And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
Judges 16:16 belongs to the account of Samson's life, in which his intimacy with the Philistines darkened his life and undermined the purpose God had given him. Delilah pressed him day after day with her words and urged him until his soul was deeply distressed and vexed unto death. Her persistent urging wore him down, yet his infatuation with her kept him with her despite the pressure.
His lack of self-control left him vulnerable to temptation, for he had the freedom to choose obedience but instead gave his passions free rein and followed a path ending in shame, disaster, and death. At last he yielded and revealed the secret of his strength, thereby betraying into the hands of the Philistines the strength that had been Israel's defense. Her influence helped separate him from God and bring about his ruin, for by giving her the love and service he owed to God he committed idolatry and sacrificed his honor, conscience, and other important interests to passion.
Her influence also helped blind him to Satan's power to deceive and destroy him, warning against confusing lust of the flesh with the love of Christ. His surrender sacrificed his strength, reputation, and usefulness, showing how unchecked sinful desire can blind people and lead them toward destruction. Delilah's wearing Samson down with persistent pressure warns that a wife can become a snare like Delilah, drawing a man farther from God and weakening him when he puts her before the Lord.
The verse illustrates how persistent temptation can weaken a person and leave him vulnerable to deception and destruction, as in the warning that Elder Cornell was being deceived and destroyed like Samson under Delilah's influence.
Judges 16:16 belongs to the account of Samson's life, in which his intimacy with the Philistines darkened his life and undermined the purpose God had given him. Delilah pressed him day after day with her words and urged him until his soul was deeply distressed and vexed unto death. Her persistent urging wore him down, yet his infatuation with her kept him with her despite the pressure.
His lack of self-control left him vulnerable to temptation, for he had the freedom to choose obedience but instead gave his passions free rein and followed a path ending in shame, disaster, and death. At last he yielded and revealed the secret of his strength, thereby betraying into the hands of the Philistines the strength that had been Israel's defense. Her influence helped separate him from God and bring about his ruin, for by giving her the love and service he owed to God he committed idolatry and sacrificed his honor, conscience, and other important interests to passion.
Her influence also helped blind him to Satan's power to deceive and destroy him, warning against confusing lust of the flesh with the love of Christ. His surrender sacrificed his strength, reputation, and usefulness, showing how unchecked sinful desire can blind people and lead them toward destruction. Delilah's wearing Samson down with persistent pressure warns that a wife can become a snare like Delilah, drawing a man farther from God and weakening him when he puts her before the Lord.
The verse illustrates how persistent temptation can weaken a person and leave him vulnerable to deception and destruction, as in the warning that Elder Cornell was being deceived and destroyed like Samson under Delilah's influence.