Judges 19:1

Judges 19:1 says, And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite sojourning on the side of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehemjudah.  Matthew Henry says this probably occurred shortly after the death of Joshua since Israel was still without a real leader, and a Levite, a man of the priestly tribe, took for himself a concubine.  Verse two states, And his concubine played the whore against him, and went away from him unto her father’s house to Bethlehemjudah, and was there four whole months.  She was unfaithful to him, though likely only in her attitude about being his wife, and left him and went back to her father's house for four months.  Verse three says, And her husband arose, and went after her, to speak friendly unto her, and to bring her again, having his servant with him, and a couple of asses: and she brought him into her father’s house: and when the father of the damsel saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.  The Levite did not put her away, or divorce her, but went after her, to attempt to reconcile with her.  He had with him his servant and two asses.  Matthew Henry says she was called a concubine and not a wife because the Levite could not afford to pay a dowry for her and not because he had other wives.  Her father was glad to see the Levite when he got there.  Verse four states, And his father in law, the damsel’s father, retained him; and he abode with him three days: so they did eat and drink, and lodged there.  The Levite was at his father-in-law's house for three days where he was fed and slept.  We are not told that the Levite said anything bad about his wife or her father.  Matthew Henry says that he evidently had forgiven her as God forgives us and expects us to do with others.  I believe that we too often act out of an attitude of hurt seeking revenge as followers of Christ if we feel that someone has somehow wronged us, instead of out of an attitude of forgiveness and reconciliation.  Verse five declares, And it came to pass on the fourth day, when they arose early in the morning, that he rose up to depart: and the damsel’s father said unto his son in law, Comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way.  On the fourth day, the father-in-law told the Levite to have a little breakfast and then to be on his way.  Then verse six adds, And they sat down, and did eat and drink both of them together: for the damsel’s father had said unto the man, Be content, I pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine heart be merry.  Then, after they ate, the father-in-law asked the Levite to stay another night and enjoy himself.  The Levite was evidently ready to be on his way, but he was being treated nicely and being asked to stay longer.  We are not told how God was working in this situation and whether or not the Levite was being led by God to leave and go back home, but we need to realize that even if we are being treated nicely in the world today that we must make sure that we  are where God wants us to be.  If we aren't, we should never delay in returning to where God wants us to be.  Verse seven says, And when the man rose up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there again.  The Levite remained.  Verse eight adds, And he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart: and the damsel’s father said, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until afternoon, and they did eat both of them.  The next day, when the Levite arose early, he was once again asked to stay awhile longer.  The Levite had planned to leave early to get back home, but the kindness of the father-in-law was now becoming a burden to the Levite.  Sometimes, the kindness of others may make us hesitate to do what God has called us to do, but if it does, then it will ultimately prove to be a burden to us.  Verse nine adds, And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel’s father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home.  The father-in-law then said it was late and that the Levite should stay overnight again.  He had started by asking the Levite to stay until the afternoon, but his plan seems to have been to use the lateness of the start to convince the Levite to stay another day.  We should never allow the kindness of the people of the world to keep us from being about what we need to do as followers of Christ.

Judges 18:22 says, And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah’s house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan.  Before the men of Dan got away too far from the house Micah, they were overtaken by the men of the area.  It was not unnoticed that they were in the area.  Verse twenty-three declares,  And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company?  The men of the area cried out to the men of Dan, and the men of Dan looked to Micah and asked why he was coming at them with such a large group of men.  When we are doing what we believe God to be telling us to do, if we encounter a large group of people, especially those who are supposed to be fellow Christians, we might likewise ask them why they are opposing us.  Of course, the fact that the men of Dan had stolen from Micah should have made them aware of why they were being confronted.  We should not be surprised if we are confronted if we have done someone wrong.  Verse twenty-four states, And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee?  Basically, Micah said to the men of Dan that they knew what they had done, so why were asking him why they were acting like he was the one who was doing something wrong.  Micah said that they had taken away the gods that he had made and his priest.  We as followers of Christ can never have anyone take away our God, because we did not make Him, but He made us.  If there are things in our lives that we have made into gods, we need to have them taken away.  Verse twenty-five says, And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household.  The men of Dan, who were in the wrong, told Micah to be quiet, or they might kill him.  This was an example of  might makes right, which is the rule too often in situations in the world today.  Verse twenty-six adds, And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.  The people of Dan went on their way, and when Micah saw how powerful they were, he went back into his house.  Matthew Henry says that Micah must not have had much faith in his gods to protect him, since if he had he would have fought for them.  Man made gods can never do anything to protect anyone, so in some respects, Micah was better off without them.  Verse twenty-seven states, And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest which he had, and came unto Laish, unto a people that were at quiet and secure: and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and burnt the city with fire.  The men of Dan next came to the people of Laish, a peaceful people, and killed them with the sword.  They evidently felt that they were a powerful people by this time, doing whatever they wanted to do to the people that they met.  Though as Christians we are a spiritually powerful people, that does not give us the right to mistreat people that we meet.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Zidon, and they had no business with any man; and it was in the valley that lieth by Bethrehob. And they built a city, and dwelt therein.  There was no one to come to the rescue of the people of Laish, so after the people of Dan defeated them, they built a city and settled there.  Again, I am sure they were feeling very successful by this time, having defeated the people around them and even having their own gods and priest.  These were still a part of God's chosen people, but there was no leadership of God in what they were doing.  As followers of Christ today, no matter how successful we may be in the eyes of the world, if we are not following God's guidance, then we are never spiritually successful.  Verse twenty-nine adds,  And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born unto Israel: howbeit the name of the city was Laish at the first.  They renamed the city Dan, though it had first been named Laish.  Verse thirty proclaims, And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.  The people of Dan set up the false gods to be worshipped and their priests participated in the worship.  Though they were born into the family of Israel, God's chosen people, they were about as far away from being His people spiritually as they could get.  We may be called God's people today because of where we were born or who our parents may have been, but until we come to Jesus Christ and allow Him to be our Savior and Lord, we are still just lost people following our own gods.  Verse thirty-one concludes, And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.  The people of Dan continued to worship the graven image that Micah had made.  The question we need to ask ourselves today is if we have allowed a graven image to take the place of God in our lives.  We cannot be obedient to God and at the same time allow anything in this world to take His place in our lives.

Judges 18:11 says, And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.  Six hundred men from Dan went out with weapons of war after the report of the spies.  When we believe that God is with us, there is no reason to delay in doing what we believe that He is leading us to do.  Verse twelve states, And they went up, and pitched in Kirjathjearim, in Judah: wherefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day: behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.  Matthew Henry says that military movements by the people of Israel were rare by this time, so the place was named for the people of Dan.  Verse thirteen adds,  And they passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah.  They then came to the house of Micah.  Verse fourteen says, Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do.  The five spies told the men of Dan of the teraphim, graven image and molten image in Micah's house and told them to consider what they had to do.  Matthew Henry says that they thought that if they could take these gods that it would give them power over the people there.  When we encounter false gods today, our concern should not be to attempt to use them for our benefit but to destroy them.  Verse fifteen adds, And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.  They got to the house of Micah and met the young Levite.  This should have been one of the priests of God, but instead he was serving false gods.  Not everyone that we meet today who profess to be followers of Christ are going to be.  Some may even be in positions of service in the church,  Verse sixteen declares, And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate.  The aimed men of Dan stood by the entering of the gate.  Then verse eighteen adds, And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war.  The five spies went ot Micah's house and stole the graven image, ephod, and teraphim while the priest was kept at the gate with the other men of Dan.  We should never attempt to use things dedicated to false gods for our own purposes of worship.  Verse eighteen continues, And these went into Micah’s house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye?  After the spies took the items, the priest asked them what they were doing.  If we begin to worship the things of this world. it will be God Who is asking us what we are doing if we profess to be a follower of Christ.  Verse nineteen says, And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?  The men of Dan told the priest to remain silent and then asked if it would not be better for him to be a priest to a bunch of people than to one person.  They said that he could be a priest to a family of the tribe of Israel.  I believe this tells us something about the spiritual state of the people of Dan who were there .  Instead of destroying the idols, they claimed them as their own.  Verse twenty adds, And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people.  This also tells us a lot about the young priest.  He did not say he was where God had called him to be, because he really wasn't.  He was happy to serve a larger group.  Sometimes today, preachers may be tempted to move to a larger congregation where they may be better paid, but the question should always be whether or not this is what God is leading them to do.  I believe sometimes serving in a larger congregation may be an idol in itself.  Verse twenty-one states, So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them.  They left Micah's house with his gods and his priest, but this only put them farther away from God.  We may view ourselves as successful today because of our material success, but unless we allow God to guide us in all that we do we will never be spiritually successful.

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.  Matthew Henry says this was a part of the tribe of Dan who had yet to claim their inheritance in the land.  So far, they had just lived with the rest of the tribe of Dan.  Verse two states, 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.  These people of Dan sent five spies into the land that they would claim for their own, and they came to the house of Micah, and dwelt there.  This was a house with its own gods and priest.  We need to be careful where we decide to live, even temporarily, in the world today.  We may end up in a place that professes another god, or no god at all, but we cannot allow that to influence us.  Verse three says, 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?  The men recognized the voice of the young Levite, whether they recognized his face or not, and they wanted to know how he had gotten to where he was.  There should be something about our speech today I believe that lets the people of the world know that we are followers of Christ.  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 did not say that God had led him there and that he was God's priest in the land.  Instead, he told them of the deal he had with Micah, and that he was Micah's priest.  Those who are called by God to be preachers in the world today can never allow themselves to serve as only one persons pastor or allow what they are paid to influence what they preach.  Verse five declares,  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.  Even though the priest had told him that he was Micah's priest, and not God's priest, they still asked him to inquire of God whether or not they would be successful in their task.  Sometimes today, people who profess to be followers of Christ, will still attempt to look to other sources to help them know what the future holds, for example reading their horoscope.  Sometimes, they will also look to a spiritual leader who professes things that are not Biblical.  Verse six adds, And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the LORD is your way wherein ye go.  The priest told them to go in peace, because the LORD was with them.  He was speaking for God without consulting God and was telling them what they wanted to hear.  People are always inclined to believe what they want to hear, but we must beware of preachers who simply tell us what we want to hear.  Verse seven states, Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.  The spies found the people of Laish to be ill governed and not very industrious.  They felt safe and secure in the city, which Matthew Henry said was a statement about the people of Israel as well.  The people of Laish no longer feared them.  As Christians, when we fail to follow through on what God calls us to do today, we should not be surprised if people of the world are no longer concerned about us.  Verse eight says,  And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?  The spies returned and were asked for a report.  Verse nine adds, And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.  The spies told them that it was a good land and to not be slothful but to go up and possess it.  We as followers of Christ have a heavenly home awaiting us, and even though we will never fully possess it in this lifetime, that does not mean that we should just idly await for our time to possess it.  We are not to be slothful in our life for Christ.  Verse ten concludes, When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.  The spies said that the land was a good land lacking in nothing and that God had given it to them.  Still, they really hadn't consulted God, but only a priest for hire.  We need to be careful today when we listen to those who profess to speak for God that what they are saying is really God's word.  As Christians we have the Holy Spirit to help us discern the truth.

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.   A young man named Micah went to his mother and confessed to taking eleven hundred shekels of silver from her.  She had evidently been cursing about it, but when he told her he had taken it, she asked that he be blessed by the LORD.  Even though he confessed to taking it, he was still the one who had done so.  Verse three states, 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.  When her son returned the silver, the mother said that she had dedicated the silver to the LORD from her hand for her son, to make a graven image.  Matthew Henry says this was the first time it was mentioned of a graven image being made since the rule of Joshua.  Now, if she had really dedicated it to the LORD, He would not have led her to make a graven image out of it,  We cannot claim to give something to God and then use it for something that goes against His will.  Plus, we should not curse people on the one hand and ask God to bless them on the other.  Verse four declares, 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 mother said she had dedicated all the silver to the LORD, she only took two hundred of the eleven hundred pieces of silver to the founder to make the image with.  We need to beware of promising all of everything to God and then attempting to only give Him a small part of it.  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.  The son had a house of gods now, and made an ephod and teraphim and consecrated one of his sons to be a priest.  In effect, he had put himself in God's place.  He made the things that had been used to signify the worship of God, and he called his own priest.  We cannot create our own worship and call those who are to lead it, but must rely on the leadership and calling of God.  Verse six says, In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.  We are told that their was no leader in Israel in those days, but everyone did what was right in their own eyes.  We would have thought that those called  God's people would have done what was right in His eyes, but we know that this was never the case for too long.  Verse seven states, And there was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there.  Then verse 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.  There was a young Levite, a part of the priestly tribe of Israel, wandering around the country and he came to the house of Micah.  Verse nine declares, 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.  Micah asked the man who he was and where he had come from, and he identified himself as a Levite.  As such, he shouldn't have been just wandering around, but should have been going where God directed him to go.  As followers of Christ today, especially if we identify our self as a preacher, we must go where God sends us and not just wander around looking for a place to serve.  Verse ten adds, 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 told the Levite to stay with him and be his father and priest and he would pay him, and the young Levite agreed.  At no time did the Levite ask if this was what God wanted, and he was going into a house full of idols to be a priest for pay.  We cannot sacrifice our calling for pay, and we certainly can never be a follower of Christ and worship idols at the same time.  Verse eleven states, And the Levite was content to dwell with the man; and the young man was unto him as one of his sons.  The Levite, one of the men of the priestly family of God, was content to dwell with the young man.  Verse twelve declares, And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah.  Once again, Micah put himself in the place of God.  He consecrated the Levite to be his priest, not a priest of God as he should have been.  Verse thirteen concludes, Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.  Micah thought that God would have to be good to him since he now had his own Levite as a priest.  We should never think that because we have something physical that represents God to the world that He has to bless us if we are not His spiritually.  For example, having all the Bibles and crosses in the world does us no good if we do not believe in the teachings of the Bible or what the cross really means.

Judges 16:22 says, Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.  Samson's hair began to grow again.  The Philistines thought that Samson was defeated forever, just as the people who crucified Jesus thought that He was defeated forever, and just as the people of the world today may feel that they have defeated someone who is a Christian forever.  Verse twenty-three states, 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 Philistines gathered together to have a great feast to their god Dagon, who they said had delivered Samson to them.  This would also show a disrespect to the God of Israel, by claiming that Dagon was stronger than Him.  People of the world today often declare other gods or things to be stronger than the only real God.  Verse twenty-four says,  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 mocked Samson, and also by implication his God.  When people mock Christians today, they are by implication mocking God as well.  Verse twenty-five adds, 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.  Samson had been in prison, but they called for him to be brought out so they could use him for their amusement.  Verse twenty-six says, 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 asked the lad who led him to allow him to be placed between the pillars so he could feel them.  This seems like an innocent enough request, and the Philistines thought so little of Samson that they had a lad lead him.  We should not be surprised when the people of the world underestimate us as the followers of Christ today.  Verse twenty-seven states, 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.  There were about three thousand men and women gathered, including the lords of the Philistines, to watch Samson make sport for them.  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's hair had grown back, but I don't believe this was the real source of his renewed strength.  Samson called on the LORD.  We may have fallen away from our relationship with God as Samson did when he allowed his hair to be cut, but just returning to the external evidence of a renewed obedience to God will not be enough to restore our spiritual power.  We must call on the Lord once more to restore us to the right relationship with Him if we are to be spiritually strong once more.  Verse twenty-nine adds, 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.  Then verse thirty continues, 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 took hold of the two main pillars and said let him die with the Philistines, and he brought the house down, killing all the Philistines there as well as himself.  If we are willing to die for Christ, in death we may defeat more of the enemies of God than we have in life, as Samson did with the Philistines.  Verse thirty-one concludes, 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.  Samson's brothers brought his body up and buried him.  It says that Samson had judged Israel for twenty years, but we never see a time when the Philistines were really totally defeated.  We today as followers of Christ will never see a time when the people of the world, those who do not believe in God, are totally defeated, but that does not mean that God is not still in charge.  ,

Judges 16:10 says, 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 came to Samson and said he was mocking her and lying to her and asked him to tell her truthfully how he could be bound.  I would have thought that after the first time that he told her and she attempted to bind him that he would have told her to mind her own business or something to that effect.  If we tell someone something in confidence and they attempt to us it against us and are unsuccessful, would we tell them something else that they could use against us?  Verse eleven states, 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 how to bind him and make him as weak as any other man.  He was to be bound with ropes that had never been used.  Verse twelve declares, 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 again, Delilah did what Samson told her would bind him and again told him there were Philistines at the door, and once again, Samson broke free.  Samson may have been having fun, but we never see where he consulted God about what he was doing nor are we told that the Spirit of God came upon him while he was doing this.  We cannot toy around with the sinful things that would destroy us today.  Verse thirteen says, 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.  Once again, Delilah told Samson that he had lied to her, and then he lied to her once more, telling her that if she wove his hair into seven locks that he would be weakened.  He was getting closer to the truth, since he was now referring to his hear as a source of strength.  Verse fourteen declares, 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 more, Delilah told Samson that the Philistines were at the door, and once more his strength was not diminished.  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 played the how can you say you love me card.  She said three times that Samson had lied to her about the source of his strength so he could not really love her.  I believe that a good answer from Samson would have been that three times he had told her and three times she had tried to use what he told her against him, so how could she love Him.  Love should never be used a a source if manipulation and certainly should never be used to harm those that we profess to love.  Verse sixteen declares, And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;  Basically, Delilah nagged Samson every day to tell her the source of his strength, and it vexed his soul.  Verse seventeen adds, 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 finally told her the truth, but I don't really believe that it was his hair that was the source of his strength, but that it was what it represented, and that was his relationship with God.  There are not earthly things that empower us today as followers of Christ, but it is our relationship with God.  None of these four times that Delilah asked Samson about the source of his strength are we told that he asked God about what he should do.  This should always be our first step, especially if a person has betrayed us on several other occasions  Verse eighteen states, 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.  Once she was sure that Samson had told her the truth, she sent for the Philistines.  Verse nineteen declares, 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.  We are not told how Delilah caused Samson to fall asleep, but once he did, she had his hair shaved off and his strength left him.  Again, I believe this was more because he betrayed his vow to God than it was because of the physical act of cutting off his hair.  When we do betray our vow to God, we will suffer the consequences of the action.  Verse twenty adds, 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.  Samson thought that he would go out as he always had before and defeat his enemies, but he was unaware that the LORD had departed from him.  Samson thought he was secure in his own strength, and he had forgotten about fulfilling his vow to God.  We may likewise slowly begin to rely on our own strength and abilities in life and not realize that we have strayed away from God, our real source of power.  Verse twenty-one proclaims, 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.  This time, things were different.  By his own strength alone, Samson was defeated, blinded and bound with fetters.  This is our spiritual state today when we forget about our vow to God to allow Him to be the Lord of our life.