As we continue on with a look at the two sides to the life of Samson,
we find that Judges chapter 14 opens up with Samson taking a little trip.
The Bible says he makes a visit - down to the city of Timnath. Does that
sound like a good direction to you?? Low and behold, what did he SEE there
but something that pleased his eye and warped his heart - a very good
looking woman! A snare to any man no matter how he was raised! Ladies,
BEWARE of the places you allow the precious children you have spent your
life raising in the nurture and admonition of the Lord to visit - whether
in real life or via the television, computer and books! The devil has
something waiting there to steal their affections from the godly purpose
God has for their lives! Sometimes we make allowances for our children
we shouldn't...
Judges 14:1-3, "And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath
of the daughters of the Philistines. [2] And he came up, and told his
father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the
daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. [3]
Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among
the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest
to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto
his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well."
The Bible says that Samson spotted a woman that pleased him well - apart
from knowing her heart! His lust for this worldly Philistine woman became
so strong that it affected his relationship with Mom & Dad -and not for
the better! Notice the demanding tone he uses with his parents... "Get
her for me..." Naturally, Mr. and Mrs. Manoah were not happy with their
son's worldly selection and voiced their preference that he would set
his affections upon a godly woman. Believers should not marry unbelievers!
Samson, however, dismissed his parents displeasure and advice in exchange
for his lustful desires... To make a long story short, Samson's associations
became far too free with the Philistines. As he attempted to marry one
of their women, it turned into quite a battle, where finally God was able
to turn his heart away from them altogether and used Samson to begin to
deliver Israel, as the rest of the chapter explains.
Judges 16:4-21
Delilah - Destroyed A Godly Mother's Work
"Delilah".... As you say it aloud, it has a pretty little ring to it;
a sweet sounding name which means "delicate" or "dainty one", but nonetheless
a very tarnished name! "Delilah"....a woman whom Samson met on another
one of his business trips away from home...
Vs. 4, "And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley
of Sorek, whose name was Delilah."
In this particular valley, the Hebrews and Philistines mingled freely.
Samson's passions had a habit of leading him into the place of danger...
He killed a lion, but Samson was no match for lust! Here was a man who
broke the strongest bands, but was unable to break bad habits! He conquered
the Philistines - but never got victory over his passion for their women!
Though Samson was strong enough to carry off the gates of Gaza, he wasn't
strong enough to keep from being carried away by the charms of Delilah....
Vs. 5-6, "And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said
unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by
what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict
him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength
lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee."
Recognized leaders are highly sought after! Everybody wants to know what
makes a strong man so strong. It becomes almost like an obsession with
us... Though the world is impressed by godly strength, that doesn't mean
they are happy about it's existence! A strong individual is naturally
in the spotlight, and folks walk all around him looking closely for the
secret to his strength. During their thorough inspection of his life,
when a weak spot is identified, the enemy will use a man's weakness against
him to bring down his strength...
Delilah immediately sets out with great efficiency to gain the secret
to Samson's strength... Her mission: to entice him. Satan ruins great
men by bringing them into a setting in which they do not recognize how
they are losing their strength! Samson, moved by the desires of his own
passion, was blind to the impure motives behind Delilah's dealings...
She used her professional and personal charms to lure him to spiritual
and physical destruction. Hence, the contrast in Samson's life becomes
clear....
Unlike Mrs. Manoah, Delilah used all her womanly qualities to bring down
a man rather than build him up. I wonder, which building process are you
involved in, dear lady? How are your dealings with other men affecting
them? Are you guilty of stealing their strength through your enticements?
To entice is to instigate, to urge or to lead astray; to draw aside from
the path of virtue and duty in any manner by flattery, flirtations, by
promises or bribes. Delilah flirted with Samson trying to determine by
what means his godly upbringing could be brought down...
Vs. 7, "And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs
that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man."
Samson foolishly played along with her seemingly harmless game and allowed
Delilah to flirt with him by flirting back with silly answers or half-hearted
replies... Ladies, beware of drawing men aside to tease and flirt with
them! You're literally tampering with the work of God in a man's life!
To flirt is defined as: to toss or throw, to jeer or jibe; to throw harsh
or sarcastic words.
To tease is defined as: to vex, to harrass, annoy, disturb or irritate
by petty requests, or by jests; to scratch for the purpose of raising
a nap.
If you remember from yesterday's devotion, as a wise woman, Mrs. Manoah
never touched a topic she shouldn't have with the opposite sex -and it
built up her home, it preserved and protected it! Not so with Delilah....
She tore down every godly brick Mrs. Manoah ever laid into her son's life,
one petty, playful comment at a time. This flirtatious woman threw a jab
here, tossed a sarcastic phrase there - back and forth she and Samson
went; all the while Delilah inching closer to her goal of uncovering Samson's
whole heart! As you read vs. 9-15, you can view their game playing for
yourself. It's quite grieving that a man of Samson's upbringing is so
unsuspecting. This worldly, skillfully seductive woman was subtly "scratching"
the strong man for the purpose of raising a nap, for the purpose of bringing
his weak spots to the surface - and she succeeded:
Vs. 16-18, "And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words,
and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her
all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine
head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I
be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak,
and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all
his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying,
Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart."
Leaders are lost in their lust for women.
What man could stand up under such a powerfully planned attack?? Do you
think he was considering his godly reputation with so much pleasure in
front of him?? Yes, Delilah was in full control at all times, but Samson
was totally out of control! He had fallen into the same deep pit other
strong men had been lured into, that which men of God are still falling
into today! It became Samson's final turning point toward disaster and
the end of his calling... The teasing and probing had come to an end and
unsuspecting Samson emptied all his heart to Delilah in foolish trust.
Don't think it was just words this woman used either, ladies! She put
ALL of her charms to work on the weakest spot of Samson's heart. He had
been so worked over by her that he couldn't think or see straight any
longer...
James 1:14-15, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his
OWN lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth
sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
Delilah could read Samson's emotions clearly - his lust had peaked...
She knew the game playing had come to an end and her enticements afforded
her the winner. Women are good at doing that with men, amen ladies? If
you're honest with yourself today, you would admit we know precisely when
we've got men in our power and under our spell...
Could it be that you are game playing too often with your personal charms??
What strong man have you been too curious about? Have you been flirting
with the men in your church in any way at all? Have you been conducting
yourself properly in the presence of the man of God or have you been too
personal with your pastor?? Are all your verbal exchanges in good taste
or do they have a deceitful twist to them? I beg you to think twice about
the little comments you toss here and there! Most often it's the petty
(small, trifling) things that bring the big things crashing down! Many
Christian men and women fall into illicit relationships simply through
exchanging "small talk" - which is why I said yesterday to consider whether
you really need to disclose every little thing that is going on in your
life to your pastor, or any other male leader in the church, for that
matter! Trust me, as a pastor's wife, I can tell you from experience that
there are a host of trivial matters brought to my husband for discussion
by other women that are not necessary or healthy for either party in the
long run. I truly appreciate women who exercise discretion and behave
themselves properly in his presence! Make sure, like Mrs. Manoah did,
that you aren't involved in the ungodly game of lulling a strong man to
sleep one little remark at a time.
Judges 16:19-20, "And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called
for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head;
and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she
said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep,
and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And
he wist not that the Lord was departed from him."
Delilah seduced Samson to sleep and he was literally rendered useless
to the Lord - a godly mother's work destroyed! From the knees of Mrs.
Manoah to the knees of the likes of Delilah... What a shame that such
a contrast should exist in Samson's life - a man who had so much to offer
the Lord! Which woman are you most like in character, dear lady? One woman
was nameless, but beautiful in godly character, another had a beautiful
name but was empty of godly character.
Allow the story of Samson to bring out the contrast and make it perfectly
clear which side of a strong man YOU stand on!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2001 Pamela A. Iannello
Related Devotionals
Which Side Of A Strong Man Do You Stand On? (Part 1)
