This research paper by Matthew Robinson, submitted to Dr. Richard Belcher for OT506 – Hebrew Exegesis at Reformed Theological Seminary, explores the theological dynamics of divine strength and human weakness in Judges 15:14–20. Robinson argues that Samson, though deeply flawed, becomes an instrument of Yahweh’s Spirit, embodying how God’s power accomplishes deliverance through the frailty and pride of His servant.
The study opens with a detailed translation and textual analysis of Judges 15:14–20, emphasizing the Spirit of Yahweh as the true source of Samson’s strength. Robinson notes the narrative’s key turning point when “the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon him,” melting his bonds and empowering him to defeat the Philistines with an unlikely weapon—the jawbone of a donkey. This act symbolizes divine strength working through human limitation, where even an unclean instrument becomes a vessel of deliverance by the Spirit’s power.
Robinson identifies three main themes: Yahweh’s gracious deliverance of a corrupt generation, the contrast between Yahweh’s strength and Samson’s weakness, and the transformation of Samson’s pride through divine mercy. He traces how Samson’s self-exalting song and naming of “Ramath-Lehi” reveal his pride, yet Yahweh humbles him through thirst and restores him through miraculous provision at “En-Hakkore,” the “Fountain of the Caller.”
The paper concludes with pastoral application, urging ministers to recognize their dependence on God’s strength rather than their own. Just as Samson’s deliverance and survival came only by divine empowerment, so too must spiritual leaders rely wholly on God’s grace in service and suffering.
Course and semester: OT506 Hebrew Exegesis — Spring 2018
