This morning I was reading from the book of Judges about this guy named Samson. His life and stories of amazing strength are well known to many people, even some people who have never even picked up a Bible.
There was one particular thing that struck me this morning that I've noticed before, but honestly shrugged it off as a testament to the borderline stupidty and certainly overblown ego of Samson himself. In chapter 16 we find Samson in the middle of his affair with Delilah and she is bribed a rediculous amount of money to discover the secret to Samson's strength.
3 separate times he gives her a lie about the secret and each time she sets him up to be captured by the Philistines (Samson's enemy). Each time he lies to her, he gets a little closer to the truth and each time he somehow allows himself to falls asleep after telling her how to "subdue him". Finally, after much nagging and prodding and guilt tripping by Delilah, Samson gives in and tells the truth about his strength. As if she won't try and subdue him again and allow him to be captured. But Once again after this fourth attempt by Delilah to extract the secret, during which Samson finally tells her the truth, Samson then proceeds to take another nap at her house. And you can probably guess the rest of the story; Samson loses his strength by allowing Delilah to know the secret, which is cutting his hair off, he is captured by the Philistines, his eyes are gouged out and he is put to slavery in the Philistine's capitol city of Gaza.
Samson eventually pleads for forgiveness from God and gets revenge on the Philistines, but the thing that really struck me today is how we are far too often just like Samson. We test God's grace and temptation by walking too close to the line of sin or even tightrope walking the line of sin and we tell ourself, "it's not that big of a deal, God and I are tight, he'll save me from anything, no matter what I do." The problem is this; even though we are offered grace by a loving God from all of our sins, God doesn't necessarily keep us from falling into sin, especially when we are the ones putting ourselves in postions to fall. Samson had to have known somewhere in his thick skull what Delilah was doing, but I think he was just too full of himself and his glorious strength (fyi: which was given by God) to see that he was not invincible and God does have limits and breaking points. We see those breaking points throughout the Bible, especially the old testament.
Samson was so full of himself that in Chapter 16 verse 20, after telling Delilah his secret and taking a nap on her lap of all places then hearing her cry that the Philistines we upon him, "[Samson] awoke from his sleep and thought, 'I'll go out as before and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the LORD had left him."
We all have things that we just keep doing and doing and doing. We know these things are sinful, but we keep walking that line thinking we are invincinble and untouchable because we are saved and protected by God. But God does not promise that he will always keep us from harm, especially when it is of our own doing. We have got to check ourselves and set up guardrails that keep us far away from those sins that we are so fond of testing. For Samson it was lust, women, and relying on himself instead of God. For you it may be something different, but whatever it is you need to flee from the things that tempt you. Don't even get near them. Cut them out of your life completely.
Don't be like Samson and try to prove that because of your great strength or determination, or whatever that you can walk the line of temptation and not come out blind and a slave to your sin; rather, make every effort to be holy and pleasing to God, make your life an offering to him by giving up your desires of the human and sinful nature and take up the desires of the God who wants to save you from the bondage and slavery of sin.
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