Fastening Torches to the Foxes Tails
September 23, 2019
Commentary
It is important to note that the wife that Samson asked his parents to get for him apparently continued to live with her parents. He was probably taking her an expectant gift on his periodic visit. However, Samson learned that his bride had been given to another by her father who thought Samson hated her (vv. 1-3). (The same word is used for divorce in Deut. 24:3).
Samson was unimpressed with the offer of marriage to her younger sister, and he again took his anger out on the Philistines, this time by burning the grain fields. He did this by fastening torches to the tied tails of 300 pairs of foxes (vv. 4-5). (The Hebrew word also means jackals which run in packs and are more easily caught). The fiery destruction was to the dry shocks of grain already harvested and spread to the standing grain yet to be harvested. It also spread to the vineyards and olive groves. Thus, it destroyed the land’s three main crops. (Deut. 7:13, Hag 1:11).
When the Philistines found out that Samson caused the destruction, they retaliated by burning his wife and her father to death (v. 6). Because Samson was motivated again by personal revenge, he slaughtered many of the Philistines and then went to a cave (vv. 7-8). The Philistines camped in Judah and when the men of Judah learned about Samson, they sought him with 3000 men to turn him over to the Philistines (vv. 9-12). Samson let them surrender him to the Philistines, and they bound him with 2 new ropes (v. 13).
Application
It is never right when I try to take vengeance into my own hands. I always need to let the Lord fight my battle for me and he always knows what is best.
Judges 15:1– 13 (NET)
1 Sometime later, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a gift and went to visit his bride. He said to her father, “I want to sleep with my bride in her bedroom!” But her father would not let him enter. 2 Her father said, “I really thought you absolutely despised her, so I gave her to your best man. Her younger sister is more attractive than she is. Take her instead!” 3 Samson said to them, “This time I am justified in doing the Philistines harm!” 4 Samson went and captured 300 jackals and got some torches. He tied the jackals in pairs by their tails and then tied a torch to each pair. 5 He lit the torches and set the jackals loose in the Philistines’ standing grain. He burned up the grain heaps and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves. 6 The Philistines asked, “Who did this?” They were told, “Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because the Timnite took Samson’s bride and gave her to his best man.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father. 7 Samson said to them, “Because you did this, I will get revenge against you before I quit fighting.” 8 He struck them down and defeated them. Then he went down and lived for a time in the cave in the cliff of Etam.
9 The Philistines went up and invaded Judah. They arrayed themselves for battle in Lehi. 10 The men of Judah said, “Why are you attacking us?” The Philistines said, “We have come up to take Samson prisoner so we can do to him what he has done to us.” 11 So 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cave in the cliff of Etam and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? Why have you done this to us?” He said to them, “I have only done to them what they have done to me.” 12 They said to him, “We have come down to take you prisoner so we can hand you over to the Philistines.” Samson said to them, “Promise me you will not kill me.” 13 They said to him, “We promise! We will only take you prisoner and hand you over to them. We promise not to kill you.” They tied him up with two brand new ropes and led him up from the cliff.