So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves. – Judges 15:4-5

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 15, 2019): Judges 15

Philosopher and Social Critic Mokokoma Mokhonoana argues that “It is human to be angry, but childish to be controlled by anger.” We all get angry, but we also learn to deal with that anger more productively. When we were kids, often our anger produced some kind of a negative outburst. But as we mature, we learn to deal with the anger differently. There will always be things that will make us angry, but that anger does not have to control us, causing us to react violently or to attempt to exact our vengeance on the objects or causes of our anger, instead of being willing to sit down and work out our differences, and learning to love our neighbors as ourselves.

The story of Samson often seems like the story of someone who never really matured or grew up. Samson seemed to be someone who was controlled by his passions throughout the length of his life. He often acted like a juvenile delinquent. And this story is an example of his teenage delinquency that he suffered from until the last moments of his life.

There is so much that is wrong with this story, especially from a contemporary point of view. The idea that Samson would light foxes, or more likely jackals, on fire (okay the fire was tied between the tails of two animals, but the situation even if the animal did not get burned must have caused terror in the animal) is a situation that must make PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and many others cringe. Obviously, in ancient times, this kind of protection for animals was not a consideration.

But there are other objections to the story, especially to the idea that Samson could have trapped three hundred foxes. Admittedly, three hundred foxes are a large number, especially for an animal that tends to live in small family groups or even exist as solitary individuals. But it is likely that the text actually refers to jackals, who are known to live in packs of up to two hundred animals. There is also nothing in the text that says that Samson captured the animals all by himself or that the animals were taken all in one day. It could have taken a period of time for him to gather all the animals.

But in the end, after these animals were captured, the teenage bully tied fire between their tails and allowed the animals lose to destroy the crops of his enemies. Maybe the most surprising thing is that God, in spite of Samson's immaturity, was still able to use Samson to accomplish his purposes.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 16