Key Verse
“So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines.”
— Judges 15 : 4–5 (NIV)
1. The Spark of Vengeance
After Samson’s Philistine wife was given to another man (Judg 14 : 20), his anger erupted. He returned to visit her during harvest time, bringing a young goat as a sign of reconciliation (Judg 15 : 1). But when her father refused him entry, saying, “I was so sure you hated her that I gave her to your companion,” Samson’s fury ignited.
What follows — the famous “foxes and fire” episode — was both an act of vengeance and a fulfilment of God’s larger plan. Samson’s personal outrage became the instrument of divine confrontation. Through one man’s flawed reaction, God exposed the moral decay of the Philistines and began Israel’s liberation.
2. The Fire of Retaliation
Samson caught three hundred foxes (or jackals), tied them in pairs, attached torches to their tails, and released them through Philistine fields. The result was devastating — grain, vineyards, and olive groves were burned to the ground (Judg 15 : 5).
The act was not random cruelty but symbolic judgement: fire consuming the fruit of the oppressors. Ironically, Samson, who had once played with riddles about lions and honey, now used destruction to answer betrayal.
The Philistines, in turn, retaliated by burning his wife and her father — escalating the cycle of vengeance (v. 6). Samson’s grief turned to greater wrath:
“Since you have acted like this, I swear that I won’t stop until I get my revenge on you.” (v. 7)
Anger became both weapon and weakness — a divine tool, yet a personal snare.
3. The Battle at Lehi
In revenge, the Philistines advanced into Judah to capture Samson. The men of Judah, instead of defending their deliverer, handed him over to the enemy to preserve their own safety (Judg 15 : 12). Fear of conflict made them complicit with oppression — a haunting image of compromise among God’s people.
Bound with two new ropes, Samson was delivered to the Philistines. Yet the Spirit intervened again:
“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.” (Judg 15 : 14)
Grabbing a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he slew a thousand men — a feat both miraculous and grotesque. When he finished, he sang:
“With a donkey’s jawbone I have made donkeys of them.” (v. 16)
The Spirit’s power accomplished God’s purpose, but Samson’s heart still revolved around himself. Deliverance had occurred, yet humility was absent.
4. Divine Power in Human Anger
The narrative of Judges 15 demonstrates that God can channel human emotion for holy ends without endorsing the emotion itself. Samson’s rage, though self-driven, served a redemptive function: it *“began to deliver Israel from the Philistines.” (Judg 13 : 5).
Yet it also reveals the danger of confusing divine justice with personal revenge.
Samson fought the Lord’s battles, but his motives were often his own. The Spirit worked through him despite him. His victories were authentic but incomplete — triumphs that liberated others yet left his own soul captive to pride.
5. Theological Reflection
- God’s sovereignty surpasses human purity. Even flawed passions can become instruments of divine justice.
- Anger can serve God but never substitute obedience. Holy purpose requires holy temperament.
- Compromised faith communities often prefer safety to courage. Judah’s surrender of Samson shows the tragedy of complacency.
- Strength without humility corrupts deliverance. Samson’s victories brought glory to himself, not to God.
His story warns that God may use us without approving us — divine success does not guarantee divine satisfaction.
6. Lesson for Today
Anger may win battles, but only surrender wins souls.
Samson’s fire consumed fields but not hearts. His strength liberated Israel temporarily but failed to transform the nation spiritually. Modern believers, too, may act passionately for justice yet lose purity in the process. The test of true deliverance is not victory over others but victory over self.
Only when anger yields to the Spirit does strength serve redemption instead of destruction.
Key References
- The Holy Bible (NIV). (2011). London: Hodder & Stoughton.
- Block, D. I. (1999) Judges, Ruth: The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.
- Webb, B. G. (2012) The Book of Judges: New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
- Younger, K. L. (2002) Judges and Ruth: NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
- Wright, C. J. H. (2004) Old Testament Ethics for the People of God. Leicester: IVP.