taking 300 foxes (or rather jackals) and tying them together two by two by the tails, with a firebrand
between every pair of tails, and so he let them loose into the standing corn of the Philistines, which
was ready for harvest, The Philistines took vengeance by burning Samson’s wife and her father;
but he fell hip upon them in return, and smote them with a great slaughter,” after which he took
refuge on the top of the rock of Etam, in the territory of Judah. The Philistines gathered an army
to revenge themselves when the men of Judah hastened to make peace by giving up Samson, who
was hound with cords, these, however, he broke like burnt flax and finding a jawbone of an ass at
hand, he slew with it a thousand of the Philistines. The supernatural character of this exploit was
confirmed by the miraculous bursting out of a spring of water to revive the champion as he was
ready to die of thirst. This achievement raised Samson to the position of a judge, which he held for
twenty years. After a time he began to fall into the temptations which addressed themselves to his
strong animal nature; but he broke through every snare in which he was caught so long as he kept
his Nazarite vow. While he was visiting a harlot in Gaza, the Philistines shut the gates of the city,
intending to kill him in the morning; but at midnight he went out and tore away the gates, with the
posts and bar and carried them to the top of a hill looking toward Hebron. Next he formed his fatal
connection with Delilah, a woman who lived in the valley of Sorek. Thrice he suffered himself to
be bound with green withes, with new ropes, but released himself until finally, wearied out with
her importunity, he “told her all his heart,” and while he was asleep she had him shaven of his seven
locks of hair. His enemies put out his eyes, and led him down to Gaza, bound in brazen fetters, and
made him grind in the prison. Then they held a great festival in the temple of Dagon, to celebrate
their victory over Samson. They brought forth the blind champion to make sport for them, end
placed him between the two chief pillars which supported the roof that surrounded the court. Samson
asked the lad who guided him to let him feel the pillars, to lean upon them. Then, with a fervent
prayer that God would strengthen him only this once, to be avenged on the Philistines, he bore with
all his might upon the two pillars; they yielded, and the house fell upon the lords and all the people.
So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” In (Hebrews
11:32) his name is enrolled among the worthies of the Jewish Church.
Samuel
was the son of Elkanah and Hannah, and was born at Ramathaim-zophim, among the hills of
Ephraim. [Ramah No. 2] (B.C. 1171.) Before his birth he was dedicated by his mother to the office
of a Nazarite and when a young child, 12 years old according to Josephus he was placed in the
temple, and ministered unto the Lord before Eli.” It was while here that he received his first prophetic
call. (1 Samuel 3:1-18) He next appears, probably twenty years afterward, suddenly among the
people, warning them against their idolatrous practices. (1 Samuel 7:3,4) Then followed Samuel’s
first and, as far as we know, only military achievement, ch. (1 Samuel 7:5-12) but it was apparently
this which raised him to the office of “judge.” He visited, in the discharge of his duties as ruler, the
three chief sanctuaries on the west of Jordan—Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpeh. ch. (1 Samuel 7:16) His
own residence was still native city, Ramah, where he married, and two sons grew up to repeat under
his eyes the same perversion of high office that he had himself witnessed in his childhood in the
case of the two sons of Eli. In his old age he shared his power with them, (1 Samuel 8:1-4) but the
people dissatisfied, demanded a king, and finally anointed under God’s direction, and Samuel
surrendered to him his authority, (1 Samuel 12:1) ... though still remaining judge. ch. (1 Samuel
7:15) He was consulted far and near on the small affairs of life. (1 Samuel 9:7,8) From this fact,
combined with his office of ruler, an awful reverence grew up around him. No sacrificial feast was
frankie
(Frankie)
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