JU15-6: Why Israel Prefers To Preserve A Satanic Peace With Their Enemies Instead Of Fighting Them

“The P’lishtim went up, pitched camp in Y’hudah and attacked Lechi.  The men of Y’hudah said, ‘Why are you attacking us?’ They replied, ‘To arrest Shimshon, that’s why — to treat him the way he treated us.'”-Judges 15:9

After Samson’s indiscriminate slaughter of yet another group of innocent Philistine citizens, the Philistines realize something has to be done about this raging hulk with impulsive and murderous tendencies.

So an army of Philistine soldiers is gathered and they head up to Judah to attack a town called Lechi.

Why did they decide to attack this town?

Because Samson was living in a place called Eitam Rock and it was near Judah.

Obviously the local Israelite residents living in Judah were baffled and confused as to why they were being attacked.

Because up until now their relationship with the Philistines was a peaceful and cozy one.

However, as soon as they found out the Philistine soldiers were attacking them because of Samson, these men of Judah heartily agreed to help them capture Samson IF IT MEANT THEY WOULD BE LEFT ALONE.

Of course everyone knew how strong and powerful Samson was…

That’s why 3000 Judahites went up to capture him.

When they encountered Samson sitting in his cave at Eitam Rock, they told him straight out…

“Listen, we’re gonna have to turn you over to the Philistines”.

Now these were Samson’s own kinsmen, so he didn’t resist.

He simply requested they not try to kill him themselves.

Now there’s a huge irony unfolding here and I hope you can catch it.

Instead of sending an army of 3000 men to fight against their Philistine oppressors, which is what God had commanded and would have wanted, what did Israel do instead?

They sent 3000 men to capture one of their own Hebrew brothers in order to placate a gentile enemy.

Verse 11 says it all…

“Don’t you know that the P’lishtim are our rulers?
What are you doing to us?”

In other words, these Israelites from Judah preferred to preserve this Satanic peace between them and the Philistines, instead of going to Holy War against them per the Lord’s command.

They just loved their cozy, maple syrupy lives too much.

Sound familiar?

The temptations of convenience and comfort over obedience proved too great for them.

Onward.

So Samson got these 3000 men of Judah to promise not to kill him…

Only that they would bind him with ropes and hand him over to the Philistines.

The Scripture says …“they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock”.

The “new” ropes means the strands he was bound by were fresh and at their strongest.

The tied up Samson was then escorted to the town of Lechi.

When the Philistines saw the man who they were after “helpless” and ready to be delivered to them, they were overjoyed.

Samson been captured and they had succeeded in getting his own Hebrew brothers to do it for them.

But they were in a for a big-time rude awakening.

To be continued…