Ruth 4

Ruth 4:1

First Phase in Revealing the Secret

It can hardly be otherwise, or Samson senses what Delilah is after. He has already had an experience with a Philistine woman who has managed to get him to tell her the solution to his riddle. If he has forgotten this, he must be clear, through Delila’s actions, what her ultimate goal is. He must have known that she is out to destroy him.

Again and again she deceives him. Each time he reveals a little more of his secret. He gets closer and closer to the core, until he loses everything. It’s like a lock that has a hatch under water that can be opened. Invisible the water enters the lock, until the level is equal to the sea. The lock can then be opened with ease. We can secretly allow things into our hearts without condemning them. If that happens, we will eventually become completely equal to the world.

Instead of feeling safe and protected by Samson’s great strength, Delilah asks what it takes to bind him in such a way that he can’t compete with it with his strength. Before revealing his secret, he first turns around the truth and tells lies. He tells her that seven fresh cords, which have not been dried, will make him strengthless. Perhaps Samson thought about the cords with which the men of Judah had bound him. He then relies on an earlier victory and not on God.

When he is bound in this way and Delilah calls the Philistines to capture him, he breaks the cords and frees himself. But a snare is laid around his soul, which is slowly being tightened. He has revealed a first piece of his secret by calling the number seven, after the number of locks of his hair (Judges 16:13; 19).

Ruth 4:2

First Phase in Revealing the Secret

It can hardly be otherwise, or Samson senses what Delilah is after. He has already had an experience with a Philistine woman who has managed to get him to tell her the solution to his riddle. If he has forgotten this, he must be clear, through Delila’s actions, what her ultimate goal is. He must have known that she is out to destroy him.

Again and again she deceives him. Each time he reveals a little more of his secret. He gets closer and closer to the core, until he loses everything. It’s like a lock that has a hatch under water that can be opened. Invisible the water enters the lock, until the level is equal to the sea. The lock can then be opened with ease. We can secretly allow things into our hearts without condemning them. If that happens, we will eventually become completely equal to the world.

Instead of feeling safe and protected by Samson’s great strength, Delilah asks what it takes to bind him in such a way that he can’t compete with it with his strength. Before revealing his secret, he first turns around the truth and tells lies. He tells her that seven fresh cords, which have not been dried, will make him strengthless. Perhaps Samson thought about the cords with which the men of Judah had bound him. He then relies on an earlier victory and not on God.

When he is bound in this way and Delilah calls the Philistines to capture him, he breaks the cords and frees himself. But a snare is laid around his soul, which is slowly being tightened. He has revealed a first piece of his secret by calling the number seven, after the number of locks of his hair (Judges 16:13; 19).

Ruth 4:3

First Phase in Revealing the Secret

It can hardly be otherwise, or Samson senses what Delilah is after. He has already had an experience with a Philistine woman who has managed to get him to tell her the solution to his riddle. If he has forgotten this, he must be clear, through Delila’s actions, what her ultimate goal is. He must have known that she is out to destroy him.

Again and again she deceives him. Each time he reveals a little more of his secret. He gets closer and closer to the core, until he loses everything. It’s like a lock that has a hatch under water that can be opened. Invisible the water enters the lock, until the level is equal to the sea. The lock can then be opened with ease. We can secretly allow things into our hearts without condemning them. If that happens, we will eventually become completely equal to the world.

Instead of feeling safe and protected by Samson’s great strength, Delilah asks what it takes to bind him in such a way that he can’t compete with it with his strength. Before revealing his secret, he first turns around the truth and tells lies. He tells her that seven fresh cords, which have not been dried, will make him strengthless. Perhaps Samson thought about the cords with which the men of Judah had bound him. He then relies on an earlier victory and not on God.

When he is bound in this way and Delilah calls the Philistines to capture him, he breaks the cords and frees himself. But a snare is laid around his soul, which is slowly being tightened. He has revealed a first piece of his secret by calling the number seven, after the number of locks of his hair (Judges 16:13; 19).

Ruth 4:4

First Phase in Revealing the Secret

It can hardly be otherwise, or Samson senses what Delilah is after. He has already had an experience with a Philistine woman who has managed to get him to tell her the solution to his riddle. If he has forgotten this, he must be clear, through Delila’s actions, what her ultimate goal is. He must have known that she is out to destroy him.

Again and again she deceives him. Each time he reveals a little more of his secret. He gets closer and closer to the core, until he loses everything. It’s like a lock that has a hatch under water that can be opened. Invisible the water enters the lock, until the level is equal to the sea. The lock can then be opened with ease. We can secretly allow things into our hearts without condemning them. If that happens, we will eventually become completely equal to the world.

Instead of feeling safe and protected by Samson’s great strength, Delilah asks what it takes to bind him in such a way that he can’t compete with it with his strength. Before revealing his secret, he first turns around the truth and tells lies. He tells her that seven fresh cords, which have not been dried, will make him strengthless. Perhaps Samson thought about the cords with which the men of Judah had bound him. He then relies on an earlier victory and not on God.

When he is bound in this way and Delilah calls the Philistines to capture him, he breaks the cords and frees himself. But a snare is laid around his soul, which is slowly being tightened. He has revealed a first piece of his secret by calling the number seven, after the number of locks of his hair (Judges 16:13; 19).

Ruth 4:5

Second Phase in Revealing the Secret

Delilah accuses him of lies and deceit, and not entirely wrongly. Samson is in a position where he cannot speak freely about the secret of his strength. He realizes that it will be abused. But instead of fleeing from a place where he doesn’t belong, he resorts to excuses to stay there anyway.

How many times has it been like this with us? We were in a place we knew we should not be there. Then we were asked a question about faith. We turned around and gave an evasive answer. By giving the real answer we would have been discovered to ourselves and it would have shown us that we did not belong there.

In such a situation, there may also be a moment when we no longer beat around the bush on the truth and openly tell what we believe. But unfortunately, because we haven’t ‘fled’ before, this is being used by others to ridicule us. Our testimony is no longer of any value and becomes a mockery and entertainment. That’s how it went with Samson.

Delila’s second attempt can take place because Samson stayed there hanging around. The snare that is strained around his soul is tightened more firmly. In his answer to Delilah he reveals another piece of his secret. He talks about “new ropes, which have not been used”.

In Judges 15 an attempt was also made to tie him with new ropes (Judges 15:13). That failed. Here Samson adds that these ropes must never have been used before, i.e. they are specially made to be used only for this purpose. Here we can see a reference to his own ordination as a Nazirite from the very beginning of his life.

This is the second step toward revealing his secret, but again not the full reality about the secret of his strength. Yet he has already touched on two things in connection with it: 1. that he is wholly for the Lord; 2. that from birth he is only for the Lord (not for anything or anyone else).

Ruth 4:6

Second Phase in Revealing the Secret

Delilah accuses him of lies and deceit, and not entirely wrongly. Samson is in a position where he cannot speak freely about the secret of his strength. He realizes that it will be abused. But instead of fleeing from a place where he doesn’t belong, he resorts to excuses to stay there anyway.

How many times has it been like this with us? We were in a place we knew we should not be there. Then we were asked a question about faith. We turned around and gave an evasive answer. By giving the real answer we would have been discovered to ourselves and it would have shown us that we did not belong there.

In such a situation, there may also be a moment when we no longer beat around the bush on the truth and openly tell what we believe. But unfortunately, because we haven’t ‘fled’ before, this is being used by others to ridicule us. Our testimony is no longer of any value and becomes a mockery and entertainment. That’s how it went with Samson.

Delila’s second attempt can take place because Samson stayed there hanging around. The snare that is strained around his soul is tightened more firmly. In his answer to Delilah he reveals another piece of his secret. He talks about “new ropes, which have not been used”.

In Judges 15 an attempt was also made to tie him with new ropes (Judges 15:13). That failed. Here Samson adds that these ropes must never have been used before, i.e. they are specially made to be used only for this purpose. Here we can see a reference to his own ordination as a Nazirite from the very beginning of his life.

This is the second step toward revealing his secret, but again not the full reality about the secret of his strength. Yet he has already touched on two things in connection with it: 1. that he is wholly for the Lord; 2. that from birth he is only for the Lord (not for anything or anyone else).

Ruth 4:7

Second Phase in Revealing the Secret

Delilah accuses him of lies and deceit, and not entirely wrongly. Samson is in a position where he cannot speak freely about the secret of his strength. He realizes that it will be abused. But instead of fleeing from a place where he doesn’t belong, he resorts to excuses to stay there anyway.

How many times has it been like this with us? We were in a place we knew we should not be there. Then we were asked a question about faith. We turned around and gave an evasive answer. By giving the real answer we would have been discovered to ourselves and it would have shown us that we did not belong there.

In such a situation, there may also be a moment when we no longer beat around the bush on the truth and openly tell what we believe. But unfortunately, because we haven’t ‘fled’ before, this is being used by others to ridicule us. Our testimony is no longer of any value and becomes a mockery and entertainment. That’s how it went with Samson.

Delila’s second attempt can take place because Samson stayed there hanging around. The snare that is strained around his soul is tightened more firmly. In his answer to Delilah he reveals another piece of his secret. He talks about “new ropes, which have not been used”.

In Judges 15 an attempt was also made to tie him with new ropes (Judges 15:13). That failed. Here Samson adds that these ropes must never have been used before, i.e. they are specially made to be used only for this purpose. Here we can see a reference to his own ordination as a Nazirite from the very beginning of his life.

This is the second step toward revealing his secret, but again not the full reality about the secret of his strength. Yet he has already touched on two things in connection with it: 1. that he is wholly for the Lord; 2. that from birth he is only for the Lord (not for anything or anyone else).

Ruth 4:8

Third Phase in Revealing the Secret

Delilah is tireless in her attempts to find out the secret of his strength. She does not give up. That’s not necessary because Samson doesn’t leave. He is entangled in the net that she has stretched before his feet, because he does not do what David did: “My eyes are continually toward the LORD, for He will pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalms 25:15). Because his eyes are on Delilah, she can go on.

And she does, because the money smiles at her. Again she accuses him of lies and deceit and asks again how he may be bound. The answer he is giving now comes close to revealing his secret. He points to the locks of his hair. It is that long that it can be woven. He allows her to work his hair with her loom, so that his hair is woven into a whole with her work.

The spiritual lesson that lies in this is telling. What Samson does is to apply to the Christian who, in his vocation as a Nazirite, shows an interest in the attractiveness of an embellished and dressed up religious world. He gets involved in this and takes over its methods. In this way the Nazirite then unites himself with the work of the religious world. He stands together with people who are guided by Philistine principles on the same platform; he is committed to the same goal. Only by name, these people possess the life of Christ, not in reality.

Many Philistine ‘webs’ are used, so that the saints will participate in this weaving and finally be deprived of their strength. Take politics. Someone can participate with the best motives, but he binds himself to people of the world. They want to commit themselves to an excellent job. They want to cleanse the world of all kinds of injustice and create a righteous society. Again and again such believers ‘wake up’ when proposals are made that go against the Bible. It always appears that they have to deal with the enemies of the cross. They hear the crying of their conscience: “The Philistines are upon you!”

But no matter how Samson tries to free himself, this time the web sticks to him as proof that he is connected to her work. He is no longer really free.

Ruth 4:9

Third Phase in Revealing the Secret

Delilah is tireless in her attempts to find out the secret of his strength. She does not give up. That’s not necessary because Samson doesn’t leave. He is entangled in the net that she has stretched before his feet, because he does not do what David did: “My eyes are continually toward the LORD, for He will pluck my feet out of the net” (Psalms 25:15). Because his eyes are on Delilah, she can go on.

And she does, because the money smiles at her. Again she accuses him of lies and deceit and asks again how he may be bound. The answer he is giving now comes close to revealing his secret. He points to the locks of his hair. It is that long that it can be woven. He allows her to work his hair with her loom, so that his hair is woven into a whole with her work.

The spiritual lesson that lies in this is telling. What Samson does is to apply to the Christian who, in his vocation as a Nazirite, shows an interest in the attractiveness of an embellished and dressed up religious world. He gets involved in this and takes over its methods. In this way the Nazirite then unites himself with the work of the religious world. He stands together with people who are guided by Philistine principles on the same platform; he is committed to the same goal. Only by name, these people possess the life of Christ, not in reality.

Many Philistine ‘webs’ are used, so that the saints will participate in this weaving and finally be deprived of their strength. Take politics. Someone can participate with the best motives, but he binds himself to people of the world. They want to commit themselves to an excellent job. They want to cleanse the world of all kinds of injustice and create a righteous society. Again and again such believers ‘wake up’ when proposals are made that go against the Bible. It always appears that they have to deal with the enemies of the cross. They hear the crying of their conscience: “The Philistines are upon you!”

But no matter how Samson tries to free himself, this time the web sticks to him as proof that he is connected to her work. He is no longer really free.

Ruth 4:10

Fourth Phase: The Secret Revealed

Three times he was able to free himself, the third time only half. Because he doesn’t break the connection, now the final fall comes. The previous times Delilah always asked how she might bind him. This time she uses all the persuasive power she has as a woman. She no longer talks, like other times, about a method of binding him, but strikes him in his heart by questioning his love for her. After all, he still hasn’t told her the secret of his strength. This way she pressed him for many days.

Samson has little joy anymore in his dealings with Delilah. This has already happened to the woman from Timna. He did not learn from that either. What emerges from Delilah is not open enmity, but something that looks attractive and can talk seductively. Eventually he succumbs to the psychological pressure. He reveals the secret that otherwise she would never have found out. For who could think that his strength lies in his long hair, a clear proof of weakness, the weakness of a woman?

This is still the case. Strong young people who served God in great dedication have been deluded by the world and let down the path of disobedience. As a result, they have lost their strength, their freedom to serve and their spiritual discernment. The light that was in them has become darkness.

Samson reveals his secret because he has lost his fellowship with God. This is how he comes to this great folly, even though he has been awakened so many times by Delilah. Surely it should be clear to him what her intentions are, shouldn’t it?

But whoever lets himself be carried away by the world loses all understanding of normal and also common sense. His strength lies in his long hair, behind which his personality, as it were, hides. The only strength lies in being ‘hidden’. Dependence on and dedication to Christ are the hidden strength of the believer to live as a Nazirite. This applies to both personal and communal life.

Ruth 4:11

Fourth Phase: The Secret Revealed

Three times he was able to free himself, the third time only half. Because he doesn’t break the connection, now the final fall comes. The previous times Delilah always asked how she might bind him. This time she uses all the persuasive power she has as a woman. She no longer talks, like other times, about a method of binding him, but strikes him in his heart by questioning his love for her. After all, he still hasn’t told her the secret of his strength. This way she pressed him for many days.

Samson has little joy anymore in his dealings with Delilah. This has already happened to the woman from Timna. He did not learn from that either. What emerges from Delilah is not open enmity, but something that looks attractive and can talk seductively. Eventually he succumbs to the psychological pressure. He reveals the secret that otherwise she would never have found out. For who could think that his strength lies in his long hair, a clear proof of weakness, the weakness of a woman?

This is still the case. Strong young people who served God in great dedication have been deluded by the world and let down the path of disobedience. As a result, they have lost their strength, their freedom to serve and their spiritual discernment. The light that was in them has become darkness.

Samson reveals his secret because he has lost his fellowship with God. This is how he comes to this great folly, even though he has been awakened so many times by Delilah. Surely it should be clear to him what her intentions are, shouldn’t it?

But whoever lets himself be carried away by the world loses all understanding of normal and also common sense. His strength lies in his long hair, behind which his personality, as it were, hides. The only strength lies in being ‘hidden’. Dependence on and dedication to Christ are the hidden strength of the believer to live as a Nazirite. This applies to both personal and communal life.

Ruth 4:12

Fourth Phase: The Secret Revealed

Three times he was able to free himself, the third time only half. Because he doesn’t break the connection, now the final fall comes. The previous times Delilah always asked how she might bind him. This time she uses all the persuasive power she has as a woman. She no longer talks, like other times, about a method of binding him, but strikes him in his heart by questioning his love for her. After all, he still hasn’t told her the secret of his strength. This way she pressed him for many days.

Samson has little joy anymore in his dealings with Delilah. This has already happened to the woman from Timna. He did not learn from that either. What emerges from Delilah is not open enmity, but something that looks attractive and can talk seductively. Eventually he succumbs to the psychological pressure. He reveals the secret that otherwise she would never have found out. For who could think that his strength lies in his long hair, a clear proof of weakness, the weakness of a woman?

This is still the case. Strong young people who served God in great dedication have been deluded by the world and let down the path of disobedience. As a result, they have lost their strength, their freedom to serve and their spiritual discernment. The light that was in them has become darkness.

Samson reveals his secret because he has lost his fellowship with God. This is how he comes to this great folly, even though he has been awakened so many times by Delilah. Surely it should be clear to him what her intentions are, shouldn’t it?

But whoever lets himself be carried away by the world loses all understanding of normal and also common sense. His strength lies in his long hair, behind which his personality, as it were, hides. The only strength lies in being ‘hidden’. Dependence on and dedication to Christ are the hidden strength of the believer to live as a Nazirite. This applies to both personal and communal life.

Ruth 4:13

Samson Overpowered

Delilah senses flawlessly that this time he is speaking the truth. Samson’s previous suggestion had already been different from the first two. The first two times he has let himself be bound. The third time he didn’t talk about binding, but about weaving his hair. After that, it is not difficult for her to realize that he has now exposed his whole heart.

She warns the Philistine lords again, this time apparently with the announcement that they can now take the money with them, because for her the result is clear. Then she binds him, not with ropes, not with the web, but with the warmth of her lap, on which he falls asleep. There he feels her warmth and that will be his final downfall. With all his strength he is not equal to the tricks of a woman, under whose temptation and enchantment he has come.

When Samson sleeps, Delilah calls for a man and has him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Now she has him in her power. Her caresses turn into blows and torments. For the fourth time, her call sounds: “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” This is followed by the deeply tragic drama of a now powerless Samson, who, after waking up, is under the impression that he is still as strong as ever. It seems that he has reconciled himself with the idea that he would be attacked every time, but also that, given the previous times, he has come to count on an everlasting supremacy of strength.

Just as Samson’s dealings with the Philistine Delilah become disastrous, so flirting with the unholy principles of the world becomes disastrous for every child of God. The same goes for the church. Deprived of her strength, she pretends that all strength is still present. A powerless church tries to let itself be spoken of and she doesn’t know that there is no strength at all because the Spirit was first saddened and then quenched.

This is reflected in the sad situation of the church in Laodicea of which it is said “and you do not know” (Revelation 3:17), as it says of Samson “but he did not know” (Judges 16:20). The church in Laodicea is blind to their own situation. They moderate themselves to be spiritually high, but the Lord disgusts with her.

From Ephraim, meaning the ten tribes, it says: “Ephraim mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has become a cake not turned. Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know [it]; gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know [it]” (Hosea 7:8-9). Do we see the parallel between Ephraim and Samson? The strength of both of them has disappeared due to bad company and both did not know it.

In addition to a warning for the local church, this history also contains a warning for faithful, dedicated brethren who are useful in the service. This warning is that they should not forget that they are dependent on God. They run the risk of thinking that their knowledge of Scripture would make them unassailable to the influence of the flattery of the Christian world if they were to enter this field without God’s command. They think that their knowledge of the Scriptures will save them for that flattery and will free them from possible wrong connections.

Maybe they have said ‘no’ to proposals to take part in something that they saw could not be done. But if they don’t leave the environment where they have to say ‘no’ each time, the moment comes when they say ‘yes’. Then the separation to God and the obedience to His Word are given up and the strength also disappears. Perhaps they still think that the Lord is with them, but the result is that they are captured, just like Samson, and that they lose their understanding of Scripture, just as Samson lost his sight.

He who has carried away the doors of the city gate of Gaza, is brought in as a prisoner through the same gate. In the Bible for the first time there is talk of a prison with Joseph, who ended up in it himself. But he was brought into it because of his faithfulness. Samson is forced to use what is left of his strength in prison in the service of the Philistines to feed them and thereby provide them with strength. What a sad end of a person who had been set and trained by God to the exact opposite task.

In addition this this, a few words about Revelation 3. There we read: “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11). The expression ‘so that no one will take your crown’ is not only about the future, but also about today. We can connect the crown with our dedication to the Lord, as it can also become visible in a church.

The church as a whole has long since lost that crown. Her secret is no longer hidden with her; she did not remain separated from the world. She has admitted the world into her midst, which is reflected in having rules, means and conditions that all originate in the thinking of the natural human being. As a result, religion, the serving of God, is adapted to the norms and values of the human without God.

Any local church that opens up to this process, as Samson opened up to it, will slip into a church that has the characteristics of Laodicea. It looks like Samson when he lost his strength and fell into the hands of the Philistines: a shaved Nazirite (naked), who is poor and blind (Revelation 3:17).

Ruth 4:14

Samson Overpowered

Delilah senses flawlessly that this time he is speaking the truth. Samson’s previous suggestion had already been different from the first two. The first two times he has let himself be bound. The third time he didn’t talk about binding, but about weaving his hair. After that, it is not difficult for her to realize that he has now exposed his whole heart.

She warns the Philistine lords again, this time apparently with the announcement that they can now take the money with them, because for her the result is clear. Then she binds him, not with ropes, not with the web, but with the warmth of her lap, on which he falls asleep. There he feels her warmth and that will be his final downfall. With all his strength he is not equal to the tricks of a woman, under whose temptation and enchantment he has come.

When Samson sleeps, Delilah calls for a man and has him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Now she has him in her power. Her caresses turn into blows and torments. For the fourth time, her call sounds: “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” This is followed by the deeply tragic drama of a now powerless Samson, who, after waking up, is under the impression that he is still as strong as ever. It seems that he has reconciled himself with the idea that he would be attacked every time, but also that, given the previous times, he has come to count on an everlasting supremacy of strength.

Just as Samson’s dealings with the Philistine Delilah become disastrous, so flirting with the unholy principles of the world becomes disastrous for every child of God. The same goes for the church. Deprived of her strength, she pretends that all strength is still present. A powerless church tries to let itself be spoken of and she doesn’t know that there is no strength at all because the Spirit was first saddened and then quenched.

This is reflected in the sad situation of the church in Laodicea of which it is said “and you do not know” (Revelation 3:17), as it says of Samson “but he did not know” (Judges 16:20). The church in Laodicea is blind to their own situation. They moderate themselves to be spiritually high, but the Lord disgusts with her.

From Ephraim, meaning the ten tribes, it says: “Ephraim mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has become a cake not turned. Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know [it]; gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know [it]” (Hosea 7:8-9). Do we see the parallel between Ephraim and Samson? The strength of both of them has disappeared due to bad company and both did not know it.

In addition to a warning for the local church, this history also contains a warning for faithful, dedicated brethren who are useful in the service. This warning is that they should not forget that they are dependent on God. They run the risk of thinking that their knowledge of Scripture would make them unassailable to the influence of the flattery of the Christian world if they were to enter this field without God’s command. They think that their knowledge of the Scriptures will save them for that flattery and will free them from possible wrong connections.

Maybe they have said ‘no’ to proposals to take part in something that they saw could not be done. But if they don’t leave the environment where they have to say ‘no’ each time, the moment comes when they say ‘yes’. Then the separation to God and the obedience to His Word are given up and the strength also disappears. Perhaps they still think that the Lord is with them, but the result is that they are captured, just like Samson, and that they lose their understanding of Scripture, just as Samson lost his sight.

He who has carried away the doors of the city gate of Gaza, is brought in as a prisoner through the same gate. In the Bible for the first time there is talk of a prison with Joseph, who ended up in it himself. But he was brought into it because of his faithfulness. Samson is forced to use what is left of his strength in prison in the service of the Philistines to feed them and thereby provide them with strength. What a sad end of a person who had been set and trained by God to the exact opposite task.

In addition this this, a few words about Revelation 3. There we read: “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11). The expression ‘so that no one will take your crown’ is not only about the future, but also about today. We can connect the crown with our dedication to the Lord, as it can also become visible in a church.

The church as a whole has long since lost that crown. Her secret is no longer hidden with her; she did not remain separated from the world. She has admitted the world into her midst, which is reflected in having rules, means and conditions that all originate in the thinking of the natural human being. As a result, religion, the serving of God, is adapted to the norms and values of the human without God.

Any local church that opens up to this process, as Samson opened up to it, will slip into a church that has the characteristics of Laodicea. It looks like Samson when he lost his strength and fell into the hands of the Philistines: a shaved Nazirite (naked), who is poor and blind (Revelation 3:17).

Ruth 4:15

Samson Overpowered

Delilah senses flawlessly that this time he is speaking the truth. Samson’s previous suggestion had already been different from the first two. The first two times he has let himself be bound. The third time he didn’t talk about binding, but about weaving his hair. After that, it is not difficult for her to realize that he has now exposed his whole heart.

She warns the Philistine lords again, this time apparently with the announcement that they can now take the money with them, because for her the result is clear. Then she binds him, not with ropes, not with the web, but with the warmth of her lap, on which he falls asleep. There he feels her warmth and that will be his final downfall. With all his strength he is not equal to the tricks of a woman, under whose temptation and enchantment he has come.

When Samson sleeps, Delilah calls for a man and has him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Now she has him in her power. Her caresses turn into blows and torments. For the fourth time, her call sounds: “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” This is followed by the deeply tragic drama of a now powerless Samson, who, after waking up, is under the impression that he is still as strong as ever. It seems that he has reconciled himself with the idea that he would be attacked every time, but also that, given the previous times, he has come to count on an everlasting supremacy of strength.

Just as Samson’s dealings with the Philistine Delilah become disastrous, so flirting with the unholy principles of the world becomes disastrous for every child of God. The same goes for the church. Deprived of her strength, she pretends that all strength is still present. A powerless church tries to let itself be spoken of and she doesn’t know that there is no strength at all because the Spirit was first saddened and then quenched.

This is reflected in the sad situation of the church in Laodicea of which it is said “and you do not know” (Revelation 3:17), as it says of Samson “but he did not know” (Judges 16:20). The church in Laodicea is blind to their own situation. They moderate themselves to be spiritually high, but the Lord disgusts with her.

From Ephraim, meaning the ten tribes, it says: “Ephraim mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has become a cake not turned. Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know [it]; gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know [it]” (Hosea 7:8-9). Do we see the parallel between Ephraim and Samson? The strength of both of them has disappeared due to bad company and both did not know it.

In addition to a warning for the local church, this history also contains a warning for faithful, dedicated brethren who are useful in the service. This warning is that they should not forget that they are dependent on God. They run the risk of thinking that their knowledge of Scripture would make them unassailable to the influence of the flattery of the Christian world if they were to enter this field without God’s command. They think that their knowledge of the Scriptures will save them for that flattery and will free them from possible wrong connections.

Maybe they have said ‘no’ to proposals to take part in something that they saw could not be done. But if they don’t leave the environment where they have to say ‘no’ each time, the moment comes when they say ‘yes’. Then the separation to God and the obedience to His Word are given up and the strength also disappears. Perhaps they still think that the Lord is with them, but the result is that they are captured, just like Samson, and that they lose their understanding of Scripture, just as Samson lost his sight.

He who has carried away the doors of the city gate of Gaza, is brought in as a prisoner through the same gate. In the Bible for the first time there is talk of a prison with Joseph, who ended up in it himself. But he was brought into it because of his faithfulness. Samson is forced to use what is left of his strength in prison in the service of the Philistines to feed them and thereby provide them with strength. What a sad end of a person who had been set and trained by God to the exact opposite task.

In addition this this, a few words about Revelation 3. There we read: “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11). The expression ‘so that no one will take your crown’ is not only about the future, but also about today. We can connect the crown with our dedication to the Lord, as it can also become visible in a church.

The church as a whole has long since lost that crown. Her secret is no longer hidden with her; she did not remain separated from the world. She has admitted the world into her midst, which is reflected in having rules, means and conditions that all originate in the thinking of the natural human being. As a result, religion, the serving of God, is adapted to the norms and values of the human without God.

Any local church that opens up to this process, as Samson opened up to it, will slip into a church that has the characteristics of Laodicea. It looks like Samson when he lost his strength and fell into the hands of the Philistines: a shaved Nazirite (naked), who is poor and blind (Revelation 3:17).

Ruth 4:16

Samson Overpowered

Delilah senses flawlessly that this time he is speaking the truth. Samson’s previous suggestion had already been different from the first two. The first two times he has let himself be bound. The third time he didn’t talk about binding, but about weaving his hair. After that, it is not difficult for her to realize that he has now exposed his whole heart.

She warns the Philistine lords again, this time apparently with the announcement that they can now take the money with them, because for her the result is clear. Then she binds him, not with ropes, not with the web, but with the warmth of her lap, on which he falls asleep. There he feels her warmth and that will be his final downfall. With all his strength he is not equal to the tricks of a woman, under whose temptation and enchantment he has come.

When Samson sleeps, Delilah calls for a man and has him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Now she has him in her power. Her caresses turn into blows and torments. For the fourth time, her call sounds: “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” This is followed by the deeply tragic drama of a now powerless Samson, who, after waking up, is under the impression that he is still as strong as ever. It seems that he has reconciled himself with the idea that he would be attacked every time, but also that, given the previous times, he has come to count on an everlasting supremacy of strength.

Just as Samson’s dealings with the Philistine Delilah become disastrous, so flirting with the unholy principles of the world becomes disastrous for every child of God. The same goes for the church. Deprived of her strength, she pretends that all strength is still present. A powerless church tries to let itself be spoken of and she doesn’t know that there is no strength at all because the Spirit was first saddened and then quenched.

This is reflected in the sad situation of the church in Laodicea of which it is said “and you do not know” (Revelation 3:17), as it says of Samson “but he did not know” (Judges 16:20). The church in Laodicea is blind to their own situation. They moderate themselves to be spiritually high, but the Lord disgusts with her.

From Ephraim, meaning the ten tribes, it says: “Ephraim mixes himself with the nations; Ephraim has become a cake not turned. Strangers devour his strength, yet he does not know [it]; gray hairs also are sprinkled on him, yet he does not know [it]” (Hosea 7:8-9). Do we see the parallel between Ephraim and Samson? The strength of both of them has disappeared due to bad company and both did not know it.

In addition to a warning for the local church, this history also contains a warning for faithful, dedicated brethren who are useful in the service. This warning is that they should not forget that they are dependent on God. They run the risk of thinking that their knowledge of Scripture would make them unassailable to the influence of the flattery of the Christian world if they were to enter this field without God’s command. They think that their knowledge of the Scriptures will save them for that flattery and will free them from possible wrong connections.

Maybe they have said ‘no’ to proposals to take part in something that they saw could not be done. But if they don’t leave the environment where they have to say ‘no’ each time, the moment comes when they say ‘yes’. Then the separation to God and the obedience to His Word are given up and the strength also disappears. Perhaps they still think that the Lord is with them, but the result is that they are captured, just like Samson, and that they lose their understanding of Scripture, just as Samson lost his sight.

He who has carried away the doors of the city gate of Gaza, is brought in as a prisoner through the same gate. In the Bible for the first time there is talk of a prison with Joseph, who ended up in it himself. But he was brought into it because of his faithfulness. Samson is forced to use what is left of his strength in prison in the service of the Philistines to feed them and thereby provide them with strength. What a sad end of a person who had been set and trained by God to the exact opposite task.

In addition this this, a few words about Revelation 3. There we read: “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11). The expression ‘so that no one will take your crown’ is not only about the future, but also about today. We can connect the crown with our dedication to the Lord, as it can also become visible in a church.

The church as a whole has long since lost that crown. Her secret is no longer hidden with her; she did not remain separated from the world. She has admitted the world into her midst, which is reflected in having rules, means and conditions that all originate in the thinking of the natural human being. As a result, religion, the serving of God, is adapted to the norms and values of the human without God.

Any local church that opens up to this process, as Samson opened up to it, will slip into a church that has the characteristics of Laodicea. It looks like Samson when he lost his strength and fell into the hands of the Philistines: a shaved Nazirite (naked), who is poor and blind (Revelation 3:17).

Ruth 4:17

Beginning of the Restoration

Undoubtedly sorrow, remorse and repentance have brought about a change in Samson’s heart, not so much in his external characteristics as in his heart. Now that his eyes, which have brought him to his deep fall, are removed, he is freed from that which brought him on the wrong path.

In the midst of the sad prison experiences, bound and blind, the characteristics of being a Nazirite slowly reappear. His hair starts to grow again. The message that lies in this is the great encouragement that after all human failures God always gives the possibility of restoration.

So, thank God, Samson’s history does not end with the endless turning around of the millstone in the prison. God can use His so deeply sunken servant yet again. He does so at the time when the victory over Samson is attributed to the Philistine idol, although they acknowledge that Samson caused great devastation.

It is now becoming a matter between God and the idols. For Samson fell into their hands not because of their god Dagon, but because the God of Israel had handed him over to them. God will use Samson for the maintenance of His honor, to make it clear that there is only one God and that is He, the God of Samson – the God of Israel!

Ruth 4:18

Beginning of the Restoration

Undoubtedly sorrow, remorse and repentance have brought about a change in Samson’s heart, not so much in his external characteristics as in his heart. Now that his eyes, which have brought him to his deep fall, are removed, he is freed from that which brought him on the wrong path.

In the midst of the sad prison experiences, bound and blind, the characteristics of being a Nazirite slowly reappear. His hair starts to grow again. The message that lies in this is the great encouragement that after all human failures God always gives the possibility of restoration.

So, thank God, Samson’s history does not end with the endless turning around of the millstone in the prison. God can use His so deeply sunken servant yet again. He does so at the time when the victory over Samson is attributed to the Philistine idol, although they acknowledge that Samson caused great devastation.

It is now becoming a matter between God and the idols. For Samson fell into their hands not because of their god Dagon, but because the God of Israel had handed him over to them. God will use Samson for the maintenance of His honor, to make it clear that there is only one God and that is He, the God of Samson – the God of Israel!

Ruth 4:19

Beginning of the Restoration

Undoubtedly sorrow, remorse and repentance have brought about a change in Samson’s heart, not so much in his external characteristics as in his heart. Now that his eyes, which have brought him to his deep fall, are removed, he is freed from that which brought him on the wrong path.

In the midst of the sad prison experiences, bound and blind, the characteristics of being a Nazirite slowly reappear. His hair starts to grow again. The message that lies in this is the great encouragement that after all human failures God always gives the possibility of restoration.

So, thank God, Samson’s history does not end with the endless turning around of the millstone in the prison. God can use His so deeply sunken servant yet again. He does so at the time when the victory over Samson is attributed to the Philistine idol, although they acknowledge that Samson caused great devastation.

It is now becoming a matter between God and the idols. For Samson fell into their hands not because of their god Dagon, but because the God of Israel had handed him over to them. God will use Samson for the maintenance of His honor, to make it clear that there is only one God and that is He, the God of Samson – the God of Israel!

Ruth 4:20

Samson, a Spectacle

Before he does his last heroic deed, the lords let Samson be picked up to have fun with him and mock him. He must make sure that they have fun. God uses this opportunity to inflict the greatest blow of all time on the Philistines. However, this does not alter the fact that the position of Samson as a result of his unfaithfulness is once again made very clear.

Paul says of himself and the other apostles: “We have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). However, the reason for this is completely different from Samson’s. In the following verse he says that he and the others are fools “for Christ’s sake” (1 Corinthians 4:10). He does not care about being laughed at when he speaks of Christ.

Every Christian is a spectacle. The faithful Christian is mocked and laughed at by people because of his faithfulness to Christ; the faithless Christian is also mocked and laughed at by people, but then because of his unfaithfulness to Christ. Peter speaks of the same: “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if [anyone suffers] as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name” (1 Peter 4:14-16). Unfortunately, Samson is not in a position to glorify God, and his suffering is due to his own unfaithfulness, while he serves as a spectacle and comedy for the enemy.

Ruth 4:21

Strengthened Once More

That God can use our failures to His glory is a great miracle. It goes without saying that this does not take away anything from our responsibility. It also shows how much God is beyond our failures and how His glory is even greater because of them.

Although blind, Samson begins to ‘see’ more than he has ever seen. The Philistines think they are dealing with a defeated enemy and think they have nothing left to fear from Samson. As an example of his powerlessness, he is led in by a boy holding his hand. But with his dependence on God, of which his growing hair is an external characteristic, his strength returns and the enemy does not see it. In his humiliation, the thoughts of God have more influence on Samson’s heart than before, in the days of his strength.

The plan arises for him to be taken by the boy to the pillars on which the building rests. The building is full of people celebrating in honor of their god Dagon who has defused their invincible enemy for them.

When Samson stands by the pillars, he prays his second prayer mentioned of him in the Bible. It is not a prayer with which he has God’s honor in mind. He asks God to think of him in his search for revenge for his two eyes. This shows that, despite the restoration of his strength, his spiritual life has not yet been restored. This indicates that we may have restored after a deviation, but that we will not get back everything we lost as a result of that deviation. Yet God hears him.

In a way that appeals to our imagination, is described how Samson pushes apart the pillars on which the roof rests and turns the entire building into a dead man’s ruin. Samson, blind and bound, is killed in the judgment he brings on his enemies. He has connected himself to the world by listening to it and must now share in the judgment that affects the world. Something similar happens to Jonathan, holding Saul with one hand and David with the other (1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 20:42b; 1 Samuel 31:2).

Samson has successively lost his strength, his freedom, his sight and his life. If someone’s death is more important than his life, it says a lot, both of the one and the other. Not much of his life resulted in glory to God. In his death, he made up for some of what he failed to do in his life. He had to learn that his own death was the secret of his strength.

As said, Samson called to God twice, and both times his prayer is linked to the secret of his strength. Judges 15 is about the strength of life (Judges 15:18-19), here it is about the strength of death. This is what Paul learned: “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:11). We must also learn this. The moment I accept my death, God’s secret strength starts working in me and I become a useful instrument that God can use.

Ruth 4:22

Strengthened Once More

That God can use our failures to His glory is a great miracle. It goes without saying that this does not take away anything from our responsibility. It also shows how much God is beyond our failures and how His glory is even greater because of them.

Although blind, Samson begins to ‘see’ more than he has ever seen. The Philistines think they are dealing with a defeated enemy and think they have nothing left to fear from Samson. As an example of his powerlessness, he is led in by a boy holding his hand. But with his dependence on God, of which his growing hair is an external characteristic, his strength returns and the enemy does not see it. In his humiliation, the thoughts of God have more influence on Samson’s heart than before, in the days of his strength.

The plan arises for him to be taken by the boy to the pillars on which the building rests. The building is full of people celebrating in honor of their god Dagon who has defused their invincible enemy for them.

When Samson stands by the pillars, he prays his second prayer mentioned of him in the Bible. It is not a prayer with which he has God’s honor in mind. He asks God to think of him in his search for revenge for his two eyes. This shows that, despite the restoration of his strength, his spiritual life has not yet been restored. This indicates that we may have restored after a deviation, but that we will not get back everything we lost as a result of that deviation. Yet God hears him.

In a way that appeals to our imagination, is described how Samson pushes apart the pillars on which the roof rests and turns the entire building into a dead man’s ruin. Samson, blind and bound, is killed in the judgment he brings on his enemies. He has connected himself to the world by listening to it and must now share in the judgment that affects the world. Something similar happens to Jonathan, holding Saul with one hand and David with the other (1 Samuel 18:1; 1 Samuel 20:42b; 1 Samuel 31:2).

Samson has successively lost his strength, his freedom, his sight and his life. If someone’s death is more important than his life, it says a lot, both of the one and the other. Not much of his life resulted in glory to God. In his death, he made up for some of what he failed to do in his life. He had to learn that his own death was the secret of his strength.

As said, Samson called to God twice, and both times his prayer is linked to the secret of his strength. Judges 15 is about the strength of life (Judges 15:18-19), here it is about the strength of death. This is what Paul learned: “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:11). We must also learn this. The moment I accept my death, God’s secret strength starts working in me and I become a useful instrument that God can use.