And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it. (vv.14-15)
Chapter 15 is all about retaliation back and forth between Samson and the Philistines. First Samson strikes out against the Philistines by burning their crops (vv.4-5) because his Philistine father-in-law gave his wife away to another. So, in retaliation, the Philistines burned Samson's wife and her father with fire (vv.6-7). Samson then repays them for the murder of his wife and her father with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam (v.8).
Then the Philistine army encamped in Judah, deployed themselves against Lehi, and demanded Judah handover Samson to them. So the men of Judah bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock of Etam to the Philistine army (vv.9-13). The fact that soldiers from the tribe of Judah gave up Samson to the Philistines shows just how much they were under the oppression of the Philistines. They would rather please their oppressors than support their deliverer. This is a strangely common phenomenon. Often, when someone stands up to evil, people are angrier at the one who stood up to the evil than they are angry at the evil itself.
However Samson had a plan of his own by allowing his brethren to bind him. He was willing to put himself in a difficult position and to trust God to take care of him. Now when they brought him 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. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it.
Samson was unique among the judges because he was a “one-man army” against the Philistines. Other Judges of Israel led armies against their enemies, but Samson fought alone. This victory was not in the weapon, nor in Samson's arm; but it was in the Spirit of God, which moved the weapon by the arm.
We too can be freed from our bonds (of sin) by the power of His Spirit, allowing us to triumph over the powers of evil in our lives. Simply ask Him to come into your heart and to rule and rein in your life.
The Truth: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
