OceanSide church of Christ

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THE LIFE OF SAMSON

Lesson #15

 

Twenty Years as A Judge (2)

Judges 15:1-20

Victor M. Eskew

 

 

I.             OPERATING OUT OF VENGEANCE (Judg. 15:1-8)

 

A.     Returning for his wife (Judg. 15:1a)

 

But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of the wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go into my wife into the chamber.

 

1.       The passing of time

a.       Time always keeps moving forward.

1)       As the clock ticks, things always are certain to change.

2)       Samson left the town of his wife very angry.  Now, it seems as if he has settled down.

3)       LESSON:  Anger will usually subside in time.  When it does, we must live with the consequences of the actions we performed when angry (Ex., Ahasuerus, Esther 1-2).

b.      The wheat harvest

1)       Barley and wheat were planted in autumn and harvest in the spring.

2)       The wheat harvest was usually in our month of May.

2.       The present for his wife

a.       Upon his return, he brings a gift, a kid from his flocks.

b.      A kid seems very strange to us, but it was common in those days (See Gen. 38:17). 

c.       This was a very useful animal.  Its milk was valuable for many products.

3.       The purpose of Samson

a.       Samson desired to consummate the marriage to the Philistine woman.

b.      The words, “go into my wife into the chamber” indicate the sexual relationship.

1)       Some see this as being commendable on Samson’s part.  They will use this text as a passage on reconciliation.

2)       This is not a passage to use for a positive marriage bond.

a)       First, the marriage is not lawful.

b)      Second, the marriage will continue to be fraught with problems that will bring not bring lasting happiness and peace to Samson.

c.       Lesson:  Samson should have learned his lesson about the type of people he was dealing with.  He did not.  The marriage did not bring him happiness when pursued the first time.  Why would it bring him happiness now?

 

B.     Refusal by her father (Judg. 15:1b-2)

1.       The prohibition (Judg. 15:1b)

 

…But her father would not suffer him to go in.

 

a.       Again, Samson was excluded from receiving what he thought he would get from the Philistines.

b.      Dowry paid!  Wedding party thrown?  Still no wife.

c.       Lesson:  This is one of the ways of sin.  It makes promises, but often fails to deliver on the promise that was given.

2.       The premise (Judg. 15:2a)

 

And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her:  therefore I gave her to thy companion.

 

a.       The companion would have been one of the thirty men brought to the wedding feast.  It was most likely one like unto our “best man.”

b.      Samson’s leaving made the father think that Samson now hated his daughter. 

c.       Samson could not argue with the explanation.  “His own conduct had given occasion for the explanation” (Butler, 92).

d.    Lesson:  Christians, churches, and religious organizations should always conduct themselves in such a way that it is impossible for others to use our conduct against us.

3.       The provision (Judg. 15:2b)

 

…is not her sister faier than she?  Take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

 

a.       The father offers her sister instead.  Why?

1)       Fear of Samson’s retribution

2)       Realization of his mistake in giving Samson’s wife to another.  NOTE:  He still has Samson’s dowry, perhaps a large sum of money, and needs to arrange a marriage according to law.

3)       Wants to be in an alliance with this judge of Israel.

b.      The father’s sole appeal is to her beauty.  Perhaps he knew this is what drew Samson to his other daughter (See Judg. 14:2).

c.       Take her, I pray thee.

1)       He wants Samson to commit to this arrangement.

2)       Lesson:  There are dangers in some things to which we commit.

 

C.     Revenge by Samson (Judg. 15:3-5)

1.       The defense of his revenge (Judg. 15:3)

 

And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.

 

a.       Faulty reasoning

1)       Samson was about to bring harm to the Philistines.

2)       He judges his actions by their actions toward him.

3)       His judgment is faulty:  “Now shall I be more blameless.”

4)       Lesson:

a)       How often do we try to appease ourselves of wrong doing by saying:  “Well, I did not do anything as bad as they did”?

b)      Personal vindictiveness is never justified (Prov. 20:22; Rom. 12:19).

 

Say not thou I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

 

b.      Further retaliation:  …though I do them a displeasure

1)       Displeasure

a)       Strong (7451):  bad or evil

b)      BDB:  bad, evil, malignant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, hurtful, distress, calamity

2)       Samson’s anger caused him to plot his revenge.  He admits that he is going to bring them harm.