Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Judges
Book: Judges
Chapter: 15
Overview:
Samson is denied his
Wife, He smites the
Philistines.
(1-8)
Samson kills a thousand of the
Philistines with a
Jaw-bone.
(9-17) His distress from thirst.
(18-20)
1-8 When there are differences between relations, let those be
reckoned the wisest and best, who are most forward to forgive or
forget, and most willing to stoop and yield for the sake of
peace. In the means which
Samson employed, we must look at the
power of
God supplying them, and making them successful, to
mortify the pride and punish the wickedness of the
Philistines.
The
Philistines threatened
Samson's
Wife that they would burn
her and her
Father's
House. She, to save herself and oblige her
countrymen, betrayed her
Husband; and the very thing that she
feared, and
By Sin sought to avoid, came upon her! She, and her
Father's
House, were burnt with
Fire, and
By her countrymen,
whom she thought to oblige
By the wrong she did to her
Husband.
The mischief we seek to escape
By any unlawful practices, we
often pull down upon our own heads.
9-17 Sin dispirits men, it hides from their eyes the things
that belong to their peace. The Israelites blamed
Samson for
what he had done against the
Philistines, as if he had done them
a great injury. Thus our
Lord Jesus did many good
Works, and for
those the Jews were ready to
Stone him. When the
Spirit of the
Lord came upon
Samson, his cords were loosed: where the
Spirit
of the
Lord is, there is liberty, and those are free indeed who
are thus set free. Thus
Christ triumphed over the powers of
Darkness that shouted against him, as if they had him in their
power.
Samson made great
Destruction among the
Philistines. To
take the bone of an
Ass for this, was to do wonders
By the
foolish things of the world, that the excellency of the power
might be of
God, not of
Man. This victory was not in the weapon,
was not in the
Arm; but it was in the
Spirit of
God, which moved
the weapon
By the
Arm. We can do all things through Him that
strengtheneth us. Seest thou a
Poor Christian, who is enabled to
overcome a
Temptation By weak, feeble counsel, there is the
Philistine vanquished
By a sorry
Jaw-bone.
18-20 So little notice did the men of
Judah take of their
deliverer, that he was ready to perish for want of a draught of
water. Thus are the greatest slights often
Put upon those who do
the greatest services.
Samson prayed to
God in this distress.
Those that forget to attend
God their praises, may be compelled
to attend him with their prayers. Past experiences of
God's
power and
Goodness, are excellent pleas in
Prayer for further
Mercy. He pleads his being exposed to
God's enemies; our best
pleas are taken from
God's
Glory. The
Lord sent him seasonable
relief. The place of this action was, from the
Jaw-bone, called
Lehi. And in the place thus called,
God caused a
Fountain
suddenly and seasonably to open, close
By Samson. We should be
more thankful for the
Mercy of water, did we consider how ill we
can spare it.
Israel submitted to him whom they had betrayed.
God was with him; henceforward they were directed
By him as
their
Judge.