Taking a risk – the definition of the word “risk” is “the possibility of loss or injury.” Business leaders have used risks to try new measures for growth. Brave. Strategic. Analytical. Determined. Those words definitely describe someone who would think on the terms of taking chances in order to solve a problem.
In the book of Judges, chapter 15, Sampson was a risk-taker against the Philistines. According to Scripture, Sampson had angered the Philistines by burning a field of grain. As a result, the Philistine leaders were in pursuit of Sampson. They invaded a Hebrew town of around 3,000 men, and insisted on the delivery of Sampson or face harsh punishment.
Philistines. Oppressive. Brutal. A maritime society that sailed from Crete and invaded Israel’s coastal communities in order to take over land for themselves. In order to dominate the nearby Hebrew villages, the Philistines raided the farms and removed any type of weapon that the farmers owned. Their blacksmith establishments were stripped of their sharpening instruments to force the farmers to travel into Philistine towns in order to sharpen farm tools, for a hefty fee.
As a result, life for the Hebrews was rather depressive. Unlike the Philistines, there was no national king. Each tribe had leaders that on occasions would meet together in case of national emergencies. There were a few prophets that would engage various tribes in prayer or military campaigns when needed. Each tribe has its own militia which had the right to call on the militia of neighboring tribes when security issues arose. They were free to travel and engage in business from one tribe to another until the Philistines became a force and often monitored their travel.
Although the Philistines were briefly mentioned in Exodus, very little was written about that nationality until the story of Sampson in the book of Judges. According to Jewish scholars, the Philistines must have sailed from Crete to the west coast of Israel between the years from Gideon’s leadership to the judgeship of Sampson, a period of around 75 years.
After the destruction of their grain fields by Sampson, the Philistines marched to Lehi, a town in Judah and demanded the location of Sampson. Three thousand men traveled to the rocks of Etam and delivered the message to Sampson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?” (Judges 15: 11) They continued, “We have come to deliver you to the Philistines.”
Now, this passage seems to be rather interesting. Imagine 3,000 men in one place having a dialogue with Sampson about surrendering to the enemy. Think about that for a minute. If those men had remembered their Hebrew history, then they would have remembered that just 75 years prior, Gideon used 300 men to defeat a massive army, by just using torches and trumpets.
What if the dialogue included Hebrew history that reminded them that the number 3,000 in Hebrew meant, “God blesses?” What if, in their dialogue, they had asked Sampson to teach them how to use whatever was available to them, since they were forbidden to own weapons to defeat their enemy? What if they encouraged one another to do battle with their enemy and had asked for prayer for God’s intervention in the battle? What if they had said to Sampson, “Show us what to do and we will follow you into battle and regain the land that God promised us through Moses?” Would there had been a Delilah to tempt Sampson, or a Goliath to taunt Israel?
Obviously, we could only speculate at the outcome. However, remember that strong citizens help to forge strong leaders. One person cannot solve all problems because it takes support from all parties involved. What if we became more engaged in prayer and in service for our own community and nation? What would happen if we became more engaged in praying for our own local and state leaders? What if we prayed for our schools and businesses as we drive throughout our communities? We could only speculate at the outcome.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com