DCLM Daily Manna 30 May 2025 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — The Bane Of Beauty
TOPIC: The Bane Of Beauty (DCLM Daily Manna 30 May 2025)
KEY VERSE: “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” (Judges 16:20).
TEXT: Judges 16:10-21 (KJV)
10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.
11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.
13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.
14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
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 daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;
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 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.
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.
19 And she made 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 him, and his strength went from him.
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.
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.
MESSAGE:
The Australian predatory little plant, the sundew, is delicate and cunning. Although its attractive clusters of red, white, and pink and delicate blossoms are harmless, the leaves are deadly. The shiny moisture on each sundew leaf is sticky and easily imprisons any bug that touches it. As an insect struggles to free itself, the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around it. This innocent-looking plant then feeds on its victim.
Delilah was a cunning sundew in the Philistinian countryside. What she lacked in physical strength, she compensated for by her temerity, doggedness, and possessive devilishness to tempt and trap one who was a thousand times stronger than she. In her, we see the bane of beauty. However, in her victim, Samson, we see the folly of a hunting dog destined to be lost and who will always ignore the hunter’s whistle. Delilah’s beauty was irresistible for a prodigal Samson. As a potent tool in the arsenal of an oppressed nation, Samson underestimated the power of consuming evil and the conspiracy of hell against his destiny and that of the people he was created to deliver.
Severally and continuously, Samson carelessly walked the boundaries of good and evil, hoping to come out stronger. However, his human weakness and lack of personal discipline destroyed him. So it is for everyone who is bankrupt of spiritual convictions, tottering on the edge of faith and fatality. In Delilah, we understand the persistence of evil to overcome good. In Samson, we see the end of a life lived recklessly outside the boundaries of godly convictions. No believer should ever roam in territories where constant temptation is the order of daily living. God expects us not only to flee youthful lusts but also to tenaciously follow after righteousness, faith, charity, peace, purity, and perfect relationships that will prolong our lives (1 Timothy 6:11,12).
Samson never learned the lesson of not being unequally yoked with unbelievers. His attempt to be a hero for Israel ended up in him becoming a zero in godly example. Those who call on the name of the Lord must know and believe in His holiness and His aversion to polluted offerings. God expects us to live above sin and be separated unto Him so that our end will not be like Samson’s.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A moment’s sinful indulgence reduces one from the zenith to zero point.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
1 Samuel 19-20
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
