In our last story of Samson, he set on fire the Philistines’ fields that were ready for harvesting. Of course, the Philistines were angry! Now Samson’s own people were afraid that the Philistines would come against them because of what Samson had done. So they hunted for Samson until they found him in the cleft of a rock where he was staying.
They planned to tie him up and hand him over to the Philistines. But they could not tie up a man who was stronger than they were. First they promised him, We will not kill you, but we will give you to the Philistines. Then Samson allowed them to tie him up. You see, God had given him a secret source of strength against the enemies of God.
All true Christians have a secret source of strength too, so that all the powers of Satan and death can never drag us down to a lost eternity. Are you saved from your sins? Are you born into the family of God? Then you are His forever, and no man or devil can snatch you out of His hand. Jesus said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)).
The Philistines shouted when they saw their strong enemy tied up, but they did not know the power of God. The ropes on Samson’s arms broke loose like burnt thread, and God gave him mighty power. He picked up the jawbone of a donkey and killed a thousand men with it!
We Christians must remember that God never tells us to fight people. Our struggle is with the evil in our own hearts. This is where God will give us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is not an easy victory.
Samson saw all those dead men, and he said, Heaps upon heaps.. . . With the jawbone of a donkey I have killed a thousand men! But did he really? Didn’t God give him the victory? He was taking the praise to himself.
Samson was thirsty, so thirsty that he thought he would die, and then he called on the Lord. “In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee: for Thou wilt answer me” (Psalm 86:77In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. (Psalm 86:7)). It is a good thing to call on the Lord when you are in impossible trouble, but why not call on Him right now? Our breath is always in the hand of God, and our sins were an impossible barrier. Why not praise Him for His wonderful forgiveness and ask Him for daily strength right now.
Yes, God answered Samson’s prayer of distress. He split a hollow place, and from that hollow place came springing water. Samson drank the water and was revived. He had named the place, “The high place of the jawbone,” in honor of his victory, but now he changed the name to “The well of him who called.” He was not remembering it as his victory; he was remembering it as his need.
God tells us what our song will be in heaven. All of us will be praising together the One who has redeemed us to God by His blood. Are you redeemed by the blood of Jesus? If not, you can’t join in that song, and you won’t be there. But if you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, you can sing that song with all your heart today. You can find it in Revelation 5:9-109And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:9‑10).
Think About God’s Word!
1. What did Samson think had given him victory?
2. Have you ever taken credit for a success that belonged to someone else? A good attitude toward a spiritual victory is given in 1 Corinthians 15:5757But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57). What is that attitude?
Project: How does 1 Samuel 17 show who David trusted for winning a victory over Goliath?