This post is Day 12 in a series of studies about “Samson”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

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Samson – Day 12

It seems from this chapter that Samson had no common sense, and very little spiritual discernment. We never read of him asking God what to do. He was chosen from birth and given supernatural strength to do what God planned for him. That was to have victory over the Philistines.

Judges 15:4-5

So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves.

The Thought

I ask myself many questions as I read on in the story of Samson’s life! It becomes more and more unbelievable as we read it! Where do you suppose this judge and leader in Israel found 300 foxes? How did he catch them? How did he carry them to the fields he wanted to burn? From where did he get the idea in the first place?

But it doesn’t stop there! The next verses tell us that in anger, the Philistines who had lost their crops went and burned to death the woman who should have been Samson’s wife along with her father! That made Samson more angry, and after taking his revenge, he went to live in a cave (verses 7-8)!

It seems as we read this chapter that Samson had no common sense, and very little spiritual discernment. We never read of him asking God what he should do. He was chosen from birth and given supernatural strength to do what God planned for him. That was to have victory over the Philistines, Israel’s permanent enemy. He managed to kill many of them, but we do not read that he had victory over them. Just that he made his own people angry. We’ll look at that tomorrow.

Action

Think about this episode in Israel’s history as you go through your day today. What do you think is the strangest part of Samson’s story?

Read one of the chapters mentioned yesterday.

What is your attitude to taking revenge? Are you angry with others who have hurt you or those you care for? Choose to forgive today.

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