19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.
20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.
Delilah was using Samson for personal gain. She was deceitful, and she was a liar. Samson was fooled as Delilah took advantage of him four different times. Have you ever been fooled by someone trying to take advantage or lying to you? Have you allowed yourself to be deceived by flattery? Be careful of flattery. A person who fawns over you and over complements usually has another motive in mind and may either come against you behind your back or will look to get something from you. A true ally is truthful to you and will keep you on track toward righteousness. There is no deceit with an ally. Avoid falling prey to deceit by asking God to help you distinguish between deceptive flattery and fawning and honest frankness that keeps you on track with God.
