Tuesday, April 5, 2011

With money in hand



Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, whose named means feeble in Hebrew. A Philistine woman who loved money more than a person who loved her. In the Matthew Henry commentary, it states that Samson was short in wisdom. He went to an unclean woman, so God allowed this woman to tempt Samson. Again, Matthew Henry stated imagine to see one of the strongest men , if not the strongest sold and bought like a sheep for slaughter. How often are we deceived?

We are told Delilah lured him to sleep. She pretended kindness and caring, but was anything but! Does flattery get someone or something evil close to you? Samson was secure in this setting. A setting filled with darkness of untruth, lies and all for money. Are we secure with the evil surrounding us? Do we even recognize the evil?

It is so sad that someone like Samson fell into the pit of evil and the LORD departed him. When God leaves us we are unable to do the things we could with Him and yet Samson didn't realize this at first. In verse 20, we are told that Samson thought, I will do as before and shake myself free. Helpless and alone. I hate those moments when I realize that my sin separated me from my Savior and I am fighting something I have no way of winning without God. The realization and depth of my sin will immediately hit me between the eyes. Pardon the use of the word eyes at this point, but it is the one that fell at that moment without my help...The Philistines felt that this strong man would never be able to be as strong without his eyes to guide his hands to fight. After all,didn't Samson's eyes lead him to Delilah?

A strong man that was weakened by evil and ruined by his lust for the unclean. Do you wonder how Delilah felt? Did she have any shame? Did she enjoy spending her money knowing what had happened to Samson? I think she was probably made feeble in the remorse of what she had done...after all, in our hearts we know when we have sinned! She had to have felt very alone a little like Judas; oh Samson was definitely not Jesus, but she betrayed someone she had been very close to and she had to feel this to her depths of her soul!

Two people alone and separated from the One True God! The One True God that fights our battles for us and declares us winners!

Sweet blessings,
Debbie

1 comment:

Frankie said...

In all the years that I have known this story about Samson and Delilah I never connected that he was one of Israel's judges until I began reading the One Year Chronological Bible Samson judged Israel for 20 years. It sounds more like he was a warrior instead of a judge to me.

Debbie, you asked us do we even recognize evil? My first thought was yes, then I thought sometimes not because I also believe evil sneaks into our lives in a deceptive way. Our culture has succeeded in making evil appealing and okay.

Lord, may we perceive evil when it is crouching at our door.