Jdg 16:1-16 Samson saw a Harlot and Went in Unto Her

[Study Aired July 26, 2021]

Jdg 16:1  Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. 
Jdg 16:2  And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. 
Jdg 16:3  And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. 
Jdg 16:4  And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 
Jdg 16:5  And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. 
Jdg 16:6  And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. 
Jdg 16:7  And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. 
Jdg 16:8  Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 
Jdg 16:9  Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known. 
Jdg 16:10  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. 
Jdg 16:11  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. 
Jdg 16:12  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. 
Jdg 16:13  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. 
Jdg 16:14  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. 
Jdg 16:15  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. 
Jdg 16:16  And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; 

Chapter 16 of Judges tells us about how we end up becoming impoverished in Babylon.  We become blind as our eyes are removed. Thus, our ability to understand the word of God is taken away from us at the end of our Babylonian captivity. Our deplorable situation in Babylon is described in Psalm 137 as follows:

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?
Psa 137:5  If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

We need to note that it is as we sit by the rivers of Babylon that we end up weeping when we remember our first love in Zion. The rivers here are the great swelling words of man’s wisdom which we receive during our time in Babylon. This is what makes us worse off at the end of our Babylonian journey.  Not being able to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land means we cannot please God when we are under the church system of this world (Babylon).

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Jdg 16:1  Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. 

Like Samson, who was taken in by a harlot, all of us become enchanted when we set our eyes on the harlot during the part of our walk with Christ when we are carnal. As indicated in our previous review, the disciples were also charmed by the harlot when they pointed Jesus to the beauty of the buildings of the temple in Jerusalem.

Mat 24:1  And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Mat 24:2  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Gaza means ‘strong’ according to Strong’s dictionary. So here we are being told that the attraction to this harlot which is Babylon is very strong and will definitely sweep us off our feet since our flesh dominates us (symbolized by the Philistines dominating the Israelites during that time).

Just as in the natural, where most men cannot resist the invitation of a very beautiful woman under the cover of darkness, so it in the spirit that when we are ruled by darkness, we just cannot resist the pull of the harlot woman.

Pro 7:9  In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
Pro 7:10  And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
Pro 7:11  (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
Pro 7:12  Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
Pro 7:13  So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,
Pro 7:14  I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
Pro 7:15  Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
Pro 7:16  I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Pro 7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Pro 7:19  For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
Pro 7:20  He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.
Pro 7:21  With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
Pro 7:22  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
Pro 7:23  Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
Pro 7:24  Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Pro 7:25  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
Pro 7:26  For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

It is only when we are carried away in the spirit (our eyes begin to see and our ears begin to hear) that we come to see who this woman arrayed in purple and scarlet color really is – that is, she is a harlot, and we wonder with great admiration.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6  And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 17:7  And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

Jdg 16:2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

These Gazites are men of Philistines who symbolically represent our flesh which dominates us during the dark periods of our lives. What we are being told here is that during our time in Babylon, when we were with the harlot, we did not see our flesh as the enemy as they lie in wait during the night of our lives. No wonder the church does not regard the flesh as the main enemy of our progress in Christ but rather focuses on the devil outside.

These Gazites decided to lie in wait until the morning comes when they planned to kill Samson. This means that it is when Christ begins to shine His lights on us (morning) that we see the pull of the flesh being so strong and dragging us to bondage again with the ultimate aim of spiritually putting us to death.

Rom 7:10  And the commandment [the revelation of Christ], which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death [judgment].
Rom 7:11  For sin [the flesh or the Gazites], taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me [the process of dying].
Rom 7:12  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
Rom 7:13  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

Jdg 16:3  And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. 

It is during our experience of evil in Babylon that the Lord comes to us to shine His glorious light on us. That is when we start our journey out of Babylon. Unfortunately, when leave Babylon, we carry a lot of garbage (doctrines forming idols of the heart) from Babylon, symbolized by the carrying of the doors of the gate of the city of Gaza by Samson on his shoulders to the top of the hill near Hebron. Hebron means ‘seat of association’ or ‘company’. So we can say that we carry these idols of the heart with us to the company of the saints or the gathering of the first born.

That was what happened to Jacob when the Lord shone His light on him to leave Babylon where he was serving under Laban. His wife Rachel stole the images that were her father’s. This means that Jacob’s flesh (wife) grasped at the idols in Babylon and would not let them go as they journeyed to Canaan.

Gen 31:17  Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;
Gen 31:18  And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
Gen 31:19  And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.

Gen 31:34  Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not.

The dying of Rachel near Bethel therefore signified the dying of Jacob’s flesh with all the idols of the heart. Her dying near Bethel means that it is in the house of God (which is the meaning of Bethel) that we die to all that we have taken from Babylon. The death of Rachel was through childbirth, which was the judgment pronounced by the Lord upon Eve when she sinned in the Garden of Eden. So it is through judgment that we gradually let go of all that belongs to Babylon in us.

Gen 35:16  And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.
Gen 35:17  And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.
Gen 35:18  And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
Gen 35:19  And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

Gen 3:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Rev 16:17  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Rev 16:18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Rev 16:19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Jdg 16:4  And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 

When we are dominated by the flesh, we will always be attracted to the Jerusalem which is – that is Delilah. Samson’s attraction to Delilah was the result of being under the dominance of the Philistines which represent his flesh. The name Delilah means ‘languishing’ which is the same as deteriorating. So our time in Babylon is the period of our deterioration which is part of the experience of evil marked out for us as His elect. This deterioration is the result of the famine of the word of God, the sword and the noisome beast which rules us in Babylon. These are all part of the four sore judgments of God which we experience in Babylon.

2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Jdg 16:5  And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.
Jdg 16:6  And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

The Lords of the Philistines represent an aspect of our old man who loves to bear the name of Christ but wants to wear his own clothes and eat his own food. This Babylon in us poses a strong opposition to our growth in Christ. These verses reveal to us that the experience of evil we face in Babylon is directed toward the destruction of our strengths so that we are destroyed by the flesh. According to the word of God, our strength comes from our relationship with the Lord. Thus, our experience of evil in Babylon is to destroy our relationship with Christ.

Isa 4:1  And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.

Psa 28:7  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Exo 15:2  The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Isa 40:29  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

The fact that the Lords of the Philistines promised Delilah eleven hundred pieces of silver is to let us know that our motivation in Babylon pertains to what we eat, drink and wear.

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In essence, what we aim at in Babylon is money, and our love for money is the root of all the evil we experience. We therefore pierce ourselves with many sorrows.

1Ti 6:5  Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing intothis world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jdg 16:7  And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. 
Jdg 16:8  Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 
Jdg 16:9  Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

The deplorable situation in which we find ourselves in Babylon as we near the end of our experience of evil does not happen in a day. It is a gradual deterioration of our relationship with Christ as we go through Babylon. In a similar way, our growth in the knowledge of Christ is also a gradual process as shown in Ezekiel as follows:

Eze 47:1  Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Eze 47:2  Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
Eze 47:3  And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
Eze 47:4  Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
Eze 47:5  Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.

We are ensnared by the words of our mouth. In other words, in Babylon we get bounded by what we hear, and it does not happen all of a sudden – it is a process.

Pro 6:2  if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth,
Pro 6:3  then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.

Samson’s engagement with Delilah where he was bound on several occasions is an indication of what happens to us in Babylon. In verse 7 to 9 of Judges Chapter 16, we are told that Samson was bound by seven green withs which have not been dried. According to Strong, withs means overhanging ropes and by implication excess or exceeding. So what we are being told here is that in Babylon, we are bound completely by all that we hear from our leaders (Lords of the Philistines) who go beyond (exceed) what is written. The fact that the withs must not be dried means that there may be some water or nuggets of truth in what they say, but these truths are polluted by words which are beyond what is written.

1Co 4:6  I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.

Because we are not aware of our situation in relation to our flesh ruling us and the fact that we do have answers to some of our prayers, we think we are in good standing with God and are free from any bondage. Samson felt that way, too, especially when he is able to break his bonds. We all thought that we sit as a queen and shall never see suffering.

Rev 18:7  As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.’

Jdg 16:10  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.
Jdg 16:11  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. 
Jdg 16:12  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.

The second level of binding by Delilah, and supported by the Philistines, relates to Samson being bound by new ropes which have never been used or tested. This binding by new ropes represents words that are spoken in Babylon that have not been tested by the words of God. Because we are not able to test the spirit to know if they are of God while we are in Babylon, we just accept whatever is spoken.  The consequence of this is that we imbibe lies which strengthen the idols of our hearts and make it difficult to know Christ. Thus, we are like Samson who is bound by new ropes.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Jdg 16:13  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.
Jdg 16:14  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.

The third way which destroys our relationship with Christ and makes us an easy prey for the enemy while in Babylon is when we do not value our election as a prized possession. The hair of a Nazarite is what separates him from other Israelites. It is therefore a sign of their separation or election. Thus, the hair of a Nazarite is sacred and is not something to be toyed with, but we see Samson making Delilah weave a web with his hair and fasten it with a pin.

Num 6:2  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:

Num 6:5  All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

Samson’s lack of recognition of the sacredness of his hair by allowing Delilah to toy with it means that Samson did not value his election.

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Heb 12:16  Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

We all did not appreciate our election while in Babylon, but God, in His great mercies, comes to us to turn us around to focus on the ultimate prize.

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Jdg 16:15  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.
Jdg 16:16  And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

Our time in Babylon is a period that we are overcome by the strange woman, represented here by Delilah who draws us to the path of hell, resulting in being slain by her. Being slain by her means we become spiritually dead – destroys our relationship with Christ who is the source of our strength!! That was what happened to Samson when he walked the path of Delilah.

Pro 2:16  To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
Pro 2:17  Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
Pro 2:18  For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
Pro 2:19  None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

Pro 7:24  Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
Pro 7:25  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
Pro 7:26  For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
Pro 7:27  Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Verse 15 and 16 focus on the words that are spoken by the harlot woman. Such words spoken by the harlot woman are like cancer that eats our resistance away and before we realize it, we are spiritually dead!! That was what happened to Samson. The incessant words of Delilah ate away his devotion to the Lord and became an easy prey for the enemy to slain him. That was what happened to us in Babylon. The incessant words of the church system destroy our relationship with Christ and therefore we become spiritually dead!!

Pro 5:1  My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:
Pro 5:2  That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.
Pro 5:3  For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
Pro 5:4  But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
Pro 5:5  Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.
Pro 5:6  Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
Pro 5:7  Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.
Pro 5:8  Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
Pro 5:9  Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:
Pro 5:10  Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours be in the house of a stranger;

All these experiences of evil that we experience in Babylon are to bring us to a point where we are humbled as we come to realize that, indeed, we are the greatest sinners!! That is when our God of mercies comes into our lives to turn us around so that the mercies we have received will be administered to the whole of humanity in an age to come!!

Ecc 1:13  And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all which is done under the heavens. It is a sad task God has given to the sons of men to be humbled by it. (MKJV)

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

May our Lord help us all to be delivered from all that belongs to Babylon in us so we will be the administrators of His mercies to the human race at the fullness of time!! Amen!!