Judges 17:7

Judges 17:7 says, And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.  We are told of a young Levite from from the tribe of Judah,  Matthew Henry says this was on his mother's side of the family.  He evidently liked to wander around, which left him in need.  We are not told that he followed God's direction in doing this.  Veres eight adds, And the man departed out of the city from Bethlehemjudah to sojourn where he could find a place: and he came to mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed.  After leaving Bethlehem in Judah, the young Levite eventually came to the house of Micah.  Matthew Henry lists two or three reasons why he may have left, but none says it was by God's guidance.  Whatever reason we as followers of Christ have for moving around the country today, or even from church to church, especially as preachers, we need to make sure that it is in accordance with God's will.  Verse nine continues, And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am a Levite of Bethlehemjudah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place.  After Micah asked him where he came from, the young Levite said from Bethlehemjudah, and said that he was looking for a place to live.  Again, nothing is said about either asking for God's guidance in the situation, even though both were by birth part of His chosen people, and one was a part of those set aside to be priests.  Spiritually, it doesn't matter if we are born into a Christian family or not, because in order to be a part of God's family, we must be reborn through putting our faith in Jesus Christ.  Also, if we are in the ministry, it must never be because we have chosen to be, nor because of who our parents may be, but it must be because God called us into the ministry.  Verse ten states, And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. So the Levite went in.  Micah made a proposition to the young Levite.  He asked him to become his personal priest, and said he would pay him and provide for his needs if he did so.  We should never attempt to buy the services of a preacher today, even if is simply because we believe that what we give to the church should give us a greater authority in the church.  Certainly, a preacher should never be influenced in deciding where they will serve because of how much it pays.  Verse eleven adds, And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.  The Levite was content to live with Micah, and became like a son to him.  Still, neither had sought God's guidance in the situation, and if we a Christians today have not sought God's guidance, it really doesn't matter how content we may be in life nor how close we may become with others, because we must first seek God's will in every situation.  Verse twelve declares, And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.  By his own authority, and not by the authority of God,  Micah consecrated the young Levite.  We are not told that God anointed him though.  If we are to be consecrated to to ministry today, it must be God that consecrates us, and not just a person or group of people.  Then, we are never to be supported by only one person and then serve them exclusively.  Since we are a part of the priesthood of believers, we should always look, not to others in the church, but to God to see what He has called us to do.  Verse thirteen adds, Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.  Micah believed that God would have to do good to him because he had his own priest.  We cannot force God's blessings on us, no matter how many religious symbols we may display around our home.  Even wearing a cross does not force God to bless us, but only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ brings God's blessings to us, and they are not material, but spiritual.  

Judges 17:1

Judges 17:1 says, And there was a man of mount Ephraim, whose name was Micah.  Verse two adds, And he said unto his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst, and spakest of also in mine ears, behold, the silver is with me; I took it. And his mother said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my son.  We are told of a young man, named Micah, who came to his mother confessing that he had taken the eleven hundred shekels of silver that she had been looking for.  She had cursed whomever had stolen her money, but when her son returned it, she asked he be blessed of the LORD, though it seems that the money was more important to her than her son or the LORD.  We should never allow material things to be more important to us than our family and we certainly should never allow them to become more important than God.  Verse three continues, And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee.  The woman said that she had wholly dedicated the silver to the LORD, but then said it was to be used to make a graven image, which was against God's law.  We cannot give something to God while at the same time specifying that it is to be used for something that goes against His law.  Of course, I personally think that what we give to God should come with no strings attached.  Verse four states, Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.  Though the woman said she had given the eleven hundred shekels to the LORD, she only used two hundred to make the graven image.  She did not carry through on her promise, but since she was using the money to make an idol instead of it being used for God's glory and by His leadership, it really didn't matter.  We should always give to God what we promise to give Him, but if we are giving it to be used for ungodly purposes, it doesn't matter if we claim that we are giving everything to Him.  The idol was kept in Micah's house.  Verse five adds, And the man Micah had an house of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.  Micah then made an ephod and a teraphim, which are associated with worshipping God, and consecrated one of his sons to be his priest.  Though Micah was called a young man, he was evidently old enough to have a son old enough to serve as a priest, but Micah did not have this authority to make his son a priest.  Only God can call someone as a priest, or I believe more accurately as a pastor today.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, which comes by His call, we are all a part of the priesthood of believers. Then, we are called to a particular role of service in His kingdom, but our parents nor we ourself can ever just decide what that role will be.  Verse six continues, In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.  In those days Israel was without a king or a judge, and everyone did what they felt was right in their own eyes.  God's people, or at least those called by His name, were not seeking His will, and that is a place we never want to be as Christians. 

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.

Judges 16;18

Judges 16:18 says, And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.  When Dalilah realized that Samson had told her the truth, she again sent for the Philistines.  They may have been becoming wary of her being able to really tell them the source of Samson’s strength, but she was still trying.  The world will never give up on attempting to discredit or even kill those who follow God, but as long as people remain faithful to God, they will never be successful from an everlasting perspective.  Verse nineteen adds, And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.  While Samson was asleep, Delilah had a men cut off the seven braids of his hair, which is what he told her would rob him of his strength.  She wasn't taking chances on just braiding it, but had it cut off as well.  We are told Samson’s strength went out of him, but it wasn't because of the physical act of cutting his hair, but because of his breaking his vow to God, even if it was unintentional.  If we begin to play games with our faith, as Samson seemed to have been doing, this may lead us, even if unintentionally to breaking our promise to be faithful to God.  Verse twenty states, And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.  Once again Delilah woke Samson and said the Philistines are at the door.  Once again he said he would shake himself and deal with them as before.  Then, we are told that he did not realize that the Spirit of the LORD had left him.  Samson had begun to rely on his own strength instead of relying on God, and he had lost his reliance on God.  We as followers of Christ may gradually slip away from relying on God and begin to simply believe that we can do things by our own power, but this will only lead to defeat when trials come.  Verse twenty-one adds, But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.  The Philistines took Samson, blinded him, bound him, and put him to work grinding in the prison.  We may find ourselves bound by the things of this world if we become blinded to the light of Jesus Christ, and if we do, life can become nothing more than drudgery.  Verse twenty-two continues, Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.  The Philistines ignored the fact that Samson’s hair was growing out again,  evidently believing that once he as defeated that he was defeated forever.  Still, it really wasn't his hair that controlled Samson’s strength, but the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.  The world may at times defeat us if we put our faith in anything but God, but as Christians, the Holy Spirit always awaits to restore us if we put our faith in God once more.

Judges 16:5

Judges 16:5 says, And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.  The lords of the Philistines came to Delilah to bribe her to find out the source of Samson’s strength and tell them what it was.  People have always been willing to reward people to betray God if they believe it will benefit them.  Verse six adds, And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.  Delilah was willing to betray Samson, either because of the money offered or because she was more loyal to the Philistines than she was to her husband, so she asked him the source of his strength.  Other than God, no one should be more important than a spouse, and we should never put material things above them.  Verse seven continues, And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.  Samson gave her an answer, but he lied to her.  I guess he saw it as a game, but we should never play games when it comes to our relationship with God.  Verse eight states, Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.  The Philistines brought Delilah the specified things that Samson had said would remove his great strength, and she bound him with them.  He had to have willing allowed this to happen, because he knew it would have no effect on him.  We should never allow things to happen to us simply because we don't take the threat to our faith seriously enough.  This can lead to self pride, which can lead us to fall.  Verse nine adds, Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.  Some Philistines were lying in wait for Samson within his chamber, so Delilah must have let them in.  We should not be totally surprised if those we believe to be closest to us one day let us down, but we as followers of Christ should never be the one to let others down.  Samson broke the binding cords as though they were nothing.  Verse ten continues, And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.  Delilah told Samson that he had mocked her and told her lies, which he had.  Of course, seeing what happened after he told her, you would think that Samson would have asked her why she wanted to know, and told her not to bother asking again.  We may need to look to a person's motive if they are asking us questions about our faith.  Verse eleven says, And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.  Samson told Delilah another lie about the source of his strength.  Again, it seems that Samson saw this a game and simply wanted Delilah to quit bothering him.  If asked for the source of our strength as Christians, we should always give the credit to our relationship with God.  Verse twelve adds, Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.  Once more there were Philistines lying in wait for Samson after Delilah bound him the way that he had said would take away his strength.  When she again sounded the alarm, Samson once more easily broke the bonds.  By now, he should have really been questioning why Delilah was asking this question, but I believe that he had so much faith in himself that he wasn't looking to God for guidance in the situation.  We as followers of Christ can never afford to reach the point that we believe that we can handle any situation on our own, so we do not ask God for guidance.  Verse thirteen continues, And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.  Delilah once again accused Samson of lying to her, and he did so once more.  We should never be guilty of lying to others, especially about the fact that God is our source of strength.  Verse fourteen states, And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.  Once again Delilah did what Samson said would rob him of his strength, sounded the alarm that the Philistines were there, and once again Samson had not lost his strength.  By now, we must truly ask why Samson had not quit providing her with answers, even false ones.  Verse fifteen adds, And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.  Delilah then accused Samson of not loving her since he had lied to her, not questioning the fact that she was lying to him in order to betray him.  We may find people accusing us of betraying them today because we will not give up our relationship with God, which is the source of our strength.  Verse sixteen continues, And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;  Delilah daily nagged Samson to tell her the source of his strength, and his soul was vexed.  This may have been a constant irritation to Samson, but if he were really looking to God for the answer, it wouldn't have been enough to cause him to give up his faith.  No matter how persistent people may be in attempting to get us to give up our faith in God, we must never do so.  Verse seventeen concludes  That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a rasor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.  Samson then told Delilah the truth as he saw it.  It was the fact that his hair had never been cut and that he had been a Nazarite since birth that was the source of his strength.  Of course, this was really just an outward sign of Samson’s obedience to God, Who was really the source of Samson’s great strength.  We should never believe that anything other than our relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the source of our strength as Christians. 

Judges 16:1

Judges 16:1 says, Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.  Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a horlot and went to her.   Samson may have been a mighty man when he allowed the Holy Spirit to guide him, but he still too often seemed to just do what he wanted to do.  We as Christians can too often be the same way, chasing after the things of this world instead of seeking God's will for our life.  Verse two adds, And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.  Someone told the people of Gaza that Samson was there, and they devised a plan to kill him.  They were going to lie in wait all night outside the city gate and ambush him in the morning.  They were not going to just face him head on, and those who would destroy Christians today often attempt to destroy them by indirect means.  Verse three continues, And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.  Samson got up at midnight, and we really aren't told why.  Matthew Henry speculates that God got him up through an angel or a dream, but we aren't told this.  Still, because of what he then did we can say that God was still empowering him.  As the men of Gaza lay in wait outside the gate for him, Samson did not go out the gate, but took the gate and everything associated with it on his shoulders  and carried it to the top of the hill before Hebron.  I believe that this was once again a display of the amazing strength that God had blessed Samson with, though we are not told directly that Samson was acting under God's guidance in this situation.  God may at times give us as followers of Christ the victory in a particular situation that we are in, even if we are in that situation because of our own desires instead of His guidance.  We can say without a doubt that whatever situation we are in as Christians that the Holy Spirit is there with us.  Verse four states, And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.  After this encounter, we are told that Samson loved a woman of Sorek named Delilah.  Once more, we are not told that Samson sought God's will in this.  Today, too many Christians seek a relationship with someone of the opposite sex who is not likewise a Christian.  We need to understand that as followers of Christ the Holy Spirit indwells us to guide us in all that we do, and we should seek His guidance in everything, especially something as important as who we seek as our spouse.  

Judges 15:9

 Judges 15:9 says, Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.  The Philistines went up and camped outside Judah,  Verse ten says, And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.  The men of Judah asked the Philistines why they were ready to go to war with them, and they said they had come to bind Samson because of what he had done to them.  Even if all that we are doing is sharing the gospel, we may make the people of the world ready to go to war with us today, and other Christians may be attacked because of our actively serving God.  Verse eleven continues, Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.  Three thousand of the men of  Judah went up to the top of the rock Etam, and asked Samson what he had done to the Philistines and if he didn't know that the Philistines were rulers over Israel.  If we as followers of Christ begin to stand strongly against evil in the world today, some who call themselves Christians may oppose us and question why we are doing what we are doing.  They sent three thousand men to question Samson, so they must have known how strong he was.  Samson said he did to the Philistines as they had done unto him.  We as Christians should never treat those who have treated us badly the same way through,  because we are to follow the example of Jesus Christ.  Verse twelve states, And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.  They told Samson that they had come to bind him for the Philistines, and Samson simply asked that they not fight against him themselves.  I don't believe this was because Samson thought they could defeat him, but because he didn't want to destroy three thousand of his fellow Israelites.  We should never go to war with other Christians.  Verse thirteen adds, And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.  The Israelites told Samson that they would not kill him, only bind him and deliver him to the Philistines.  They may have feared Samson, but they feared the Philistines more, so instead of rallying around him, they wanted to bind him.  We need to pray that we never fear the people of the world more than we have faith in God to deliver us from them.  They bound Smson with two new cords and brought him down off the rock. Verse fourteen continues, And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.  When they got to Lehi, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson mightily, and the cords binding him became as useless as burned flax.  What we as followers of Christ need to realize is that the Holy Spirit indwells us today and is still as powerful as He was in Samson day, so we should never allow the world to bind our faith.  Verse fifteen declares, And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.  Once set free, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Samson found the jawbone of an ass and killed a thousand Philistines.  He didn't need more powerful weapons or even more people to help him, because he was acting under the power of the Holy Spirit.  The power of the Holy Spirit under His leadership is still all we need today.  Verse sixteen adds, And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.  Of course, then instead of giving glory to God, Samson gave glory to himself.  Matthew Henry says that Samson had to give himself praise because the men of Judah didn't, but I still believe that he, like we ourselves, should never seek self glorification, but should always seek the glorification of God.  We should never brag about our victories as Christians today, but should always give the glory to God.  Verse seventeen says, And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.  After Samson finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone and called the place Ramathlehi.  He still did not acknowledge that the Spirit of God was responsible for his success.  Verse eighteen continues, And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?  Samson did finally give credit to God, but more to complain than to glorify Him.  He said God had given him a great deliverance, but then complained asking God if He did so only to allow Samson to then die of thirst.  God has already given us the greatest victory, the victory over the power of sin and death, but we still too often complain when we have even minor problems in life, while questioning God's concern for us.  Verse nineteen states, But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.  God took the jawbone and brought water out of it.  The jawbone was not responsible for Samson’s victory over the Philistines, nor was it responsible for the water.  God was responsible in both cases.  Verse twenty adds, And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.  Samson then judged Israel, for twenty years.  Though they were still under the Philistines, they had a judge to rule over them.  We may be under the rule of earthly governments today, but we as Christians still have the Judge, God Himself, to rule over us.