Judges 15:13-15 – “Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. 14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.
“Agreed,” they answered. “We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. Notice that it was carefully recorded that Samson, a Judge of Israel blessed by God with supernatural physical strength, was bound with two new ropes. The ropes may also be described a strong woven cords. These men knew of Samson’s legendary strength and they didn’t bind him with only one strong binding, but with two. They wanted to make sure that he was bound and could not free himself.
“As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands.” Whenever I have seen, or heard this portrayed it has always (mostly?) been portrayed inaccurately. It has been portrayed that mighty Samson snapped the ropes that bound him. Yet, we clearly see that is not what happened. The Spirit of the Lord “came powerfully upon him” and that which bound him were disabled, these new bindings supernaturally and quickly rotted away while on his wrists and Sampson was now free do the work of God. It is a shame that the glory is too often given to Sampson and the glory is not given to the Spirit of God where it belongs. Sampson did nothing to free Himself, it is God who freed Him. God had something for Sampson to do and so God freed and enabled Him to do it.
“Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.” God was about to show that when He gives a divine assignment to a person, He fully equips them to do it. First God frees Sampson from what bound him and now it just so happens (not) that a fresh jawbone of a donkey happens to lying around. Remember, there is no coincidence with God.
The Philistines were terrorists, they were invaders, who killed and tormented the Israelites. God was using Sampson to protect the Israelites and to show His power for them and among them.
It truly was amazing that Sampson could pick up the jawbone of a Donkey and kill one thousand Philistines. Certainly Sampson need all of the supernatural strength that God gave him. But Sampson needed more than strength. He needed endurance. Think of the endurance it took to continuously wield the donkey jawbone to kill one thousand men who had on armor and were armed with knives, spears, and swords. Great strength was needed, but also great endurance. The fight certainly took a long period of time. For anyone who has ever trained hitting a heavy bag, it is certain that great endurance was needed and that is what God also provided.
Also, God protected Sampson. No-one snuck up behind Sampson to stab him with a spear or sword. That was God’s protection. He always has our back!
So God freed Sampson from what bound him, provided for him and enabled him with supernatural strength and endurance to complete the task that God had for him to do. Family, so He has done for us. Jesus came to set us free from the enemy’s chains that bound us (Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18-19). He provided us with His Word as the tool to defeat the enemy (Ephesians 6:10-17). And His Spirit is within us to teach us, to guide us (John 14:26) and to do supernatural works to prove that we are His (Zechariah 4:6). When the Philistines saw how Sampson was blessed of God they took notice. In the same way when we yield to God the world will take notice when we walk in the power and under the direction of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:14). We see that whom God has called God has equipped. We are more than conquerors by the hand of God (Romans 8:37).
It is highly unlikely that God will have any of us to wield the jawbone of a donkey to defeat a thousand foes. But we can see that God will enable us to face, and defeat the enemy, and all his subjects, that oppose us. The odds can be overwhelming. The story does not say that Samson was not hit or kicked, it tells of his overcoming the enemy who attacked him. We may get kicked in the gut but God is always with us to ultimately defeat the enemy that attacks us. God, who knows all, already has freed us through Jesus. Jesus is ever with us. The Spirit of God is within us. God is with us and ready will stay with us and has prepared the path for our victory. We must depend on Him and look for how He is leading us. So when the enemy is yelling, when the enemy is running and almost upon us, we need to know that God has already freed us and now we just need to look for the jawbone God has already placed for us. The victory is already ours. The enemy is already defeated. We need to trust in God and yield to Him and to watch the thousands fall around us (Psalm 91:7). And remember, don’t quit! Don’t give up. Sampson didn’t stop at five hundred, or nine hundred ninety-nine, he endured and got the victory after one thousand. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. When the swarm is on you, God is with you and He will see you through to the victory. Believe it! Embrace it! Never let it go and always don’t doubt God but praise and thank Him. It’s part of the formula of victory. Blessings and love from God to all! Praise God! God is good and He loves us! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.