Judges 15:17

The Bible says in Judges 15:17-20, “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramath-lehi.[18] And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?[19] But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En-hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.[20] And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.” Perhaps this happened to Samson to remind him that he was mortal, and that there were circumstances in life that could bring him down. A Christian should never be self-confident or over-confident. We live in a dangerous world and anything can happen to anyone. We need the Lord. The person with the greatest gifts needs the Lord. The strongest man in the Bible needed the Lord’s help too. Just a simple thing like needing a drink of water is dependent upon God’s blessing. That is why we thank the Lord whenever we eat and drink. God used eating and drinking to remind us of the body and blood of Christ that was given for the forgiveness of sins and to give us a life that will last much longer than this life: eternal life. Samson turned to the Lord when he was in dire straits. If only he had turned to the Lord in all of his daily events. If only he had turned to the Lord in regards to the type of women that he would pursue.

The Bible says in Judges 16:1-3, “Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.[2] And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.[3] And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.” Supposedly, at one time Samson was looking for a wife, but now he is just looking for a prostitute. And he finds what he is looking for. Can it be that some believers are attracted to the wild women of the world? That was the unfortunate case with Samson. Too bad that he did not learn from a young man the doctrine of separation. As Christians are told in Second Corinthians 6:14-18, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?[15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?[16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.[17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,[18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” When someone does the kinds of things that Samson did, it is as though they are not a believer. Once again, the Philistines thought they had captured Samson, and once again the great strength that God gave to him delivered him out of their hands, and Samson had the last word. The Philistines did not learn their lesson either. This same scenario would play out all the way to the end of Samson’s life. Samson always got the final victory over the Philistines because that is why God brought Samson into the world. God is in control of the events of everyone’s life: not man.

The Bible says in Judges 16:4-5, “And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.[5] 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.” This is a good example of why someone who knows and loves Jesus should only seek a spouse from someone of the opposite sex who also knows and loves Jesus. Delilah had different priorities and different loyalties than Samson. Her beauty did not change that. Samson’s desire to have her did not change that. Beauty is only skin deep. It is much more important what type of a person someone is. That is especially true for Christians. The Philistines gave Delilah one command: “Entice him.” As strong as Samson was, he was not strong enough for the charms of Delilah. You had better develop a strong Christian character. There will come a time when you will need it.

The Bible says in Judges 16:6-9, “And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.[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.[8] Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.[9] Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.” Samson did not have plenty of warnings. If you play with fire, you will get burnt. Your sin will find you out. Delilah’s true purpose was out in the open. She did not hide her true feelings, which shows that she was confident that Samson was totally under her charms. He was. The power that a woman can have over a man is amazing. If only wives knew that, they could have their husbands around their little finger. Rebellion and anger will not work, but using her female charms will.

The Bible says in Judges 16:10-14, “And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.[11] And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.[12] Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.[13] And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.[14] And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.” Here are two more times that Delilah asks Samson how he could be captured. Notice that in the third time in verse thirteen Samson now starts talking about his hair. And so this time he is close to telling her the secret. Sin is a progression. Sin is a result of other errors that are made that lead to the sin. Notice that it says in Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the council of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” First you walk, then you stand, and then you sit. There is a progression to this kind of compromise when a person is getting closer and closer to the wicked people of the world and to their ways.

The Bible says in Judges 16:15-17, “And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.[16] And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;[17] That he told her all his heart, and said unto her. There hath not come a rasor 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.” It happened. Samson told her the secret. The constant pestering finally won. The big strong man was vanquished by the wiles of a woman. Notice in verse seventeen that it says that Samson “he told her all his heart.” Never lie, but you do not have to tell everything. Whatever you say should be true, but there are things that you should not say.

The Bible says in Judges 16:18-20, “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. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.[19] 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.[20] 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.” When did Samson lose his strength? He lost it the moment his hair was cut. The Lord was the source of Samson’s strength, and so once the Lord departed from him, the strength was gone. This symbolizes exactly what happens when a Christian sins. Christians are warned in Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” And it says in First Thessalonians 5:19, “Quench not the Spirit.” That is why it is very important for a Christian to confess his sins often to stay in fellowship with the Lord Jesus and to keep the power of the Spirit operating in his life.

The Bible says in Judges 16:21, “But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.” Here is the terrible result of a Christian man chasing after the wrong kind of women. Samson lost his strength. Other men have lost their wealth and their well-being. Not only did Samson lose his strength and was taken captive, but also they put out his eyes. Samson could not see spiritually some of the things that he needed to see, and so now he could not see physically either. And so the great and mighty Samson is captured, tortured, and humiliated. They do not kill him so that they can keep him as a trophy and gloat over him every day.

The Bible says in Judges 16:22-26, “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.[23] Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.[24] And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.[25] And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.[26] And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.” Of course, it is important to know that verse twenty-two says, “the hair of his head began to grow again.” Of course, Samson knew that he was getting his strength back. Once Samson heard of the great celebration, he had a plan. All of this once again shows the hand of God in arranging all things according to His divine will. The Philistines had a young boy leading Samson around, probably to further humiliate him. But the young boy was not suspicious, and the lad helped Samson stand right where Samson wanted to be with his hands upon the pillars of the great building. God is going to give Samson one last victory over the evil Philistines. If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, never forget that you are still alive for a reason: God is going to use you for His glory in spite of any mistakes that you have made.

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