The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 149
SECT. CXLIX.
SAmſon thus going away from his wife, and her friends in a great diſcontent (though he intended not finally to forſake her) it ſeems ſhe was in his abſence very injuriouſly given in marriage to one of thoſe his thirty Companions, or Bridemen, and probably to him, that was choſen to be the firſt, and chief of them, and to be neareſt to the Bridegroom, and therefore call'd the friend of the Bridegroom by way of eminency, Joh. 3.25. Poſſibly ſhe ſuffered her ſelf to be given to him, apprehending that Samſon would never be reconciled to her for her treachery againſt him. Samſon ſometime after (knowing nothing of this, but intending a reconciliation with her), went to viſit her, and carried a Kid to preſent her with, thereby to expreſs his love and kindneſs to her. Being come to the houſe, and meeting his wifes Father, he told him he would go into his wifes Chamber to ſee her. But her Father would not ſuffer him, telling him that he verily thought he had been irreconcileably angry with her, and had forſaken her, and therefore (ſays he) I have diſpoſed her in Marriage to thy Companion. But her younger ſiſter is fairer than ſhe, I pray thee take her inſtead of her. Samſon being extreamly enrag'd that he ſhould be thus uſed, he ſaid within himſelf, Now ſhall I be more blameleſs than the Philiſtines if I do them a diſpleaſure; intimating that he had juſt cauſe to be revenged on them for ſo great an injury. He contrives accordingly how to do it. It ſeems it was at this time their Wheat-Harveſt, Samſon therefore reſolves to burn their Corn; in order hereunto, that Country being full of Foxes, [See Cant. 2.15. Neh. 4.3.] 'tis probable he employed thoſe of his own Tribe of Dan to aſſiſt him in catching all the Foxes they could, and ſo three hundred were taken*Samſon is ſaid to have taken them, becauſe what a man doth by another whom he employs, he may be ſaid to do himſelf. and brought to him. Neither will it ſeem incredible that ſuch a great number ſhould be taken, if we do but ſuppoſe that the Providence of God (who ſuggeſted to Samſon the taking this kind of revenge on the Philiſtines) did remarkably concur hereunto: For all the wild beaſts of the field are his, Pſal. 50.11. He by his over-ruling Providence cauſed all kinds of living creatures to come to Noah to be preſerved in the Ark, Gen 6.20. He brought a vaſt and unconceivable number of Quails to the Iſraelites, all at one time, Numb. 11.31. He brought ſuch a great multitude of Fiſhes to Peter's Net, that the Net brake, Luk 5.6, 7. and therefore he could eaſily bring ſo many Foxes (in a land that abounded with them) to Samſons and his friends Nets. Theſe Foxes therefore being brought to him, he tyed two of them together tayl by tayl, and tyed a lighted Torch between their tayls (parr of which 'tis probable dragged on the ground) and ſo let them looſe into the ſtanding corn now ripe, and ſo burnt that, and what was cut and ſhockt, as alſo the Vineyards and Oliveyards. 'Tis true their corn might have been ſet on fire other ways, but it pleaſed the Lord to direct Samſon to do it this way, that their puniſhment coming upon them in ſuch a ridiculous way, and by an act of ſuch ſcorn, and contempt, might the more incenſe them. And therefore we are more eſpecially to look at the Providence of God in this matter, who ordered and diſpoſed it as was moſt fit for the effecting of his own will. The Philiſtines whoſe corn was burnt, underſtanding that Samſon had done it in revenge, becauſe his wife was ſo unjuſtly taken from him, by his Father-in-law, and given to another, they came up and in a rage burnt him and his daughter together; and thus ſhe brought on her ſelf and her Fathers houſe that miſery †Prov. 10.24. The ſear of the wicked ſhall come upon them.and miſchief, which ſhe thought by her treacherous diſcovery of her husbands ſecret to prevent. [See Ch. 14.15.] Samſon underſtanding what they had done, ſaid, that though they had done this, yet becauſe they had done it with a wicked mind, and in an unjuſt and tumultuous manner (having reſpect therein only to their own loſſes) this ſhould not ſerve their turn, he would proceed further in executing vengeance upon them (who were the enemies of God, and his people) and then he would ceaſe for a time till he were further provoked by them. All which ſhews that what Samſon did, he did not by way of private revenge, but as one raiſed up by God on purpoſe to be a ſcourge to the Philiſtines. So Samſon fell upon them, and ſmote them Hip and Thigh, that is, ſome in one part of the body, and ſome in another, but where ever his blows fell, they mauled them, and made them ſure for ſtirring any more, and ſo he made a great ſlaughter of them at this time, and then went and dwelt on the Rock of Etam in the Tribe of Simeon, which it ſeems was a place of ſtrength; and poſſibly he retired thither, that he might not be ſuddenly ſurprized by the Philiſtines, who (he knew) in all likelihood would ſeek to revenge themſelves upon him; and accordingly ſo it happened; for the Philiſtines ſoon after invaded Judah with a great force, and ſpread themſelves in Lehi a place afterwards ſo called upon the Exploit there done by Samſon with the jaw-bone of an Aſs, v. 17. The men of Judah ſent to them to know why they were come up in ſuch an hoſtile manner againſt them, ſeeing they had not offended them, but liv'd in quiet ſubjection to them, and paid them tribute. They tell them they came for Samſon, who had done them much wrong, and requir'd he ſhould be delivered bound into their hands, that they might do unto him as he had done unto them; viz. that they might put him to death, as he had ſlain many of their people. Then three thouſand of the men of Judah went up to Samſon at the Rock Etam, and told him he could not but know that the Philiſtines were at this time their Rulers, and had them under their power; and therefore he could not be inſenſible what a great miſchief he had brought upon them, by thus provoking them. He replied that as the Philiſtines had done to him, ſo he had done to them. They had done him great wrong, and he had made them ſuffer for it. Then the three thouſand men of Judah told him, that though they had no quarrel againſt him for any injury done to themſelves, yet he having thus provoked the Philiſtines, (which was like to tend to their great hurt) they muſt needs take him, and bind him, and deliver him into their hands, to give them ſatisfaction, and to appeaſe their wrath, that ſo they might withdraw their Army from them. Samſon conſents to it, provided they would ſwear to him not to fall on him themſelves, for then he ſhould be conſtrained to reſiſt them, and poſſibly hurt ſome of them in his own defence. They promiſed him they would not.
So they bound him with two new cords, and brought him bound from the Rock Etam, and delivered him to the Philiſtines at Lehi, where they were now encamped; the Philiſtines ſhouted for joy when they ſaw their great enemy thus brought bound to them. But as ſoon as he came among them, the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he ſnapt the cords (wherewith he was bound) aſunder as eaſily as if they had been threds of ſindged flax, and catching up a jaw-bone of an Aſs that lay there, he ſlew with it a thouſand of the Philiſtines, whereupon 'tis like the reſt ran away.
Then he ſaid by this weak and contemptible inſtrument (through Gods Almighty power and aſſiſtance) I have ſlain a thouſand of His and his peoples enemies, laying their bodies heap upon heap; ſo he called that place Ramah-lehi, that is, the lifting up of the jaw-bone. This great labour and pains in this execution made him extreamly thirſty, ſo that through thirſt and faintneſs he was almoſt ready to die; thus God is wont uſually to humble his ſervants when they have done him any memorable ſervice, that they may not be puffed-up therewith, but ſeeing their own weakneſs may aſcribe all the glory unto him. Samſon being thus extream thirſty, prayed unto the Lord; ſaying, O Lord thou haſt given this great deliverance to thy people by the hand of thy poor ſervant, and ſhall I now die for thirſt, and ſhall the Philiſtines triumph over me? I will truſt in thy power and goodneſs to help me now, as thou haſt done at other times. See Heb. 11.32. So the Lord was pleaſed to cleave a hollow place in this field called Lehi, and a fountain ſprang up out of it, with which Samſon being refreſht, his fainting Spirits revived, and he became ſtrong and vigorous as before; wherefore he called that fountain En-Hakkore, or the well of him that cried unto the Lord. This name he gave it in memorial of Gods great mercy to him, and to teſtifie his thankfulneſs, and as a perpetual monument of the efficacy of Prayer.
Thus Samſon judged Iſrael twenty years, in the days wherein the Philiſtines held them in ſubjection, and tyranniz'd over them, and in ſome degree he gave them deliverance, though he did not fully free them from their Tyranny.
Judges, Ch. 14. v. 20.
Ch. 15. whole Chapter.