Post by Woody Williams on Oct 31, 2024 6:59:02 GMT -5
Text for the Day -- Judges 16:1-22
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Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to
her. The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." So they encircled
the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They
kept quiet all night, thinking, "Let us wait until the light of the
morning; then we will kill him." But Samson lay only until midnight.
Then at midnight he rose up, took hold of the doors of the city gate
and the two posts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his
shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front
of Hebron.
After this he fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose
name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came to her and said
to her, "Coax him, and find out what makes his strength so great, and
how we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue
him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." So
Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes your strength so
great, and how you could be bound, so that one could subdue you."
Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that
are not dried out, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone
else." Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh
bowstrings that had not dried out, and she bound him with them. While
men were lying in wait in an inner chamber, she said to him, "The
Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as
a strand of fibre snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of
his strength was not known.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me and told me lies;
please tell me how you could be bound." He said to her, "If they bind
me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak,
and be like anyone else." So Delilah took new ropes and bound him
with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"
(The men lying in wait were in an inner chamber.) But he snapped the
ropes off his arms like a thread.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me and told
me lies; tell me how you could be bound." He said to her, "If you
weave the seven locks of my head with the web and make it tight with
the pin, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone else." So while
he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into
the web, and made them tight with the pin. Then she said to him, "The
Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and
pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you', when your heart
is not with me? You have mocked me three times now and have not told
me what makes your strength so great." Finally, after she had nagged
him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to
death. So he told her his whole secret, and said to her, "A razor has
never come upon my head; for I have been a nazirite to God from my
mother's womb. If my head were shaved, then my strength would leave
me; I would become weak, and be like anyone else."
When Delilah realized that he had told her his whole secret, she sent
and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "This time come up,
for he has told his whole secret to me." Then the lords of the
Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands. She
let him fall asleep on her lap; and she called a man, and had him
shave off the seven locks of his head. He began to weaken, and his
strength left him. Then she said, "The Philistines are upon you,
Samson!" When he awoke from his sleep, he thought, "I will go out as
at other times, and shake myself free." But he did not know that the
LORD had left him. So the Philistines seized him and gouged out his
eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze
shackles; and he ground at the mill in the prison. But the hair of
his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Devotional
----------
The story of Samson and Delilah is the story of a radical individual
who has great strength but also great weakness in thinking that his
strength can overcome all. He does not display a sense of need for
God or need to protect the secret of his strength. He reveals the
secret of his strength to Delilah and she betrays him. Samson is
captured and blinded. This story is endlessly repeated in human
lives. How often one's strength becomes one's weakness when it is
touted as one's own. Forgetting God who gives us our gifts and
strengths can have drastic results. How easily we can be inflated and
suffer the consequences of our weaknesses.
Prayer
-------
God, help me remember my need for you and your purpose for me. Amen
----------
Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to
her. The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." So they encircled
the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They
kept quiet all night, thinking, "Let us wait until the light of the
morning; then we will kill him." But Samson lay only until midnight.
Then at midnight he rose up, took hold of the doors of the city gate
and the two posts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his
shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front
of Hebron.
After this he fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose
name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came to her and said
to her, "Coax him, and find out what makes his strength so great, and
how we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue
him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." So
Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes your strength so
great, and how you could be bound, so that one could subdue you."
Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that
are not dried out, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone
else." Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh
bowstrings that had not dried out, and she bound him with them. While
men were lying in wait in an inner chamber, she said to him, "The
Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as
a strand of fibre snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of
his strength was not known.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me and told me lies;
please tell me how you could be bound." He said to her, "If they bind
me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak,
and be like anyone else." So Delilah took new ropes and bound him
with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"
(The men lying in wait were in an inner chamber.) But he snapped the
ropes off his arms like a thread.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me and told
me lies; tell me how you could be bound." He said to her, "If you
weave the seven locks of my head with the web and make it tight with
the pin, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone else." So while
he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into
the web, and made them tight with the pin. Then she said to him, "The
Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and
pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you', when your heart
is not with me? You have mocked me three times now and have not told
me what makes your strength so great." Finally, after she had nagged
him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to
death. So he told her his whole secret, and said to her, "A razor has
never come upon my head; for I have been a nazirite to God from my
mother's womb. If my head were shaved, then my strength would leave
me; I would become weak, and be like anyone else."
When Delilah realized that he had told her his whole secret, she sent
and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "This time come up,
for he has told his whole secret to me." Then the lords of the
Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands. She
let him fall asleep on her lap; and she called a man, and had him
shave off the seven locks of his head. He began to weaken, and his
strength left him. Then she said, "The Philistines are upon you,
Samson!" When he awoke from his sleep, he thought, "I will go out as
at other times, and shake myself free." But he did not know that the
LORD had left him. So the Philistines seized him and gouged out his
eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze
shackles; and he ground at the mill in the prison. But the hair of
his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Devotional
----------
The story of Samson and Delilah is the story of a radical individual
who has great strength but also great weakness in thinking that his
strength can overcome all. He does not display a sense of need for
God or need to protect the secret of his strength. He reveals the
secret of his strength to Delilah and she betrays him. Samson is
captured and blinded. This story is endlessly repeated in human
lives. How often one's strength becomes one's weakness when it is
touted as one's own. Forgetting God who gives us our gifts and
strengths can have drastic results. How easily we can be inflated and
suffer the consequences of our weaknesses.
Prayer
-------
God, help me remember my need for you and your purpose for me. Amen