Judges 16:4–21

One word, which the Spirit of God uses, gives the key to this last trap. It says, "After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah." This word "loved" shows that Satan had now found Samson's special weakness. He combined the two earlier temptations into one. He drew Samson to Delilah through his natural affections and through his bodily desires at the same time.

In Samson's life, three women mark the three stages that led to the loss of his Nazirite standing. The first pleased his eyes. He formed a passing connection with the second (Judges 16:1), and he loved the third (Judges 16:4). When he gave his affections, the last hour of his Nazirite life had sounded.

Sorek means "the vine." It is a sad sight. The victorious Nazirite, who had lived on the rock and drunk from the well there, now goes down to drink from the brook that ran through the valley of the vines. As a Nazirite he had refused the fruit of the vine, and at the start of his career he had killed a lion in the vineyards. There he overcame the strong one. Now, in the valley of the vines, he falls victim to Delilah, whose name means weakness.

Here is the strong man caught in the trap, and the weak woman — whose very name seems to mean "weakness" or helplessness. That very woman, in her weakness and helplessness, is the one who draws him and holds him. Nothing can free him from her power, because his own heart has come under that power.

Here we meet more than the old sin repeated, and in its most corrupt form. With it comes an infatuation as extraordinary as his disgrace. Without that infatuation, the repeated attempts to seize him would have opened his eyes to her trickery and their murderous hatred. But the way of those who break God's law is hard, and the guilty man falls under this strange woman's spell again and again. Such is the blinding power of sin. Was he ignorant of her vileness, or of his own danger?

His unshaven hair carried his unbeatable strength, by God's will. Only one thing was really involved — obedience... It is the perfection of the creature, giving God His place and man his own. It is the lowliest place for anyone here on earth, and at the same time the morally highest, as it is for the angels above.

The most important thing in the story may be a conversation Samson never heard and never knew about. The five lords of the Philistines came to Delilah and said, "Entice him, and see where his great strength lies" (Judges 16:5). This is very like the time when Satan asked the Lord's permission to deal with Job, to test him and afflict him. As far as we can see, from the start of that story to the end, Job never knew what lay behind his terrible suffering.

He goes down there and links himself with her, and the Philistines make full use of that. If he has put himself under the power of a principle that is not according to God, a visible power will soon take hold of him — something more than the power over his heart. They offer this woman pay. Philistines are not very careful about how they do things. The first time, they appealed to one of Samson's friends with a threat: they would burn her and her father's house with fire. Now they appeal to this one with silver — eleven hundred pieces of it — if she will only entice from him what he had never yet disclosed: the secret of his strength.

Samson's weakness was now plain to see. Even the lords of the Philistines, Satan's instruments, had found the quickest way to trap their enemy. "Entice him," they say to Delilah, "and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overcome him." Notice the word "entice." It is the same word Samson's "companions" used at his wedding feast. It unfolds the secret of Satan's method. He will terrify where possible; but failing that, he always turns to enticements. Many a servant of the Lord has stood in the front line of the battle. By God's grace he never flinched under Satan's fiercest attacks. Yet afterwards he fell an easy victim to this more subtle temptation.

Until now, Samson had guarded his close and secret relationship with God, despite everything. He had something the world could not understand. The world could not rise to its source. His strength remained a riddle to his enemies. No doubt they saw its effect, but that effect was aimed at them. So they were all the more eager to wrest the secret of it from him, and to learn what weapons to use against this servant of the Lord.

It seems strange, almost unthinkable. Samson had failed so openly, and yet the stronghold of his heart was still on the right side. It was not in the hands of the enemy, although it had been unfaithful time and again. But the stronghold, the innermost soul of the man, was still for God, who in mercy had so far stepped in on his behalf. Now Delilah is to lay siege to that stronghold of his heart. She is to draw the key from him, so that the enemy may rush in and take full possession.

Samson had no excuse for yielding to Delilah's flattery. But she had trapped him in her snares; otherwise he would have drawn back in horror from what she asked. "The secret of God, the possession of His confidence, is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position in which His grace has placed us: it is to lose it."

We should not imagine Samson to be a giant with an impressive physique. Samson's strength was a mystery to the Philistines. They had to turn to Delilah: "Persuade him, and see in what his great strength is." But that great strength depended entirely on his consecration as a Nazirite. When his hair was cut off, he became as weak as a child.

This is where the path ends for the child of God who gives way to the first stirrings of his natural heart, instead of judging them. Until now Samson had guarded his close, secret relationship with God, despite everything. He had something the world could not understand, and its source was beyond the world's reach. His strength remained a riddle to his enemies. No doubt they saw its effects — effects aimed at themselves. That made them all the more eager to wrench the secret out of him, so they could find out what weapons to use against this servant of the Lord.

He will terrify where possible. Failing that, he always turns to enticements. Many a servant of the Lord has stood in the front line of the battle. By God's grace he never flinched under Satan's fiercest attacks. Yet afterwards he fell an easy victim to this more subtle temptation.

Samson had no excuse for giving in to Delilah's flattery. But she had caught him in her net, or he would have drawn back in horror from her request. "The secret of God, the possession of His confidence, is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position in which His grace has placed us: it is to lose it."

Have you boasted of some past victory in such a way that it has become the start of a fresh trap? Samson here is thinking of his past victory over the Philistines, how he snapped the cords. He says, I will do it again... And so he did — he broke the cords, but he now had a fresh cord around his soul. It was boasting in a past victory in front of someone who had no business knowing anything about it — and he had no business being with her at all.

There might have seemed little connection between uncut hair and all-conquering strength. But God was in it. A God who is obeyed and honoured is a God of strength to us. This was God's strength, given to a man who recognised Him so clearly. It was a gift he kept only by obeying — by staying true to the vow of separation to God that he had taken.

The secret of his strength is what we have been seeing all through. It is the secret of a judged self, of weakness, of utter helplessness leaning on almighty strength... there is no power he need fear so much as hidden alliances with what is not according to God.

We must now ask our beloved Lord Delilah's question: "Please tell me the secret of where your great strength lies." The answer comes at once. He always walked His pathway with the "joy of the Lord" as His strength.

He first of all tells her an untruth, when she asks to know the secret of his strength and how he might be bound. What he first tells her is plainly not serious. He seems to have no intention of letting her know the real secret of things. He says, If they will bind me with seven green withs — the margin says seven new cords that were never dried — then I shall be as weak as another man.

Samson should certainly have seen the motive behind Delilah's demand. Who would want him stripped of strength except the Philistines? In fact, he very likely did see it, for he deceived her with his answer (v. 7).

It seems strange, almost unthinkable, that a man who had failed as openly as Samson should still have a heart whose citadel was on the right side. It was not in the hands of the enemy, although it had been unfaithful time and again. But the stronghold, the inmost soul of the man, was still for God, who in mercy had so far stepped in on his behalf. Now Delilah lays siege to that citadel of his heart. She means to get the key from him, so that the enemy may rush in and take full possession.

Samson here is thinking of his past victory over the Philistines, how he snapped the cords. He says, I will do it over again. I will tell her just what the men of Judah did to me, and then I will show what wonderful power I have. And so he did — he broke the cords; but he had a fresh cord around his soul. It was boasting in a past victory in front of a woman who had no business knowing anything about it. He had no business being there at all. He did not tell her the truth. He did not give her the real secret of his strength. But he tampered with her, and before long she knows more.

Here was a man separated to God, set apart for the LORD, and so placed under a defined obedience. His hair was not to be cut. While he kept the commandment and the precept, his strength was with him. There might seem to be little connection between long or uncut hair and all-conquering strength. But God was in it, and an obeyed, honoured God is a God of strength to us. It was God's strength, given to a man who so plainly recognised Him. Keeping the gift hung on obedience — on staying true to the vow of separation to God he had taken up.

Three things had failed to quench the power of the Spirit: the seven green withs that were never dried, the new ropes that were never used, and the seven locks of his head woven into the web. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant. But when he gave away his secret, the mark of his dependence gone and the bond of communion between his soul and God broken, what remained for him? All his strength had vanished. God's past deliverances, despite his moral bondage, only deceived him and lulled him into security. Three times he had got himself out at the critical moment. Why not a fourth?

He first tells her an untruth when she asks the secret of his strength and how he might be bound. It is clearly said in fun. He apparently has no intention of letting her know the real secret. He says, if they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then I shall be as weak as any other man. I have thought that Samson had this in mind: the men of Judah once bound him with cords and handed him over to the Philistines. No doubt he remembered how he snapped those cords like a strand of flax.

Have you boasted of some past victory in such a way that it has become the start of a fresh trap? Samson here is thinking of his past victory over the Philistines, how he snapped the cords. And so he did have that power. But he had a fresh cord around his soul. It was boasting about a past victory in front of someone who had no business knowing about it. And he had no business being with her at all.

They offer this woman pay. Philistines are not too troubled about right and wrong in the way they do things. The first time, they went to one of Samson's friends with a threat: they would burn her and her father's house with fire. Now they come to this one with silver — 1,100 pieces of it. She has only to draw out of him what he had never yet disclosed: the secret of his strength.

When he was asleep Delilah tied him up with these cords while Philistine men were waiting. Then she called his name, telling him that the Philistines were upon him. We may wonder why the Philistines did not simply go in while he slept and kill him. But it seems they wanted to take him alive, to gloat over him in front of the crowd. Samson broke the cords as though they were mere strands of yarn.

The fortress of his heart was still unbreached. It seems strange, almost unthinkable. A man who had failed as openly as Samson still had a heart whose fortress was on the right side. It was not in the hands of the enemy, although it had been unfaithful again and again. But the stronghold, the innermost soul of the man, was still for God... Now Delilah lays siege to that fortress of his heart. She wants the key, so that the enemy may rush in and take full possession.

The face of the true Nazarite had to be the face of a man: he had to be brave and unflinching in front of the enemy. But he also had to wear the long hair, like the hair of a woman, because all his power lay in dependence on God. This had to be the clearest of all the marks on him, even though it shamed him in the eyes of others. If he lost it, he became as weak as other men.

Satan was working on the weakness of the human heart. He knew that souls are often betrayed by persistence. It was so with Samson. There was as much reason to refuse at the end as at the start. But Delilah pressed him daily with her words and urged him, until his soul was troubled to death and he told her all his heart.

Slender twigs twisted into a rope. Judges 16:7-9.

We may wonder why the Philistines did not simply go in while he slept and kill him. But it seems they wanted to take him alive to gloat over him before the crowd. Samson broke the cords as though they were mere strands of yarn. Of course the men would quickly get out of there!

Have you boasted of some past victory in such a way that it has become the beginning of a fresh snare? Samson here is thinking of his past victory over the Philistines, how he snapped the cords. He says, I will do it over again... And so he did — he broke the cords, but he had a fresh cord around his soul. It was just that boasting in a past victory in the presence of one who had no business to know anything about it, and in whose presence he had no business at all.

There was no excuse for Samson in giving in to Delilah's charms. He did not want to tell her his secret. But he could not give up his pleasures, so he used one dodge after another to keep it. His fatal mistake was that he played with the temptress instead of resisting her. So she drove him out of his refuge of lies again and again. At last she found the way into his strong fortress. Then, without a struggle, he fell into the hands of the Philistines.

Playing with what is not of God is no help to my communion with Him. Trifling with it, or linking the things of God with the things of the world, will end in shipwreck and ruin, just as Samson found.

Three attempts had failed to quench the power of the Spirit: the seven green withs that were never dried, the new ropes that no one had ever used, and the seven locks of his head woven into the web. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant. But then he gave away his secret. That removed the mark of his dependence and destroyed the bond of communion between his soul and God. What was left for him? All his strength had vanished.

Holding a friend's secret, and keeping it, proves you are close to him. But the secret of God, having His confidence, is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position His grace has given us. It is to lose that position. What have the enemies of God to do with the secret of God? It was in this way that Samson gave himself up to his enemies. No attempt against him had any power as long as he kept his Nazirite separation to God.

He takes one step after another, coming nearer and nearer to the cliff. At last he plunges over it recklessly. Each step taken makes the next easier. With each one his eyes are more completely sealed. Then, when his ruin is complete, he is unaware of it until the consequences overtake him.

Notice the word "entice"; it is the same word used by Samson's "companions" at the marriage feast. It reveals the secret of how Satan works. He will terrify where he can. When that fails, he always turns to enticement. Many a servant of the Lord has stood in the front line of the battle. By God's grace he never flinched under Satan's fiercest assaults. Yet afterwards he fell an easy victim to this more subtle kind of temptation.

The next time he gets a little stronger. Let them bind me with ropes. He is getting stronger, and, if he only knew it, he is adding another cord to those that were to bind him. He has gone further down the road. In that I think we see God's mercy laying His hand on him, to bring him back and restore him, even though he refuses to listen. Instead he takes a deeper step into evil. So with these ropes he is now bound. If he breaks loose again, he is held more tightly than before. He tampers a second time, after his conscience has been awakened — and above all, awakened a second time by the mercy of God. He still goes on with the thing. That shows the man to be in greater danger than ever before.

Wherever a person tampers with evil, wherever he has anything to do with it at all — answering it, even if the answer is a wrong one, keeping some separation in the soul and yet at the same time being linked with it — the step has been taken, and the soul is in the hands of the enemy.

He should have known by now that she was working with the Philistines to destroy him. But his feelings had blunted his judgment.

Samson was not willing to reveal it. He could not give up his pleasures, so he used one evasion after another to keep it. His fatal mistake was that he played with the temptress instead of resisting her. So he was hunted out of his refuge of lies again and again. At last the way into his strong fortress was found, and without a struggle he fell into the hands of the Philistines.

Three things had failed to quench the power of the Spirit: the seven fresh bowstrings that had never been dried, the new ropes that had never been used, and the seven locks of his head woven into the web. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant. Despite his moral bondage, God had delivered him in the past. Those past deliverances only deceived him and lulled him into a false sense of safety.

By this device Satan brought about the fall of Samson in an earlier day. Delilah "pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him," until "his soul was vexed to death." In the end Samson gave way before the persistence of his treacherous wife and "told her all his heart." The devil knows the weakness of human nature. Under persistent pressure it will often betray the saint into giving way from sheer weariness.

The next time he gets a little stronger. If he only knew it, he is simply adding another cord to those with which he was to be bound. He has got on further in the downward way. I think we see God's mercy in that, laying His hand on him to bring him back and restore him. But he refuses to listen, and takes a deeper step into evil. So here with these ropes he is now bound, and if he breaks himself loose again, he is more tightly held than he was before.

There was no excuse for Samson in yielding himself to the flattery of Delilah. But she had caught him in her trap, or he would have drawn back in horror from her request. "The secret of God, the possession of His confidence, is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position in which His grace has placed us: it is to lose it." Samson did not want to reveal it. He could not give up his pleasures, so he used one excuse after another to keep it. His fatal mistake was that he played with the temptress instead of resisting her. The result was that he was hunted out again and again from his refuge of lies, until at last the way into his strong fortress was found.

If the soul's separation from the spirit of the world breaks down, the secret is given up. You have handed your secret to the enemy. And just as surely, you have lost your strength; you have lost all spiritual power.

Three bindings had not been able to quench the power of the Spirit: the seven green cords that had never been dried, the new ropes that had never been used, and the seven locks of his head woven with the loom. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant. But when his secret was made known, the mark of his dependence removed, the bond of communion between his soul and God broken, what was left for him? All his strength had vanished. Despite his moral bondage, God had delivered him in the past. Those deliverances only deceived him and lulled him into a false sense of safety. Three times he had got himself free at the critical moment. Why not a fourth?

There was one separated to God, set apart for the LORD. He was therefore placed under a defined obedience: his hair was not to be cut. While he kept the command, his strength was with him. There might have seemed little connection between long or uncut hair and all-conquering strength. But God was in it. A God we obey and honour is a God of strength to us. It was God's strength, given to a man who clearly recognised Him. It was a gift, and keeping it hung on obedience — on staying true to the vow of separation to God that he had taken.

Has God ever used your conscience to deliver you from a snare, and yet you have gone back to that same snare? Then I know your conscience is less sensitive than it was before, just as Samson's was.

Have you boasted of some past victory in such a way that it has become the beginning of a fresh snare? Samson here is thinking of his past victory over the Philistines, how he snapped the cords... And so he did — he broke the cords, but, dear friends, he had a fresh cord around his soul. It was simply boasting about a past victory in front of someone who had no business knowing anything about it. And he had no business being with her at all. He did not tell her the truth. He did not give her the real secret of his strength. But he tampered with her, and in a little while she knows more.

Three things could not quench the power of the Spirit. They were the seven fresh bowstrings that had never been dried, the new ropes that had never been used, and the seven locks of his head woven into the web. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant. But then he told the secret. That removed the mark of his dependence. It broke the bond of communion between his soul and God. What was left for him? All his strength had vanished.

The next time he gets a little stronger. Let them bind me with ropes. He is getting stronger, and, if he only knew it, he is simply adding another cord to the ones he is to be bound with. He has gone further down the road. I think we see God's mercy laying His hand on him, to bring him back and restore him. Yet he refuses to listen to that mercy... Here he tampers a second time, after his conscience has been awakened — and above all, awakened a second time by the mercy of God. He still goes on with the thing. That shows the man to be in greater danger than ever before.

He takes one step after another, drawing nearer and nearer to the cliff. At last he throws himself over it recklessly. Each step taken makes the next easier. Each step seals his eyes further. Then, when his ruin is complete, he is unaware of it until the consequences catch up with him.

Delilah sells herself to the Philistine lords to trap the champion of Israel, who is now led astray by his lusts. Otherwise the repeated efforts to seize him would have opened his eyes to her trickery and their murderous hatred... Such is the blinding power of sin; for was he ignorant of her vileness, or of his own danger?

Here was a man separated to God, set apart for the Lord. That placed him under defined obedience: his hair was not to be cut. While he kept the command, his strength was with him. There might have seemed little connection between uncut hair and all-conquering strength. But God was in it, and a God who is obeyed and honoured is a God of strength to us. It was God's strength, given to a man who recognised Him so clearly. Keeping that gift hung on obedience — on staying true to the vow of separation he had taken.

Any playing with what is not of God, which is no help to my communion with Him, will in the end bring shipwreck and ruin. So will any trifling with it. So will any linking of the things of God with the things of the world — just as Samson found.

Then comes his third answer to her. He is still trifling with her, but the moth is drawing ever closer to the candle, and now he touches what is the secret of his strength. He says, if you weave the seven locks of my head with the web. He is speaking about his hair; he is not going to tell her that if they shave off that hair, or anything of that kind. But the hair was the source of his strength. Now you can see how close he had come to giving away the secret of it… He is telling her falsely, but he is talking about the very thing.

Samson's great strength lay in his seven locks. They were the symbol of his unbroken vow — of his consecration to God… While Samson's seven locks stayed uncut, no enemy could gain any advantage over him. The Spirit remained in power with him, so long as he kept the secret of his communion with God. But alas, alas, how difficult for a Nazarite to retain his locks in the lap of Delilah!

It is as if a man were talking to the world about his faith. He may not quite give away the secret itself. He may not be fully joined to the world, but he is talking about the one thing that separates him from the world. What right had Samson to talk to a Philistine about his Nazarite vow? None at all.

To hold a secret and keep it proves close friendship. But the secret of God — having His confidence — is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position in which His grace has placed us; it is to lose it. What have the enemies of God to do with the secret of God? That is how Samson gave himself up to his enemies.

Three attempts had failed to quench the power of the Spirit: the seven green cords that were never dried, the new ropes that were never used, and the seven locks of his head woven with the web. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant… Despite his moral bondage, his past experience of God's deliverances only deceived him. It lulled him into a sense of security. Three times he had freed himself at a critical moment. Why not a fourth?

So he takes the last step. She will have it all out of him. You may be sure of this. Anyone who plays with evil, anyone who tampers with it, will go all the way with it, unless God in His mercy steps in. That is what poor Samson did here.

Is it not significant that he does not speak of his abstinence from wine, or separation from death? His past life would show that he had not been careful about those parts of his Nazarite separation. The long hair suggested conscious weakness, a spirit of dependence on God. Is it not possible for these to remain after a man has lost the holy separation of heart?

He is still playing games with her, but the moth is drawing ever closer to the candle. Now he touches the secret of his strength. He is speaking about his hair... But the hair was the source of his strength, and now you can see how near he had drawn to disclosing the secret of it. He is talking about his own spiritual strength, and he is telling her, as it were, how that strength can be taken from him. He is telling her falsely, but he is talking about the very thing. It is as though a man were talking to the world about his faith. He may not fully belong to the world. But he is talking about the one thing that separates him from it. What right had Samson to talk to a Philistine about his Nazirite vow? None at all. It reminds us of Eve talking with the serpent.

Is it not significant that he does not speak of his abstinence from wine, or separation from death? His past life suggests that he had not been careful about those parts of his Nazirite separation. The long hair spoke of conscious weakness and a spirit of dependence on God. Is it not possible for these to remain after the holy separation of heart has been lost?

His strength stayed a mystery to his enemies. They saw what it could do, but only as it struck them. That made them all the more eager to tear the secret out of him. They wanted to know what weapons would work against this servant of the LORD. His long hair, a look no one else had, was also a public declaration of separation to God. But if he had not given his secret away, the world would never have guessed the truth. What pictured dependence and self-forgetfulness was, for the Nazirite, the source of his strength.

"The secret of God, the possession of His confidence, is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position His grace has placed us in. It is to lose it." Samson was not willing to reveal it. Unable to give up his pleasures, he used one excuse after another to keep it. His fatal mistake was to play with the temptress instead of resisting her. So they hunted him out of one refuge of lies after another, until at last they found the way into his stronghold.

Three times the power of the Spirit held. Seven fresh bowstrings that had never been dried, new ropes that had never been used, the seven locks of his head woven with the web — none of these could quench it. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant. God had delivered him before, even while he was in moral bondage. Those past rescues only deceived him and lulled him into feeling safe. Three times he had got himself out at a critical moment. Why not a fourth?

So he takes the last step. She will have it all out of him. You may be sure that anyone who plays with evil, who tampers with it, will go the whole length of it, just as poor Samson did here, unless God in His mercy steps in. Yes, he says, take my hair. That is the point. He has come to the end, and if my hair goes, if my Nazirite separation is lost, I shall be as weak as any other man.

The saint's sleeping time is Satan's tempting time. Every fly dares to creep on a sleeping lion. Even the weakest temptation is strong enough to overthrow a Christian who is napping in false security. Samson asleep, and Delilah cut his locks.

She kept pressing him daily, asking him how he could say he loved her when he withheld this information from her (v. 15). Of course this was hypocrisy, for she had proved she had no love for him. But if we stay in evil relationships we will soon give in to evil.

Samson loved Delilah. His heart was divided, and God could not go on with this. It is impossible for our affections to go out to the world and likewise to God. "No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Luke 16:13). In loving Delilah, Samson as much as said that he hated and despised God; when, in actual fact, he belonged to Him. This woman's influence over him increased more and more. From then on his heart was taken captive, and before long he gave up his whole secret.

Up to now Samson had guarded his close and secret relationship with God, despite everything. He had something the world could not understand, and it could not reach the source of it. His strength stayed a puzzle to his enemies. No doubt they saw its effect, but they saw it aimed at themselves. That made them all the more eager to force the secret out of him, so they could learn what weapons to use against this servant of the Lord.

He is talking about his own spiritual strength. In effect, he is telling her how that strength can be taken from him. He is telling her falsely, but he is talking about the very thing. It is as though a man were talking to the world about his faith. He may not quite give out the secret itself. He may not be fully joined to the world, but he is talking about the one thing that keeps him apart from it. What right had Samson to talk to a Philistine about his Nazirite separation? None at all.

Delilah "pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed to death." Finally Samson gives way under the persistence of his treacherous wife and "told her all his heart." As a result he was robbed of his strength, the Lord left him, and he fell prey to his enemies (Judges 16:15-21). The devil knows how weak human nature is. Under constant pressure it will often betray the believer into giving way from sheer weariness. Nehemiah escapes this trick by simply repeating his former answer: "I answered them in the same manner."

By God's will, his unbeatable strength hung on his uncut hair. There was only one thing really involved — obedience... Do we know what obedience is in God's eyes, even when it may be shown in the simplest way? It is the perfection of the creature, giving God His place, and man his own.

Nehemiah gave a firm answer, but the enemy would not be put off. He repeats the same demand "four times." Satan used this trick to bring about Samson's fall in an earlier day. Delilah "pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him," until "his soul was vexed to death." Finally Samson gives way to the persistence of his treacherous wife and "told her all his heart." This robbed him of his strength. The Lord departed from him, and he fell as prey to his enemies (Judges 16:15-21). The devil knows how weak human nature is. Under constant pressure it will often betray the believer into giving way out of sheer weariness. Nehemiah escapes this trick by repeating his former answer, as he says, "I answered them after the same manner."

Grace resisted hardens the heart. Samson has still not learned his lesson, and we find him now in the vale of Sorek — "entanglement." No strong city holds him here. There is nothing but a weak woman's arms, and they are stronger than the gates of Gaza. Delilah means "exhausted, weak." We are often overcome by what looks weak to us, for here at least we credit ourselves with a strength we do not have… He takes one step after another, drawing nearer and nearer to the cliff he plunges over at last. Each step taken makes the next one easier. With each one his eyes are more completely sealed.

He is still playing with her, but the moth is drawing ever closer to the candle. Now he touches the real secret of his strength… But the hair was the source of his strength. You can see how near he had come to giving that secret away. He is talking about his own spiritual strength. In effect, he is telling her how to take that strength from him. He is telling her falsely, but he is talking about the very thing. It is as though a man were talking to the world about his faith. He may not quite give out the secret itself. He has not fully joined the world, but he is talking about the one thing that separates him from it.

Samson was not very happy under Delilah's yoke. "When she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death" (v. 16). That was all he got from what had attracted him most! He would gladly have refused, but he was no longer able to. A man of the world may find his joy in the world; a believer, never. Deep down, Samson's heart was in some measure with God and with the Israel of God. From that fact came all this conflict, struggle, vexation and misery. Our conscience speaks and we have no real rest; our joy is spoiled.

The secret of God, the possession of His confidence, is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position His grace has placed us in: it is to lose it.

As long as he kept his Nazarite separation he was unbeatable, for the power of God worked with great force through His servant. But once he lost this, he was weak, like any other man. And not only that — "he did not know that the LORD had left him." The surest sign of backsliding is not knowing your own condition. The backslider slowly gets used to losing the enjoyment of the Lord's presence.

Satan used this same trick — asking again and again — to bring about Samson's fall long ago. Delilah "pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him," until "his soul was vexed to death." In the end Samson gave way to the persistence of his treacherous wife and "told her all his heart." He lost his strength, the Lord left him, and he fell prey to his enemies. The devil knows how weak human nature is. Under constant pressure it will often betray the believer into giving way from sheer weariness.

But when he gave away his secret, the mark of his dependence went with it, and the bond between his soul and God ended. What was left for him? All his strength had vanished... He would gladly have refused, but he was no longer able to. A man of the world may find his joy in the world; a believer, never.

Man is selfish by nature, and nothing matters more to him than himself and his own dignity. Long hair separated the Nazirite, as a picture, from all that. It was at the same time the sign of dependence and of dishonour. The long hair declared openly that he had given up his dignity and personal rights as a man, to devote himself to the service of God... Without this dependence there can be neither service for God nor power for it. What was a sign of weakness for the Nazirite became the source of his strength.

The Apostle Paul was a true Nazirite when he wrote: "I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me... For when I am weak, then I am strong." He had learned that complete dependence meant true power. The Lord had said to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

"The secret of God, the possession of His confidence, is the highest of all privileges. To betray it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position His grace has given us. It is to lose it." Samson indeed was not willing to reveal it... His fatal mistake was that he toyed with the temptress instead of resisting her.

His unbeatable strength hung on his uncut hair, because God had willed it so. Only one thing was really involved — obedience... Whatever his low state through unchecked appetites, whatever his failures before, God's strength never failed him while he kept the secret with God. The strain made no difference. The Lord at least stayed true to the secret; He could not do otherwise.

Up to this point his path had been one of strength and victory. That was because it had been a path of holy Nazirite separation. But Delilah's lap proved too much for Samson's heart. One woman's trap did what a thousand Philistines could not do. Samson fell from the high position of the Nazirite down to the level of an ordinary man.

Is it not significant that he does not speak of his abstinence from wine, or separation from death? His past life shows that he had not been careful about those parts of his Nazirite separation. The long hair suggested conscious weakness and a spirit of dependence on God. Is it not possible for these to remain after the heart has lost its holy separation?

To hold a secret and keep it proves you are close to a friend. But the secret of God — having His confidence — is the highest privilege of all. To hand it to a stranger, whoever he may be, is to despise the precious position His grace has given us. It is to lose that position. What have the enemies of God to do with the secret of God? It was in this way that Samson gave himself up to his enemies. Nothing they tried could touch him as long as he kept his Nazarite separation.

He had told her so many lies that the Philistines did not believe him any more; but, dear friends, she believed him. This wretched prostitute of a world knows when you have told your secret. It knows well when the Christian has given up separation from it. It knows when everything has broken down.

A Philistine prostitute from the valley of Sorek, loved by Samson. The Philistines bribed her, and she teased Samson until he told her where his great strength lay (Judges 16:4-18). The size of the reward offered her — 5,500 shekels — makes it likely that she was a political courtesan. We wonder at Samson's folly. He had plenty of proof of what she was planning. But he was far from God, so his light had become darkness — and how great that darkness was! The "lap of Delilah" should be a clear warning to everyone.

Satan used the trick of constant asking to bring about the fall of Samson in an earlier day. Delilah pressed him with her words day after day until he was sick to death of it. In the end Samson gave way to his treacherous wife's endless pressing and told her all his heart. The result was that he lost his strength. The Lord left him, and he fell prey to his enemies (Judges 16:15-21). The devil knows how weak human nature is. Under constant pressure it will often betray the believer into giving way out of sheer weariness.

The Philistines sent Delilah money, and what was the next thing? Off came Samson's hair. The first thing he lost was his separation. The next thing he lost was his strength. Then he lost his liberty. This time they truly captured him. Had they not bound him before? Yes, with new ropes, but the ropes were like cobwebs to him. Next he lost his eyes, and last of all he lost his life. Lose your separation, and your strength, your liberty, your eyesight and your life all follow.

Let us not be mistaken about this. The enemy was more hostile to God than to Samson. The defeated Nazarite now looked like proof that the false god Dagon had beaten the true God. The lack of reality in Christians is the world's most powerful weapon against Christ. When the world despises the unfaithful believer, it is really Him that it gets the chance to despise.

At last he took the final step, and "told her all his heart" (v. 17). Then came sleep: "She made him sleep on her knees" (v. 19). The soul loses all sense of its relationship with God, and falls into a heavy sleep in the polluted air of corruption. Then the enemy, waiting in ambush for this moment, moved in. They bound the strong man, put out his eyes, and treated him as one of their most miserable slaves.

He had told her so many lies that the Philistines did not believe him any more, but, dear friends, she believed him. This world is a wretched prostitute, and it knows when you have told your secret. This wretched world knows well when the Christian has given up separation from it, and when everything has broken down. After that it is a little more sleeping, a little more of the laziness he had long since fallen into. He puts his head on this poor wretched world's lap, and then all is gone. He wakes only to find his strength gone forever. Gone, not to be restored in any true sense. His strength is gone, and gone by his own fault.

Long hair separated the Nazirite, as a picture, from self and personal dignity. At the same time it was the mark of dependence and of dishonour (1 Cor. 11). The long hair of the Nazirite announced that he had given up his dignity and his personal rights as a man. He did this to devote himself to the service of God. What was glory for the woman was shame for him... Without this dependence there can be neither service for God nor power for it. What was a sign of weakness for the Nazirite became the source of his strength.

In pictures Samson is always shown as a man of huge build, but that isn't the idea at all. The Philistines said to Delilah, "Entice him, and see where his great strength lies." They couldn't understand where Samson's strength came from. It didn't come from his body. It lay in his separation to God, so that "the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him." Once Delilah had his hair shaved off, he was as weak as a child. Even Delilah "began to overpower him."

Dependence finds its natural and normal expression in prayer... Let us be sure of this: there is no greater danger than losing a sense of the need of prayer. Neglected private prayer means the loss of the dependent spirit — the long hair... The enemy can even use our knowledge of grace to weaken our sense of dependence, and so make prayer less constant.

He had lost his separation, and now that his strength was gone he lost his liberty. Next he lost his eyes, and last of all he lost his life. Lose your separation, and your strength, your liberty, your eyesight and your life all follow. Samson is the awful picture of a man who went right down from the top to the bottom.

Pictures always show Samson as a man of huge build, but that isn't the idea at all. The Philistines said to Delilah, "Entice him, and see where his great strength lies." They couldn't understand where Samson's strength came from. It didn't come from his body. It lay in his separation to God, so that "the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him." Once they had shaved his hair off, he was as weak as a child.

Samson was separated to God, set apart for the LORD, and his hair was not to be cut. While he kept that command, his strength was with him. There might have seemed little connection between long or uncut hair and all-overcoming strength; but God was in it: and an obeyed, honoured God, is a God of strength to us.

Here are the downward steps: — He loved a woman in the valley of Sorek. Verse 4. He told her all his heart. Verse 7. She made him sleep upon her knees. Verse 19. They cut off the seven locks of his hair. Verse 19. The Lord departed from him. Verse 20. The Philistines took him. Verse 21. They put out his eyes, bound him with bronze chains, and he ground grain in the prison. Verse 21.

Three things had not been able to quench the power of the Spirit: the seven green branches that had never dried, the new ropes that had never been used, and the seven locks of his hair woven into the web. God still sustained His poor, unfaithful servant. But then he gave his secret away. The mark of his dependence was gone. The bond of communion between his soul and God was broken. What was left for him? All his strength had vanished. God had rescued him in the past, despite his moral bondage, and those past rescues only deceived him and lulled him into feeling safe. Three times he had got himself out at a critical moment. Why not a fourth?

What a sad sight Samson was, going out to shake himself, "as at other times"! Sadly, the "as" was out of place. He might shake himself, but it was no longer "as at other times." The power was gone. The Lord had left him. The once powerful Nazarite became a blind prisoner. Instead of triumphing over the Philistines, he had to grind grain in their prison. Samson never regained his freedom. Through God's mercy he was allowed one more victory over his enemies, but that victory cost him his life. God's Nazarites must keep themselves pure or lose their power. For them, power and purity cannot be separated.

Do not mistake this. The enemy was more hostile to God than to Samson. The beaten Nazarite now seemed to be a witness that the false god Dagon had defeated the true God. The lack of reality in Christians is the world's most powerful weapon against Christ.

He did not even know that his power had gone. How many a soul has tampered with the world, and gone on tampering with it! He does not know that his spiritual strength is gone. He did not know that the Lord was not with him, and he goes out. He may shake himself, but if he has lost the secret of his strength, his dependence on God, he is as weak as the weakest.

This was the depth of degradation to which his departure from God brought him. The one whose name means "As the sun" now grinds for the enemies of the Lord, in the blindness and darkness of his lost Nazariteship.

The Philistines take Samson and bring him down to that very city of Gaza, where in his folly he had amused himself. They bind him and bring him down to the place he had once gone to willingly. The scene of his own willing bondage becomes the scene of his unwilling bondage too. Now he has to grind corn. The very strength he has left goes to grinding corn for the Philistines, instead of his being God's free man to judge his beloved people. What an awful warning, what an awful lesson it is for us.

And notice how God's government repays. Samson used his eyes to lust after a woman of the Philistines. The Philistines put out his eyes. Bound with bronze shackles, he ground corn in the prison. What a sad end Samson's feasting came to! True, in his death he killed more of his enemies than in his life, but he died with them.

The Philistines would rather not kill Samson, but did all they could to humiliate him. They put his eyes out, confined him in prison and gave him the hard labour of grinding. A believer today, out of communion with the Lord, may find himself humiliated by those who hate his Lord. God often uses ungodly people to discipline His own.

And remember this. A person may avoid the distinctive testimony that belongs to a Christian. That cowardice is his own fault, and God may put him into the very position he is trying to dodge. He might have come into it by faithfulness, as Joseph did. Then God would have supported and honoured him. Instead, through his unfaithfulness, he may have to learn in shame with Samson the lessons God must teach His own, because He loves them.

Then the enemy, lying in wait for this moment, moved in. He bound the strong man, put out his eyes, and treated him as one of their most wretched slaves. Samson is now only a poor blind slave, the sport of the enemies of Jehovah. Let us not mistake this. The enemy was more hostile to God than to Samson. The defeated Nazarite now seemed to be the witness that the false god Dagon had beaten the true God. The lack of reality in Christians is the world's most powerful weapon against Christ. When the world despises an unfaithful believer, it is really Him that it gets the chance to despise.

As to Samson, his hair began to grow again. He had learnt. He was learning over again that there was no strength in himself. The badge of dependence, the badge of separation and Nazariteship, is coming back. But he has lost something that will never come again. He has lost his eyesight, and he can never regain it. God never fully restores what a person has once forfeited by his own deliberate and repeated fault. He may partially restore.