemies burned people. Samson's retaliation went further as he attacked those who had burned his wife and her father. Going down further and staying on the rock Etam (place of wild beasts) he placed himself in Judah. The people of Judah were ignored by the enemy because, then as now, compromisers are no threat. The people were doing the enemy's work for them. If we are not positively for the Lord, we can become a hindrance to the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is possible for us to lose sight of the true nature of sin and sinners. One may be at the pinnacle of life and have experienced great accomplishments, but that great power can be defeated by the lack of self-discipline. The Philistines were a much great problem than the girl. When sin is allowed to continue it has consequences that have a much greater effect than we could have ever expected.
The complacent people of Judah were afraid of both the Philistines who were fundamentally opposed to them even though they had accommodated with them enough that they could co-exist, and Samson, who even though he was not a good example of one who followed the Lord, was a man of faith. The Philistines met with no resistance from the men of Judah. Judah had accommodated to the way things were. They were defeated and degraded by compromise so they were ignored as a threat of any kind, and actually did the work of capturing Samson for the enemy. In a way this whole scene is an example of Samson's faith. This goes beyond personal revenge to a display of Samson's faith and God's power. His faith shines the brighter against the background of Israel's compromise. His faith is seen in three ways. First, his treatment of the Jews. He was gentle with them even, though they were mistreating him so badly. He submitted to being bound with two cords by the 3000 Jews. Also, in his approach to the enemy. They shouted against him and he responded with calm courage. He knew his God and that gave him strength. Third, His victory of faith. The Holy Spirit came upon him in power; a fresh jawbone with all its teeth in it was there; and his trust was in God.
In spite of his unfaithfulness to his calling and Nazariteship, God was faithful to him and by the power of the Spirit of God upon him, he won a victory in which 1000 of the enemy was slain, and water miraculously came from God to quench his thirst. Samson took credit for what happened even though he knew his strength was from God and had faith in God to give the victory. We are vulnerable in times of victory because self-pity may overtake us, especially if we feel others have let us down. It is not unusual for depression to come upon us and we feel drained emotionally. When we are that vulnerable position after a victory, we need to give God all the glory for the victory and the accomplishments that follow. We are safe- guarded when all our attitudes, actions and words are focused on God. Samson could be victorious when he trusted God.
Apparently, this victory gave Israel 20 years of stability even though Israel was under Philistine dominance. In this prayer of Samson's, the only recorded one in his life prior to his death prayer, he knew his power was due to his fellowship with God. He knew he was God's servant. He knew the Lord had called him to deal with the enemy. When we understand our position before God, this affects our practice. Victory comes on the basis of our position in Christ. Victory often makes us vulnerable to defeat. We lose fellowship with Christ. Let-down often follows emotional experiences. How gracious and full of compassion is God's answer. He supplied water in a way Samson knew it was from Him. God does answer prayer today the same as then. He established Samson's judgeship for twenty years. Because he trusted God, Israel followed his leadership. Even in a nation committed to the status quo, Samson was committed to freedom under God. Judah had decided to co-exist with the enemy and side with them against God's deliverer, an obvious act of disloyalty when they bound him. He had gone where the Philistines gathered, he broke the bonds and used part of a dead carcass to defeat the foe. Even though he threw away the jawbone he focused attention on himself but then faced his dependence on God for water.
Some lessons we can learn from the past are that no matter who we are or what we do, we need the Lord. In our weakness and dependence, we need the Lord. When we have been victorious in some way, we must be sure to give God ALL THE GLORY. No matter who or what others think about us, we are the Lord's servant. We cannot expect everyone with whom we have dealings to be the same, there are differences in people. When all is said and done, to the best of our ability, we need to admit to ourselves our need and inability to accomplish anything without the strength of our God. In times of danger, difficulty and victory, we are in great need of being in fellowship with the Lord.