The Life and Times of Samson
Turning the Foxes Loose
Judges 15:1-8
I heard about an old Quaker who was milking his cow. He got about half through when she kicked over the bucket of milk. He quietly shook his head, picked up the bucket and started again. He had just about finished when she picked up her foot and deliberately put it in the bucket. He got a clean bucket and started again. This time she took her tail and swished it in his face.
He quietly got up and walked around in front of the cow, grabbed her by the horns and said, "Thou knowest that I am a Quaker and canst do thee no harm. What thou dost not know is that my brother-in-law is a Baptist deacon and tomorrow I shall take thee to he and he shall beat the living daylights out of thee!”
Did you ever have one of those times when you just want to retaliate and get even? When people do us wrong and mistreat us, if we are not dead to self and where we ought to be with the Lord, our natural reaction is to get even. When we are hurt we want the one that hurt us to hurt as well.
Study the life of Samson and you see him retaliating against those who did him wrong.
Notice this text in Judges 15: 1-8
Zero in on verse 7 and take note of that phrase “take revenge”.
Samson was either ignorant of or he ignored God's command in Leviticus 19:18, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”
The Apostle Paul said in Romans 12:19, " Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
Paul was quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35 where God said, "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense;
Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.”
Revenge may be a normal reaction but it is never the proper action. Vengeance belongs to God and God alone.
We always talk about “getting even”. Unfortunately, to “get even” often means we have to descend to where someone is to be on their level.
As someone said, "The best sort of revenge is not to be like him who did the injury."
So if you’re prone to revenge or getting even, you might want to tune in and listen closely to what took place here with Samson.
First, notice with me:
1. His Rage
Revenge always comes from anger. Everything that happened in this story was because Samson got mad.
Look back at Judges 14:19
The word "anger" is very interesting. It helps us to understand how angry Samson was. The word properly means "nose" or "nostril." When used in our context it describes a person breathing rapidly. He was so mad, as we would say; he was blowing smoke out his nose. I can see him. His face is red, his eyes are glaring, his fists are clenched, and his nostrils are dilating as he breathes rapidly. It makes me think of an angry bull.
The word "aroused" speaks of a fire blazing up. If you remember from our last study he had been tricked into giving them the answer to his riddle. When he realized what they had done, he began to boil on the inside. He was more than just ticked off. He was boiling with rage.
He is now to the point where his anger is in charge. He is so mad and so filled with rage that he is not acting rationally but impulsively. His anger is controlling him rather than him controlling his anger.
That can happen. You can get so angry that you lose control of your emotions and act in ways, do things, and even say things they normally would not do or say.
Even our legal system recognizes that. For instance, we have different degrees of murder. Murder in the first degree is murder that is premeditated and deliberate.
Murder in the second degree is murder with malice, but without premeditation and deliberation.
Cain is an example of one who committed murder in the second degree. Cain had been angry with his brother for some time. He let his anger seethe in his heart until one day, when they were out in a field together, Cain in a moment of rage killed his brother. He let his anger build up until one day he exploded.
When we see Samson, we see him filled with anger. The actions that come from his anger were uncontrolled. He leaves his own wedding and heads home.
Then notice Judges 15:1
Over time Samson cools down and begins to rethink his actions. He returns and comes with a peace-offering. Obviously, he wants to patch things up.
However, notice that last statement of verse 1.
Why? According to Judges 14:20, when Samson had stormed off mad, her father had given her to be the wife of Samson's best man at his wedding.
In Judges 15:2 we find dad’s explanation.
When Samson had run off mad, her father had assumed that he hated her and did not want her as a wife, so he married her off to someone else.
Samson had left in anger. Time has passed and he wants to pick up where he left off. But he can't.
The Philistine girl that had so infatuated him was now married to someone else.
And notice what dad says in verse 2.
That’s quite a statement for dad to make, huh? I always thought she was prettier anyway! He offers Samson her sister, but that is not who he wanted.
Samson had acted a certain way in a moment of rage, and try as he may, he could not change the outcome of his actions. The damage was done. It was irreversible and unchangeable.
In a moment of anger we can say something that we later regret saying. We can act in a certain way that later we feel guilty about. We can do things that down the road we wish we had never done. However, we can never unsay what we say or undo what we do.
We can do irreparable harm to our testimony when in a moment of rage we act a certain way. We can do irreparable harm to relationships by the things we do and say in a moment of anger. We lose control in a moment of anger, but the harm that we cause can never be undone.
Then notice, His Rage moves to
2. His Revenge
Once Samson realized what had happened, it took over his life. All he could think about was getting even.
verses 4-5
Samson caught three hundred foxes and tied them in pairs tail to tail. Then he tied torches to their tails and turned them loose in the cornfields of the Philistines.
That is a picture of revenge. In Samson’s mind, he is getting even for what they’ve done. In fact, most of the time getting even means getting ahead. They may have done this or that, but just watch what I’ll do.
A name from the mountain men and trappers of the old west is John Johnson. He was characterized in the Robert Redford movie entitled Jeremiah Johnson. He is most commonly referred as Liver-Eating Johnson.
In 1847 his wife was killed by Crow Indians. As a result, Johnson determined to revenge his wife's killing. When he killed a Crow, he would cut out the liver and eat it, so the Crow would know that it was responsible for the killing; Thus the name Liver-Eating Johnson. Eating the liver was a symbolic way of completing a revenge killing. His vendetta would last for twenty-years.
And notice in verse 3 how Samson justifies his behavior.
Verse 3
Samson intended to harm them. He wanted them to pay for what they had done and ghe claims that his behavior is justified. He speaks of being "blameless."
He is saying that he is absolved of all guilt for doing what he did. I have found that people that are driven by anger most often convince themselves that it is right when they take steps of revenge. I have heard people say, "Well, I am not going to let people run over me."
That might make you feel better, but wrong is always wrong. It does not matter how we spin it or seek to justify what we do. Vengeance is never our right. Vengeance belongs to God and to God alone.
And I’ll tell you something else. You can try to get even if you want to, but when you get through, you’re going to be awfully tired. Just think about how exhausted Samson must have been by the time he captures 300 foxes, fights them to get their tails tied together and then get the fire tied to them!
There are people who spend all their time, all their energy, all their resources just trying to settle the score. It’s all they think about. It consumes them. And the tragedy is there is nothing left for anything good. They can’t serve God; they’re too busy serving their grudge.
Last of all think with me about:
3. The Results
When one seeks revenge, they never escape without personal consequences. Louis XIV of France, said of the starving hordes who were clamoring for bread, "Let the people eat grass." In a few years the people dragged his son to execution with his mouth stuffed full of grass. Vengeance always comes back to bite the person who was vengeful.
There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, "He who seeks revenge, digs two graves."
Samson got revenge but it was not without consequences.
Let me point out two:
First, It Defiled His Life
Remember a few weeks ago, when we looked at Samson killing the lion and eating honey from the carcass, we read Leviticus 11:27.
That’s the verse that said a Jew was not to have anything to do with an animal that walked on four paws. They were not to be eaten, and especially, their carcasses were unclean.
Foxes fit that category. So Samson is not only seeking revenge, he is using an unclean animal to do it.
Whereas there may have been a time when Samson may have felt some guilt for his sin, which we see by him not telling his parents about the honey and so forth, now it seems that all gets are off. He will stop at nothing, and the result is a deeper and deeper defilement of his vows.
So obviously, his revenge defiled his life,
but it also resulted in
The Death of His Wife
verse 6
See the pattern? Samson poses a riddle. His wife coerces the answer out of him and rats to her people. That makes Samson mad, so he seeks revenge. Then the Philistines have to respond, and ultimately, what they threatened to do if she didn’t get the answer comes to pass when they carry out their revenge by burning his wife and her father to death.
Revenge always affects others. I think of Hebrews
Samson got revenge, but in the end he lost the very thing he wanted. His wife! She became a consequence of his actions. We may want to hurt our enemies, but unfortunately many times we end up hurting those we love actions.
Have you seen those “Direct TV” Ads?
Here’s an example.
If only Samson had seen one of those maybe he would have realized that his decisions would impact those he loved.
We have the privilege of learning from his mistakes.
Let’s pray.
