Three Hundred Foxes and a Jawbone

Samson, missing the physical pleasures of his wife, goes back to her house to claim her, but her father, thinking that he has abandoned her, gives her to his best man instead. So Samson went out, caught 300 foxes, and used their tails and wild energy to set fire to the crops of the Philistines as revenge. But revenge, as it so often does even today, only escalated the situation, and the Philistines retaliated by killing his former wife and her family. Thus began the long war between Samson and his enemies.

In our last episode, we heard how Samson met and fell in love with a Philistine woman. It was a relationship that God never wanted for Samson, but one He would use nonetheless to accomplish His plans. We saw how Samson’s foolishness and compromising values led to personal tragedy, and he lost his wife to another. Today we’ll hear how Samson fights to win back his wife and how he reacts to being turned away. We’ll also see how God uses Samson, flaws and all, to defeat the Philistines and sow chaos in their midst. We’ll continue to see that Samson is not only physically strong but clever and crafty and how his extraordinary gifts are a tool in the hands of God. But we’ll also see the disastrous consequences of human vengeance and how one small act can have a domino effect of death and destruction.