May 21, 2016
Judges 16: 15-21
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t
confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t
told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With such nagging she prodded
him day after day until he was sick to death of it. 17 So he told her
everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have
been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved,
my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” 18
When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers
of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the
rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After
putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven
braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. 20
Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his
sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did
not know that the LORD had left him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged
out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they
set him to grinding grain in the prison.
Title: The love of money is the
root of evil
Message: Basically we hear people say, “Money is the root of evil.” It’s not. It’s the love
of money which is the root of evil. The money itself could not do any harm to
Samson and his people until his wife, Delilah took it as a bribe in exchange
for Samson’s defeat. Delilah manifested love of money as she gave in to the
Philistines’ plea for the revelation of Samson’s secret – the source of his
great strength. Samson, on the other hand, apparently demonstrated witlessness
as he allowed himself to be fooled twice. He knew that he was a Naz’irite, one
who “has been set apart from others for the service of God”,
and he would have seen to it that he fulfilled his obligation to the Lord and
kept the manifestation of such an appointment – his unshaven hair. However, he
got deceived and revealed his secret to a woman whom he loved. Love of money
brought about deception which led to Samson’s blindness.
Promise to Claim: God is our strength. He has
made us spiritually strong for us to survive each trial that comes our way. We
just have to hold fast to what is good.
Command to Obey: Hold fast to what is good.
Just like Samson, let us not be deceived by physical love. Just like Delilah,
let us stand against temptation. Accept not bribes of any form.
Warning to Heed: Love of money breeds
deceit. Unfaithfulness brings defeat.
Application: I will be very careful in
dealing with my fellows. I will always seek God’s guidance and protection as I
engage myself in any transaction so that keeping myself away from deception or
bribery is guaranteed.
