Jdg 15:11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

Samson was making a one man war against the Philistines. He was now in Judah. The Philistines came to Judah. They demanded the people of Judah handed over Samson to them. The men of Judah were afraid of the Philistines. They found Samson and blamed him for troubling them. Three thousand men of Judah came to bind Samson to deliver him to their oppressors.

I couldn’t help but take pity on Samson. He was a lonely person. Unlike other judges before him, he didn’t command an army. He didn’t seem to have any friends. He was a one man against the host of the Philistines. He had a mission to deliver Israel. But, he wasn’t appreciated. The men of Judah called him a troublemaker. They preferred under servitude to the Philistines than their hero Samson. They were prepared to give up their champion in order to conciliate their masters.

It shows how hard was the task of the Judge, whose office it was to restore his countrymen to freedom and independence, but a job hardly appreciated by those he came to serve.

I like to draw three lessons from this passage.

1. MOST PEOPLE ARE HAPPY TO STAY IN THEIR SAD CONDITION. Judah said: "Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us." They were telling Samson to leave them alone. They had rather not be disturbed. Self-respect was gone; they were contented to be under oppression by the enemies. Love of country was gone; they didn’t want freedom even when they had the opportunity to be free. They had lost all courage to fight.

Have you tried talking to someone about Jesus and they said: “Leave me alone”? They loved their sins. They didn’t want to be bothered by Jesus. Like the Jews, they would rather deliver their Saviour to be crucified and serve the devil. They don’t mind living in bondage to the devil (Romans 6:16).

2. A LEADER’S WORK IS SELDOM APPRECIATED. It happened to Samson. Leaders are often being blamed when certain things planned weren’t perfect. The men of Judah blamed Samson for their troubles when it was the Philistines who were troubling them.

Leaders have been blamed when the bus was late. “Why they hired the service of this bus company? Why didn’t they use the XX bus company?” What about the food in the church camp? Again, it’s the leaders’ fault the food wasn’t fantastic. “We should have gone to the other resort; I heard their food is much better.” It’s no wonder few want to lead in the church.

The Christian principle is that we should remember our workers and be thankful for their effort and sacrifices for organising and leading (Hebrews 13:17). Do you know how many months and hours the organisers have to spend organising a church camp? While we just pack and go, they spend countless hours before and during the retreat ensuring we have an enjoyable time.

3. LEADERS ARE LONELY IN THE WORK THEY ARE DOING. Samson didn’t have any friends. It’s kind of lonely when you are the only one working. God doesn’t want His church in which only the preacher is preaching, teaching, and doing all the works of the church. He calls us to be co-workers (1 Corinthians 3:9). Let us bear one another’s burden (Galatians 6:2).

The men of Judah instead of protecting their hero delivered him to the enemies. Let us not be like them. Let us appreciate those who labour in the Lord for our benefits and imitate their faith. 

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

Virus-free. www.avg.com