Samson met and fell in love with Delilah, a woman in the valley of Sorek. He found comfort in her bosom, it was a place to lay his head, find warmth, bare his heart, tell his secrets, share his source of strength, a time to trust completely..
The rulers of the Philistine came unto Delilah and said, 'Entice him, and see where-in his strength lies, and by that means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him, and we will give thee everyone of us eleven pieces of silver..
Note that they completely spelt out what evil plans they had for Samson, it did not matter to her anyway because she was more interested in the last phrase, her reward!
In order to entice him, she must have made him his favorite meals, shown interest in his wellbeing, given him a massage when he needed one, made her funds available to him if he needed it, made herself readily available... She made every effort to accomplish her mission and with such nagging she prodded him day after day, until he told her everything she wanted to know (Judges 16 verse 16).
She put him to sleep on her lap and called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his head, and so began to subdue him, until his strength left him... and not only did his strength leave him, God also left him! (Judges 16, verse 20).
It is very important we watch where we find comfort. Not everyone we love deserves our love, not everyone we trust deserves our trust. Sometimes, the ones who are plotting our downfall for their gains are the ones who 'appear' to be most interested in our affairs. They are the ones who are most persistent in getting information from us. When they see that they have tried and failed, they will change strategy and try again.
The truth is this, whether we like it or not, we all have a Delilah around us, and what's more, we find comfort in her. I pray today that we lose every form of comfort we find around Delilah so that when next we put our heads in her bosom, we are quick to pick ourselves up and head for the nearest exit.
Remember that they would not have been able to cut Samson's hair if they had not been able to get close, really close!
Proverbs 16:25 'there is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death'
ReplyDeleteI pray that God gives us the ability to discern.
ReplyDeleteIts scary but true, to have a good awareness and a sound knowledge of what goes on in ones surroundings is of great importance. A lot of Yoruba sayings come to mind, pardon me for those who do not understand - (1) Opo alangba lo danu de ile, a mo eyi ti inu run (2) Bi isu eni ba ta, a fowo bo je and (3)Eyinkunle lota wa, inu ile ni aseni gbe......
ReplyDeleteFinding ourselves in such situations requires God's intervention and lets remember the authority we have in Christ Jesus.
i love your comment and of cos i enjoyed the 'yoruba sayings'. I wish i could translate it in english for all to understand cos its so true.
ReplyDeleteIt is not a nice situation at all and some, like Samson paid for it with their lives. May God help us.