Judges 15:17–20 – God, the source of our refreshing

The description of the battle Samson had engaged with the Philistines was brief. We are told that he managed to kill a thousand Philistines just with the new jaw bone of a donkey. Of course, he could only achieve such a victory because the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Doubtless, the battle must have drained his energy and taken a toll on him. For the first time in the account of his life, he expressed weakness. Who won’t after such a gruelling battle with the Philistines? He named the place when he had triumphed over the Philistines, Ramath-lehi, which meant the place of the jawbone. How appropriate!

Judges 15:18 records for us that Samson called on the Lord. And that was the first record of him praying to God. He prayed to Him saying, “You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant, and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” His prayer tells us that he recognized that it was God who had granted him the victory. And indeed, it was. But now he was thirsty and there was nowhere he could find water to drink and was in danger of dying from thirst. He did not want the Philistines to find him in his weakened condition for lack of water. He had no desire to fall into their hands now and had his body mutilated. As always, God will answer the desperate call of His people in their times of need. True to His character, God answered Samson’s prayer. So, we read in Judges 15:19 that “God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it.” Samson then drank of the water and was refreshed. He named the place En-hakkkore.

This scene in his life reminds us that we need the Lord to provide us with the fresh refreshing water of life ever so often. We are grateful for the Holy Spirit whom God has given to us. He is God’s refreshing stream for our journey in life. Remember what Jesus said in John 7:37-38? He said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John explained in verse 39 that Jesus “…spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive….” Praise God for this wonderful provision of the Holy Spirit! This scene also reminds us that when we feel drained of energy and on the verge of giving up altogether, we can always turn to our dependable God.

Hear the refreshing words of Anne J. Flint from her hymn, “He giveth more grace,” which she had written. She said:

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

We can always count on God! Let’s draw near to Him confidently!