Old Testament (written)

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 15:16-20
Samson, Judge of Israel, Part VI

(Typed 29 April 2024) Throughout most of their history, the Jewish people have been faithfully unfaithful to the word that established them. God spoke through Moses, and then He continued to speak through His prophets for hundreds of years.

Moses penned the Torah (the Pentateuch) under inspiration of the Lord. It is the first five books of the Bible. However, it is not the entirety of the word of God to Israel. The Law of Moses thus continues with the utterances of the prophets who served under the law and whose words were then included in the sacred writings.

One of the things that Moses told them, which is substantially repeated several times in Scripture, says, “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.”

Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 12:32 presuppose at least these two things: 1) Do not add to or subtract from what the Lord inspires, and 2) observe the things that are written in the proper context.

These are the things that Israel failed at. They had their own oral traditions and false writings that they held to. They also failed to uphold the Scriptures given by God in their proper context. One of the obvious reasons we hold to the word as written is because, as we see week after week, it tells us about Jesus.

Those things are missing from false writings and false oral traditions. After Christ came, the Jews went even further afield and compiled the Talmud. It is a document that includes the Mishnah, a written compilation of the oral Torah, and the Gemara, a clarification of the Mishnah and other writings. At times, the Gemara expounds broadly on the Hebrew Bible.

The problem with these is that there is no light of Christ to be found in them. Hence, Israel is in a bad pickle. They are without Christ, and they have no proper connection to Christ because of their failure to come to the word alone to find Him.

How can that be corrected? A review of the typology in Judges 15 will reveal this.

Text Verse: “Calling a bird of prey [ayit] from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it.” Isaiah 46:11

The words of the text verse will be used later to point to what Judges 15 is telling us. When God gives us stories and instructions in His word, we should be able to make connections to other things that are based on reality.

An example is in today’s passage. Samson notes that he is exceptionally thirsty. This isn’t a problem if water is readily available. However, anyone who has been to Israel knows that there are many places that are extremely parched.

Add in the heat of the season, and it is evident why Samson is so distraught. The narrative is set at the time of the wheat harvest, which is around May to June. It is normally getting very hot in Israel at that time.

At the time of typing this sermon at the end of April, the temperature in Israel ranged from 91 to 105 degrees, depending on the location. Add in the dryness of the land without rain, and Samson’s words come alive in our minds. We can feel his thirst ourselves.

God uses such things as the time of year, the dryness of the land, the lack of shade, and so forth to tell us things that will reveal Jesus. This is why Scripture alone must be the reference for our doctrine. It is the only way that God has specially revealed Jesus to the world in writing.

Be sure not to get sidetracked by those who manipulate the word of God, either by taking it out of context or by adding to or taking away from it. And how can you do that unless you are aware of and versed in the written word? Read and know the Bible!

Great things about Jesus are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. En Hakkore (verses 16-20)

¹⁶ Then Samson said:
“With the jawbone of a donkey,
Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men!”

Translations of this verse are all over the place, but ultimately it is a powerful paronomasia (a play on words) that to tolerably and tidily translate is perfectly perplexing: vayomer Shimshon bilkhi ha’khamor khamor khamorathayim bilkhi ha’khamor hikethi eleph ish – “And says, Samson, in jawbone the donkey, donkey two donkeys. In jawbone, the donkey, struck thousand man.” / Or: “And says, Samson, in jawbone the donkey, heap two heaps. In jawbone, the donkey, struck thousand man.” / Or: “And says, Samson, in jawbone the donkey, clay clays. In jawbone, the donkey, struck thousand man.”

The word translated as donkey is khamor. The word translated as heap (or clay) is khomer. Coming from khamar, to boil up. Thus, it would be something that grows. In this case, a heap. However, both words ultimately come from khamar, an unused root meaning to be red. The reason for clay is the same as why Job said this –

“Truly I am as your spokesman before God;
I also have been formed out of clay.” Job 33:6

As such, it’s hard to tell what Samson was thinking. Was he saying he killed a bunch of men who were like donkeys? Was it a bunch of men who made heaps of dead? Or was he saying that he returned the enemy to being lumps of clay? Whichever he is referring to, it still forms a poignantly, profound, and profuse pun. The ultimate point of the words is that the slaughter was immense.

¹⁷ And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi.

vayhi k’khalotho l’daber vayashlekh hal’khi miyado vayiqra lamaqom ha’hu Ramath lekhi – “And is, when he finished to speak, and casts the jawbone from his hand. And calls to place, the it, Ramath Lehi.’” One can see Samson standing there, hand raised, holding the jawbone, and saying his poem. Once he finished, he tossed it out of his hand.

After this, he named the place Ramath Lekhi. It means Height of the Jawbone, High Place of the Jawbone, or Exalted Jawbone, or based on the Hebrew l’khi – Exalted to Life. The name Ramath comes from rum, to be high or exalted.

Some people argue Casting Away of the Jawbone. But the word translated as cast is shalakh. It does not necessarily mean to cast away by flinging it far away. Moses was told to cast his staff on the ground, and it became a snake. He would have just tossed it down. This is probably what Samson did.

¹⁸ Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?”

vayitsma meod vayiqra el Yehovah vayomar atah nathata b’yad avdekha eth hathshuah ha’g’dolah hazoth v’atah amuth batsama v’naphal’ti b’yad ha’arelim – “And thirsts, very. And calls unto Yehovah. And says, ‘You gave, in hand your servant, the salvation, the whopping, the this. And now, dies in the thirst, and fall in hand the foreskinned.’”

The thirst he felt was a natural consequence of the situation. It is the harvest season when it is hot and dry in Israel. He had been bound. He broke those bonds and engaged in a battle against an entire army of men, taking out a thousand of them. Thirst would be at the forefront of his physical thoughts, just as it was for Jesus on the cross.

And more, Samson acknowledges that the Lord gave the victory through his hand, but it is notable that not a single person of Judah was there to help. If any had been, he could have asked that person for water. The battle was the Lord’s, fought for His people. Despite this, they had all denied and forsaken him, leaving Samson to die at the hands of the foreskinned Philistines.

But God was with him and responded to his need…

¹⁹ So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out,

Rather, as in verse 9, there is an article before lekhi: vayivqa elohim eth hamakh’tesh asher ba’lekhi vayetsu mimenu mayim – “And cleaves, God, the mortar which in the Jawbone. And comes, from it, water.” It is notable that it says elohim rather than Yehovah. The powers of God are credited with the action.

As for what He did and where He did it, the word baqa, to cleave, is used. It can signify to rend, rip, divide, split, break open, break through, etc. What He cleaved is a new and rare word, maktesh. It signifies something hollowed out, a mortar. The word is from kathash, to pound as if in a mortar.

The only other place where maktesh is seen, other than as a name, is in Proverbs 27 where the mortar and pestle is described –

“Though you grind a fool in a mortar [maktesh] with a pestle along with crushed grain,
Yet his foolishness will not depart from him.” Proverbs 27:22

The mortar and pestle was the earliest means known for grinding grain. Grain was placed in a shallow depression in a stone, the mortar, and was then pounded with another stone known as the pestle.

This cleaving of the mortar is not in the jawbone of the donkey but a hollowed-out area in the place called the Jawbone. This is what God split open. When He did, water came out…

^{19 (con’t)} and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived.

vayesht vatashav rukho vayekhi – “And drinks, and returns his spirit. And lives.” Samson was completely parched. He called for water and God provided it. In drinking it, it was as if he came to life again. The Lord accomplished the victory through Samson, and then He restored Samson to life through the cleaving of the hollow.

There is a rhyming pun in the Hebrew if you know the hidden meaning of Lehi –

God split the hollow place that is in Lehi (l’khi: to life)
And drinks, and returns his spirit, and lives (vayekhi)

^{19 (con’t)} Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.

al ken qara sh’mah ein ha’qore asher ba’lekhi ad hayom hazeh – “Upon thus, calls her name, ‘Fountain, the Caller,’ which in the Jawbone until the day, the this.” Following Samson’s calling out to the Lord, God cleaved the hollow and sent forth water. Thus, the well that sprang up is called Spring, the Caller.

The name En Hakkore comes from two words, ayin, a spring or an eye, and the active participle of qara, to call or proclaim. Thus, it means Fountain (Eye) of the Caller or Fountain (Eye) of the Calling.

It is this fountain that continued to flow, even at the time of the author of Judges. Extra-biblical writings also speak of the fountain being there many hundreds of years later. In fact, Barnes notes –

“A spring, on the way from Socho to Eleutheropolis, was commonly called Samson’s spring in the time of Jerome and writers in the 7th, 12th, and 14th centuries.” Albert Barnes

*^{20 (fin)} And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

vayishpot eth Yisrael bime plistim esrim shanah – “And judges, Israel, in days Philistines, twenty year.” The statement is unusual in that the record of Samson has another chapter to go. However, at the end of his life, the words will be repeated. Here, the verb is in the imperfect aspect: Samson judges Israel. At the end of Chapter 16, the aspect will be perfect, he judged Israel.

Of the number twenty, Bullinger notes –

It “…is the double of ten, and may in some cases signify its concentrated meaning. But its significance seems rather to be connected with the fact that it is one short of twenty-one, 21 – 1 = 20; that is to say, if 21 is the three-fold 7, and signifies Divine (3) completion as regards spiritual perfection (7), then twenty, being one short of 21, it would signify what Dr. Milo Mahan calls expectancy.”

With the verses complete, we will next look at what God is telling us about things yet to come…

With a fresh jawbone of a donkey
The enemy is struck and defeated
How is it so? How can it be?
With a mere jawbone, the victory is completed

And with a call out to the Lord
The hollow place is split
At the mere calling of a word
Out flow the waters, flowing forth from it

How glorious is the Fountain of the Caller
That it flows forth to this day
A treat for every Bible scholar
God gives forth His Spirit, and He does so without delay

II. Pictures of Christ

In Judges 14, we saw that Samson’s betrothed wife pictured Israel in her apostate state. Jesus came to Israel despite their apostasy, using that state to bring them back to Himself.

The account of the lion roaring at Samson revealed the means by which Christ will deliver His people. It was typologically given as an anticipation of the work of Christ through adherence to the word of the Lord to overcome the Philistines, the Weakeners, condemning those who rely on the law or personal merit as a means of works-based salvation.

Samson then walked and ate the honey. This reflected Jesus’ possession of the Word to sustain Him. Samson gave his riddle to the Philistines and some of them were able to glean the meaning of the riddle through his wife, meaning Israel’s apostate state.

It represented those who realized the time of Jesus’ coming. They solved the riddle. For this, they were granted their garments, just as believers are covered in Christ’s righteousness. However, the chapter ended with the note that the wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

John the Baptist noted that he was “the friend of the bridegroom” in John 3:29. He was the last prophet of the law and thus stands as representative of the law that Jesus came to fulfill. John died before Jesus fulfilled the law, and therefore he did not receive the grace of God in Christ in the new dispensation.

The bride being given to the best man by the father anticipates Israel remaining under the law. Chapter 14 ended there and Chapter 15 resumes the narrative with the words, “in days harvest wheat.”

The wheat harvest follows the barley. Barley (seorah), for reference, comes from sear, hair. It is the crop of hairy ears. Hair signifies awareness, particularly an awareness of sin. It is the time of the law. The wheat harvest follows that and, thus it is the time of grace.

Christ first fulfills the law and then comes grace. As noted, Jesus metaphorically used wheat to refer to Himself in John 12:24. Still in verse 1, Samson went with a young goat to visit his wife, representing Israel in her apostate state. The gedi izim, or kid goats, was his offering to go into her.

That anticipates that her sin was to be cut off and atoned for. Samson, speaking with an imperative, said, “I will go in unto my wife, the her chamber.” Likewise, Christ came to atone for Israel’s sin and be wedded to her. However (verse 2), Samson’s father would not allow it. His words were, “Saying, I said, ‘For hating, you hated her.’”

It was assumed that Jesus would have nothing more to do with Israel because of her apostate state. However, it is that state, prophesied through Jeremiah that the Lord will use in order to correct her. That was seen in Chapter 14 –

“Thine apostasy [apostasia] shall correct thee, and thy wickedness shall reprove thee: know then, and see, that thy forsaking me bitter to thee, saith the Lord thy God; and I have taken no pleasure in thee, saith the Lord thy God.” Jeremiah 2:19 (LXX)

That did not happen at the time of Jesus’ first coming. As such, the father said that he had given the wife to his companion. It pictures Israel’s returning to the law as noted concerning John the Baptist a moment ago.

Instead of the bride, the father offered Samson his other daughter, noting that she was even better than the first. Without directly saying anything about her, it is obvious she was rejected. Israel, even in her apostate state, was to be the bride of the Lord.

Instead, Samson, Place of the Sun (the Word of God in Christ), was determined to punish the Philistines (the Weakeners, meaning the false teachings opposed to the Word of God in Christ).

In order to do so, Samson noted that he would be blameless when he brought evil upon them (verse 3). To start the process, he caught three hundred foxes.

Three hundred, being a multiple of 3 and 10 signifies Divine fulness and completeness of order where nothing is wanting and the whole cycle is complete. This is done through “taking the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience” (Bullinger).

The number of foxes, three hundred, represents the timing of Christ’s earthly ministry. Using foxes (hole diggers) signifies that these things will occur by tripping up the foe.

The use of torches has a double signification, it illuminates the work of Christ and burns up the works of the Weakeners. Tying the foxes at the zanav, tail, means that he was using the foxes to destroy their falsehood, symbolized by the tail.

Teaching falsehood is exactly what the Weakeners, symbolized by the Philistines, picture. One can think of Pharisees, Sadducees, etc. coming against Jesus in His ministry, but He destroys their every argument.

In verse 5, Samson lit the torches and set the foxes free in the standing grain [qamah] of the Philistines. This burned up the shocks [gadiysh], the standing grain, and the “vineyard olive.” The first two of these were first noted in Exodus 22 –

“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain [gadiysh], standing grain [ha’qamah], or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.” Exodus 22:6

These things represent the labors of the people, both the present labors (the standing) and that which they have already tended to (the shocks). It speaks of the totality of the unsound doctrine of those who opposed Christ through self-works.

To get a sense of this, the word gadiysh is used only four times in Scripture. The first three refer to shocks of grain, but the last use refers to a tomb, because a tomb is something heaped up like shocks of grain –

For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom;
They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
³¹ Who condemns his way to his face?
And who repays him for what he has done?
³² Yet he shall be brought to the grave,
And a vigil kept over the tomb [gadiysh]. Job 21:30-32

The labors of the Weakeners are burned up through the work of Christ. Like the tomb of a person being a witness to his life, the works of the Weakeners stood as a witness to their works.

The last thing noted, the “vineyard olive,” was the unusual term which seemed incorrect. An olive grove and a vineyard are not the same thing. However, typology is being conveyed.

The vineyard represents the cultural side of the people, the traditions of the elders, etc., that Jesus spoke against. The olive refers to their religious privilege, which – without Christ – is no privilege at all. It is all burned up through the ministry of Christ.

Verse 6 then brought in the questioning of the Philistines concerning who was responsible for burning up their works. The answer was that “Samson, affinity the Timnite, for took his wife and gives her to his companion.”

Think of Jesus: Samson (Place of the Sun, referring to the Word of God in Christ), the one tied to apostate Israel through affinity to the Allotted Portion-ite (the promise of Messiah), burnt up the Philistines’ deeds because the father-in-law gave his wife to his companion.

In other words, because of the deeds of the false teachers of Israel, the nation remained bound to the Law of Moses. This is the reason Christ came against their theology. He came to give grace, but Israel kept rejecting Him and His instruction.

Still in verse 6, the Philistines came up and burned Samson’s wife and her father with fire because of what Samson did. The Weakeners of Israel stood against Jesus and robbed Israel of any chance of being saved at that time.

It is clear, based on the words of Scripture, that there is a future for Israel the nation, but there has to be a way of showing that Israel, at Jesus’ time, was led astray and kept from Christ. This is symbolized by the act of burning the wife.

However, verse 7 then emphatically said, “And says to them, Samson, if (surely) doing according to this, when if I revenge in you, and after, I cease.” The difficult words were explained thus –

“And says to them, Samson:
Based on: if (surely) doing according to this
Therefore: when if I revenge in you,
Result: and after, I cease.”

Jesus came to accomplish His mission by uniting with Israel. The false teachers and false doctrine prevented that through their teachings, and therefore, He would carry out His planned program to act against them anyway, thus completing His mission.

One can sense this in Luke 9:51, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” It is what is anticipated in the words of verse 8, “And strikes them leg upon thigh, slaughter whopping.”

Jesus, in His ministry, did a mighty work against the false teachings and false teachers of Israel, even if they prevented the nation from entering its rest. He continued until His mission was fully complete.

Still in verse 8 it said that Samson went down and dwelt in the cleft of Crag Etam. The name means the cleft of the Lofty Place of Ravenous Birds. That has to be understood from the words of our Text Verse today. The name is derived from ayit, a bird of prey. That verse from Isaiah was a prophecy of Cyrus who would release the captives of Israel, returning them to their land.

However, even into antiquity, the words were known to anticipate the work of the Messiah. The larger context says –

“Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it.
¹² ‘Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted,
Who are far from righteousness:
¹³ I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off;
My salvation shall not linger.
And I will place salvation in Zion,
For Israel My glory.’” Isaiah 46:9-13

As such, the cleft of the Crag of Etam anticipates the lofty counsels of God where Samson, the Word of God in Christ, dwells.

Next, in verse 9, it noted that the Philistines ascended, encamped in Judah, and dispersed in Lehi. Lehi means Jawbone. However, as Abarim noted, it cannot go unnoticed that someone who knows Hebrew and who looks at the name will see the words To Life (To as in Toward).

The Weakeners, the false teachers and their teachings, came against Judah, dispersing in To Life. When Judah asked why the Philistines had come against them, they said it was to bind Samson.

Think of the false teachers, the Judaizers, in Galatia! They wanted to bind the Word of God in Christ and teach law observance. It is the entire point of calling the council at Jerusalem in Acts 15.

Both during the time of Jesus’ ministry and afterward, even to this day, the same Weakeners infect and attempt to destroy the world of proper Christ-centered doctrine.

From there, in verse 11, three thousand men of Judah went to the cleft of the rock of Etam, the “lofty counsels of God,” to get Samson. When they came to him, they noted that the Philistines ruled over them. The Weakeners, those who teach law observance, are still pointing Israel to this false doctrine today.

His response was, “According to which done to me, thus done to them.” The false teachers work against the Word of God in Christ, stealing away the bride and burning her family. Therefore, the Word of God in Christ responds with a great slaughter against them. One can see the spiritual war raging in the world in these verses.

Next (verse 12), the men of Judah came down to arrest Samson and deliver him into the hand of the Philistines. Judah, for two thousand years, has been in this position. They have handed the Word concerning Christ over to the false teachers, but they have not killed Him off completely. That is seen in the exchange –

“Then Samson said to them, ‘Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.’
¹³ So they spoke to him, saying, ‘No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you.’”

In the continuation of verse 13, it said, “And binds him in two ropes, new. And ascends him from the crag.” The word ropes, as explained, signifies something intwined like a string, a wreath, a chain, etc. That comes from avath, to wind or weave. It is used just once, in a figurative sense –

“That they may successfully do evil with both hands—
The prince asks for gifts,
The judge seeks a bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire;
So they scheme [avath] together.” Micah 7:3

The two cords represent the false teachings Judah accepted concerning the coming Messiah, meaning the verbal and written commandments that had arisen among the Jews in contradistinction to the word of God.

Such things were prophesied in Isaiah 29:13 and then referred to by Jesus in Matthew 15:8, 9. The word concerning Christ was bound. However, as twice before in the Samson narrative, it next said, “And surges, upon him, Spirit Yehovah.”

The Spirit of God is in the Word of God in Christ. When it is properly presented, it will prevail. Thus, it next said, “And becomes, the ropes, which upon his arms, according to the flax which burned in the fire. And melts, his bonds, from upon his hands.”

The effective reach of Christ to accomplish salvation (the arms), and the power and authority of Christ to effect that salvation (the hands), are completely loosed in rightly applying the Word of God.

When they are properly presented, they are wholly capable of defeating the enemy. As such, “And finds, jawbone donkey, fresh. And sends his hand. And takes her. And strikes, in her, thousand man.” Or stated typologically, “And finds, To Life Red One, Fresh.”

In the properly handled word concerning Christ, the Man (Red One) who gives Life (Jawbone) is revealed. This word is fully capable of destroying the false teachings of the false teachers. His victory over them as recorded in verse 16, says –

“And says, Place of Sun (the Word of God in Christ):
‘In To Life the Red One
Red One two Red Ones.
In To Life, the Red One,
Struck thousand man.’”

Through the Word of God in Christ (the incarnate Man) the doctrines of the false teachers are completely obliterated. Hooray for Jesus!

After that, it then said (verse 17), “And is, when he finished to speak, and casts the jawbone from his hand. And calls to place, it, Ramath Lehi.’” In prevailing over the enemy, the To Life has served its purpose and never again needs to be wielded. But in memory of the event, the place is called Exalted To Life! It is an eternal memorial to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Again, hooray for Jesus!

With this accomplished, it noted Samson’s great thirst and his appeal to the Lord. He had gained the victory, but now would he fall into the hands of the foreskinned? Was Christ’s victory just a one-time salvation that had no lasting effects? No! The response is, “And cleaves, God, the hollow which in the Jawbone. And comes, from it, water.”

Not only did Christ prevail in His atonement for sin, but that caused God to send the Spirit for believers as well. This is why the narrative started with “in the time of the wheat harvest.” The thus narrative anticipates that time which begins around Pentecost, the time when the Spirit was first given in Acts 2.

God cleaved the mortar, a spot where grain could be ground to make bread. In cleaving it, water issued forth. It again speaks of the Word of God of Christ. Christ’s atonement was sufficient, He was raised to life, His spirit revived, and because of Him, the Spirit henceforth issues to those who believe, apart from works of the law.

One can see the symbolism of Christ, the Bread of Life, who was metaphorically crushed in the mortar. He then revived as the Spirit issued forth. That is seen in the words, “Upon thus, calls her name, ‘Fountain, the Caller,’ which in the To Life until the day, the this.”

The Fountain remains, issuing forth from the Fountain of the Caller, the Word of God in Christ –

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38

Verse 20 ended with, “And judges, Israel, in days Philistines, twenty year.” Twenty is the number of Expectancy. It said in Judges 13 that Samson would begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. That will continue even until the time of David.

Samson is being used to show the process of Israel’s salvation from the Weakeners, though not the entire panorama of it. There is the expectancy of that in each part of the Samson narrative. This will be seen again at the end of Chapter 16.

The main lesson, once again, is that of law versus grace. The Philistines are the Weakeners, those who work against the message of salvation through the deeds of Christ alone. Instead, they teach personal merit through deeds. This is wholly contradictory to what God in Christ has done.

A choice is set before us, and it cannot be ignored. We must give up on self and trust solely in the merits of Jesus Christ, believing the gospel and accepting that it is sufficient for our salvation and its continued effects, right up until the day God calls us home.

Let us have this mind and glorify God for what He has done through Jesus. And it is the Word of God in Christ, represented by Samson, the Place of the Sun, that will lead us to understand these things. Pick up the Bible, and there you will find the Word. And in Him, you will find contentment and rest.

Closing Verse: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 4:6, 7

Next Week: Judges 16:1-9 This guy is number one. What a story to tell – like a slice of heaven.. (Samson, Judge of Israel, Part VII) (45^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Samson, Judge of Israel, Part VI

Then Samson said: “With the jawbone of a donkey
Heaps upon heaps of them
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men!”

And so it was, when he had finished speaking, by and by
That he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place
———-Ramath Lehi

Then he became very thirsty
So he cried out to the LORD and said
“You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant
And now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the
———-uncircumcised and wind up dead?

So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi
And water came out, and he drank away
And his spirit returned, and he revived
Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi
———-to this day

And he judged Israel years twenty
In the days of the Philistines, with enemies aplenty

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¹⁶ Then Samson said:

“With the jawbone of a donkey,
Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men!”

¹⁷ And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi.

¹⁸ Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the Lord and said, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?” ¹⁹ So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. ²⁰ And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

 

 

 

 

Way cool. Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 15:1-15
Samson, Judge of Israel, Part V

(Typed 22 April 2024) The war between Israel and Iran is more or less a tit-for-tat type of thing at this point, but it is Iran who has been the aggressor from the beginning.

The two countries used to be close allies until the Shia Muslims took power. In fact, Iran was the second Muslim country after Turkey to recognize Israel as a sovereign state. In 1953, a coup d’état reinstalled Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the Shah, and things got even better. However, once Khomeini took over, things between the two countries immediately devolved.

In recent times, Iran’s general, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, under the authority of the Iranian government, orchestrated an attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. He was identified and eliminated by Israel on 1 April 2024. Israel flattened a building in the Iran embassy compound in Syria, and he got flattened (flattened like a pancake!), along with it.

From there, Iran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles. It was a resounding failure. There was a 99% success rate in Israel’s defenses, and the only injury incurred was a seven-year-old Bedouin girl. She was severely injured.

Text Verse: “Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
⁸ Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah” Psalm 3:7, 8

In response to Iran’s egregious but failed attack against Israel, Israel fired three missiles in a limited strike on Iran. The strike was directed at a defense radar site at an air base and nuclear site near Isfahan. The missiles were fired from Israeli fighters outside of Iran.

The strike was brilliant. It sent a signal to Iran that Israel has the capability to do much greater damage and with impunity, but their restraint was intended to not escalate the situation any further.

In today’s passage, we’ll see Samson act with restraint in repaying the Philistines as well. He will attack and then cease. However, the Philistines, like the Iranians, will never be satisfied by such things. When the Lord goes for the victory, He goes all the way. Samson just needed the prodding to take it there. No point in trying to reason with the devil.

Such great things as this are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. And After, I Cease (verses 1-8)

After a while, in the time of wheat harvest,

vayhi miyamim bime qetsir khitim – “And is, from days, in days harvest wheat.” The wheat harvest begins around the time of Pentecost, in the May-June timeframe. Wheat is considered the finest of the grains in the Bible. Jesus used wheat to represent Himself in John 12:24, where He metaphorically says, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

If the conjecture made concerning the timing in Judges 14:14 is correct, meaning that Samson’s riddle was posed during the main honey-producing season and was based on the sun appearing in Leo between August and September, then it has been about six months or more since the wedding feast. Regardless, around the time of the wheat harvest in the late spring…

^{1 (con’t)} it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat.

vayiphqod Shimshon eth ishto bigdi izim – “And visits, Samson, his wife, in kid goats.” It is the same thing Judah offered to his daughter-in-law Tamar in Genesis 38:17, and which was presented to the Lord by Gideon in Judges 6 and Manoah in Judges 13.

The animal is described as a gedi, a kid. That comes from an unused root signifying to cut off. In the times it has been used in Scripture to this point, one can get the sense of finality or a matter being decided (cut off). The goat is what finishes the matter between the two concerning the agreement.

The next word, izim, signifies goats. It is derived from the verb azaz, to be strong, to prevail, etc. It is the term used for the sin offering, including that mandated on the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:5.

^{1 (con’t)} And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room.”

The words include a cohortative: vayomer avoah el ishti hekhadrah – “and says, ‘I will go in unto my wife, the her chamber.’” It is similar to an imperative, “I am over my anger, and it is time for me to enter into the chamber of my wife.” This isn’t a request so much as it is a statement of intent. He had married her, and despite the grief she had given him, he fully intended to unite with her at this time of the wheat harvest. However…

^{1 (con’t)} But her father would not permit him to go in.

v’lo nathono aviha la’vo – “And no gave him, her father, to go in.” It is his house, and she is living with him. As such, he has control over her. Samson assumed that he would be allowed to go in, but that is no longer an option…

² Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly hated her;

The words contain a discussion the father had in his own mind that resulted in an emphatic conclusion: vayomer aviha amor amarti ki sano s’netah – “And says, her father, ‘Saying, I said, for hating, you hated her.’” Samson was miffed with the girl and with the companions of the wedding. He had been gone for an indeterminate amount of time, but long enough to note that it was during the wheat harvest, implying that the previous events were not during the time of the wheat harvest.

All in all, the father’s conclusion was that Samson wouldn’t be back, and the girl was again available to marry off…

^{2 (con’t)} therefore I gave her to your companion.

va’etnenah l’mereekha – “And I gave her to your companion.” He uses the word merea, the same word from Judges 14:20, where it said, “And is, wife Samson, to his companion who tended to him.” It is derived from ra’ah which signifies to tend a flock. When Samson didn’t return, the father reasoned it was best to allow one of those companions who tended to him to take over as her husband. As a consolation prize, the father says…

^{2 (con’t)} Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.”

The words contain a jussive: halo akhothah haqtanah tovah mimenah t’hi na lekha takhteha – “Not her sister, the younger, good from her? Is, I pray, to you under her.’” The moment is probably quite embarrassing, and maybe even fearful, to the father. And so, he offers his younger daughter instead, practically insisting through the use of the jussive – “Check this one out! This is the girl for you. I insist you have her instead.”

However, God determined to respond to the cries of Israel for relief. Therefore, he had selected the impulsive Samson to begin to deliver them. As such…

³ And Samson said to them,

vayomer lahem Shimshon – “And says, to them, Samson.” The question is, “Who is ‘them’?” It is perhaps the people of Samson’s town in general or his family in particular. It may be that his previous actions were looked down on. Samson could have caused trouble for himself and his people by what he did, which they thought was unjustifiable. However…

^{3 (con’t)} “This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!”

niqethi ha’paam miplishtim ki oseh ani imam raah – “I clean, the beat, from Philistines, for doing I with them evil.” Samson is saying that he will be free from guilt (clean) when he does evil to the Philistines. The word ha’paam, the beat, is being compared to what he did previously.

In Judges 14, instead of taking out anger on her for the indiscretion of telling his riddle to the Philistines, Samson took it out on her people in general, those who weakened her resolve and forced her into the difficult position of choosing against him.

He went down to Ashkelon and killed the men there to get the garments he had promised. The people in Ashkelon were disinterested parties who got caught up in the deceit of their people against Samson.

However, Samson now sees that the culture of the Philistines is simply corrupt. He will have no compunction about bringing disaster on them. As he did before, he will direct his attention on the Philistines in general, instead of toward the girl and her family only…

⁴ Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes;

vayelekh Shimshon vayilkod s’losh meoth shualim – “And walks, Samson, and catches three hundred foxes.” The narrative introduces the means of Samson’s retribution first by noting the instruments he will use: three hundred foxes.

Three hundred was the number of men whom Gideon employed against Midian. It is a multiple of three and ten. Three signifies Divine Perfection. Expanding on that, Bullinger says –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid.”

Of the number ten, Bullinger says –

“Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

The shual, or fox, is introduced into the Bible here. The word comes from shoal, hollow hand, or handful, and the meaning extends to this.  The connection is that foxes dig out a hollow to live in. In the gospels, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). In Luke, it says –

“On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, ‘Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.’
³² And He said to them, ‘Go, tell that fox, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.”’ ³³ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” Luke 13:31-33

The significance of a fox is that of a hole digger, and thus, one who is there to trip others up. Along with catching foxes…

^{4 (con’t)} and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails.

vayiqakh lapidim vayephen zanav el zanav vayasem lapid ekhad ben sh’neh haznavoth vatavekh – “And takes torches. And turns tail unto tail. And places torch one between two the tails in the midst.” Some translations say jackals instead of foxes. Either way, it is an animal that could be found and caught.

Some think it is impossible that he could have caught three hundred foxes, but that is because we are reading an account with mere sentences to describe the events. For all we know, he caught them over a period of time and employed help in the process. Nothing is said of him performing all the coming actions at the same time.

Scripture shows that the fox was quite common. Cities are named after it. The animal is named in Judges, Nehemiah, the Psalms, the Song of Solomon, Ezekiel, and in the New Testament. This shows that foxes were something common and that they continued throughout Israel’s history.

The lapid, or torch, comes from an unused root, probably meaning to shine. In this case, it is a torch that would not be easily extinguished and which would increase in brightness and intensity when waved to and fro.

Turning the foxes tail to tail implies that they are tied that way with the torch between them. As for the word zanav, or tail, it is used in Isaiah 9:15 to refer to one who teaches falsehood. It is derived from the verb zinev, to cut off, such as to attack the rear of a group of people.

Samson got the foxes, tied a cord to the tails of each pair of them with a torch trailing behind them. He lit the torch and let them go. In doing this, they would run to get away from him, but each would go off in its own direction. As the foxes pulled against one another with the torch flailing between them, they would set on fire whatever they passed by in a zigzagging, confused manner.

A single fox would run straight and cause a single line of burning, but with two tied in this manner, a large conflagration would result. This is seen next…

⁵ When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

vayaver esh balapidim vay’shalakh b’qamoth plishtim vayaver migadish v’ad qamah v’ad kerem zayith – “And burns fire in the torches, and sends in standings Philistines, and burns from shocks, and until standing, and until vineyard olive.”

Gideon had an army of three hundred men carrying torches that he sent out against the Midianites. Samson, likewise, has an army of three hundred. However, he directs his attention against the Philistines, burning their labor, sustenance, and profit away.

Samson targeted the qamah, or standing grain. That comes from qum, to arise or stand. This would be highly flammable and would burn very quickly. The fire would be so intense that it would spread to the gadiysh, shocks.

It is from an unused root, signifying to heap up. Thus, it is the piles of grain that are already cut and set aside. The stalks would be cut, gathered into bundles, and stood up with the butt end down. Eventually, they are taken to the threshing floor for processing.

The fire is also said to have spread to the kerem zayith, literally, vineyard olive. The words seem to make no sense. Ellicott says, “Literally, and to vineyard, to olive.” That is not what it says. Cambridge says, “lit. vineyard of oliveyard, which cannot be right; read vineyard and oliveyard.” No, we don’t change the word of God based on suppositions!

Such arbitrary changes suppose that the word is corrupt and that the people who maintain it are incompetent doofs. Rather, it is vineyard olive. It is true that vineyards are normally thought to be of grapes, but here it is applied to olives. Vineyards represent the cultural side of humanity. There are various vineyards that represent various cultures. The olive is a symbol of religious privilege.

Samson’s actions were probably done at night when there would be no one around to save the fields. It would have been done in many locations as well. Because of this, it was evident that it was sabotage…

⁶ Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?”
And they answered, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite,

vayomru plishtim mi asah zoth vayomru Shimshon khathan hatimni – “And say, Philistines, ‘Who done this?’ And say, ‘Samson, affinity the Timnite.’” The word is khathan, a relative by marriage, and thus an affinity. They acknowledge the relationship as valid between him and his father-in-law, meaning Samson was considered the woman’s husband. He has done this…

^{6 (con’t)} because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.”

ki laqakh eth ishto vayitnah l’mereehu – “for took his wife and gives her to his companion.” It is debated if what the Philistines will do is punish Samson or appease him. If they punish him, it is because she is his wife. If they appease him so that he will stop harming them, it is because of the act of adultery that occurred because her father gave her away.

Either way, Samson’s reaction will show that he found their actions were wholly inappropriate. As for what they did…

^{6 (con’t)} So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

vayaalu plishtim vayisr’phu othah v’eth aviha ba’esh – “And ascend, Philistines, and burn her and her father in the fire.” Some scholars say that this was because of the act of adultery, and that precedent for this is found in Genesis 38:24 and Leviticus 20:14 & 21:9. However, this dismisses the words of Judges 14:15 –

“But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?”

This was something the Philistines had promised to do in the past. Thus, there is no reason to assume they were doing this because of adultery. It is just what they did because of the loss they suffered. They were brutal people carrying out their brutal designs.

The notably ironic point is that the very thing the girl hoped to avoid by acting treacherously toward Samson is ultimately what happened to her and her father. It is something that would later happen to Israel –

“Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.’” John 11:47, 48

What Israel tried to avoid by coming against their Messiah is exactly what came upon them. As for what the Philistines did…

⁷ Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.”

The words are rather difficult. Despite this, there is a strong emphasis in them: vayomer lahem Shimshon im taasun kazoth ki im niqamti bakhem v’akhar ekhdal – “And says to them, Samson, ‘If (surely) doing according to this, when if I revenge in you, and after, I cease.”

Various suggestions are given as to his intent, but the repetition of the word if is purposeful. Also, depending on the context, the word ki can mean for, when, or that, etc. It indicates a causal relationship. It appears that he is giving a limited response to their atrocity, upon which he will be satisfied as long as that ends the matter –

“And says to them, Samson:
Based on: ‘If (surely) doing according to this
Therefore: when if I revenge in you,
Result: and after, I cease.”

The Philistines did something atrocious. Samson will respond accordingly, but once he has done so, he will go no further. It is not unlike Israel’s response to Iran’s huge aerial assault against them. It would be unthinkable that they would not respond, but it would be harmful if they did so in an overwhelming manner.

Thus, they masterfully handled their actions, demonstrating their ability to attack Iran with impunity and yet doing so with restraint, giving Iran the chance to save face while also cowering in disgrace. In Samson’s case…

⁸ So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter;

vayakh otham shoq al yarekh makah g’dolah – “And strikes them leg upon thigh, slaughter whopping.” There are numerous suggestions as to what this means. However, it is certainly a proverbial saying. It is not unlike what Jacob said to the Lord –

“Deliver me, I pray from hand my brother Esau. For fear I, him, lest comes and struck me, mother upon sons” Genesis 32:11 (CG).

Thus, it would mean “completely,” as in the bodies of the mothers lying dead upon the sons. This seems likely because the same expression is used in Hosea 10:14, where it says, “mother upon sons, dashed” (CG).

If this is so, then it signifies bodies of men lying scattered so abundantly that their appendages lay upon one another. Whether this or something else, the words leg upon thigh are given to accentuate the words “slaughter whopping.”

^{8 (con’t)} then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

vayered vayeshev bisiph sela etam – “And descends, and sits in cleft, Crag Etam.” It does not say where Samson descended from, so it is likely it indicates his home at Mahaneh Dan. Wherever it is, he descended and sat, meaning dwelling, in cleft, Crag Etam.

The word saiph is introduced here. It comes from saaph, a lopped off bough. The root of that means to divide up. As such, this is a division in a sela, or craggy rock. That word comes from a root signifying to be lofty. There is a crag with a fissure in it where Samson dwelt known as Etam.

The name has various interpretations. The NASB thinks its root is iyt, to fly as if swooping down upon. Strong’s indirectly identifies it coming from ayit – bird of prey (which is from iyt). As such it is Place of Ravenous Birds (McClintock), Place of Ravenous Creatures (Jones), or Wild Beasts Lair (Young’s).

It is possible that this isn’t speaking of a place where wild beasts dwelt but that it is named after Samson because he dwelt there. He was the slayer of the lion and the one who caught and sent forth the foxes against the enemy. He is being equated to his prey.

Or it could be that this was a place where others wouldn’t dare to dwell because of such beasts, but Samson willingly stayed there because he knew he was greater than them and could easily defeat them.

Foxes and torches and three hundred tails
And up goes the standing grain
The shocks burned up like billowing sails
Taking away the enemy’s financial gain

And there go the shocks, up to the sky
And the olive vineyard, it went too
As for the Philistines, they just stand and cry
And bid their toil and efforts “Adieu.”

Just recompense for the thing they did
When they interfered in Samson’s life
Burning up a man along with his kid
And – oh my! – she happened to be Samson’s wife

II. A Fresh Jawbone (verses 9-15)

⁹ Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi.

vayaalu plishtim vayakhanu bihudah vayinatsu ba’lekhi – “And ascend, Philistines, and encamp in Judah, and disperse in the Jawbone.” The word natash comes from a root signifying to pound. When you pound something, it spreads out. As such, one can think of an army spreading out in an area as it deploys its men, tents, etc. The Philistines came up from their area to the higher land in Judah and there deployed “in the Lehi.”

Lehi is the same as the Hebrew lekhi, the jaw or cheek, which was used in our text verse today. By extension, it means Jawbone. It is either a place that resembles a jawbone or the narrative is anticipating the events ahead where Samson will use a jawbone to wipe out the foe. Based on verse 17, I would go with the latter, but that is not definitive.

Judah means Praise. Of Lehi, Abarim has more to say –

“The noun לחי (lehi) means jawbone or cheek. It’s not clear where this noun comes from, and creative observers might be forgiven to see a resemblance with the particle ל (le), meaning for, and the noun חי (hay) meaning life. The jaw allows food to be chewed, and it’s essential in speaking. And when one dominates the jaw of an animal (or human, for that matter), one dominates the whole animal.” Abarim

More than “for,” the ל signifies “to” or “toward.” It signifies motion toward an object, purpose, goal, etc. As such, Lehi means Cheek or Jawbone, but with a qualifier that the name can be extended to mean To Life.

¹⁰ And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?”

vayomru ish Yehudah lamah alithem alenu – “And says, man Judah, ‘Why ascended upon us?’” Samson was from Dan, not Judah. They were unaware of anything they had done to offend the Philistines, so their question is perfectly natural.

^{10 (con’t)} So they answered, “We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done to us.”

vayomru leesor eth shimshon alinu laasoth lo kaasher asah lanu – “And say, ‘To bind Samson, ascended. To doing to him according to which done to us.’” Their target is solely Samson. The battle array meant that further trouble would ensue, however, if he was not delivered to them.

Judah has failed to recognize Samson as their savior, raised up by the Lord to deliver them. Because of their peevish attitude, little choice is left concerning the matter…

¹¹ Then three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam,

vayirdu sh’loshet alaphim ish mihudah el s’iph sela etam – “And descended three thousands men from Judah unto cleft, Crag Etam.” The large number sent against one man clearly indicates they knew what Samson was capable of. It should have been an obvious clue that he was capable of more, if they would just accept his leadership. Instead, they reject the obvious.

The number 3000 is simply a multiple of 300 and 10, both of which have been explained.

^{11 (con’t)} and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?”

vayomru l’shimshon halo yadata ki moshlim banu plishtim umah zoth asitha lanu – “And say, to Samson, ‘Not you know for ruling in us Philistines? And what this you done to us?’” Having completely rejected any notion of freedom from the Philistines, even with a champion like Samson, they admit their subjugation and the consequences they were sure to face if they didn’t get rid of him. Samson, however, explains his position…

^{11 (con’t)} And he said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”

vayomer lahem kaasher asu li ken asiti lahem – “And says, to them, ‘According to which done to me, thus done to them.’” Samson treated their conduct like the retribution of the lex talionis – kind for kind. The Philistines harmed him, and he returned punishment accordingly without being overly vengeful against them.

¹² But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.”

vayomru lo leesarkha yaradnu l’titkha b’yad plishtim – “And say, to him, ‘To bind you we descended, to give you in hand Philistines.’” Said the three thousand to the one! The Lord, through Gideon and his three hundred, defeated Midian. It shows how faithless these men of Judah were. They were gathered together to deliver their savior to the Philistines instead of rallying behind him. However, he graciously allows himself to be so treated…

^{12 (con’t)} Then Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”

There is a strong emphasis: vayomer lahem Shimshon hishavru li pen tiphgun bi atem – “And say to them, Samson, ‘Swear to me, lest (surely) impinging in me, you.’” He does not use the word harag, kill, but rather phaga. It comes from a primitive root signifying to impinge. It is where there is an interaction between the two. In this case, he says tiphgun bi, (surely) impinging in me.

He doesn’t want conflict with them, so he is willing to yield himself to them if they do not forcefully interact with him…

¹³ So they spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you.”

Their words are emphatic: vayomru lo lemor lo ki asor neesar’kha u-n’thanukha b’yadam v’hameth lo n’mithekha – “And says, to him, saying, ‘No, for binding we will bind you, and give you in their hand, and killing no we kill you.’” They are more interested in handing him over than attempting to do their own dirty work, which would inevitably mean plenty of trouble for them.

And so, with a sure word, they let him know that they have no intention of harming him at all. Instead…

^{13 (con’t)} And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

vayaasruhu bishnayim avotim khadashim vayaaluhu min ha’sala – “And bind him in two ropes, new. And ascend him from the crag.” The word translated as rope is avoth. It signifies something intwined like a string, a wreath, a chain, etc. That comes from avath, to wind or weave. It is used just once, in a figurative sense –

“That they may successfully do evil with both hands—
The prince asks for gifts,
The judge seeks a bribe,
And the great man utters his evil desire;
So they scheme [avath] together.” Micah 7:3

In Micah, there is an entangling or conspiring of the people that is not at all unlike the way Samson is bound by those of Judah.

As for the number two, it is the number of division or difference. The two will contrast, and yet they will confirm the whole. As for Samson, once he was so betrayed, they ascend him back to Lehi…

¹⁴ When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him.

The word “when” obliterates the intent: hu va ad lekhi u-plishtim heriu liqratov – “He coming until Lehi. And Philistines shouted to meet him.” Almost always, a sentence like this begins with “And…” Here, it simply describes him nonchalantly being conducted along by Judah. There is no resistance and no impulse upon him.

However, once the Philistines saw him coming, they either stood and gave a resounding shout of victory which rushed to meet him, or they shouted as they surged forward to meet him. Either way, it was one army against one man who has ambled into their presence. Samson came supposedly defeated. Only then does the Lord intervene…

^{14 (con’t)} Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him;

vatitslakh alav Ruakh Yehovah – “And surges, upon him, Spirit Yehovah.” It is letter for letter the same as Judges 14:6 and 14:19. The lion came roaring against Samson, and a surge of the Spirit was the result. The Philistines had plowed with his heifer, and again it happened. Now, at the victory shouts of the Philistines, it happens a third time…

^{14 (con’t)} and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.

The words are poetic in nature: vatihyenah ha’avotim asher al zerootav kapishtim asher baaru baesh vayimasu esurav me’al yadav – “And becomes, the ropes, which upon his arms, according to the flax which burned in the fire. And melts, his bonds, from upon his hands.” It interestingly notes ropes upon both the arm and bands upon the hand. That is probably why two new ropes were mentioned.

The zeroa, or arm, comes from the word zara, meaning “to sow” or “scatter seed.” The arm thus speaks of power and exertion, but also effectual reach to accomplish. When a man desires to show his strength or to defeat an enemy, he will stretch his arms out. In this one stance, he will both defend some and work against others.

The hand signifies power and/or authority. Samson was bound in order to withhold these attributes from him. However, with the cheer of the enemy at their supposed victory, the ropes on his arms became like burned flax and fell from him.

There is also a new word, esur. It signifies a band or bond. Whether the bands on his hands were also rope or something else, they simply melted off of him from the surge of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁵ He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.

vayimtsa lekhi khamor t’riyah vayishlakh yado vayiqaheha vayak bah eleph ish – “And finds, jawbone donkey, fresh. And sends his hand. And takes her. And strikes, in her, thousand man.” In his state, any weapon will do. The first thing at hand would suffice, and it happens to be a fresh jawbone of a donkey.

It is a new word, tari, coming from an unused root meaning to be moist. As such, it signifies dripping and, therefore, fresh. It would not be brittle and could endure a sustained battle, even to striking a thousand of the foes. Using the hand to wield it signifies he is using his position and authority.

It is with this fresh donkey’s jaw that Samson was able to strike a thousand Philistines. The number is simply a derivative of ten, and it bears the significance of that number.

This is where we will stop for now. There are just five more verses in this detail-filled chapter. If the patterns of the past continue, we can – and certainly should – expect what is being said is to tell us about Jesus or some other part of His redemptive plans.

This is key in understanding the otherwise obscure, quaint, or even seemingly purposeless detail contained in so many stories of the Bible. When we can’t seem to figure out what God is telling us, we need to just step back and ask ourselves, “How does this point to Jesus?”

Read things over again this week, look at the verses ahead, and see if you can figure out what is going on. I will do the same in anticipation of my sermon typing day. May the Lord bless the effort with exciting details.

For now, get right with Jesus! This is what God is telling us to do time and again in His word. Keep away from law observance, rest in Christ, and trust that God’s grace alone will bring you back to Himself. May the grace of God in Christ Jesus fill you and continue to do so until we meet here again.

Closing Verse: “I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks [lekhi] to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 50:6

Next Week: Judges 15:16-20 Isn’t it fun! What a story to tell when you need a Scripture fix… (Samson, Judge of Israel, Part VI) (44^th Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Samson, Judge of Israel, Part V

After a while, in the time of wheat harvest
It happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat
And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room
But her father would not permit him to go in, he got the No vote

Her father said, “I really thought
That you thoroughly hated her, and that you didn’t want to wed
Therefore I gave her to your companion
Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead

And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be blameless
———-without haw or hem
Regarding the Philistines if I harm them

Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes
And he took torches (here come the details)
Turned the foxes tail to tail
And put a torch between each pair of tails

When he had set the torches on fire
He let the foxes go into the Philistines’ standing grain
And burned up both the shocks and the standing grain
As well as the vineyards and olive groves and all they did contain

Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?”
And they answered, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite
———-was the fire applier
Because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion
So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire

Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this
I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease
So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter
Then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam
———-looking for some peace

Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah by and by
And deployed themselves against Lehi

And the men of Judah said
“Why have you come up against us? What is this fuss?
So they answered, “We have come up to arrest Samson
To do to him as he has done to us

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 rule
———-over us? Us you will condemn!
What is this you have done to us?”
And he said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them

But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you
That we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.”
Then Samson said to them
“Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves by any means

So they spoke to him, saying
“No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand
But we will surely not kill you
And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up
———-from the rock, just as they planned

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him
Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him
And the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is
———-burned with fire
And his bonds broke loose from his hands. For the Philistines
———-things were lookin’ grim

He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, cool we must admit
Reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room.” But her father would not permit him to go in.

² Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.”

³ And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!” ⁴ Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. ⁵ When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

⁶ Then the Philistines said, “Who has done this?”

And they answered, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.” So the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire.

⁷ Samson said to them, “Since you would do a thing like this, I will surely take revenge on you, and after that I will cease.” ⁸ So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

⁹ Now the Philistines went up, encamped in Judah, and deployed themselves against Lehi. ¹⁰ And the men of Judah said, “Why have you come up against us?”

So they answered, “We have come up to arrest Samson, to do to him as he has done 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 rule over us? What is this you have done to us?”

And he said to them, “As they did to me, so I have done to them.”

¹² But they said to him, “We have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.”

Then Samson said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.”

¹³ So they spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand; but we will surely not kill you.” And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock.

¹⁴ When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. ¹⁵ He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.

 

 

 

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 14:15-20
Samson, Judge of Israel, Part IV

(Typed 15 April 2024) Judges 14 is a thrilling chapter, even without understanding any of the typology. The verses are exciting and filled with action and intrigue. It was also a difficult chapter for me to evaluate and consider.

There are unusual words, difficulties in the sequence of events, and complicated concepts to be carefully contemplated and then communicated. But even the surface text can leave a person scratching his head. What is Samson doing with a Philistine girl in the first place?

He was selected as a Nazirite, and choosing a Philistine wife would be unexpected. This is evidenced by his parent’s reaction to his decision. You would think he would know that such a union would only bring grief. And then, without even knowing her intimately, he went and spilled the beans concerning his riddle.

It’s hard to figure what would prompt him to blab out the answer. Maybe if he had the words of Micah, which were penned much later, things would have been different…

Text Verse: “Do not trust in a friend;
Do not put your confidence in a companion;
Guard the doors of your mouth
From her who lies in your bosom.” Micah 7:5

There is a time for speaking and a time for keeping our mouths closed. Samson obviously hadn’t learned that and it caused him a lot of extra work to reconcile the promise he made. Maybe it was youthful immaturity.

Despite this, the Lord used him to work against the Philistines, and he also used the story of Samson’s life to anticipate events in redemptive history. God has a plan. He is slowly and methodically working it out, and we are given snapshots into what He is doing in stories like the life of Samson.

This is the beauty of the word. It is a wonderful source of joy, wisdom, and hope. For those who know Jesus, we can rest in that and know that what the Bible says about the future will come to pass. It is also a book of promised restoration for those who have not yet called out to Him.

We know that God is faithful by seeing how He has treated His own unfaithful people, Israel. What wonderful treasure this word is. Let’s get into it. Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Sweeter Than Honey; Stronger Than a Lion (verses 15-20)

¹⁵ But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife,

vayhi ba’yom hashvii vayomru l’esheth shimshon– “And is, in day the seventh, and says to wife Samson.” The words seem inconsistent with the surrounding narrative. In verse 14, it mentioned that they could not explain the riddle on the third day. In verse 17, it says she wept on him for seven days.

Because of this, some translations change seventh to fourth. Some say this is referring to the seventh day of the week, meaning the Sabbath. However, two different thoughts are being communicated that will align at the appropriate time.

As for the words of this verse, this is the day in which the riddle must be solved. If it is not, each of the thirty men selected to participate in the wedding feast must provide Samson with the promised sets of clothing. Seven is the number of spiritual perfection.

^{15 (con’t)} “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire.

The words contain a jussive: pati eth ishekh v’yaged lanu eth ha’khidah pen nisroph othakh v’eth beith avikh ba’esh – “Allure your husband, and declares to us the riddle. Lest burns you and house your father in the fire.” The jussive commands that he declare the meaning of the riddle through her actions. If she doesn’t, she will pay for it.

As for the word translated as allure, it is pathah. It signifies to be spacious, wide, or open. In this sense, one can see the intent. She is to make herself roomy in a moral sense, opening herself in an attempt to allure him into giving up the riddle’s meaning. A literal translation would be “Open to your husband.”

To fail to obtain the answer will result in her and her father’s house, meaning the whole family, being burned.

^{15 (con’t)} Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?”

The words are complicated: halyarshenu q’rathem lanu halo – “To disinherit us, called us, not?” There is a reflexive stem on the word translated as disinherit that gives the sense of “In order to take our possessions (make us poor), have you not called us?”

The word yaresh means to take possession of, inherit, disinherit, and so forth. It is a word commonly used in the Pentateuch and Joshua to indicate Israel disinheriting the Canaanites in order to inherit their land.

¹⁶ Then Samson’s wife wept on him,

It simply says and, not then: vatevakh esheth Shimshon alav – “And weeps, wife Samson, upon him.” The words here are not chronological. They are based upon the final words of verse 14 –

14: “And no enabled to declare the riddle three days.”
16: “And weeps, wife Samson, upon him.”

Verse 15 provided tension in the story as it continues, leading up to where the two accounts merge. The narrative is providing its own riddle to our minds so that we can join in with the tension that is being expressed.

^{16 (con’t)} and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.”

vatomer raq s’nethani v’lo ahavtani hakhidah hadta livne ami v’li lo higadtah – “And says, ‘Only, hated me and no loved me. The riddle riddled to sons my people, and to me not declared.’” Oh! The poor deprived young lady.

The words explain the details that have come about after the first three days. The Philistines came and threatened her, so now she is making herself roomy, opening herself to him as they commanded in verse 15. One can just see the crocodile tears…

^{16 (con’t)}And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?”

vayomer lah hineh l’avi u-l’imi lo higadti v’lakh agid – “And says to her, ‘Behold, to my father and to my mother not declared. And to you declaring?’” He has a riddle that no one has been able to crack. But more, he has kept its explanation from even his parents whom he has known his entire life. Why, then, would he explain it to her?

¹⁷ Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted.

vatevekh alav shivath ha’yamim asher hayah lahem ha’mishteh – “And weeps upon him seven the days which were to them the banquet.” The words here return the two thoughts into one narrative –

“And is, in day the seventh, and says to wife Samson. ‘Allure your husband, and declares to us the riddle. Lest burns you and house your father in the fire.’”

“And weeps upon him seven the days which were to them the banquet.”

She wept on him from the third day, implying that they had come to her and then told her to find out the meaning of the riddle because they couldn’t figure it out. Saying seven days, however, may mean either that she wanted to know from the first day what the meaning was, which seems completely in line with her character, or it could mean “the rest of the time of the seven days,” not necessarily from the first day.

Either way, her advances, up until the seventh day were ineffective. By the seventh day, the thirty men were so distressed that they went further in their threats to include the lives of her family…

^{17 (con’t)} And is on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people.

vayhi bayom hashvii vayaged lah ki hetsiqathhu vataged ha’khidah livne ammah – “And is in the day seventh, and declares to her for compressed him. And declares the riddle to sons her people.” Here we have a contrasting thought forming a pun. On the seventh day, the Philistines told her to make herself roomy. She did this by compressing him. The word is tsuq, coming from a primitive root meaning to compress.

In making herself roomy, her incessant moaning and pitiful tears pressed on him until he was squished and frustrated. With his defenses completely destroyed, he explained the riddle.

He probably waited long enough that he thought it was safe to tell her the meaning. However, with the answer in her possession, off she went to blabber it to the Philistines. His timing wasn’t good enough…

¹⁸ So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down:

vayomru lo anshe ha’ir bayom ha’sh’vii beterem yavo ha’kharsah – “And says to him, men the city, in the day the seventh in yet goes the sun-ward.” Notice, it curiously says that it is the men of the city, not necessarily the attendants, who respond.

The word translated as sun, kheres, is rare. It is seen only four times in Scripture. It was used in Deuteronomy 28:27 when describing an affliction of the skin. It was seen in Judges 8:13 when describing the sun. It is connected to the word kharsuth, a potsherd. That word is found only in Jeremiah 19:2 when referring to the Potsherd, or Eastern, gate.

The word itself comes from an unused root meaning to scrape. One would use a potsherd to scrape, and a potsherd is often broken in the shape of the sun. Hence, the words are connected in this way.

The new day begins at the setting of the sun. Therefore, because the sun has not yet descended, there is yet time to solve the riddle…

^{18 (con’t)} “What is sweeter than honey?
And what is stronger than a lion?”

mah mathoq midvash u-meh az meari – “What sweeter from honey? And what stronger from lion?” Their response is in the same form as his riddle, being in two lines of three beats each. The word from is used comparatively. They take his riddle and return a response in the form of a question of comparison.

“From the eating came food.
And from strong came sweet.”

“What sweeter from honey?
And what stronger from lion?’

With their words, the riddle is solved, and the onus now falls to Samson to meet his obligation. However, he is displeased with their conduct and tells them as much –

^{18 (con’t)} And he said to them:
“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
You would not have solved my riddle!”

Not to be outdone with word play, Samson’s response is again two lines of three beats each: vayomer lahem lule kharashtem b’eglathi lo metsatem khidati – “And says to them, ‘If not plowed in my heifer, no found my riddle.’” Samson calls her his eglah, or heifer. It is the feminine form of egel, a calf. This is derived from agol, round, probably because the calf is known to leap around in a frisking manner.

A heifer plows where it is directed by her master. However, they had used his heifer to plow in his field, opening up what was concealed. Because of this, it next says…

¹⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily,

vatishlakh alav ruakh Yehovah – “And surges upon him, Spirit Yehovah.” It is letter for letter the same as Judges 14:6 when the lion had come roaring against him, and the Lord’s Spirit surged on him…

^{19 (con’t)} and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle.

vayered ashq’lon vayak mehem sh’loshim ish vayiqakh eth halitsotham vayiten ha’khaliphoth l’magide ha’khidah – “and descends Ashkelon, and strikes from them thirty man, and takes their strippings, and gives the changes to declarings the riddle.”

Rather than kill those who were his attendees, he thought it fair to pay the debt and be done with the matter. However, he was not inclined to pay the debt himself or ask one of his own people to do so. Therefore, he went to one of the five main cities of the Philistines to obtain what he needed.

The name Ashkelon comes from shaqal, to weigh, as in weighing money. The -on (vav-nun) at the end localizes it. Hence, it is Weighing Place or Market. Samson went there to shop, but despite being the Market, he wasn’t there to spend money. Rather, he killed thirty men and took their possessions.

The word is new and rare, khalitsah. It signifies “that which is stripped off.” It will only be seen again in 2 Samuel 2. After killing them, he stripped them, leaving them naked.

Ashkelon was far enough from Timnah for his deed not to be detected right away. What may be is that he went to either a temple for a feast or found another wedding gathering. At such a time, there would be enough men with expensive garments to fill his need. After completing his obligation, it next says…

^{19 (con’t)} So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house.

vayikhar apo vayaal beith avihu – “And burns his nostril, and ascends house his father.” Cambridge says, “The anger ought to precede rather than follow the exploit; but the writer probably did not trouble about logical sequence in his narrative of marvels.”

That is not the intent here. Rather, he was certainly miffed at them plowing with his heifer. Despite that, he was bound to pay his wager in regard to the riddle. It was only after he had met his obligation and presented them with their promised garments that he became truly sore.

He had to go through many hours of walking to Ashkelon, plenty of time and energy in obtaining the garments, a long walk back to Timnah, and then the embarrassment of handing over his efforts to those who should have been handing him thirty sets of garments.

This is what made his nostrils burn with fury. In that unagreeable mood, he turned and ascended back to his parents’ home. With him gone, another great humiliation takes place…

*^{20 (fin)} And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Rather: vathi esheth Shimshon l’mereehu asher reah lo – “And is, wife Samson, to his companion who tended to him.” The word ra’ah is a verb that signifies to tend a flock. As such, this was one who tended to him. This very well may be the best man, or friend of the bridegroom who is noted in John 3:29.

It will be evident in the next chapter that Samson still thought of himself as married to this woman despite departing from her. However, her father thought that Samson had abandoned her, so he passed her on to the next-ranking person in the marriage ceremony. In this instance, therefore, the friend of the bridegroom has become the bridegroom.

Who can defeat us with Christ as our Head?
We have nothing to fear as we continue on
Our sins are forgiven, placed on Him instead
He who knew no sin has taken them; they are long gone

Because of this, we have a new hope in us
The enemy cannot stand against us any longer
We have won the victory because of Jesus
Against Him, no foe can stand because He is stronger

Thank God for His wonderful workings for us
Praises to Him for all that He has done
All has been accomplished through Jesus
All praise and glory to God’s only begotten Son

II. Pictures of Christ

In verse 1, Samson (Place of the Sun) descended Timnah-ward (towards Allotted Portion), where he saw a woman, a daughter of the Philistines (Weakeners).

Timnah speaks of one’s allotted portion because of the work of Christ. As the narrative continuously says Timnah-ward, it is an account that only anticipates an allotted portion.

As seen in Chapter 13, the Philistines anticipate those who weaken others spiritually. The mission of Samson is to destroy those who afflict Israel. Jesus came to defeat those who spiritually afflict the people of God through law observance and works-based salvation.

In verse 2, Samson told his parents that he wanted them to get the woman as a wife for him. They weren’t hip with this (verse 3), asking him to find a wife from his own brethren or his own people instead of from the foreskinned Philistines. The foreskinned Philistines (Weakeners) picture teachers of false doctrines in an unconverted state. As Stephen said to Israel –

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.” Acts 7:51

It is a sentiment proclaimed by Jeremiah in the Old Testament –

“Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.” Jeremiah 4:4

Samson came back and told his parents to get her for “she levelled in my eyes.” This woman is the right one for him, despite her state as a Philistine. Verse 4 explicitly said why she was right, “…for from Yehovah, she.”

A rare feminine noun, ta’anah, was used to say that this was the Lord’s opportunity to move against the Weakeners. The woman is specifically picturing the apostasia, the state of apostasy of Israel, also a feminine noun. This is explicitly stated by Jeremiah in the Greek translation –

“Thine apostasy [apostasia] shall correct thee, and thy wickedness shall reprove thee: know then, and see, that thy forsaking me bitter to thee, saith the Lord thy God; and I have taken no pleasure in thee, saith the Lord thy God.” Jeremiah 2:19 (LXX)

The Lord will work through Israel’s apostate state to destroy the Weakeners and return Israel to Himself. This is speaking of the time after Christ’s coming, but before Israel accepts him. That is clearly seen in the words, “and in the time, the it, Philistines ruling in Israel.”

Israel is ruled by the Weakeners. They stand in a state of uncircumcision before the Lord. Christ came to end this.

Verse 5 noted that Samson descended with his father and mother Timnah-ward, coming to the vineyards Timnah-ward. As noted, vineyards represent the cultural side of humanity. The meaning is that they are in the cultural side of Israel near the Allotted Portion. The tenor of the words is that those who will be Christ’s are at hand, even if they are not there yet.

It is in this area that it said, “And behold! Whelp lions roaring to meet him.” The Hebrew words are k’phir arayoth. The roots indicate atonement and to gather. This lion is a picture of Christ’s atoning work, used to gather His people.

That is seen in the next clauses of verse 6, where the Spirit of the Lord rushed [tsalakh] upon him, and he tore apart the lion as if it were a kid [g’di], even though he had nothing in his hand [yad]. The word g’di comes from a root ultimately meaning to cut off. It gives the sense of finality or a matter being decided (cut off).

The thought is perfectly expressed in these words –

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper [tsalakh] in His hand [yad].” Isaiah 53:10

The Lord alone surged in Christ’s hand (the authority) when He cut off sin, providing atonement sufficient to gather His people.

Then verse 7 noted that Samson went down to Timnah and the woman pleased him well. Israel’s state of apostasy is going to be the very instrument that the Lord uses to correct them, just as Jeremiah 2:19 said. This is apparent because verse 8 said, “And returns, from days, to take her.”

There is a time when the Lord will use Israel’s apostate state to destroy the Weakeners, the uncircumcision of Israel. On his way down, Samson veered off the path in order to see the fallen body of the lion. Once there, it says, “And behold! Congregation bees in body the lion, and honey.”

Using a different word g’viyah (body) instead of the word mappeleth (fallen body) that was just used, it notes that there is a congregation of bees in the body and honey. It is the Bible, a congregation of words and books (formalizations just as Deborah was the Formalizer who represented the New Testament) filled with abundance and sweetness (words of prophecy about Jesus).

From there, Samson (Place of the Lord) “dominates unto his palms, and walks, walking and eating.” It pictures the possession of the word to sustain Him in this endeavor. Giving it to his parents (verse 9) and not telling them where it came from is an indication that Israel will be provided with the Word, even if they don’t realize its Source.

Remember that the father, Manoah, Rest, looks to the rest provided by Christ and the woman, the anticipation of Christ, looks to the coming of Christ as the Seed of the woman. Words of sweetness are there in Scripture to tell of Jesus.

This is actually something that one can see on YouTube today. Messianic believers in Israel will go up to Jews and read them Isaiah 53 and ask who it is speaking of. They inevitably say, “Jesus,” not realizing it is in their own Scriptures.

Verse 10 noted that his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a banquet (mishteh – a drink feast) as the selected were accustomed to doing. This is a feast for a bride, even if in an apostate state.

Verse 11 noted, without any antecedent, that in seeing him, they took thirty companions to be with him. Bullinger notes, “THIRTY being 3 x 10, denotes in a higher degree the perfection of Divine order, as marking the right moment.”

The right time for the wedding has come. Understanding that, Samson prepared to riddle his riddle. Promising his attendants (verse 12) thirty sadin, wraps which envelop, and thirty khaliphoth b’gadim, changes garments, coming from a root signifying treachery.

The challenge is that an answer to the riddle is to come within the seven days of the feast, the number of spiritual perfection. If they fail to solve it (verse 13), they will have to give to Samson thirty like sets. Accepting the riddle, Samson pronounces it in verse 14, “From the eating came food. And from strong came sweet.” The food is what Christ spoke of in John’s gospel –

“Do not labor for the food [okhel – Sar Shalom NT] which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” John 6:27

The sweet is the word of prophecy –

“Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey [mathoq – Sar Shalom NT] in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. ¹¹ And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” Revelation 10:10, 11

It then noted that they could not explain the riddle for three days, the number of Divine fulness of which Bullinger notes, “It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things.”

Israel, without the Spirit, cannot understand the meaning and purpose of the coming of Christ Jesus.

Verse 15 seemed out of order, noting the seventh day they approached Samson’s wife and told her to allure him in order to declare the riddle. The word was pathah, to make spacious. The state of apostasy in Israel will expand in the end times in their attempt to obtain the inheritance.

That is seen in the words, “To disinherit us, called us, not?” As noted, the words give the sense of “In order to take our possession (make us poor), have you not called us?”

The Weakeners accuse the woman, Israel’s state of apostasy, of being the reason for losing their inheritance. But an inheritance, whatever they think they possess, without Jesus, is no inheritance worth having.

Verse 16 noted the woman’s moaning over not being given the answer to the riddle, accusing Samson of hating her. But she, this state of apostasy, is the means by which the Lord plans to take vengeance on the Weakeners, meaning those who work to weaken others spiritually.

Eventually, on the seventh day (verse 17), she wore him down and he explained the riddle to her, whereupon she immediately went and told the sons of her people. Therefore, before the sun, literally “the Scraper,” went down (verse 18), the men of the city presented him with the explanation.

The word used to describe the sun in that verse is from an unused root meaning to scrape. It is as if time has scraped by, and at the last minute, the explanation is presented.

The negative in Samson’s life is a positive for these men. They have used the state of apostasy in Israel to lead them to the understanding of the mystery of Christ. Because of this, Samson then said, “If not plowed in my heifer, no found my riddle.”

The heifer was used in Genesis 15:9 and Deuteronomy 21 as a type of Christ. In Deuteronomy 21, it was a means of covering over innocent blood. Samson notes that in plowing with his heifer, they have uncovered his riddle.

Therefore, verse 19 said the Spirit of Yehovah came upon Him, he went down to Ashkelon (Weighing Place/Market), and he killed thirty of the men there to give changes of clothing to those who explained the riddle.

These people, who had supposedly done a bad thing, are rewarded for their ingenuity. It is not unlike the parable of the unjust steward in Luke 16. The price for their understanding has been weighed out, signified by Ashkelon, at the right moment (thirty).

Only after he had given them their garments does it say that his anger was aroused and that he returned to his father’s house. The reason for his anger being aroused appears to be that his wife is still in a state of apostasy, not because of what these men had done.

After that, verse 20 provided the closing note saying that she is given to his companion. The state of apostasy remains, and this intended bride is given to another. It is a note that the destruction of the Weakeners must go on. That will continue in the coming chapters.

We can clearly see the first coming of Christ for His bride, apostate Israel, the clarity of Scripture that tells of Him, the inability of Israel to see that He is their Messiah, and how Israel is continually given over to the Weakeners, the false teachers, because of their apostate state.

In His first coming, only those who seemed to be cheating by going to the word to discover the identity of the Messiah were rewarded for what they did. From this first picture, the rest of Samson’s life will be used to lay out much of redemptive history.

The verses are complete for today. The lesson that we can cling to is that Jesus accomplished the work necessary to restore us to God. These pictures of the past reassure us of what we know about Him, and it is through this knowledge of Him, when rightly understood, that we find reconciliation with God.

Israel still hasn’t figured this out yet. They remain in a state of uncircumcision (Romans 2:25) before the Lord because of this. But someday, that will change. Until that time comes, each person has an individual choice to call on Him and get right with Him.

Do not delay. Time is rushing by, and both our lives and the dispensation we now live in will soon be over. Therefore, be wise and come to the Lord. Then live for Him. This is what God expects of you if you desire reconciliation with Him.

Closing Verse: “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ⁵³ who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” Acts 7:52, 53

Next Week: Judges 15:1-15 With Samson, we’re not yet done, isn’t it swell – man o live! (Samson, Judge of Israel, Part V) (43^rd Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Samson, Judge of Israel, Part IV

Now for three days they could not explain the riddle
But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said
———-to Samson’s wife
“Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us
Or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire
———-so will end your life!

Have you invited us in order to take what is ours?
Is that not so? Our affection for you sours

Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said
“You only hate me! You do not love me!
You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people
But you have not explained it to me – how can this be!

And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father
——-or my mother
So should I explain it to you, or to another?

Now she had wept on him the seven days
While their feast lasted, a sentimental touch
And it happened on the seventh day
That he told her, because she pressed him so much

Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people
So the men of the city, yes in that town
Said to him on the seventh day
Before the sun went down:

“What is sweeter than honey? Is it so?
And what is stronger than a lion?” We want to know

And he said to them:
“If you had not plowed with my heifer
You rotten guys
You would not have solved my riddle!
Not with a million tries

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon him mightily
And he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men
———-and their apparel he took
And gave the changes of clothing
To those who had explained the riddle (a page out of
———-the Samson handbook

So his anger was aroused
And he went back up to his father’s house
And Samson’s wife was given to his companion
Who had been his best man, what a crummy louse!

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

¹⁵ But it came to pass on the seventh day that they said to Samson’s wife, “Entice your husband, that he may explain the riddle to us, or else we will burn you and your father’s house with fire. Have you invited us in order to take what is ours? Is that not so?”

¹⁶ Then Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.”

And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?” ¹⁷ Now she had wept on him the seven days while their feast lasted. And it happened on the seventh day that he told her, because she pressed him so much. Then she explained the riddle to the sons of her people. ¹⁸ So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down:

“What is sweeter than honey?
And what is stronger than a lion?”

And he said to them:

“If you had not plowed with my heifer,
You would not have solved my riddle!”

¹⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house. ²⁰ And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

 

 

 

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 14:1-14
Samson, Judge of Israel, Part III

(Typed 8 April 2024) In the verses of the passage today, it appears Samson is pulling a fast one on the Philistines. At least, that is how I have always taken it. Imagine someone finding a turtle shell filled with a hornet’s nest and making up a riddle about it.

That would be a really tough riddle to solve unless you knew the context. In fact, most people posed with such a riddle would say you were cheating because there is no common reference to know what is being asked.

However, there are a couple of possible explanations for why this is not necessarily the case with Samson’s riddle. As I didn’t go searching for more, there could be plenty of other things that might make such a riddle less difficult than it seems.

This is not unlike the word itself. When you first pick it up, it seems mysterious, even baffling. One Jew who wrote a book about his time reading the Bible and trying to observe everything required in the books of Moses said something like, “This book must be the word of God. Otherwise, it makes no sense at all.”

That is how many in the church read the word today. They claim to believe it is the word of God, and yet they state that it is incomprehensible to them.

However, when one looks at the word through the lens of Christ, it eventually makes complete sense.

Text Verse: “But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. ¹⁵ But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. ¹⁶ Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” 2 Corinthians 3:14-16

There are problems with many who attempt to interpret the Bible, even when Jesus is the lens by which they do so. One of the problems is a lack of knowing the word sufficiently to understand the context. Another is having an incorrect understanding of the word, even if a passage is known.

People have a tendency to insert their beliefs into typology, even if what they think is incorrect. I was curious about a couple of verses in this passage and did a search on possible interpretations. Some were so outlandish that they left the realm of possibility behind.

Some had a general feel for what is going on, but they misapplied many of the details being conveyed. This is the case with a lot of older scholars. They don’t understand the dispensational model and so they shove unrelated ideas into areas where they don’t belong.

In the end, we all need to carefully consider what we hear and then evaluate if it makes sense or not. Checking with several sources can help weed out improbable options as you remind yourself about things that you have learned.

Consider what you are presented with, enjoy the participation in God’s word, but be careful not to simply accept what you hear at face value. We have gray matter in our heads for a reason. Use it wisely and judiciously.

In the end, when we look carefully, we will always see that great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. She Pleases Me Well (verses 1-6)

We had the introduction of Samson in Chapter 13 but the actual narrative of his life begins here in Chapter 14. Judges 13 ended, saying –

“So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. ²⁵ And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.” Judges 13:24, 25

With that remembered, Chapter 14 begins with…

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

vayered Shimshon timnathah vayar ishah b’thimnathah mib’noth plishtim – “And descends, Samson, Timnah-ward. And sees woman Timnah-ward from daughters Philistines.” The narrative of Samson’s life jumps right into a note about women. From here, it will be a constant and main theme of his existence, driving him along the path of his life.

Timnah was a town that lay on the northern border of the tribe of Judah. It was assigned to Judah in Joshua 15:10, but then it is designated as a city of Dan in Joshua 19:43.

This city is probably the same as noted in Genesis 38 in the story of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. If the same location, it is noted twelve times in the Old Testament in Genesis, Joshua, Judges, and 2 Chronicles.

However, in Joshua 15 and 2 Chronicles, it is spelled Timnah. All other times, it says Timnathah, meaning either Timnah-ward (in the direction of) or “her Timnah” (showing possession). Today, the location is known as Tel Batash, an archaeological site lying along the Soreq Valley about 4 miles northwest of the popular tourist site Beth Shemesh.

As for the words “and descends,” this indicates that he dwelt in an area elevated above Timnah. In Genesis, however, Judah is said to have ascended to Timnah. Thus, if it is the same location, Judah dwelt in an area lower in elevation. Otherwise, two different locations might be indicated.

The fact that he went to Timnah indicates that there was at least a sense of harmony between Israel and the Philistines. This is more evident from the note about seeing a daughter of the Philistines. Samson is interested.

Samson’s name comes from shemesh, the sun. The vav-nun extension that ends his name either localizes or personifies it. Thus, his name means Sun Man, Place of the Sun, Sun-like, Sunlight, or something similar. Jones’ says Splendid Sun.

Timnah (Heb: Thimnathah) means Allotted Portion.

The Philistines means the Weakeners or something similar.

² So he went up and told his father and mother,

vayaal vayaged l’aviv u-l’imo – “And ascends, and declares to his father and to his mother.” Samson is said to ascend from Timnah to where he resided with his parents at Mahaneh Dan, located between Zorah and Eshtaol, as noted earlier. He has something on his mind that his parents would be involved in…

^{2 (con’t)} saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines;

vayomer ishah raiti b’thimnathah mib’noth plishtim – “and says, ‘Woman, I saw, in Timnah-ward from daughters Philistines.’” Samson has eyes for a Philistine woman. Although she is not of Israel, she is also not one of those forbidden to be intermarried with as indicated in Deuteronomy 7 –

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, ² and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. ³ Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. ⁴ For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. ⁵ But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.” Deuteronomy 7:1-5

The Philistines were not natives of the land, and thus not under the ban. Despite not being of Israel, there is room for Samson to act in this manner without violating the law, even if the spirit and intent of the law would be to stay away from foreign women in Canaan. As such, he petitions his mom and dad…

^{2 (con’t)} now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”

v’atah q’hu othah li l’ishah – “And now, take her to me to wife.” Arranged marriages were common in Israel at the time, and they still occur in cultures and countries today. Deuteronomy 7:3 noted, “You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son.”

This pertains to the list of seven nations noted there, but the point is that it was cultural to arrange marriages for a son still living in the house. There would normally be an agreed upon dowry which the parents would pay. That is seen, for example, in Genesis 34 –

“Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, ‘Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. ¹² Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.’” Genesis 34:11, 12

It continued on after the time of Samson as well –

“Then Saul said, ‘Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the days had not expired; ²⁷ therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.” 1 Samuel 18:25-27

This is what Samson is petitioning for. His eyes are on the Philistine woman and he wants her as wife. His parents are the ones who are to secure her for him through an arrangement with her parents and the payment of any dowry that is expected.

³ Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people,

The words are masculine singular even though mom is included: vayomer lo aviv v’imo haen bivnoth akhekha u-b’khal ami ishah – “And says to him, his father and his mother, not in daughters your brothers and in all my people woman?” Their obvious disappointment in Samson’s choice of women is highlighted.

The father, using an argument known as a minore ad maius, from lesser to greater, first notes the daughters of your brothers, meaning, “of the tribe of Dan.” He then says, “in all my people,” as a way of saying, “out of all of Israel.” In essence, he is saying, “Out of all of the tribe of Dan, there isn’t a woman you like? How about from all the women of Israel? Not one? How can it be…”

^{3 (con’t)} that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”

ki atah holekh laqakhath ishah miplishtim haarelim – “For you walking to take woman from Philistines, the foreskinned?” Samson descended to the area of Timnah when he could have walked in any direction in Canaan where Israelites were. Instead, he walked down toward Timnah and down in his choice of women, selecting one from the foreskinned Philistines!

The word here is arel, foreskin. Rather than “uncircumcised,” which is an explanation, the father gives the descriptor, calling them “the foreskinned.” It is a sign of reproach that was exactingly addressed in Genesis 34:13, 14 –

“But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. ¹⁴ And they said to them, ‘We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.’”

Even though this is dealing with a woman, she is the product of a union of the foreskinned. Her culture reflects that state in the thinking of the people of Israel. John Gill says, “Ben Gersom observes, that their Rabbins say he made her a proselyte first, though he did not acquaint his parents with it.”

That is a false assertion on the surface. First, the point is that she is a product of the foreskinned Philistines. But more, if she had been converted, Samson would have argued that point and the text would have assured us that it was so. Further, such an assertion misses the entire point of the narrative, as will be seen.

There is another reason that this attraction has come about. It is first noted by Samson and will be further clarified in the next verse. For now…

^{3 (con’t)} And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.”

vayomer Shimshon el aviv othah qakh li ki hi yash’rah b’enay – “And says, Samson, unto his father, ‘Her taking to me. For she leveled in my eyes.’” The reason why Samson wants her is because he is enticed by her. The word yashar that he uses forms an idiomatic expression which is similar to what we might say in English.

It means to be smooth or straight. As such, that is then used to figuratively signify things such as pleasing, right, good, upright, esteemed, and so forth. But to take the word literally and in the perfect aspect of the verb, she was leveled in his eyes.

We talk in a similar way by saying, “She is right on the level to me.” The girl looked right in whatever way Samson was attracted to women and so he has petitioned for his parents to act on his behalf…

⁴ But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—

Only the Peshitta and the ISV translate these words in the way I do: v’aviv v’imo lo yadu ki me’Yehovah hi – “And his father and his mother no knew for from Yehovah, she.” All other translations say that the feminine word hi should be translated as “it,” and thus, “it was from the Lord.”

However, translating it that way must look forward to the feminine word “occasion” of the next clause. Rather, it is looking back to the words of the previous verse – ki hi yash’rah b’enay – “For she leveled in my eyes.” Here is how the ISV translates this –

“Meanwhile, his father and mother did not know that she was from the LORD.”

Probably, translators, following innumerable scholars’ comments, don’t want to give the sense that the Lord would choose a Philistine for Samson and so they translate this as “it,” meaning a matter that the Lord is dealing with, instead of “she” having been chosen by the Lord to attract Samson.

As for the content of this clause, when the Lord first appeared to his mother, He said –

“For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Judges 13:5

This turn of events must have made them question that assertion by the Lord. Here he was raised as a Nazirite to God, and yet he is seeking to marry a girl who isn’t even of the covenant people. This probably had them completely conflicted in their hearts and minds. One can think of the prophecy that was spoken to Mary –

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33

Later, she heard the prophecy of Simeon –

“For my eyes have seen Your salvation
³¹ Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
³² A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2:30-32

That was immediately followed up with these words –

“Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against ³⁵ (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:34, 35

Whether Mary remembered these things or not, the same state of mental confusion must have ruled her thoughts that here run through the minds of Samson parents. Despite this, we are informed that this was of the Lord…

^{4 (con’t)} that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines.

There is a question about who “he” is referring to. Is it the Lord or Samson: ki toanah hu m’baqesh miplishtim – “for opportunity He seeking from Philistines.” The NKJV assumes it is the Lord because they capitalize He. I agree with this. The nearest masculine antecedent is the Lord, not Samson.

The Lord is using the girl to whom Samson is attracted as the efficient cause to incite Samson to act against the Philistines. In the words is a new and rare noun, ta’anah, opportunity. This is the first of two times it will be seen. The second is in Jeremiah 2:24 when referring to the time of copulation of a wild donkey –

“A wild donkey used to the wilderness,
That sniffs at the wind in her desire;
In her time of mating [ta’anah], who can turn her away?
All those who seek her will not weary themselves;
In her month they will find her.” Jeremiah 2:24

The state of Samson at this time is not unlike that of the wild donkey. He is fixated on his desire and who can turn him away from it? The Lord is using this opportunity to cause Samson to act against the Philistines. This is then exactingly explained in the next words…

^{4 (con’t)} For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

uvaeth ha’hi plishtim moshlim b’yisrael – “and in the time, the it, Philistines ruling in Israel.” Judges 10 noted that Israel did evil in the eyes of Yehovah and His anger burned against them. Therefore, He delivered them into the hands of their enemies, including the Philistines. This is the time that is being referred to.

Chapters 11 and 12 dealt with Jephthah east of the Jordan. That was followed by the chronological rules of Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon, all of which were explained regarding the typology.

Samson now returns to the thought of Judges 10 and deals with matters west of the Jordan where the Philistines were mentioned as those from whom the Lord had delivered Israel. The people cried out to Him as was noted in Judges 10:15, 16. Samson has been chosen to initiate their deliverance. It is with a Gentile woman that he begins this…

⁵ So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah.

vayered Shimshon v’aviv v’imo timnathah vayavou ad karme thimnathah – “And descended, Samson and his father and his mother, Timnah-ward. And comes until vineyards, Timnah-ward.” In order to secure the bride for Samson, his parents accompany him in his descent toward Timnah where it says that they came to the vineyards in the area of Timnah.

As a reminder from Chapter 13, the vine symbolizes the basic expression of a thing. The basic expression of a wine vine is that it comes from a vineyard. Vineyards represent the cultural side of humanity. There are various vineyards that represent various cultures. As for being in this area, along comes a shocker…

^{5 (con’t)} Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him.

v’hineh k’phir arayoth shoeg liqrato – “And behold! Whelp lions roaring to meet him.” It is likely that Samson was ahead of his parents, as most youth usually are. He was checking things out and having an adventure while they ambled along at their own pace.

At some point near the vineyards, out came this lion. As it was roaring to meet him, it was set to attack. The lion is described with two words. The first is a new word, k’phir. It is derived from kaphar, to cover over, pacify, make atonement, disannul, pardon, etc. Strong’s sees the connection as probably his mane covering him.

The second word is ari, a lion. That comes from arah, to gather or pluck, as in the sense of violence. As for what the lion represents, Genesis 49 gives the sense of kingship along with possessing land and taking kingdoms by force. This is one of many varied descriptions of a lion. The devil is equated with a lion by Peter.

Another new word in this verse is shaag, to roar. The roar is equated to lions, but it is also equated to the roar of the Lord, of a psalmist, or even enemies. As for this lion, he should have chosen other prey…

⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him,

vatitslakh alav ruakh Yehovah – “And surges upon him, Spirit Yehovah.” Here, the Spirit of Yehovah is said to have surged upon Samson. The word is tsalakh. It comes from a primitive root signifying to push forward. Thus, it surged or rushed upon him…

^{6 (con’t)} and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand.

vayshasehu k’shasa ha’gedi umumah ein b’yado – “And rends him according to rending the kid. And, anything, naught in his hand.”  The word translated as rend signifies to split, tear, divide, etc. In Leviticus, it speaks of the divided hooves of animals. With nothing but his bare hands, Samson grabbed the lion and tore it apart.

The point of this statement seems to be that Samson went down toward Timnah looking for love, not a battle. He had no weapon. And more, the Philistines would not have allowed him to have a weapon, as it says in 1 Samuel 13. Any work on Israeli iron implements was done by the Philistines.

The gedi, or kid, to which the lion is compared is a word that comes from a root signifying to cut off. The use of the definite article, the kid, appears to be a way of emphasizing the event. Thus, there was as little resistance to his tearing apart this powerful lion as there would be to anyone else tearing apart a little goat.

^{6 (con’t)} But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

v’lo higid l’aviv u-l’imo eth asher asah – “And no declared to his father and to his mother what done.” These words anticipate the verses ahead, but they do not explain them. The explanation may be that he didn’t want to boast, he didn’t want his parents to fear, he thought nothing of it because of the power he possessed, or some other reason.

What is it that weakens the faith of men
Who would be so brash as to do such a thing
We have been told time and again
Salvation is a gift, let that message ring

We cannot earn what is given for free
Trying to do so isn’t very nice
In fact that can only make God angry
Because He through Jesus paid the full price

Let us learn the lesson of grace
And accept the gift without attaching a thing
To do otherwise is a total disgrace
And only the wrath of God will that bring

II. Sweet (Verses 7-14)

⁷ Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

The same word as in verse 3 is seen here in the imperfect aspect: vayered vaydaber laishah vatishar b’ene Shimshon – “And descends, and speaks to the woman. And levels in eyes Samson.” From the vineyards, he continued on to meet the girl with his parents. Before, he only saw her, but now he speaks to her. She looked right to him, but after speaking to her, she continues to level in his eyes. Nice grouping.

⁸ After some time, when he returned to get her,

vayashav miyamim l’qakhtah – “And returns, from days, to take her.” The amount of time is unknown and could extend to a year or more. This tells us that she was betrothed to him. The parents made an agreement, it was settled, and he came at the agreed-upon time to collect his wife. On the way down…

^{8 (con’t)} he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion.

vayasar liroth eth mapeleth ha’aryeh – “And veers to see fallen the lion.” The word sur is used. It means to turn aside. A single word that gets the point across is veer. He is on his way to see his betrothed, and yet he takes time to veer from his path to check out the dead lion.

Also, the noun mappeleth is introduced. It comes from naphal, to fall. In this case, it is a fallen body and thus a carcass. However, depending on the amount of time, it could be a completely desiccated carcass, meaning a skeleton surrounded by skin or even just a skeleton.

^{8 (con’t)} And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion.

v’hineh adath d’vorim bigviath ha’aryeh u-d’vash – Literally: “And behold! Congregation bees in body the lion, and honey.” Obviously, it is a swarm of bees, but the word used normally signifies a congregation.

The word translated here as carcass is not the same. It is g’viyah, coming from gevah, the back. It refers to a body, whether alive or dead. In this case, the back stands for the body. We use similar terminology when we say, “He really put his back into it.”

In this case, the use of the word is important. It is not the word peger, corpse. It is a word that can indicate anything including a skeleton. Bees are known to avoid rotting corpses, but this one is sufficiently dried out, being consumed by prey and insects, making it a perfectly suitable place for the bees to nest.

As for the d’vorah, or bee, it is the same as the name Deborah, coming from the verb davar, to speak. It is the root of the noun “speech” or “word.” Just as words are spoken in an orderly fashion, so are the movements of bees.

Honey pictures sweetness and abundance. It also is equated in Scripture to the word of God.

There in the body of this fallen lion was a swarm of bees busy at work making honey, and so…

⁹ He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating.

Rather: vayirdehu el kapav vayelekh halokh v’akhol – “And dominates unto his palms, and walks, walking and eating.” The word is radah, to rule, dominate, etc., coming from a root signifying to tread down. Samson didn’t just take honey, he reached in and grasped it, took dominion over it, and drew the honey and the comb to himself.

Further, this wasn’t into his hands as every one of the 39 translations I checked says, but into his palms. Though similar in meaning, the hand signifies power and/or authority. The palm (and sole) signifies possession and/or the state of something.

^{9 (con’t)} When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

vayelekh el aviv v’el imo vayiten lahem vayokhlu v’lo higid lahem ki mig’viath ha’aryeh radah hadvash – “and walks unto his father and unto his mother, and gives to them, and eats. And no declares to them that from body the lion scraped the honey.” As in verse 6, the words anticipate what will be said in the verses ahead, but they do not explain them.

Some find his actions a violation of the law of the Nazirite. In Numbers 6, it says nephesh meth, soul dying. He may have reasoned that this was only a skeleton of a lion, not a person and so it didn’t apply. It may be that in grasping the honeycomb, he didn’t touch the body of the animal. It may be that because of the state of the lion, it no longer qualified as a dead soul.

It’s hard to say if an animal is even included in a Nazirite vow or not. If so, does it include insects? Could a Nazirite not swat a fly or a mosquito? They are included in the overall use of nephesh, soul, in Genesis 1:30. As such, the Nazirite vow seems to be referring to humans who die, but this is speculation.

Why Samson didn’t tell his parents is probably the same as why he didn’t tell them he killed the lion in the first place. To him, it just happened. He felt no need to boast of his power over the lion. Or he may have been considering a riddle and how he may use it, not even wanting them to know it until he sprung it on them.

¹⁰ So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so.

vayered avihu el ha’ishah vayaas sham Shimshon mishteh ki ken yaasu habakhurim – “And descends, his father, unto the woman, and makes there, Samson, banquet. For thus makes the selected.” As in verse 3, the text focuses on the father even though the mother has also come along. The father represents the family unit for the sake of the text.

From there, it then notes that Samson made a banquet. The word is mishteh, coming from shathah, to drink. Thus, it is a banqueting feast where drinking is the main substance of the event.

As for the words “the selected,” the word is bakhur, the passive participle of bakhar, to choose. Thus, it is “the selected,” or “the chosen,” which is almost universally translated as “young men.” That is an explanation rather than a translation.

¹¹ And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

vayhi kirotham otho vayiqkhu s’loshim mereim vayihyu ito – “And is, in their seeing him, and takes thirty companions and is with him.” The words are highly debated. There is no antecedent to tell who is being spoken of. Some say the mother and father of the bride, some the people of the town, etc.

Whoever it is, they have supplied thirty male companions to be with Samson. These would be what is referred to in the gospels, such as in Matthew 9:15 –

“And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Of the number, Bullinger says –

“THIRTY being 3 x 10, denotes in a higher degree the perfection of Divine order, as marking the right moment.” E.W. Bullinger

¹² Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you.

The words include a cohortative: vayomer lahem Shimshon akhudah na lakhem khidah – “And says to them, Samson, ‘Riddling, I pray, to you riddle.’” Samson, as if speaking an imperative, offers to pose a riddle. It is a new word, khud, to tie a knot and thus to propound a riddle. Even more literally, it would read, “Knotting, I pray, to you knot.” The word is seen three times in this chapter and once in Ezekiel 17. His proposition is…

¹² If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.

im haged tagidu othah li shivath y’me ha’mishteh u-matsathem v’nathati lakhem sh’loshim s’dinim u-sh’loshim khaliphoth b’gadim – “If declaring, you declare it to me seven days the banquet and attain, and I gave to you thirty wraps and thirty changes garments.” They have seven days to untie the knot. If they can do so, each will receive a reward.

The wrap is derived from a new word, sadin. It comes from an unused root signifying to envelope. It is widely debated what these are, but most accept that they were fine linen worn close to the body. They are seen here twice, once in Proverbs 31, and once in Isaiah 3.

The words khaliphoth b’gadim, changes garments, comes from khalaph, to change, and bagad, treachery. The word means garment, but the root meaning probably is used because one changes his outer garments so easily it is like the acts of a treacherous person.

Seven is the number of spiritual perfection.

¹³ But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.”
And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.”

v’im lo thukhlu l’hagid li unthatem atem li sh’loshim s’dinim u-sloshim khaliphoth b’gadim vayomru lo khudah khidath’kha v’nishmaenah – “And if no able to declare to me, and gave, you, to me, thirty wraps and thirty changes garments. And says to him, ‘Riddling her, your riddle, and we hear her.’”

It is one garment to each if they can untie the knot. It is one from each to him if they cannot. To them, it sounds like a sweet deal, and so, they agree. The problem with this, however, is that clothing was very expensive. Many people had one garment, or maybe a common garment and one special garment for such occasions.

The word khidah, riddle, is a feminine noun, and so I have translated it directly, “Riddling her, your riddle, and we hear her.” We might still say the same type of thing about a difficult puzzle or riddle, speaking in the feminine, “This puzzle, she’s a tough one to crack.”

¹⁴ So he said to them:
“Out of the eater came something to eat,
And out of the strong came something sweet.”

The riddle comes in two lines of three beats each: vayomer lahem mehaokhel yatsa maakhal u-meaz yatsa mathoq – “And says to them: ‘From the eating came food. And from strong came sweet.’” Without any context, the words would be impossible to explain.

However, it could be that Samson is using the constellations as Jacob did in Genesis 49. Peak production of honey in Israel comes forth in the summer, between May and August  (www.israeltoday.co.il/read/honey-in-the-land-of-milk-and-honey-israel/). Likewise, the Sun (represented by Samson), appears in front of Leo for 37 days from August 10^th to September 15^th.

A second possibility is that because Samson was attacked near the vineyards by Timnah, it would seem incredible that someone would not have noticed a dead lion in the area, first because of the stink, and then later because of the buzzing of bees, something that makes a hive readily apparent to anyone close by.

As such, he could not be accused of giving an impossible riddle. Instead, it would be something that required attention and contemplation, and maybe a little asking around.

Therefore, Samson could ostensibly be given a pass on the riddle, even if the original meaning was at first only known to him. Regardless, the companions of the feast found themselves in a pinch…

*^{14 (fin)} Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.

v’lo yakhlu l’hagid hakhidah sh’losheth yamim – “And no enabled to declare the riddle three days.” They could not solve the riddle, and the first three days passed without any explanation at all.

The number three is the number of Divine fulness. Bullinger says, “It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things.”

This is the end of the verses today. We will finish the chapter next week, the Lord willing. For now, think about what is being presented. We will hope that interesting things will be revealed after the verses of the chapter are finished.

Until then, we can remember that God has placed the story and details of Samson’s life into His word to teach us actual history, moral lessons, prophetic insights, and typological anticipations of future events.

As we read the word, we should consider it from such varied angles. It is a wealth of knowledge and we should read it and ponder it as such. If we have Jesus as the lens through which we read it, the Bible will never seem like a confused or unintelligible word.

Rather, we will see it for what it is: God’s precious letter to us concerning His love for the people of the world who will seek Him out and come to Him through faith in His Christ. Let us do this daily, picking it up and treasuring it more than our necessary food.

Closing Verse: “A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
⁶ To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.” Proverbs 1:5, 6

Next Week: Judges 14:15-20 A Load of fun, like ringing the bell at someone’s door… (Samson, Judge of Israel, Part IV) (42^nd Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Samson, Judge of Israel, Part III

Now Samson went down to Timnah
And in Timnah, a woman he saw
Of the daughters of the Philistines
He really like her… yee haw!

So he went up and told his father and mother
Saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah
Of the daughters of the Philistines
Now therefore, get her for me as wife, c’mon mama and papa

Then his father and mother said to him
“Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren
———-or among all my people too
That you must go and get a wife
From the uncircumcised Philistines – this you must do?

And Samson said to his father, yes he did tell
“Get her for me, for she pleases me well

But his father and mother did not know
That it was of the LORD (working behind the scenes)
That He was seeking an occasion
To move against the Philistines

For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel
So Samson down to Timnah went
With his father and mother
And came to the vineyards of Timnah where grapes ferment

Now to his surprise, the circumstances seemed grim
A young lion came roaring against him

And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him
And he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart
———-a young goat: limbs one by one
Though he had nothing in his hand
But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done

Then he went down and talked with the woman
———-she was lookin’ swell
And she pleased Samson well

After some time, when he returned to get her
He turned aside to see the lion’s carcass
And behold, a swarm of bees and honey
Were in the carcass of the lion, kinda gross I guess

He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating
When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them
———-and they also ate
But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey
Out of the carcass of the lion – carcass honey, I’ll take a plate

So his father went down to the woman
And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to so do
And it happened, when they saw him
That they brought thirty companions to be with him
———-yes, with him too

Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you
If you can correctly solve and explain it to me
Within the seven days of the feast
Then I will give you thirty linen garments
———-and changes of clothing thirty

But if you cannot explain it to me
Then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes
———-of clothing, so I submit
And they said to him
“Pose your riddle, that we may hear it

So he said to them:
“Out of the eater cae something to eat,
And out of the strong came something sweet.”

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. ² So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”

³ Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”

And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.”

⁴ But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

⁵ So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah.

Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. ⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

⁷ Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. ⁸ After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. ⁹ He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

¹⁰ So his father went down to the woman. And Samson gave a feast there, for young men used to do so. ¹¹ And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.

¹² Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. ¹³ But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.”

And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.”

¹⁴ So he said to them:

“Out of the eater came something to eat,
And out of the strong came something sweet.”

Now for three days they could not explain the riddle.

 

 

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson.

Judges 13:15-25
Samson, Judge of Israel, Part II

(Typed 1 April 2024) The day I typed this sermon, I actually broke three fingers and two keyboards in my excitement. It was a painful and costly session of sermon typing, but it was definitely worth the pain and the expense. April Fool’s! That didn’t happen.

But this sermon is exciting, nonetheless. Chapter 13 is filled with pictures of Jesus from beginning to end. The main point of the passage is to both implicitly and expressly reveal His deity. In fact, what is being pictured would make no sense at all without understanding this.

Therefore, the narrative reveals it in multiple ways, one after another. Some of it requires a thorough knowledge of Scripture while some of it requires faith that God’s incarnation is an actual possibility. In believing in the latter and possessing the former, the narrative today comes alive.

Text Verse: “The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob,
To the Mighty God [el gibor].” Isaiah 10:21

An explanation of the choice of this text verse will be forthcoming. For now, we can prepare ourselves for entry into today’s verses by accepting that with God, all things are possible, although this does not mean all things in the absolute sense.

For example, God cannot violate His own nature. He is righteous and that aspect of Him must be upheld. He cannot violate His righteousness by overriding it with His love. The two must work in perfect harmony with each other.

God cannot violate what is logical. He cannot make a 3 that is a 2. He cannot make a square that is a triangle. Those things would be illogical. God is logical. That is evidently on display throughout His creation. There is order and harmony, not chaos and dissonance.

Remember this. What we are presented in Scripture is a revelation of who He is. As such, and because man is fallen, there is the need for reconciliation of that which is in tension between God’s attributes and His logical nature in regard to fallen man.

Such truths as this, and how these things are resolved, are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. We Have Seen God (verses 15-25)

¹⁵ Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.”

Manoah’s words contain two cohortatives. They are also unusually stated, probably forming an ellipsis: vayomer manoakh el malakh Yehovah natsrah na othakh v’naaseh l’phanekha g’di izim – “And says, Manoah, unto Messenger Yehovah, ‘We shall detain, I pray, You. And shall do to your face kid goats.’”

The surrounding words are similar to what was said by Gideon in Judges 6, thus demonstrating that this would have been something people would be accustomed to doing –

“Then he said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. ¹⁸ Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.’
And He said, ‘I will wait until you come back.’
¹⁹ So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. ²⁰ The Angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so.” Judges 6:17-20

Gideon realized who he was talking to, meaning the Lord. That is not as certain with Manoah. Exactly what is on Manoah’s mind is hard to determine. Barnes says, it “seems to indicate some suspicion that his visitor was more than human.” This seems unlikely based on the next verse.

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary says, “not as the Lord, but as what he imagined him to be, not even an angel (Jud 13:16), but a prophet or merely human messenger.” This seems more likely, but then there is the issue with the wording.

The words “And shall do to your face kid goats” are probably elliptical and mean, “And shall do (prepare and offer) before you a kid of the goats.” Therefore, it is either an offering of a meal or the offering of a sacrifice. As for the gedi izzim, or “kid goats,” gedi comes from an unused root signifying to cut off. Izzim means goat, coming from the word azaz, or prevail.

¹⁶ And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.”

vayomer malakh Yehovah el manoakh im tatsreni lo okhal b’lakhmekha v’im taaseh olah l’Yehovah taalenah – “And says, Messenger Yehovah, unto Manoah, ‘If detaining Me, no eating in your bread. And if offering burnt offering, to Yehovah you must ascend it.’”

Because of the progression of thought, some scholars think this is not the Lord at all. For example, the Pulpit Commentary says –

“The angel, perhaps perceiving that Manoah was in doubt as to who he might be, had a holy dread lest he might offer the kid to him, just as the angel whom St. John was about to worship said, “See thou do it not” (Revelation 22:9); and Barnabas and Paul ran in among the people of Lycaonia to restrain them from offering sacrifice to them (Acts 14:14-18).”

This is not correct. In Genesis 18, the Lord (YHVH) appeared to Abraham. It was He and none other, and Abraham knew it. In Judges 6, the Messenger of the Lord, who is the Lord, appeared to Gideon. The fact that He was not merely a man but the Lord God was elicited out of Gideon so that when he made His offering, he knew he was presenting it to the Lord.

Here, however, it is the Messenger of the Lord, meaning the Lord incarnate, but Manoah does not yet know it. The text has identified him as such, but only for our benefit. In Judges 6, the same terminology was used, malakh Yehovah, but neither the reader nor Gideon knew it at first.

Here, because of the progression of biblical revelation, the reader knows who He is based on Judges 6, but Manoah must learn what we have already come to know…

^{16 (con’t)} (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.)

ki lo yada manoakh ki malakh Yehovah hu – “For not knew, Manoah, for Messenger Yehovah, He.” The point of these words is that we know it’s Jesus (Tee hee, shhhh, it’s a secret!), but Manoah is not yet aware.

Manoah has asked to make an offering to this Person. His intent concerning the offering is what we cannot fully determine: a meal, a burnt offering to Him even though he doesn’t know He is the Lord (something that would be inappropriate – because offerings are only to be made to the Lord), or an offering to the Lord on behalf of the Man who is there before him.

Whatever Manoah is thinking, the Messenger has expressly told him that He would not partake of the meal but it was to be offered to the Lord alone. This is like what Jesus said to the rich man in Matthew 19 –

“So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’” Matthew 19:17

Jesus was not saying He is not God. He is making a point about going around calling people good. Only God is good. The Messenger is not saying He is not the Lord God. He is ensuring that such an offering is to be made to the Lord God alone. Manoah just does not yet know that this Messenger is the Lord God.

¹⁷ Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name,

vayomer manoakh el malakh Yehovah mi sh’mekha – “And says, Manoah, unto Messenger Yehovah, ‘Who Your name?’” The wording seems peculiar. It is like mixing two thoughts together, “Who are you and what is your name?” The word mi, who, is used. It is similar to mah, or what. The difference is that mi asks of the person, mah asks of the nature or quality.

What happens here is similar to what transpires in John 7 and again in John 9 –

“‘But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? ²⁷ However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.’ ²⁸ Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, ‘You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. ²⁹ But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.’” John 7:26-29

The people didn’t know who Jesus was. To them, He was just someone they were aware of in a general way. This is where Manaoh is right now. He knows this guy is a prophet or something, but he doesn’t know His true identity. Thus, he asks for it…

^{17 (con’t)} that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”

ki yavo divrekha v’kibd’nukha – “for comes your words, and we honor You.” The thought is that by knowing the person through the name, Manoah and his wife would know the nature or quality of the person. Thus, they could suitably honor him. This is seen elsewhere, such as –

“And they came to Balaam and said to him, ‘Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: “Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; ¹⁷ for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.”’” Numbers 22:16, 17

Likewise, Saul gave a gift suitable to the office of prophet to Samuel in 1 Samuel 9. These and other such examples speak of the person as well as the nature of the person. In response to Manoah’s request, the Messenger declines to answer according to the person and instead answers according to the nature…

¹⁸ And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”

vayomer lo malakh Yehovah lamah zeh tishal lishmi v’hu peli – “And says, to him, Messenger Yehovah, ‘Why this asking to My name? And it Wonderful.’” The Messenger uses an adjective, pili or pali, found only here and in Psalm 139:6. Keil states that the word is to be taken in the absolute sense – “absolutely and supremely wonderful” and thus “as a predicate belonging to God alone.” Speaking of the omniscience of the Lord, David said –

“Such knowledge is too wonderful [pili] for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.”

The word comes from the same root as the noun pele (not the soccer player) that is used to describe the coming Messiah in Isaiah 9 –

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful [pele], Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

As the state of the name defines the quality or nature of the person, we are given an insight into who this Person is, meaning in His being, by the response. This can be logically deduced from the other descriptors of Isaiah.

For example, He is called el gibor, Mighty God. The only other use of that descriptor is in the next chapter of Isaiah and which was our Text Verse today. In Isaiah 10, the Mighty God is specifically said to be the Lord (YHVH). Manoah is about to find out that this person is the Messenger of the Lord and that the Messenger of the Lord is the Lord incarnate. His nature and His name are impenetrable…

¹⁹ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord.

vayiqakh manoakh eth g’di ha’izim v’eth ha’minkhah vayaal al ha’tsur l’Yehovah – “And takes, Manoah, kid goats and the present, and ascended it upon the rock to Yehovah.” As Gideon presented his offering upon the rock in accord with the word of the Lord, so does Manoah. The rock has become an altar upon which a burnt offering is made.”

The minkhah, present, is derived from an unused root meaning to apportion. The tsur, rock, is seen numerous times in the Bible to refer to the Lord as the Rock. The last time it is seen is in Habakkuk where it is used in just that manner –

“Are You not from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment;
O Rock [tsur], You have marked them for correction.” Habakkuk 1:12

The word comes from a primitive root meaning to cramp. Thus it means to confine, be an adversary, to besiege, fortify, and so forth. The application is based on the surrounding narrative.

^{19 (con’t)} And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—

The words are complicated due to the verbal structure: u-maphli laasoth u-manoakh v’ishto roim – “and wonderfuling to doing, and Manoah and his wife seeing.” The verbal root of the adjective translated as “wonderful” is used, pala. It signifies to distinguish. Being a participle form of the verb calls for distinguishing. But to form an alliteration on the previous word, I have coined a new word, wonderfuling.

The One whose being is Wonderful is the Wonder Worker…

²⁰ it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar!

v’hi baaloth ha’lahav meal ha’mizbeakh ha’shamaymah vayaal malakh Yehovah b’lahav ha’mizbeakh – “And is, in ascending the flame from upon the altar the heavens-ward, and ascends Messenger Yehovah in flame the altar.” It is a bit varied from the description when Gideon presented his offering to the Lord in Judges 6. However, the overall picture is similar.

In these words, the rock is described as an altar. The offering has sanctified it as such. The word mizbeakh, altar, comes from zavakh, to slaughter for sacrifice. In Judges 6, the action of the Lord confirmed what Gideon had already deduced, which was that He was, in fact, the Lord. In this account, the action of the Lord is enlightening for Manoah and His wife. It is something that they are just now learning…

^{20 (con’t)} When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.

u-manoakh v’ishto roim v’yiplu al p’nehem artsah – “And Manoah and his wife seeing. And falling upon their faces groundward.” As with Gideon, the reaction is one of reverential fear. In their case, they were overwhelmed by the event and simply fell to the ground with their faces looking down.

²¹ When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord.

v’lo yasaph od malakh Yehovah l’heraoh el manoakh v’el ishto az yada manoakh ki malakh Yehovah hu – “And no added again, Messenger Yehovah, to appear unto Manoah and unto his wife. Then knew, Manoah, for Messenger Yehovah He.”

The absence of the presence of the Messenger is instructive. By not returning, He has both proven who He is, meaning the Lord (YHVH), and that He has accepted their offering, thus He is the Lord (YHVH) to whom the offering was made. These events provide them with a twofold assurance that He is the Messenger of the Lord who is the Lord. That is made explicit to us in the next words…

²² And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”

vayomer manoakh el ishto moth namuth ki elohim rainu – “And says, Manoah, unto his wife, dying we shall die, for God have seen!” The words are quite informative when taken with the other seven uses of elohim, or God, in the chapter –

“’For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God [elohim] from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.’
⁶ So the woman came and told her husband, saying, ‘A Man of God [ha’elohim] came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God [ha’elohim], very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. ⁷ And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God [elohim] from the womb to the day of his death.’”
⁸ Then Manoah prayed to the Lord [Yhvh], and said, ‘O my Lord [Adonai], please let the Man of God [ha’elohim] whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.’
⁹ And God [ha’elohim] listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God [ha’elohim] came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her.”

“And says, Manoah, unto his wife, dying we shall die, for God [elohim] have seen!”

Both before and after these verses, the term malakh Yehovah, Angel Yehovah, is used by the narrator. The Man who is in a right relationship with God (as discerned from the article, “the” God, who is Yehovah), is the Angel of the Lord. This Angel of the Lord is now said to be recognized by Manoah as God.

The words are inescapably telling us that Yehovah, who is God, has appeared as a Man. The same truth was previously seen in Judges 6 with Gideon. Manoah understands what was expressed by the Lord in Exodus 33:20, that “no man shall see Me, and live.” Therefore, he now assumes that they will die…

²³ But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things,

vatomer lo ishto lu khaphets Yehovah la’hamithenu lo laqakh miyadenu olah u-minkhah v’lo heranu eth kal eleh – “And says to him, his wife, ‘If desired, Yehovah, to kill us, not took from our hand burnt offering and present, and not shown us all these.”

Manoah’s wife was able to reason out the situation, whether she understood the matter or not. The Lord said what would come to pass and He had done so in the form of a Man. Nothing changed except that He confirmed who He was to them through the acceptance of the offerings and His wondrous deed that accompanied it.

Just because they realized who the Man was in His nature or quality, it did not change who He is in His being, meaning His Person. He was, and He is, the Lord God.

^{23 (con’t)} nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”

v’khaeth lo hishmianu kazoth – “And, according to the time, not caused us to hear according to this.” The phrase is unusual but well stated. She is saying that He appeared at a particular time to reveal a particular matter that was in accord with His plans and purposes. It would make no sense for Him to kill them after He had explained what those plans entailed, both for them and for the son they would have.

²⁴ So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

vateled ha’ishah ben vatiqra eth sh’mo Shimshon vayigda ha’naar vaybarkhenu Yehovah – “And bears, the woman, son. And calls his name Samson. And grows, the lad, and blesses him, Yehovah.” Just as prophesied, so the words of the Messenger came to pass.

Samson comes from shemesh, the sun. The vav-nun extension that ends his name either localizes or personifies it. Thus, his name means Sun Man, Place of the Sun, or something similar. In this case, he seems to be anticipating both. He is the Sun Man because he is the Place of the Sun.

In 1 Samuel 12:11, Samson is called B’Dan. The meaning is “In Dan.” He is of the tribe of Dan. Because Zorah was listed as a town under both Judah and Dan in the book of Joshua, he was probably called B’Dan as a form of nickname or appellative.

It appears that the words of the Messenger were on her mind, when choosing his name, especially on what he would do, not the Nazirite status he would hold. As He said, “he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Perhaps she heard or knew the words of Deborah –

“Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord!
But let those who love Him be like the sun [shemesh]
When it comes out in full strength.” Judges 5:31

*^{25 (fin)} And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

vatakhel ruakh Yehovah l’phaamo b’makhaneh dan ben tserah u-ben Eshtaol – “And begins, Spirit Yehovah, to tap him in camp Dan, between Zorah and between Eshtaol.” These words anticipate the coming narrative where Samson is impelled to take vengeance on the Philistines through events that occur.

There are no visions from the Lord recorded during his time of being judge. Also, there is no communication between Samson and the Lord as with some of the other judges. As Samson is a Nazirite, the connection between him and the Spirit of the Lord occurs through his hair in particular.

As for how this is realized, the word paam signifies to tap and thus to beat regularly. One can think of the beat of an anvil as it is struck in regular fashion. As the events arise, his spirit, which is in connection with the will and Spirit of the Lord, arises in him and stirs him.

Mahaneh Dan means Camp of Dan and thus Camp of the Judge or Camp of Judgment.

Eshtaol is listed by Strong’s under the root shaal, to ask for or inquire. Thus, he defines it as Entreaty. However, Sergio noted that the word Eshtaol without the vowel points which were added much later, would say Bride of God, Wife of God, Woman of God, etc.

The one word means any of these based upon the context. Notice the spelling of Woman of Valor (esheth khayil) from Proverbs 31:10 and its similarity to this word (esheth el) –

אשתחיל
אשתאל

Only the later vowel pointing defines pronunciation and meaning.

Who is the Man who is before us?
What is it that He has come to do?
Is this our Savior, our Lord Jesus?
How can we know if such is true?

What wondrous thing will He do
So that we can know His name and nature?
How can we know what is true?
What is the extent of defining His nomenclature?

Oh God! How great You are, our heads are spinning
To see and understand all that You have done
You have prepared a body since the beginning
The incarnation of Your Son

We long to know more about Jesus
And all the wonders He has done for us

II. Pictures of Christ

Like Chapter 6, this chapter is an introduction into the life of Israel’s next Judge. As the Samson narrative is west of the Jordan, it can be logically deduced that it is typologically specifying details of history after Christ’s coming. Time will tell if that is correct.

Verse 1 noted the evil committed by Israel and that they were delivered into the hand of the Philistines forty years. Samson’s time as judge falls within that time, but the period will extend to the time of David when he meets the Philistines in battle.

The forty years defines this as a time of chastisement on Israel, the covenant people “and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8).”

Verse 2, if translated according to the meaning of the names, would say, “And is man, one, from Affliction from family the judge, and his name Rest.” Manoah (Rest) is mentioned 17 times in this chapter. Bullinger says –

“SEVENTEEN stands out very prominently as a significant number. It is not a multiple of any other number, and therefore it has no factors. Hence it is called one of the prime (or indivisible) numbers.
What is more, it is the seventh in the list of the prime numbers. The series runs 1[2], 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, etc. … seventeen being the seventh of the series, it partakes of and intensifies the significance of the number seven. Indeed, it is the combination or sum of two perfect numbers—seven and ten—seven being the number of spiritual perfection, and ten of ordinal perfection.
Contrasted together the significance of these two numbers is clear; and when united in the number seventeen we have a union of their respective meanings, viz., spiritual perfection, plus ordinal perfection, or the perfection of spiritual order.” Note: 1 is not a prime number but 2 is. Hence, I added and bracketed it.

The name of Manoah’s wife is not provided throughout the Samson narrative. She is either called “the woman” or noted as Manoah’s wife. Manoah represents a type of rest provided by God that was lost at the fall of man. Man was put [yanakh] in the garden. It implies he was rested there, not to labor, but to worship and serve the Creator.

However, in his disobedience, that was taken from him. Manoah anticipates the restoration of rest that will be provided through Christ. His wife, “the woman” typifies the anticipation of Christ, the Seed. Thus, Samson is a type of Christ –

“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15

To her (verse 3), the Messenger of Yehovah appears. She is barren, but He announces she will conceive and bear a son. As such, she is instructed (verse 4) to refrain from wine and blinko drink (shekhar) and from eating anything unclean. This is because the child will be a Nazirite to God all his days.

Her keeping from wine and shekhar is an intentional directive. She is to remain separate from extra-cultural alliances (wine) and close fellowship with others (shekhar). It speaks of the purity of the line leading to Jesus. Each person in His genealogy is carefully selected by God to be there. That is seen in the words of Hebrews 10:5, “a body you have prepared for Me.”

This process extended to her son in the words (verse 5) that no razor, morah, was to come upon his head. Hair signifies an awareness, especially an awareness of sin. Jesus was always aware of sin and refrained from it. He was to be the offering for sin. Jesus was never to change (symbolized by the razor) His appearance from being the sinless replacement for Adam and his seed.

He was set apart (as a Nazirite is set apart to God) for this purpose. This is noted in Psalm 22:10 and elsewhere. The Philistines, the Weakeners, anticipate those who weaken others spiritually. The mission of Samson is to destroy those who afflict Israel. Jesus came to defeat sin and then those who spiritually afflict the people of God.

Verses 6-9 recapped what occurred indicating to Manoah that the birth of the child had been prophesied. The precise use of the words the God, Messenger Yehovah, etc. were carefully laid out to indicate that the Messenger is, in fact, the incarnate Lord. He is appearing in His own history, directing events that lead to His incarnation.

In verse 9, the woman is sitting in the field and her husband, Rest, is not with her. It is a picture of the unsettled state of mankind anticipating the coming of Christ.

Verse 10 noted that the woman went to her husband and told him of the Man who came to her in “the day.” It was a general time in the past when the promise was made. It points to the announcement of the coming Messiah in Genesis 3.

Then Rest arose and walked after his wife. The promise of man’s rest follows the seed of the woman until the time when rest will be realized in Christ. This is exactingly detailed in the book of Hebrews where it speaks of God’s rest that is provided in Christ as taken from the words of David in Psalm 95:11. A time of rest for God’s people is prophesied when His people believe in the Messiah.

In coming to “the Man,” Manoah (Rest) acknowledges that the words of the Messenger will come to pass. He asks, “What becomes judgment the lad and his work?” In essence, “What is the role of the Messiah and what will he do?”

Rather than answering the question, He reiterates the responsibility of the woman. God is directing the history of Jesus’ genealogy to lead to the Messiah, keeping “the woman,” meaning His genealogy pure and set apart. Both the Hebrew and the Greek words concerning genealogy (generations) are feminine.

The generations of Christ from the time of Adam until His birth are carefully recorded, showing the set-apart nature of the woman (His line) all along. The Messenger specifies that she is not to eat anything that comes from the vine.

The vine symbolizes the basic expression of a thing. The purity of God’s expression alone is what is pictured here. It explains the reason for the minuteness of the stories of those who are noted as entering into Jesus’ genealogy.

Verse 15 noted Manoah’s (Rest’s) request to prepare a “kid goats” for the Messenger. The word gedi, or kid, comes from a root signifying to cut off. There is the sense of finality, or a matter being decided (cut off). The word, izim, signifies goats. It is the term used for the sin offering, including the one mandated on the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:5.

Taken together, the symbolism is the cutting off of sin by the goat of atonement, anticipating Jesus who was the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement goat sacrifice. It is what finishes the matter of sin. This confirms how Rest is provided through the coming work of Christ –

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

“For we who have believed do enter that rest.” Hebrews 4:3

In verse 16, the Messenger notes that He will not eat of the offering, but it is to be made to the Lord. This anticipates Christ’s human life being offered to Yehovah as a satisfaction for sin. Manoah didn’t realize that the Messenger (God in Christ) is that propitiatory offering, as indicated by the final clause of verse 16.

Verse 17 then had Manoah (Rest) ask, “Who Your name?” He wants to know the person, the being, of the Man so that he can honor Him when His words come to pass. The Messenger’s response, “And it Wonderful,” did not give a name and thus did not reveal the Person. Instead, it revealed the nature.

As Keil noted, the adjective used to describe Him is “as a predicate belonging to God alone.” The Messenger is the Lord God. How do you honor the Person? By acknowledging His character. He is the God/Man –

“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” John 5:22, 23

The point is that only in honoring the Man Jesus who is God, does one honor God the Father.

Verse 19 is filled with anticipations of Christ, “And takes, Manoah, kid goats and the present, and ascended it upon the rock to Yehovah.” Manoah anticipates the restoration of Rest provided by Christ. The kid goats anticipates the cutting off of sin through the offering of Christ. The minkhah, present, anticipates God in Christ’s apportioning Himself as an offering for His people.

The ascending of the offering to Yehovah anticipates God’s acceptance of Christ, the offering. The rock anticipates Christ who is the Rock, the Altar, who is Himself the altar of God –

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. ¹² Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.” Hebrews 13:10-12

From my Hebrews 13:10 commentary –

“There are various ideas about what ‘the altar’ in the New Covenant signifies. Some say it is the cross of Christ. Some say it is the table where believers participate in the Lord’s Supper. Some say it is Christ Himself. However, the idea of the altar is that of symbolizing everything associated with the work of Christ in one unified concept. Just as the offering upon the brazen altar signified the offering of the people, the food of the priests, access through the door of the Tent of Meeting, the symbolic restored relationship with God, etc., so the entire picture of life in Christ and full restoration with God, is gathered up in one thought called the ‘altar.’”

Understanding these types, the Messenger was said to be “wonderfuling to doing,” as He ascended in the flame of the altar that rose toward heaven. It speaks of the exhaustive, endmost, all-encompassing, and eternal work of Christ, the God/Man –

“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10

From there, the reaction of Manoah and his wife and the subsequent verses were given as a confirmation of the deity of the Man. The point is that Christ is proven to be God through His work. And more, as our closing verse will note, even though we behold God in the Person of Christ, we can do so without dying.

Verse 24 gave the name of the son, Samson, Place of the Sun. The name anticipates the words of prophecy concerning Christ from Malachi –

“But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;
And you shall go out
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.” Malachi 4:2

Samson anticipates Christ, the great Righteous Judge of Israel. But more specifically, He anticipates the Word of God in Christ.

With that, the narrative ended with, “And begins, Spirit Yehovah, to tap him in camp Dan, between Zorah and between Eshtaol.” Literally stated, “And begins, Spirit Yehovah, to tap him in Camp Judge, between Affliction and between Bride of God.”

Zorah, Affliction, reflects the state of believers waiting to be glorified. Several verses indicate this, such as –

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The dual meaning of Eshtaol, which includes Entreaty, then looks to the believer’s life while afflicted in Christ. The believer entreats the Lord for relief from the affliction such as what Paul did –

“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:8, 9

The Weakeners who afflict are on one side while the Bride who entreats the Lord is on the other, and Judge’s Camp is right in the middle.

With this introductory look into the coming life of Samson, having set the stage for what lies ahead, we will close with the reminder – which is quite evident from the narrative today – that Jesus Christ is the Subject and the Point and Purpose of Scripture.

He is being anticipated and revealed in innumerable facets of who He is through prophecy, typology, and explanations of His coming. From the first page of Scripture to the last, it is all about God in Christ who is Jesus the Lord.

As this is so, be sure to have your relationship with Him set. Life is short and eternity… not so much. You want to be ready for what lies ahead while you have the time.

Closing Verse: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6

Next Week: Judges 14:1-14 Under the gun, but still doing well, wait and see… (Samson, Judge of Israel, Part III) (41^st Judges Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. It is He who judges His people according to their deeds. So, follow Him, live for Him, and trust Him, and He will do marvelous things for you and through you.

Samson, Judge of Israel, Part II

Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, so he did do
“Please let us detain You, and we will prepare
———-a young goat for You

And the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah
“Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food
———-according to My word
But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD
(For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the LORD)

Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD
“What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass
———-we may honor You?”
And the Angel of the LORD said to him
“Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful? Yes it’s true

So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering
And offered it upon the rock to the LORD, yes upon
And He did a wondrous thing
While Manoah and his wife looked on

It happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—
The Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar!
When Manoah and his wife saw this
They fell on their faces to the ground – veneration
———-like in the psalter

When the Angel of the LORD appeared no more
To Manoah and his wife
Then Manoah knew
That He was the Angel of the LORD, remembering that all his life

And Manoah said to his wife
“We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”
But his wife said to him
Finding his words odd…

“If the LORD had desired to kill us
He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering
———-from our hands (now to make a rhyme…)
Nor would He have shown us all these things
Nor would He have told us such things as these at this time

So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson
And the child grew, and the LORD blessed him
———-not in part but in whole
And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him
At Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol

Lord God, turn our hearts to be obedient to Your word
Give us wisdom to be ever faithful to You
May we carefully heed each thing we have heard
Yes, Lord God may our hearts be faithful and true

And we shall be content and satisfied in You alone
We will follow You as we sing our songs of praise
Hallelujah to You; to us Your path You have shown
Hallelujah we shall sing to You for all of our days

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

¹⁵ Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.”

¹⁶ And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.)

¹⁷ Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?”

¹⁸ And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”

¹⁹ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on— ²⁰ it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. ²¹ When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord.

²² And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”

²³ But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”

²⁴ So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. ²⁵ And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.