Judges 15:9-17
9 Then the Philistines went up and camped in Judah, and spread out in Lehi.
10 So the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?” And they said, “We have come up to bind Samson in order to do to him as he did to us.”
11 Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “Just as they did to me, so I have done to them.”
12 Then they said to him, “We have come down to bind you so that we may hand you over to the Philistines.” And Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me.”
13 So they said to him, “No, but we will bind you tightly and give you into their hands; but we certainly will not kill you.” Then they bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.
14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him so that the ropes that were on his arms were like flax that has burned with fire, and his restraints dropped from his hands.
15 Then he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out with his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.
16 And Samson said, “With the jawbone of a donkey, Heaps upon heaps, With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men.”
17 When he had finished speaking, he threw the jawbone from his hand; and he named that place Ramath-lehi.
The Battle at Lehi
Corruption of the people of Judah
When spiritually blinded, the distinction between what is normal and what is abnormal becomes unclear. At times, one may be unable to perceive the abnormal as abnormal. The worldview and common sense of those who do not know God stand in opposition to the truths of the Bible. If we don’t have our spiritual eyes open, we too, can easily become entangled in the values of this world. In today’s passage, we encounter the spiritually confused people of Judah. (1) The Philistines, fearing an attack from Samson, retaliated by attacking the people of Judah for revenge. Lehi was a city in the territory of the tribe of Judah. (2) The people of Judah learned that the reason for the Philistine attack lies with Samson. They went to visit Samson in the cleft of the rock at Etam. As an act of respect toward Samson, 3,000 men of Judah were gathered. (3) The people of Judah, instead of aligning themselves with Samson to fight the enemy, they condemned Samson for his action. It became evident that the spirituality of the corrupt people of Judah were heavily clouded. (4) They bounded Samson and intended to hand him over to the Philistines. Samson agreed but made them promise not to attack him themselves. This was to avoid killing his fellow Israelites. (5) So, they bounded Samson with two new ropes and handed him over to the Philistines.
Samson’s battle
When the Philistines saw Samson, they rejoiced greatly. They had obtained Samson bound and defenseless without having to fight. Now, they were able to kill him. However, they did not understand the power of the Spirit of the Lord. (1) The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson mightily, and the ropes that bounded him were burned as if they were flax burning in fire. (2) Samson took a fresh jawbone of a donkey and with it killed 1,000 Philistines. (3) Samson’s strength came from the Spirit of the Lord. If there is something binding us, the Holy Spirit will remove it. The Holy Spirit liberates us and gives us freedom. Furthermore, God can use us that are just as insignificant as a “jawbone of a donkey” to defeat His enemies. Instead of yielding to the enemy’s words like the people of Judah did, let’s offer ourselves before God and have victory in the Lord.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, please remove all negative thoughts from within me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and use me as your vessel. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.