Judges 16:23

Judges 16:23 says, Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.  The lords of 5he Philistines gathered together to worship Dagon, their god, whom they credited with delivering Samson into their hands.  Verse twenty-four adds, And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.  The Philistines were praising Dagon when they saw Samson bound.  People of the world today still give credit to false gods when they have a victory over God's people, and often celebrate that supposed victory.  Verse twenty-five continues, And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.  The Philistines were so thrilled with having captured Samson that they decided to use him to amuse themselves.  People today still make fun of God's people for their own amusement.  Verse twenty-six states, And 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.  Samson, who was now blind, asked the lad who was holding his hand to guide him to the pillars which held up the house so that he could feel them.  The Philistines were so little threatened by Samson by this point that they put a lad in charge of him.  Verse twenty-seven adds, Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.  The house was filled with Philistines, especially their leaders.  There were even about three thousand men and women on the roof.  They were there among other things to celebrate Dagon, for supposedly giving them a victory over Samson.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.  Samson called out to God.  I believe this is the only time we find it stated that Samson did so, even though we are told more than once that the Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson.  Samson asked God to remember him and give him the strength to avenge the loss of his eyes at the hands of the Philistines.  It really wasn't Samson’s hair that gave Samson strength or caused him to lose his strength when it was cut, but it was his faith in God that gave him strength.  As followers of Christ, we may put our faith in certain things of this world more than we put our faith in God, and if we do, they will ultimately fail us, but if we call out to God when this happens, He will hear our cry.  Verse twenty-nine says, And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.  Samson took hold of the two pillars that held the house up, still being ignored by the Philistines.  When the people of the world think thatcthey have defeated us as Christians today, they tend to ignore us.  When this happens, we need to cry out to God that He will empower us to make a difference in the world around us.  Verse thirty adds, And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.  Samson did not ask that God deliver him from his situation and give him victory over the Philistines at the same time, but said let him die with the Philistines.  We need to be willing to sacrifice everything, even our life if necessary, in order to be faithful to God and claim victory over evil in the world.  Samson, by the power of God, killed more Philistines that day in his death than he had in his lifetime.  Verse thirty-one continues, 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 buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.  His brothers and those of the house of his father came and took Samson away for burial where Manoah was buried.  Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.