How does Judges 15:5 connect to Romans 12:19 about vengeance and God's role? Setting the Scene • Samson lives during the chaotic era of the judges, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). • The Philistines oppress Israel (Judges 15:11), and God raises Samson to “begin the deliverance of Israel” (Judges 13:5). • Romans is written centuries later to New-Covenant believers, calling them to live peaceably while trusting God to settle justice. Samson’s Fiery Act—Judges 15:5 “Samson set fire to the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines, burning up the shocks and standing grain, along with the vineyards and olive groves.” • Literal, historic event: 300 foxes (or jackals) become living torches. • Immediate motive: personal retaliation for his wife being given to another man (Judges 15:1-3). • Larger purpose: God uses Samson’s act as judgment on the Philistines’ economy and false security, loosening their grip on Israel. • The text nowhere rebukes Samson here; instead, it shows God’s Spirit already empowering him (Judges 14:19; 15:14). Divine Vengeance—Romans 12:19 “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.’” • Clear command: believers must relinquish personal vendettas. • Quotation from Deuteronomy 32:35 echoes the unchanging character of God. • God reserves the right to repay evil—sometimes in history, ultimately at the final judgment (Hebrews 10:30; Revelation 19:2). Connecting the Two Passages • Different covenants, same principle: God—not man—owns vengeance. • In Judges 15, God temporarily channels His judgment through Samson, a divinely appointed judge (Judges 13:5). – Samson acts within a God-given role similar to later civil authorities described in Romans 13:4, “an avenger who brings wrath on the wrongdoer.” • In Romans 12, the instruction is for ordinary believers, not divinely commissioned judges. – We are forbidden private revenge and called to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:20-21). • Both texts highlight God’s sovereignty: – Old Testament: God sometimes uses individuals like Samson as instruments of His immediate justice. – New Testament: God will ultimately balance the scales; our task is patient trust. Takeaways for Today’s Believer • Trust God’s timing—He sees every wrong; no injustice escapes His ledger (Psalm 94:1-2). • Separate personal hurt from divine justice—leave space for God to act rather than reacting in fleshly anger (James 1:19-20). • Respect God-ordained authorities—today He primarily executes temporal justice through civil government (Romans 13:1-4). • Overcome evil with good—respond to enemies with Christ-like love, confident that God will right every wrong, just as He did in Samson’s day and as He promises for the future. |
    |