FLAMING WORD – P12
JUDGES 16:18
“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 showed me all his heart.’ Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.”
Delilah tormented Samson with her tears and words until his soul was vexed unto death. In his spiritually weakened state, he broke his covenant with God by revealing the source of his great strength. With this trump card in hand, Delilah decided to deliver him into the hands of the lords of the Philistines.
What the mighty lords could not accomplish, one woman—without a sword or spear—succeeded in doing. How was this possible? Because Samson betrayed himself through the words of his mouth.
Proverbs 6:2 states: Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth; thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
We speak from the abundance of our hearts. Delilah told the lords that Samson had revealed all his heart. He broke his covenant with God because his heart was now given to Delilah. Under her influence, he divulged his secret.
Samson’s downfall was brought about by his own words. He ensnared himself, laying a trap with his own utterances. He became prey to the very words he spoke. Eve, too, was ensnared by her words. When Satan asked her, Has God said…, her response should have been a rebuke, much like how Jesus responded in Luke 4. Whenever the devil tries to engage you in conversation, rebuke him; he is not one to entertain. He seeks your words to destroy you. Let us be mindful of what we say.
Judas was able to betray our Lord Jesus only because he allowed it. Jesus instructed Judas to do what he had to do quickly, and soon after, Judas went out to carry out his mission. For Jesus, it was His divine assignment to be crucified, and Judas’ betrayal was part of the process. The important lesson here is that Jesus set it in motion with His words because His heart was devoted to drinking the cup. We are reaping the benefits of that sacrifice. On the other hand, we should be careful about the condition of our hearts and the words we speak.
So, by his words, Samson was sold. Our Lord was sold for thirty pieces of silver. Through our words, exchanges occur in the spirit. The lords of the Philistines brought money in their hand. The devil claims that the kingdoms of the world have been delivered to him; indeed, there has been an exchange in the spirit.
May we guard our hearts.
May we be mindful of what we say and to whom we speak.
May we not bring destruction upon ourselves.
Shalom.