The Illusion of Getting Even | Judges 15:3-5

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today’s shout-out goes to Steve Winton from Lakeland, FL. Your commitment through Project23 helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you.

Our text today is Judges 15:3-5

“And Samson said to them, ‘This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.’ So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards.” — Judges 15:3-5

Samson is furious. His wife’s father gave her away to another man, and now humiliation burns inside him. So he cooks up a plan—literally. He ties torches between the tails of 300 foxes and lets them loose in Philistine fields, torching grain and olive orchards.

For Samson, it felt like justice. For the Philistines, it was destruction. And shortly, the retaliation would escalate.

That’s the way revenge works—it feels satisfying for a moment, but it never ends there. It multiplies the misery.

Revenge never heals your hurt; it multiplies it.

When you’ve been betrayed or wronged, the urge to “get even” screams loud. We daydream about comebacks, plots, or even just the perfect cutting words. And for a moment, it feels powerful. But it never brings peace—it only fans the flames of bitterness.

Samson’s fire scorched the Philistines, but it also scorched his future. His revenge didn’t settle the score; it made the fight bigger.

God calls us to a better way. Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” God can handle justice better than you ever could. Revenge chains you to anger; forgiveness frees you to live.

ASK THIS:

1. Where are you tempted to “get even” right now?
2. How have you seen revenge backfire in your life before?
3. Why is it so hard to trust God with justice?
4. What might forgiveness free you from today?

DO THIS:

• Write down the name of the person you want revenge on.
• Pray: “God, vengeance belongs to You. I give this into Your hands.”

PRAY THIS:

Lord, You see the hurt in my heart. I want revenge, but I choose to release it to You. Free me from bitterness, and help me trust You with justice. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

“Battle Belongs.”