Judges 18:1

Judges 18:1 says, In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.  This was another period of time when Israel had no king, which Matthew Henry says was part of the reason that some of the people of Dan had not claimed their inheritance of land.  He also points out that this land was now under the control of the Philistines.  Now, for whatever reason, this part of the people of Dan decided it was time for them to check out the possibility of claiming their inheritance.  We as followers of Christ should never be content to just live off what the faith of others may have accomplished for God, but we should seek what He wants us to do, and the sooner the better.  Verse two adds, And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.  The people of Dan sent five spies, who were said to be men of valor, to spy out the land of  their inheritance.  When they got to Mount Ephraim, they came to the house of Micah, and lodged there.  They had yet to enter the land that they were supposed to be spying on.  Of course, we aren't told that God was behind this endeavor either, but if God has called us to do something, we do not need to stop short of what He has called us to do.  As we will see, now that they were nearly to their destination, they would suddenly decide to see if God was with them.  Verse three continues, When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here? They heard the young Levite, and recognized him, maybe from his earlier wanderings, and began to question him.  They first asked who brought him there.  If we hear someone professing to be a preacher today, we need to first ask who made them one.  If the answer is anything other than the call of God, we need to beware of them.  Relatives or even a local body of believers thinking that a person should be a preacher is not enough.  They then inquired about the place of worship that He had made there.  Again, as Christians today, we need to make sure that the place that we worship is one that God ordained and one that follows His laws.  Verse four states, And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.  The young Levite told them about his deal with Micah, and his being Micah's hired priest and making the idols.  As Christians, we should never use our relationship with God for our benefit materially.  Verse five adds, And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.  These spies asked to young Levite to ask council of God as to whether or not the way which they went would be prosperous.  Matthew Henry points out that they had already passed by Shiloh and had not sought out the high priest for guidance, but now they sought guidance from this shabby Levite to be their oracle.  In this whole situation, we see no evidence of anyone seeking God's guidance until now,and now they sought that guidance from the wrong source.  Before we even undertake any spiritual quest, we need to first ask God if this is His will.  Verse six continues, And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.  This priest for hire told them what they wanted to hear, and that was to go in peace, because God was with them. Sometimes, we want someone to tell us that what we are doing is going to be successful more than we want to know what God says, and we may seek out someone who will tell us it is more than seeking out a true believer in God to give us guidance, and this is a dangerous thing to do.

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.