When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. And Samson said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey have I struck down a thousand men.”
As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi.
And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the LORD and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years. (Judges 15:14-20 ESV)
Ellen White offers a wonderful insight into this experience of Samson:
Thousands of Israelites witnessed Samson’s defeat of the Philistines, yet no voice was raised in triumph, till the hero, elated at his marvelous success, celebrated his own victory. But he praised himself, instead of ascribing the glory to God.
No sooner had he ceased than he was reminded of his weakness by a most intense and painful thirst. He had become exhausted by his prodigious labors, and no means of supplying his need was at hand. He began to feel his utter dependence upon God, and to be convinced that he had not triumphed by his own power, but in the strength of the Omnipotent One.
He then gave God the praise for his deliverance, and offered an earnest prayer for relief from his present suffering. The Lord hearkened to his petition and opened for him a spring of water. In token of his gratitude Samson called the name of the place En-hakkore, or “the well of him that cried” (Signs of the Times Oct. 6, 1881).
If only Samson had remembered the experience of En-Hakkore before he revealed the secret of his strength to Delilah. If only he had remembered the “Well of Him Who Cries;” the Spirit of the Living God. Jesus is the one who opens to us the well of the Spirit’s Life giving presence.
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive. (John 7:37-39 ESV)
The Savior has instructed us to ask of Him, as Samson asked, and He will open to us the wellspring of His Spirit.
And, truth be told, no matter the battles won, the strength displayed, or the greatness of our talents… without the Spirit of God we are just as desperate as Samson after his great victory at Ramath-lehi. It is not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit that the victory is gained. And in his desperate thirst, Samson understood, and Samson cried out.
Would that he would have cried out to God for deliverance from the seductive influence of Delilah. Would that he would have asked for the discernment of God’s Spirit in the presence of his voluptuous deceiver. But his spirit was blinded by lust. Before his eyes were gouged out, his soul became vexed in the addicted cycle of an adulterous affair, and the darkness of shame caused him to hopelessly reveal the secret of His strength.
“Put a razor to my head, and I will be as any other man. Cut away the outward sign of my inner devotion to God, and I will be like any other man.”
Ahh, but the good news is, The God of En-Hakkore can still hear the cries of the hopeless, even after they have given away the secret of their strength. They may betray his confidence, but He will not betray theirs if they but choose to return to Him in repentance and humility. And in a final prayer of desperation, Samson’s life forever bears witness to En-Hakkore,
“O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. (Judges 16:28-30 ESV)
Hallelujah, the dying prayer of the strong-man Samson reminds us, that our only strength, our only victory is the Spirit of the Lord. Hallelujah, En-Hakkore still flows today. There is still a well for him who cries out to the living God for His life giving Spirit… still a well for every man, woman, and child… still a well for young and old… still a well for saint and sinner…
O let us go to En-Hakkore… after battles won… after shameful sins… after defeating foes… after loosing all hope. The God of Samson still renews the strength of the weak, He still forgives backsliders and hypocrites, He still hears the cries of the helpless, and all who come to know their desperation and need.
Prayer: O Lord Jesus keep me desperate. Never let me know my own strength. Never let me boast in my own power. Jesus You are my strength, You are my power. I am not ashamed of Your gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation… first for me… than for those You have called me to reach.
Lead me to En-Hakkore… Let me drink deep of it’s streams, daily! Yesterday’s infilling is not sufficient for today’s daily grind. Even after I have failed, even when I have fallen short… O Lord, lead me to En-Hakkore, “The Well of Him Who Cries.”
