Riding High on the Jawbone of an Ass…

 

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him; and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said:

"With the jawbone of a donkey,

Heaps upon heaps,

With the jawbone of a donkey

I have slain a thousand men!"

And so it was, when he had finished speaking, that he threw the jawbone from his hand, and called that place Ramath Lehi.

Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the LORD and said, "You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?" So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.—Judges 15:14-20

Samson was riding high on the jawbone of an ass. But just look at what little it took for him to remember that he was a man and not a god. Samson began to thirst after his victory and it was in his physical need for water that the Lord reminded him of his weakness and total dependence on Him. Sigh…I think any one of us who has ever been ill can relate. 

My Bible reading this morning included Psalm 51 and Luke 18.  As I read them, I couldn’t help but think of what Samson could have accomplished had he lived in true surrender to the Spirit of God. Psalm 51 begins this way…King David is praying:

Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to Your lovingkindness;

According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,

Blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,

And my sin is always before me.—Psalm 51:1-3

Luke 18 compares the self righteous prayer of a Pharisee to the broken cries of a repentant tax collector. The tax collector prays this way:

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'—Luke 18:13

With these readings as a backdrop, it is not surprising then that as I read the story of Samson my mind became filled with “If only’s”. 

If only Samson had:

—Repented of his pride and “self-confidence” and asked God not just for water but for also for guidance and for protection from the weakness of his own flesh….

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Show me Your ways, O LORD;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.—Psalm 25:1-5

do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.—Matthew 6:13

—Asked God to strengthen his inner man….

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,—Ephesians 3:16

—Realized that in his weakness he was strong…

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

—Understood that safety is found in total dependence on the Lord. 

But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their strength in the time of trouble.

And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;

He shall deliver them from the wicked,

And save them,

Because they trust in Him.—Psalm 37:39-40

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust."……—Psalm 91:1-2

Beloved…with pride comes only strife and destruction.  Praying today that we would remember these lessons from Samson’s life. Oh Father!  May we revel in our weakness because it is in our weakness that You are strong.  For it is You who works in us both to will and to do for Your good pleasure. 

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.

I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.—Psalm 57:1-2

Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:28-1