This morning:

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4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

The lords of the Philistines told her to seduce him, and learn the

secret of his strength.

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Judges 16:15 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 dailyshe pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul his soul was vexedwas vexed unto death;

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Samson deceived her three times:

That's not a discussion.

Too often a wife nags her husband until he gives in, and then says, "We agreed on this."

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16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him dailyshe pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was his soul was vexedvexed unto death;

He would agree to anything just to stop the nagging.

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 GodNazarite 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.

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Without the Power of God upon us,

We are no different from the pagans.We are calledcalled to be Nazarites unto God:

SeparatedSeparated from the world, and dedicateddedicated unto the Will of GodWill of God.

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.

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He bared his soul to the devil's woman,

And she betrayed him for money.

Proverbs 24 1-2 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. 2 For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

19 And she mademade 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 himafflict him, and his strength went from him.

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His hair was braided into seven long braids.

They cut them off and shaved his head.

His strength was gone.

His strength was not in his long hair.

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But that was all he had left all he had left of his special relationship with God.

He has notnot lived his life according to ScriptureScripture.

He's been chasingchasing pagan women all his life.

His long hair long hair was the only evidenceevidence that he even knew God.

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.

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I think these are the saddest words of all:

God had leftleft Samson to follow his own wayhis own way and reapreap the consequences,

and he didn't even knowand he didn't even know..God is longsufferinglongsuffering, but His Spirit will notwill not

always strive with a man.

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.

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All his life, his eyeshis eyes had been the source of his sins.

He will never looknever look upon another woman.

Samson's afflictions were the means of bringing him to deep repentance. By the loss of his bodily sight the eyes of his understanding were opened; and by depriving him of bodily strength, the Lord was pleased to renew his spiritual strength.

Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary.

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Matthew 18 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. 23 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.

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Samson repentedrepented and his hair grew long again.

24 And when the people saw him, they praised their they praised their godgod: for they said, Our godOur god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. 25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sporthe may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he he made them sportmade them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

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Samson had mocked the Philistines for years,

Now they get their revenge.

26 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. 27 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 three thousand men and womenthousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

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28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord GOD, remember meremember me, I pray thee, and strengthen mestrengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. 29 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.

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30 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 So the dead which he slew at his the dead which he slew at his death were more than death were more than theythey which he slew in his lifewhich he slew in his life.

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31 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 burying place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.

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God has given us the account of Sampson's life for our instruction.

We have seen that a man or woman separated separated unto Godunto God will have great ability.

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We have also seen that for that giftgift to be a blessingblessing, we must use it for the glory of Godglory of God.

Another important lesson is that separationseparation unto God needs to be moremore than the externals;

It must begin in the heartthe heart,

Our innermost desiresinnermost desires must be unto God.

A man or woman of God needs to choose our friends and companions carefully.

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Time after time, Samson was seduced by evil friends and walked far from God.

Psalms 1 1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.God can useuse anybody, as He Wills; but God only

blessesblesses those whose hearts are toward Him.