Long hair lifting in the breeze, he lengthened his powerful stride, eager to see the woman who’d bewitched him. He’d tasted her honeyed lips, inhaled the incense of her perfumed linens, caressed the satin of her skin, and he was hungry for more. Bicep flexing, he hoisted the offering he was bringing to her. He planned to stay a while this time. Even if she did live in hostile territory. What were a few Philistines to him? His chest inflated, stretching the muscles tautly and tightening his lean ribcage. He’d beaten this enemy so many times that he’d almost recovered from the bitterness of his catastrophic marriage. He flung aside lingering twinges of anger in favor of images of Delilah. Thoughts of her full lips parted in laughter, the fiery trail of her teasing touch, and the delicacies they’d share behind tapestried curtains blotted out the memories of the past—even the God-calling that sometimes pricked his conscience. A lock of hair whipped into his face, and he wiped it away, just as easily erasing the faint memories of moral upbringing. No. This was a day for freedom. For forgetting. For pleasure. Pursing his lips, he whistled a lively tune. Oh, yes indeed, he was going to enjoy himself until he had his fill. He lifted his face to the wind and embraced the warmth of the sun then looked around at the land stretching on either side of the road headed toward the valley of Sorek. Good land. Rough land. Land that’d likely be altered by the changing season the next time he traveled this way--a trip he’d make with his mourning parents as they returned his remains to the homeland he’d forsaken.
The story of Sampson and Delilah has graced song lyrics, sermons, and poems for centuries. It’s a sad tale with a bitter end, an event that shouldn’t have happened. We shake our heads in pity. Couldn’t Sampson see beyond his infatuation? we wonder. How could someone so mighty become so frail?
The same way we do. Once wrong move at a time.
Sampson mistook the anointing as his own ability. God’s willingness to use Sampson was for a greater purpose. Just because God blesses us or uses us to help someone else does not mean we are walking in integrity of spirit.
He permitted his emotions to rule. Sampson was swayed by his own feelings. Our feelings can lead us into failure.
He didn’t set boundaries. Sampson thought he could handle himself in any situation, so he lacked accountability. He trusted himself too much. Without a check system, we can get ourselves into trouble, too.
He played with fire. By toying with Delilah, he inched toward his own demise. When we play with sin, it may start off as a seemingly harmless compromise, but before long, we will be completely ensnared and powerless to do anything about our entrapment.
He lacked proper focus. Sampson’s attention was on the object of his whims, not on the enemy at hand, and definitely not on the God who’d called him. We can focus on the wrong things—entertainment, work, food, etc.—and become oblivious to the enemy who wants to kill, steal, and destroy us. These distractions can draw our attention away from God and His plan for our lives.
It’s easy to question Sampson, but we suffer his same malady. We give our enemy inroads, allowing him to attack our strengths by using our weaknesses. He wants our power, but if we will surrender our vices, our frailties, our shortcomings and deficiencies to the Source of all help, victory, and authority, then we can dominate the enemy and throw him... and our flesh under our feet.
Tip/Tidbit: What strengths do you possess? Are you using them to invade the Kingdom of Darkness? If so, how might the enemy weaken you to protect his dominion?
The story of Sampson and Delilah has graced song lyrics, sermons, and poems for centuries. It’s a sad tale with a bitter end, an event that shouldn’t have happened. We shake our heads in pity. Couldn’t Sampson see beyond his infatuation? we wonder. How could someone so mighty become so frail?
The same way we do. Once wrong move at a time.
Sampson mistook the anointing as his own ability. God’s willingness to use Sampson was for a greater purpose. Just because God blesses us or uses us to help someone else does not mean we are walking in integrity of spirit.
He permitted his emotions to rule. Sampson was swayed by his own feelings. Our feelings can lead us into failure.
He didn’t set boundaries. Sampson thought he could handle himself in any situation, so he lacked accountability. He trusted himself too much. Without a check system, we can get ourselves into trouble, too.
He played with fire. By toying with Delilah, he inched toward his own demise. When we play with sin, it may start off as a seemingly harmless compromise, but before long, we will be completely ensnared and powerless to do anything about our entrapment.
He lacked proper focus. Sampson’s attention was on the object of his whims, not on the enemy at hand, and definitely not on the God who’d called him. We can focus on the wrong things—entertainment, work, food, etc.—and become oblivious to the enemy who wants to kill, steal, and destroy us. These distractions can draw our attention away from God and His plan for our lives.
It’s easy to question Sampson, but we suffer his same malady. We give our enemy inroads, allowing him to attack our strengths by using our weaknesses. He wants our power, but if we will surrender our vices, our frailties, our shortcomings and deficiencies to the Source of all help, victory, and authority, then we can dominate the enemy and throw him... and our flesh under our feet.
Tip/Tidbit: What strengths do you possess? Are you using them to invade the Kingdom of Darkness? If so, how might the enemy weaken you to protect his dominion?
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