Title Delilah's Knee/Judges 16:18-22
Content - Delilah's knee - (Judges 16:18-22)
Today's text is the saddest part of the Samson story.
“The Philistines seized him, pulled out his eyes, and dragged him down to Gaza, bound with brass cords, and made him turn the mill in prison.” Judges 16:21 Everyone who reads this part points at him.
God's people, judges, and Nazirites could do that. Think of Samson, who has always been proud and precious, with his head shaved, his eyes plucked out and tied to a rope, twisting and twisting, or Samson being ridiculed by his enemies as he spins a mill in prison.
It is truly the pinnacle of numbers. But I'm not saying it's a 'sad part' just because of Samson's pitiful appearance.
It is because of the words in verse 20, 'The Lord has left him'.
There was a time when the 'God of the Lord' came upon him strongly, but Samson's miserable appearance is what appeared after the 'God of the Lord' had left.
What was the cause of Samson's fall into the trap of 'Delilla's knee'? We have no right to condemn Samson like this.
I just have to use him as a mirror to discover lessons about how I should live.
First, if you pay attention to verse 1, “Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and he went in to him.” Judges 16:1 The place name 'Gaza' here is a village located at the southernmost tip of the Philistines, and Samson was the lowest of the Philistines. What does it mean to go down to the town where you are?
Samson, who overthrew thousands of Philistine soldiers with a single donkey jawbone, grew stronger and stronger, and there was nothing to fear anymore.
So, in the end, he came up with the bold idea of penetrating the Philistine enemy camp and descending to Gaza.
Nevertheless, his road ahead was a solid road with no obstacles in his way.
As these things were repeated, he began to think that he was able to achieve today's victory with his own strength and ability. At this time, Satan was preparing a trap called 'Delilla's knee' in front of Samson.
There is one more thing to consider. Verse 1 says that Samson 'saw a prostitute' and went in to her.
But the thing is, this isn't the first time this has happened.
Even when Samson went down to Timnah, he 'saw a woman' of the Philistines and wanted to marry him.
Seeing is always a problem, because to see means to be interested.
We know the instructive fact that mankind's first crime began with 'seeing'.
Fortunately, however, Samson overcame several of these spiritual crises well.
And the two female problems were used effectively to inflict fatal wounds on the Philistines and weaken their power.
As a result, the very moment when he became spiritually dull even in matters of reason, the Spirit of Jehovah left him.
In front of this very Samson, the forces of darkness put Delilah's knees up.
'How can a weak woman treat a strong person like me!' This useless self-confidence eventually led Samson to become an unfortunate protagonist who lost his head and lost his eyes.
What are you preoccupied with? You must have spiritual insight to see if it is perhaps 'Delilla's knee'.
There is only one place where we need to fix our gaze.
“Let us look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2
Third, one of the most shocking things about Samson's story is that he was always alone.
In other words, no friends are appearing in his tumultuous entire life.
He was alone from start to finish. Satan always works by focusing his attacks on those who are alone.
Therefore, we need to establish a relationship where we can check each other out so that this does not happen.
Because being alone is like becoming a target for Satan.
Lot had Abraham, Moses had Aaron and Hur, and Joshua had a good friend named Caleb.
David had friends of faith, Jonathan, and Paul, Barnabas and Silas.
Paul Tournier says: 'There are two things a person can never do alone.
One is to get married, and the other is to live as a Christian.'
However, Samson, who was always alone, fell into a trap called 'Delilah's knee' that Satan had placed on standby.
In light of this, it can be seen that 'Delilla's knee' did not appear when Samson was having a hard time.
It appeared before him when all his problems were getting better and better, and he was on an upward curve, praised by people.
I took it one step further and said, 'This is it, I can do it, I believe in my self-control.'
Not only that, but when he took lightly the importance of relationships with others in his faith, he eventually knocked him down.
Dear saints,
Are things going so well now that you no longer feel the need to pray?
If you are confident that you can live with your own strength and power without Jesus, please be careful of 'Delilla's knee'.
If you believe in your own self-control and don't have a friend of faith around you, check to see if she's lying on Delilah's lap.
Satan has Delilah's knees waiting in front of such a person.
"The pride of a man's heart is the beginning of destruction, but humility before honor." Proverbs 18:12
In the name of the Lord, I pray in the name of the Lord that by attending this retreat prepared by the Lord, you will meet true co-workers in faith and have the grace of restoring spiritual humility and peace.