Judges 15

We cannot admire Samson for his behavior; he was acting as brutally and cruelly as the Philistines were. But without his realizing it, Samson was being used by God to inflict punishment on the Philistines. Even in those dark periods when human beings feel engulfed by ever increasing violence, God is there behind the scenes working out His purposes. In the end, even Samson himself realized that it was God who had been giving him these victories (verse 18).

9–13 Now it was the Philistines’ turn to take revenge. They went deeper into the territory of Judah in search of Samson. The men of Judah were alarmed; they had accepted Philistine rule and had been allowed to live in peace. So why were the Philistines now getting ready to attack them?

The Philistines said they had come to seize Samson (verse 10). The men of Judah should have come to Samson’s defense against their common enemy; instead, they gathered a force of three thousand men to turn Samson over to the Philistines. How low the men of Judah had sunk! When they found him, they tied his hands with two new ropes and led him to the Philistines (verse 13).

14–17 Again the Spirit came upon Samson; he broke his ropes and struck down a thousand Philistines with the jaw bone of a donkey⁶⁷ (verse 15). Any survivors undoubtedly fled. Later that place was named Ramath Lehi (verse 17), which means “jawbone hill.”

18–20 In spite of Samson’s sins and weaknesses, the Lord continued to be with him, meeting his needs and hearing him when he cried out (verses 18–19). After these victories over the Philistines, Samson then went on and led—literally “judged”—Israel for the next twenty years.