The Source of Your Strength
Scripture Reading: Judges 16:4–31
“And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 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,” Judges 16:4–6.
The Source of Your Strength
God gave Samson greater physical strength than any other man because of his destiny. Delilah asked Samson to divulge his weaknesses to her and because he loved her, Samson played along. “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,” Judges 16:7. Samson allowed Delilah to tie him up with the seven green withs, but easily broke free when the Philistines lying in wait came upon him, verses 8–9.
Instead of recognizing Delilah’s actions as betrayal, Samson indulged her. His vulnerability to her wiles grew even as he listened to her accusations of wrongdoing. “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,” verse 10. Samson’s impaired judgment worsened as he played along with Delilah’s games, allowing himself to be bound with new ropes and with seven locks of his hair woven with the web, verses 11–14. Each time, at Delilah’s urging, the Philistines came upon him and Samson broke free.
Each time he chose to stay in that sinful situation, Samson’s defenses weakened. “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,” verse 15. Samson’s sense of truth, right and wrong, and ability to know that he was being lured by evil had been so eroded that he fell into Delilah’s trap. “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,” verses 16–17. Delilah saw that he had told her the truth and sold him out to the Philistines for cash. “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,” verse 19.
In that moment it was too late. Samson thought he could shake off the affects of evil as he had before, but he could not. “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,” verse 21. The Philistines rejoiced and prepared a great sacrifice to Dagon their god. Samson must have felt great shame as they celebrated, thinking their god had delivered him into their hands. Judges 16:25 says that when the Philistines were merry they called for Samson to make sport of him and set him between two pillars.
In prison, Samson’s hair began to grow again and so did his strength in the Lord. No matter how far away from the Lord we fall, no matter how many mistakes we make, when we confess our sins to the Lord and repent, we are restored to Him. In his renewed faith, “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,” verse 26. He then asked God to remember him one more time, that he be avenged of the Philistines for his eyes, and that he might die with the Philistines. With renewed strength from the Lord, Samson took hold of the two pillars and the house tumbled down, killing him, the lords of the Philistines, and 3,000 people who had come to watch them make sport of him, verses 28–29. “So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years,” verses 30–31.
What is the source of your greatest strength? On whom or what do you rely most? What gives you great confidence? Answer these questions honestly in a prayer journal or book.
It is not your family, wealth, intelligence, contacts, social status, or skills, but it is the power of God by the Holy Spirit in you that should be the source of your strength.
Prayer Points:
Pray that God will deliver you from all the Delilahs in your life; those who come close to you only to know the secrets of your life and expose them to the enemy. Pray that God remove them far from you, no matter how much you love them. Pray that God will deliver you from wrong affections and destructive relationships in the name of Jesus. Pray that every hair of your glory the enemy has cut will grow again by the grace of God. Amen.
