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   How do Bible students apply Judges 15 to the church?   
      
   Wiersbe applies Judges 15 by warning believers against retaliation and   
   compromise. When life operates by revenge, everyone suffers. He observes   
   that believers, like Samson, can become self-reliant instead of   
   God-dependent, and that the cure comes through prayerful humility and   
   dependence on God’s strength rather than their own (Wiersbe  Jdg 15).   
      
   The CSB Apologetics Study Bible views Samson’s story as a warning   
   against wasting God-given gifts on selfish pursuits. It cautions   
   believers that God’s empowerment must not be used for personal gain but   
   for the benefit of His people (Davis 312).   
      
   McGee applies the passage by distinguishing between God’s strength and   
   human self-interest. He warns that personal revenge cannot fulfill God’s   
   commission and urges believers to act under the Spirit’s direction for   
   God’s purposes rather than for personal vindication (McGee 203–05).   
      
   The Moody Bible Commentary shows how God’s Spirit both empowered and   
   sustained Samson to accomplish His will, teaching believers that even   
   when they are weak, God supplies the power and sustenance to fulfill His   
   purposes (McMath 382–83).   
      
   Brooks emphasizes the Holy Spirit’s power through weak instruments,   
   applying it to the church by showing that believers can accomplish great   
   things for God through His Spirit despite their limitations (Brooks 54).   
      
   The NIV Application Commentary uses Samson as a warning against   
   self-gratification. It urges the church not to follow cultural impulses   
   driven by sensuality and pride but to resist living by desire and   
   instead yield to God’s Spirit (Beetham and Erickson 213–14).   
      
   The CSB Disciple’s Study Bible applies Samson’s dependence on the Lord   
   as an encouragement for believers. It teaches that God listens to   
   imperfect prayers and uses imperfect people to accomplish His will   
   through His Spirit’s enabling (Holman 387).   
      
   The NICOT commentary applies the account as a reminder that God can use   
   even deeply flawed servants to accomplish His redemptive purposes.   
   Samson’s deliverance of Israel through divine empowerment points to   
   God’s sovereignty and calls believers to depend wholly on Him to break   
   sin’s bondage (Webb 376–91).   
      
   The Gospel Transformation Study Bible connects Samson’s Spirit-empowered   
   deliverance to the Spirit’s work in the church. Just as the Spirit   
   confirmed Samson’s mission, so the Spirit empowers believers today to   
   bear witness to Christ’s saving work despite their failures (Aucker 321).   
      
   The New American Commentary applies Judges 15 as a testimony to God’s   
   unchanging faithfulness. Even when His servants act selfishly, God’s   
   purposes prevail. It encourages the church to trust that God’s mission   
   continues despite human imperfection and to yield to His purposes in   
   dependence on His Spirit (Block 438–48).   
      
   Works Cited   
      
   Aucker, W. Brian. “Judges.” *Gospel Transformation Bible: English   
   Standard Version*, edited by Bryan Chapell and Dane Ortlund, Crossway,   
   2013, p. 321.   
      
   Beetham, Christopher A., and Nancy L. Erickson, editors. *The NIV   
   Application Commentary on the Bible*. One-Volume Edition, Zondervan   
   Academic, 2024, pp. 213–14.   
      
   Block, Daniel Isaac. *Judges, Ruth*. Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999,   
   pp. 438–48.   
      
   Brooks, Keith. *Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old   
   Testament*. Logos Bible Software, 2009, p. 54.   
      
   Davis, Barry C. “Judges.” *CSB Apologetics Study Bible*, edited by Ted   
   Cabal, Holman Bible Publishers, 2017, p. 312.   
      
   Holman Bible Publishers. *CSB Disciple’s Study Bible: Notes*. Holman   
   Bible Publishers, 2017, p. 387.   
      
   McGee, J. Vernon. *Thru the Bible Commentary: History of Israel   
   (Joshua/Judges)*. Electronic ed., vol. 10, Thomas Nelson, 1991, pp. 203–05.   
      
   McMath, John T. “Judges.” *The Moody Bible Commentary*, edited by   
   Michael A. Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, Moody Publishers, 2014,   
   pp. 382–83.   
      
   Webb, Barry G. *The Book of Judges*. Edited by R. K. Harrison and Robert   
   L. Hubbard Jr., William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012, pp. 376–91.   
      
   Wiersbe, Warren W. *With the Word Bible Commentary*. Thomas Nelson,   
   1991, p. Jdg 15.   
      
   --   
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   raised Him from the dead?   
      
   That Christ died for our sins shows we're sinners who deserve the death   
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   2:1-2). This means God can now remain just, while forgiving you of your   
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   On the basis of Christ's death and resurrection for our sins, call on   
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