Samson’s Fatal Flaw
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| So Delilah asked Samson, ‘Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.’Samson replied, ‘If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings, I would become as weak as anyone else.’ Source: FreeBibleImages.org, Samson's Hair |
Before there were kings in the nation of Israel, judges were religious and political leaders who organized the scattered tribes of Israel to fight their enemies.
One such judge was Samson. Samson is well known for his Holy
Spirit-empowered physical strength and ability in battle. He single-handedly
killed hundreds of enemy Philistines and at one point pulled out the gates of a
city and carried them away.
There are not too many people that the Bible says were
filled with the Holy Spirit like Samson was. He was uniquely gifted and used by
God. He is honored in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11, alongside
many other people of great faith.
But Samson had a problem. As much as he was able to defeat
nearly every Philistine soldier that came against him, it seemed whenever a
Philistine woman came around, Samson was overcome.
Delilah was particularly problematic for Samson. As much as
he loved the Lord, that love did not keep him from becoming infatuated with
her.
A friend of mine recently ended up back in prison, in part
because he made some bad choices involving a woman. To excuse himself he said
something along these lines, "You can't help who you fall in love
with." I think Samson would have
said something similar.
Samson's heart, his desires, blinded him so he could not see
the dangers of being involved with a godless woman like Delilah. He became too
focused on his feelings for her, he did not realize he had lost the Spirit of
God.
Samson lacked discernment. As much as he was filled with the
Holy Spirit, he stopped listening to him when it came to women. He was happy to
follow God's will when it meant punching Philistines in the face, but when it
came to controlling his sexual passions, he stopped listening (and thinking).
In spite of multiple warning signs, Samson pressed into an
illicit relationship with Delilah that ended up destroying him. He let lust
rule his heart and he paid the price with his life. (See Judges 14-17)
In the last post we discussed two men, Saul who would become
the Apostle Paul, and Elisha's servant. Both were blind in their own way, but
had their eyes opened by the ministry of a spiritual mentor.
Unfortunately, Samson did not have such a leader in his life.
He was the leader and was not accountable to anyone. He had made it on his own
and didn't need advice or guidance from anyone. If he had humbled himself to
listen, he might not have succumbed to Delilah's wiles. Perhaps he would have
lived a bit longer.
For many years I was much like Samson. Very proud and
self-reliant. I believed I had all the skill and wisdom I needed to solve my
problems. I did not have issues with real women - my sexual passions drove me
to the internet - but I was just as much out of control and did not want to
humble myself and ask for help. And I am still paying a steep price for that
hubris.
We may not struggle with sexual desire like Samson, but
"Delilah" can be anything that stirs our passions, but we can't see
is destroying us and the people around us. "Delilah" is anything we
find appealing, attractive or desirable but is spiritually and morally
compromised. It looks good on the outside but is filled with all manners of
wickedness and corruption. It is something that thrills, but is spiritually
destitute. It is a sepulcher, beautiful on the outside, but full of dead men's
bones.
Sometimes we are lured away by political power, we think if
the people we like are in office, then the world will work right. We take our
eyes off of Christ and turn them to the men of this world. We set our hope in
an election and not in eternal things. We forget that the kingdoms of this
world are only kindling for the eternal fire.
Just as Samson was blinded by Delilah's beauty and failed to
see that she was corrupted, we become blinded by political power, and fail to
recognize the rottenness that is often openly displayed. We end up praising
those that God would call polluted. We ignore the risen Christ and give our
attention to politicians. We become deceived and distracted, believing that an
election every four years is more important than eternal things.
Samson looked to Delilah to fill a void in his heart that
should have been filled by God. We do the same thing with work, entertainment,
sports, food, and any number of addictions. We turn up the noise of this world
and let it drown out the loneliness we feel.
Samson's lack of discernment sprung from his tendency to
listen to his heart instead of God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. He
never consulted Scripture, his parents or any spiritual leader for his
decisions, he just let his feelings take the wheel. Whatever felt right to him,
that is what he did. "The heart wants what the heart wants." No doubt Samson would have appreciated that
idea.
He was not one to do too much thinking, just feeling and
acting. He was impulsive and impetuous. He did not have time to meditate or
pray, not with Delilah waiting for him.
Discernment begins when we listen to God's word. We read it
and study it. But that is not enough, we must put those truths into action. We
must practice what the Word tells us to do. We obey God. We surrender our will
to God and listen to his Spirit.
Our own intuitions are often suspect, we should always be
checking them with God's Word.
We understand that we lack discernment, so we surround
ourselves with spiritually mature people and ask them to give us advice and
input. We keep ourselves accountable.
We sometimes get to a certain age, and gain some experience,
and think we no longer need this guidance and advice. But we never get so old
and wise that Satan cannot deceive us. The more experienced we get, the prouder
we become, and the prouder we become, the more easily we fall prey to Satan's
wiles.
As we learn and exercise godly discernment, we learn to see
through the mask of Delilah's beauty to see the deadly trap she hides. We are
not lured off the straight and narrow, but we turn and run.
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