“How can you say, 'I love you,'” she told him, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great!” Judges 16:15 HCSB
How many times in history have we heard the line, “If you love me, then . . .”? It is a line that both men and women have used for years to get what they wanted. Some men use this plea to solicit intimacy from a woman and women sometimes use this phrase to get something from a man. It is nothing but deception based upon greed and a desire to fulfill one's personal wishes. True love desires what is best for the other person, not what is best for one's self.
Delilah sharpened her attack on Samson, accusing him of not loving her. She used the highest human emotion of love to get information in an attempt to destroy him. This is the fourth time she has tried to destroy him. She was relentless in her attempt to discover the secret to Samson's strength. It seems that Samson would have seen through her attempts, especially after three previous attempts, but Samson allowed his passions and burning lust to blind him to the truth.
Challenge: How can you keep from being deceived and blinded to the truth? Determine if the person with whom you are spending time has the character and faith in God that is desirable. Make sure you look beyond physical attractiveness and look at the person's personality, temperament, and commitment to God and others. Pray that God will give you wisdom to keep you from being deceived. Run from those who say, “If you love me . . .”.
Read The Bible Through In Two Years: Genesis 43:1-34; Matthew 28:1-20