Judges Chapter 15 "The Slaughter, the Expected Retaliation." This Bible Study is written by Roger
Christopherson, and it's transcription is provided by theseason.org Judges 15:1 "But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, "I will go in to my wife into the chamber." But her father would not suffer him to go in." This visit to his bride came after some time had passed, and Samson had time to get over his anger towards his wife, her family and the thirty guests that attended his seven day feast. Samson is now returning with a gift of a small goat, and he is now ready to go into his bride's chamber and consummate their marriage. However, when he arrives his brides father would not allow him to go in to her, for she is already married. The girl's father let Samson know that she is no longer his wife. Judges 15:2 "And her father said, "I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her." The problem here was that God has caused Samson's desire to be for only this one Philistine woman, however she has been given to Samson's best man at the wedding feast instead. Naturally Samson rebelled against this arrangement and he will have no part in the arrangement. So we now see that God's divine intervention is going to take over. God is using Samson's quick temper and mighty strength as the army that will bring down the stronghold that the Philistines have over the Israelites. Remember that the bringing down the Philistines which are holding the Israelites captive was the sole reason that God gave Samson to Manoah and his wife. Samson was a miracle child born to a barren woman in her old age. Judges 15:3 "And Samson said concerning them, "Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure." Samson is talking to the father of his ex-bride and telling him that he is now going to do something against the Philistines that will cause them great displeasure. Samson had every right in the world to do these acts against them. This is a declaration of war against the Philistines and Samson is saying, "I cannot be blamed for what I do." Judges 15:4 "And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails." It is interesting that "foxes" is another name that the "Kenites" are called. The word "foxes" in the Hebrew text is "Jackals", and these small animals run in packs, where as the fox runs alone. Judges 15:5 "And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives." Samson with these teams of Jackles [or foxes], with their tails ties together and the firebrands blazing on fire between them are destroying the entire crop and livelihood of the Philistines. This is quite comical when you see what is happening here and relate it to what the Kenites are doing to our people's wealth today. This corn was their crop, it was their economy and you turn Kenites lose on any nation and it will not be long before the Kenites will own the corn, the shocks, the field and your house before they let you alone. There is nothing new under the sun. This is an analogy very befitting the Kenites. So here Samson has upset the Philistines by taking away their food supply and their livelihood, and the Philistines wanted to know how this could have happened. Judges 15:6 "Then the Philistines said, "Who hath done this?" And they answered, "Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion." And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire." This was the threat concerning the riddle in the first place. The Philistines cannot get their hands on Samson, but they take their frustration out on the family that caused their problem. They killed the father in law and the bride that was withheld from Samson. In this way God protected the Israelites from getting the brunt of the Philistine anger. Judges 15:7 "And Samson said unto them, "Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease." Samson reminded the Philistines that even though you have taken your anger out on this family, I will still have my revenge on you, and until then I will not cease. Judges 15:8 "And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam."" "Etam" in the Hebrew tongue means "clifts", and the expression "hip and thigh", means that "it was a great slaughter." Samson went against these Philistines full force and caused thousands of Philistines to die. This is one of the events that will finally bring the Philistine nation down. God will allow Samson to be blinded in the end, when he finally brings their whole house down. The message that stands out here is that our Heavenly Father is in control, and He knows how to get the job done. God had a plan for bringing down the Philistines, and he has a plan for our lives also. When you let God control your life, He will take charge and direct you in the direction that you can be used to fit into His plan. We get that direction when we study His Word, and use the common sense that He has given you. Judges 15:9 "Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi." The word "Lehi" means "Jawbone". And at the time that this event occurred it wasn't called Lehi, for it was later called Lehi because of what was about to happen here. Judges 15:10 "And the men of Judah said, "Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, "To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us." If you want to know the state of mind of those that have been conquered for sixty years years, we have it here. There was forty years prior to the birth of Samson, and twenty years into Samson's manhood. It is not a pleasing picture. Judges 15:11 "Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, "Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? What is this that thou hast done unto us?" And he said unto them, "As they did unto me, so have I done unto them." These scared men of Judah have come to Samson with their hat in hand, and pleading to Samson, saying, "Don't you know that these Philistines are rulers over us? Can't you accept that?" Then they asked Samson, what is the beef that you have with these Philistines. Samson responded that "I'm going to do to them just as they have done unto me." It is to bad that there wasn't one in the three thousand that had the back bone to stand with Samson against the Philistines. This is the same thing that is happening today. People of God run around like a bunch of wimps and allow the Kenites and everybody to walk over them, and they stand back and do nothing about it. That is the way of the church today, they allow these one verse pastors and their church systems to bind them into the service of the Kenites and their traditions, and they are told that they must lay down and let every one run over them. Then they have to apologize for trouble that they have caused these heathen. The direction they take is not from God's Word, for we are to take charge and stand firm when we are being wronged. When you are in God's Word and following those instruction, God will give you the victory. When people molest you, it is time to do what is necessary to put a stop to it. If drugs come into your neighborhood, that is the time to put a stop to it. If they push you around on the street, then get a bigger stick than the other guy has, and it will stop. The only time that we are to turn another cheek is when we are struck because we have been witnessing for the Lord. When you tell someone of the love of God for them, and they strike you, then that is the time to turn another cheek. In most cases if we are struck by someone while we are witnessing, it is our own fault for not doing it God's Way. So these men of Judah that came to Samson are nothing but a bunch of cowards that are afraid of their own shadow, and to weak to make a stand against these Philistines. So we see here that all of Israel, and especially the king line of the tribe of Judah have come wimpering to Samson, begging him to allow them to bind him and take him to their oppressors. Can you see the prophetic message that is in this? Judges 15:12 "And they said unto him, "We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines." And Samson said unto them, "Sware unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves." It really hurts when your own people turn on you. This bunch of cowards of the tribe of Judah came to Samson to turn their own kindred over to the enemy. The pathetic part of this entire thing was that instead of joining with Samson to run the Philistine tyrants off, they have sided with the enemy against the very one fighting for their freedom. So we can see that God's army was Samson, and this is why we can say, God and you make a army that is greater than your enemy. This point of degradation is coming on the Christian people of our land today, when we see the things that are happening in the schools, courtrooms, homes and government. God is being systematically removed from all parts of our lives, and just like those lily soft men of Judah, Christians are sitting back and doing nothing about it. The Kenites are doing today what the Philistines did to the Israelites, because the Christians don't even know who the enemy is. They are being herded like cattle into the corals or church houses of the Kenites and rounded up for the slaughter at the coming of their father Satan. Most Christian people are to biblically ignorant to see what is happening. In fact Jesus warned us of this fact in Mark 13:9 - 12. Mark 13:9 "But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them." This is Jesus Christ warning you personally that if you live in that final generation and make a stand for Him, this will happen to you. The synagogues are the church houses down on the corner, that teaches their rapture doctrines, and deprives their people from receiving the entire Word of God. Well my friend, on this day, it will be you standing there, with the Holy Spirit of God speaking through you. Mark 13:10 "And the gospel must first be published among all nations." This is the reason that you will be delivered up. Mark 13:11 "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought before hand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit." That day is not far off when you will be taken into their chambers and houses of degradation called churches. When you are called up, it will not be you that gives the message that will be spoken by you, but it will be the Spirit of God that speaks through you. This is why we do not premeditate and plan what we shall say, for Satan's kids are scripture lawyers and they will probably know the scripture far better than you or I. It is not your position to argue for God at that time, but it is the Holy Spirit of God that is doing the speaking, and using your mouth to do His job. This is going to happen, and that hour spoken of here is during the time of the great deception [apostasy] when Satan and his fallen angels are here on earth in person. This is the time spoken of in Joel 2:28-32 that we read of earlier. Mark 13:12 "Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death." We are approaching the time very shortly when your own family will turn us over to "death", which is another name for Satan, identifying him in another of his roles that he plays. The "death" that he shall cause is the spiritual death of those that will worship him, thinking that Satan is the True Messiah, and they do this in ignorance. Your family and friends will be the ones to bind you up, just like these men of Judah bound Samson and turned him over to the Philistines. They will do this because they have listened to the lies and false traditions of men, and come to believe on false doctrines like the rapture doctrine, that lead them to the first Christ or supernatural power to come, who is Satan. They do this because they are like the five foolish virgins who went to sleep while waiting on the bridegroom to come. They left their lamps empty and with out sufficient oil to see them to the coming. The "lamps" are your minds, and the "oil" of our people is the "truth that comes from the Word of God". They have been led by their pastors to believe that they can throw out all the warnings of the end times for our our generation, and thy are told that it is not important. And they have been led to believe a lie, that God will fly them out of here and away from the very test that He has design for His elect. Judges 15:13 "And they spake unto him, saying, "No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee." And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock." The only thing that Samson wants to know here before they bind him is that they will not kill him. So we see that there is some love and honor from his own people. We see also that when these men of Judah bound him up and delivered him over to their enemies, they thought they were doing the right thing. Judges 15:14 "And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands." We will now see why the place was called "Lehi", or "Jawbone". When the Philistines saw these men of Judah coming with Samson all bound up, and delivered over to them, they were very pleased. At this time the Holy Spirit came over Samson, and gave such strength to him that those new ropes fell off him like burning flax. Flax is what was used as the wick in a lantern, and when it is burning just a puff of wind will make it shatter into ash dust. That is how these cords fell from Samson when he was in the presence of these Philistines. What ever bands that this world and those around you place upon you, they also can be melted just as those bands of cord fell from Samson by the Holy Spirit. You do not have to be held in captivity to any church system, for the Holy Spirit of God has set you free. The captivity that is on us today is mostly a mind set, and once you free yourself from those thoughts that are holding you down, you are free. Especially in our nation today, where there are more Christian's than any other group of people. Judges 15:15 "And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith." This "new jawbone" of the ass was still moist and fresh, for it wasn't dry and able to crack and bust into pieces. Samson took that jawbone and killed one thousand of the Philistines as they stood there in Lehi. This was Samson's first attack, and now we see why this place was called Lehi. Judges 15:16 "And Samson said, "With the jawbone of an ass, Heaps upon heaps, With a jaw of an ass Have I slain a thousand men." " Samson took the things of his life and he made riddles out of them. This is a riddle that will never be forgotten in the minds of God's people. "Heaps upon Heaps" means that Samson didn't kill all of them in one place, but he chased after them and as he caught up with them as they were running from him, he killed them and stacked them into many heaps. There were piles of them as they tried to run back home, and get away from Gideon. Judges 15:17 "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi." It is time to ask yourself how this story of Samson relates to us today. What kind of a weapon did Samson use to slay his thousands of Philistines? It was a "jawbone". And that is the same weapon that we shall use in these final day when we face Satan and his world wide religious system. God will use your Jawbone, and His Holy Spirit moves through you to witness to those that bring you to them. Can you see how this is Prophecy to us today? God used the jawbone of an ass, and stupid donkey to win His victories, and though we feel so inadequate in presenting God's Word, what God needs is our willingness to stand in and be used by Him, when the time comes to slay the enemy. Though the ass was dead and long gone, however his jawbone was very fresh and strong when in the hands of Samson, and under the direction of almighty God. In those days coming upon us, God doesn't need an army, but he needs one person at a time who is willing to be used by Him to provide that jawbone. It is God that will give you the supernatural ability to face the enemy, and it is God that will place the words that you speak in your mouth. We read of this above from Mark 13:11. Judges 15:18 "And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, "Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of Thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?" All the activity that Samson went through left his physical body in a weakened state. Samson knew where his strength came from, and he took time to thank God for that strength. Judges 15:19 "But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day." God did not leave Samson in his time of need and thirst. "God will never leave thee nor forsake thee" especially when you are in a time of need. It is real surprising what man's spirit will do once it is reinforced by God's Spirit. You can cut him down to nothing, and when he turns to God, he becomes a real force again. The same jawbone that Samson did the fighting with, is the where the water came from to reinforce his spirit. Jesus said to the woman at the well, in John 4:13, 14. John 4:13 "Jesus answered and said unto her, "Who drinketh of this water shall thirst again:" John 4:14 "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." What kind of spirit is your spirit in my friend? "Enhakkore" in the Hebrew tongue means "the will of them that call", which is to say, the law of them that call upon His name. God's Will was done when Samson cleaned up on these Philistines. God gave the victory through one man. God's Will is also done when you call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance, and by faith seeking his Will. Judges 15:20 "And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years." Samson was a good judge for those twenty years, only God is not finished with Samson yet, for the Philistines are still in power. In the next chapter Samson is taken in by the Philistine harlot woman Delilah, who became Samson's downfall. Yet in the end God will complete his Will through the strength of His army in Samson's strength. God is still showing us one event after another to show us that one person and God make up a majority. There are no giants in the land anymore, but there are people that try to make you think that they are giants. What ever those things are that seem insurmountable, can be brought down when you allow God to work through you, and you become His jawbone.
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