In this chapter, we see that Samson continues to wreak havoc on the enemy, to the point that his own countrymen become fearful. At the time of wheat harvest, which indicates a different season of the year from that when the wedding had occurred, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife and he tells his wife’s father that he’s going to his wife’s room, but her father wouldn’t let him, Judges 15:1.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following about the young goat.
‘This is an indication of the kind of marriage that was contracted. It was like that of Gideon and his concubine, in which the wife continued to live in her father’s house, with the husband paying occasional visits.’
The father of Samson’s wife assumed that he hated her, Judges 15:2, and had rejected his Philistine bride because she had betrayed him in telling the secret of his riddle, Judges 14:19-20. When Samson returns to claim his bride, he discovers that she has been given in marriage to his ‘best man’, Judges 15:2, and so her father asks him isn’t her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead, Judges 15:2. Because of this, Samson felt justified to bring calamity upon the Philistines and says he will really harm them, Judges 15:3.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘When the Philistines, earlier, had injured Samson (in the matter of the riddle), he was in covenant with the Timnathites through his marriage and the laws of hospitality, for which reason he went down to Ashkelon to take his revenge, Judges 14:19, but now that the Philistines themselves had broken this bond, he was free to take his revenge on the spot.’
We can only begin to imagine how Samson must have felt at this point, deceived, betrayed by his wife to be and her father-in-law, he was raging mad. Can you imagine this event? Catching one fox would be hard enough but catching three hundred, tied them tail to tail in pairs and fastening a torch to their tails is something else, Judges 15:4.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘That foxes, or the creature called shual, abounded in Judea, is evident from their frequent mention in Scripture, and from several places bearing their name. 1. It appears they were so numerous that even their cubs ruined the vineyards, Judges 2:15: Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil our vines. Jeremiah complains that the foxes had occupied the mountains of Judea, Lamentations 5:18. They are mentioned as making incursions into enclosures, Nehemiah 4:3. Ezekiel compares the numerous false prophets to these animals, Ezekiel 13:4. In Joshua 15:28, we find a place called Hazar Shual, ‘the court of the foxes’ and in Joshua 19:42, a place called Shaal-Abbin, ‘the foxes’ no doubt from the number of those animals in that district. And mention is made of the land of Shual, or of the fox, 1 Samuel 13:17.’
And I’m sure the animal rights campaigners would have had a field day with this event but he destroys the Philistine vineyards and olive groves with ‘fox-fire’, Judges 15:5. But if we think that Samson was raging mad, when the Philistines asked who did this and were told Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because his wife was given to his companion, they were so mad they burned Samson’s almost wife and her father to death, Judges 15:6.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following, concerning the burning.
‘This was probably done to appease Samson, as they saw he had been unjustly treated both by his wife and her father, therefore they destroyed them both, that they might cause his wrath to cease from them.’
Samson tells them since they’ve acted like this, he swears that he won’t stop until he gets revenge, Judges 15:7. And so, Samson attacked them viciously and slaughtered many of them and then he went down and stayed in a cave in the rock of Etam, Judges 15:8 / 1 Chronicles 4:32.
Wycliff Bible Commentary, says the following, concerning Etam.
‘This was probably located near the town of Elam in Judah, about two miles southwest of Bethlehem.’
The Philistines now go and camp in Judah, spreading out near Lehi, and when they do, the people of Judah asked them why they have come to fight them and they reply they have come to take Samson prisoner, to do to him as he did to them, Judges 15:9-10. But the Philistines didn’t have any quarrels with the Israelites as a whole, it was just with Samson. Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and ask Samson, doesn’t he realize that the Philistines are rulers over them? What has he done to them? Judges 15:11.
The Interpreters Bible, says the following, concerning the Philistines rulering over Judah.
‘This was an exaggeration on the part of the men of Judah. The Philistines never ruled over all Judah, but they held an iron monopoly and were a real threat to that part of Judah which lay in the Shephelah, the lowlands west from Jerusalem.’
Samson tells them, he merely did to them what they did to him, Judges 15:11 / Galatians 6:7.
The text says they came to tie him up, Judges 15:12, and after assuring Samson that his own people won’t kill him, he allows them to do so, Judges 15:12-13. So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock, Judges 15:13. Wanting peace at any cost, Samson’s countrymen handed him over to the Philistines, which tells us a lot about their spiritual depravity. Samson allows himself to be taken captive, why? Because he has a plan.
Arriving before the gloating enemy, Judges 15:14, the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon Samson, Judges 15:14 / Judges 14:6. Then the ropes tightly binding Samson burst into pieces, Judges 15:14. Grabbing an improvised weapon, a donkey’s jawbone, Samson kills a thousand Philistines, Judges 15:15.
Samson says with a donkey’s jawbone he has made donkeys of them, with a donkey’s jawbone he has killed a thousand men, Judges 15:16. When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone and that place was called Ramath Lehi which means ‘Jawbone Hill’, Judges 15:17.
Once again in his anger because of his motives for revenge, he violated God’s law. The jawbone which he used to kill the Philistines was from a dead donkey and so it was classed as an unclean object. He was supposed to stay clear of anything dead according to the Nazarite vow he had taken, Numbers 6:6-7.
Some commentators claim that Samson took the credit for the victory, Judges 15:16, but the text here clearly tells us otherwise. Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to God and notice he says that God has given him this great victory, Judges 15:18. Because of his thirst, he asks God must he now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised? Judges 15:18.
God opens up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it and when Samson drank, his strength returned and he was revived, Judges 15:19. The spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi, Judges 15:19. And seeing the undeniable work of God in this massacre, Israel finally accepts Samson as their judge and so, Samson led them for twenty years in the days of the Philistines, Judges 15:20 / Judges 13:1.
The Israelites resented Samson’s exploits, and regarded him as a troublemaker, why? Simply because they couldn’t see that it was the Spirit of the Lord working in Samson, Judges 15:14 / Judges 14:6. And they couldn’t or wouldn’t see that God was working in and through Samson until they witnessed his supernatural massacre of the enemy.
Samson’s struggle with passion and lust was much like his battle with the lion. He achieved God’s purpose, but his life could have been so much more victorious if he had exercised some self-control. His acts of deliverance were by-products of his fury and infatuation, Ephesians 4:26.
We cannot excuse Samson’s behaviour, but we can draw some comfort in knowing that if God’s grace can extend to a person like Samson, it can extend to us, Ephesians 6:10. And yes, we may feel as flawed as Samson and we may even think we’re beyond hope, but there is hope, 1 Corinthians 10:13. God loves us and He desperately wants us to walk with Him in His ways.
He loves us so much that He sent the perfect Champion, far greater than Samson, to save us from sin, death, and hell and His Name is Jesus. Samson defeated a lion but Jesus has defeated Satan, who’s described as ‘a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ in 1 Peter 5:8.