Open Heaven 10 May 2024: The Snare of the Fowler (5)
MEMORISE: 2 Corinthians 10:18 “For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”
BIBLE READING: Judges 16:4-21 (KJV)
4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.
7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.
9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.
10 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.
11 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.
12 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.
13 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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor 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.
18 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.
19 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.
20 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.
21 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.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional here
Today, I will conclude my discussion on the qualities that make the devil’s bait effective: the devil ensures that his bait invokes his prey’s pride. In Genesis 3:6, Eve ate the forbidden fruit because she felt that it could make her wise. When you are lured to do something to show off, beware!
Usually, the enemy catches people who think that they can never be caught (1 Corinthians 10:12). When a fellow says, “I believe in holiness, and I practice it, so the devil can never get me,” he or she should take heed. For example, in Luke 22:31-34, the Lord said to Peter, “Satan desires to have you.” Peter said, “Lord, even if it involves death, the devil will not overpower me.” Jesus replied, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
In today’s Bible reading, we discovered that Samson fell because he was over-confident. Delilah did not hide her intentions, she clearly asked for the secret of his power to know how to overpower him. Samson thought that with his track record, he could not be captured and so, he decided to play a game with the devil. Don’t play games with the devil, he has been around for a long while. His track record shows how many great people he has destroyed. (1 Thessalonians 5:22) says, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” If it looks like evil, don’t think that you can withstand it. Run!
I know someone who said that he joined one of the secret cults on his campus because he was curious. He said he did it for fun, believing that he would not get involved in the terrible things they do as if that were possible. Don’t joke with the devil. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:18 that pride goes before destruction. Proverbs 29:23 says that a man’s pride shall bring him low.
Some years ago, a lady was to be employed as my private secretary, and I said, “No way!” I know the nature of my work; I work day and night. What will I say I am doing alone in my office at night with another man’s wife? Some people came later and said, “Sir, we thought you were anointed.” I said, “I know, but does the anointing turn your body to stone?”
If you think you cannot fall, you are already on your way down because your pride will make you get close to the trap enough for it to eventually catch you. Pride goes before a fall.
REFLECTION: Let he that thinks he stands take heed lest he falls (1 Corinthians 10:12).
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 12-16
Thank you for studying today’s Open Heaven – The Snare of the Fowler (5) – written by Pastor Enoch Adeboye
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Open Heaven 10 May 2024
