IT’S NOT OVER!

Judges 16:4-31 GNT

After this, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in Sorek Valley. [5] The five Philistine kings went to her and said, "Trick Samson into telling you why he is so strong and how we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." [6] So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes you so strong. If someone wanted to tie you up and make you helpless, how could he do it?" [7] Samson answered, "If they tie me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, I'll be as weak as anybody else." [8] So the Philistine kings brought Delilah seven new bowstrings that were not dried out, and she tied Samson up. [9] She had some men waiting in another room, so she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" But he snapped the bowstrings just as thread breaks when fire touches it. So they still did not know the secret of his strength. [10] Delilah told Samson, "Look, you've been making a fool of me and not telling me the truth. Please tell me how someone could tie you up." [11] He told her, "If they tie me with new ropes that have never been used, I'll be as weak as anybody else." [12] So Delilah got some new ropes and tied him up. Then she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" The men were waiting in another room. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like thread. [13] Delilah said to Samson, "You're still making a fool of me and not telling me the truth. Tell me how someone could tie you up." He told her, "If you weave my seven locks of hair into a loom, and make it tight with a peg, I'll be as weak as anybody else." [14] Delilah then lulled him to sleep, took his seven locks of hair, and wove them into the loom. She made it tight with a peg and shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" But he woke up and pulled his hair loose from the loom. [15] So she said to him, "How can you say you love me, when you don't mean it? You've made a fool of me three times, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong." [16] She kept on asking him, day after day. He got so sick and tired of her bothering him about it [17] that he finally told her the truth. "My hair has never been cut," he said. "I have been dedicated to God as a nazirite from the time I was born. If my hair were cut, I would lose my strength and be as weak as anybody else." [18] When Delilah realized that he had told her the truth, she sent a message to the Philistine kings and said, "Come back one more time. He has told me the truth." Then they came and brought the money with them. [19] Delilah lulled Samson to sleep in her lap and then called a man, who cut off Samson's seven locks of hair. Then she began to torment him, for he had lost his strength. [20] Then she shouted, "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" He woke up and thought, "I'll get loose and go free, as always." He did not know that the LORD had left him. [21] The Philistines captured him and put his eyes out. They took him to Gaza, chained him with bronze chains, and put him to work grinding at the mill in the prison. [22] But his hair started growing back. [23] The Philistine kings met together to celebrate and offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They sang, "Our god has given us victory over our enemy Samson!" [24-25] They were enjoying themselves, and so they said, "Call Samson, and let's make him entertain us!" When they brought Samson out of the prison, they made him entertain them and made him stand between the columns. When the people saw him, they sang praise to their god: "Our god has given us victory over our enemy, who devastated our land and killed so many of us!" [26] Samson said to the boy who was leading him by the hand, "Let me touch the columns that hold up the building. I want to lean on them." [27] The building was crowded with men and women. All five Philistine kings were there, and there were about three thousand men and women on the roof, watching Samson entertain them. [28] Then Samson prayed, "Sovereign LORD, please remember me; please, God, give me my strength just this one time more, so that with this one blow I can get even with the Philistines for putting out my two eyes." [29] So Samson took hold of the two middle columns holding up the building. Putting one hand on each column, he pushed against them [30] and shouted, "Let me die with the Philistines!" He pushed with all his might, and the building fell down on the five kings and everyone else. Samson killed more people at his death than he had killed during his life. [31] His brothers and the rest of his family came down to get his body. They took him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had been Israel's leader for twenty years.

 

“it’s over”, “it’s finished”, “that’s the end”, … or whatever else exclamations we make when we think we’ve lost. Hey! Wake up and remember Jesus said it is “finished” how can anyone else say it is finished, and it holds when it goes against the cross.

Samson’s strength was in his hair and when it was cut, his confession would have changed to “it’s finishes” but it didn’t. hair grows!

And Samson’s hair grew back!

Before Samson was born, an angel told his parents that he would be special. He was to be a Nazirite, which meant he had to follow special rules: He couldn’t drink wine. He couldn’t touch dead things. He couldn’t cut his hair. His long hair was a sign of his promise to God—and the secret to his strength! He broke every single one of these. Yet, God still used him.

Are you in a place right now, where you think because of all the things you’ve done, God will no longer use you. Be assured, God can use you.

Samson had super strength! He is the superman of the bible. He once killed a lion with his bare hands. Defeated many Philistines with just a jawbone of a donkey. Carried a city gate on his shoulders and God gave him this strength to protect His people. Samson had super strength! Did you get that? He didn’t get it from working out, form a health regime or what he ate but he was one of the strongest people in the Bible because God gave him special strength!

Samson’s life is the proverbial 1 Corinthians 15:33. Getting caught up with the wrong person or group can corrupt out vision and contaminate our lives, sometimes drastically or fatally. Which the entrance of Delilah into Samson’s life did. Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines paid her to find out the secret of his strength. After asking many times, Samson finally told her that his strength came from his hair.

Who is the enemy paying to go after you? To contaminate your destiny, passion, calling, and health? To derail or stop your dream and possibly to kill you?

Delilah cut his hair while he was sleeping, and Samson lost his strength. The Philistines captured him and made him a prisoner.

God is not finished with you or your situation yet, just as He wasn’t with Samson. It reflects the truth that if God is involved, there is hope, restoration, and purpose—even when things look impossible. As God Has the Final Say according to Isaiah 46:10 – “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Even when life feels like its over, God’s plan is still unfolding. It’s not over!

It may look like you failed. It did look like Samson failed but failure is not final. As Micah 7:8 declares, “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise.”

Mistakes or setbacks don’t define our future when we trust God.

Learn to trust and depend on the Lord one more time like Samson did because God always finishes what He starts according to Philippians 1:6. If God started something in your life, He would complete it. Do not fret!

The belief that "It’s not over till God says it’s over" means the believer continues to fight, pray, and trust because God’s intervention and victory can still manifest as stated in Jeremiah 32:27; Luke 1:37; and Matthew 19:26.

Learn to trust God and watch Him give you the power to do amazing things. Even when we mess up, God can still use us if we turn back to Him.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

- Am I using my strength and talents to help others like God wants me to? 

- Where do I get my strength from—myself or God? 

- What is one way I can obey God this week? 

- Can I remember to pray when I need strength or courage? 

PRAYER: Lord, help me to obey You like Samson was supposed to as You teach me to listen to You and follow Your rules every day, in Jesus’ name, amen. 

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