"Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and she called in a man to shave off his hair, making his capture certain. And his strength left him. Then she cried out, Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!
When he woke up, he though, I will do as before and shake myself free. But he didnt realize the Lord had left him."
~ Judges 16:19-20
Most of us have heard the story of Samson and Delilah
How he finally told Delilah that he would become as weak as the next guy if someone shaved his head - and how she "called in a man" to do just that. But, Ive recently discovered (through the help of my youth ministers awesome Bible study) that the kiddie Sunday school lesson breezes past the main focus of this part of Gods Word, and we miss the message between the lines.
First of all, why was Samsons hair so important? Verse 17 says, "Finally, Samson told her his secret. My hair has never been cut, he confessed. for I was dedicated to God as a Nazarene from birth." The average Bible reader skims past that bit of information, but it knits up the entire several chapters leading up to Samsons ruin (the parts we barely read, assuming its just historical tidbits). What on earth is a Nazarene, and what does that have to do with Samsons hair?
Numbers 6 goes over the laws of a Nazirite, which is someone "setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way," (Vs. 2) the basic three restrictions for such a person are:
a) They are to steer clear of wine, grapes, grapevines, grape leaves, vineyards, ANYTHING to do with wine or grapes. Period. (Vs. 3 & 4)
b) They must not cut their hair, ever, as display of their total dedication to God (Vs. 5)
c) They cannot under any circumstances go NEAR a dead body of any kind, not even of a mother or father that has passed away. (Vs. 7)
And how did Samson measure up? Back to Judges
Samson had spotted a cute Philistine chick in Timnah, a nearby city, and had asked his parents to "get her" for him (14:1-3) Even though, they objected to his choice of marriage material, since her relatives were pagans, they all made a journey to Timnah to talk to her parents. Along the way, "A young lion attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah." (Vs.5) WHOA! First clue. Not only are they headed to catch a gal that isnt Godly material for a guy that is supposedly completely dedicated to the Lord, but Samson is also walking by a VINEYARD! (Ahem. Remember rule [a]) Strong Samson, under the power of the Spirit, rips the lions jaws apart and DOESNT TELL HIS PARENTS. Pause a moment and consider
you see a lion, it growls, its huge and mean and angry, it jumps at you
and you grab its jaws and tear it apart "as easily as if it were a young goat." A LION. You kill a lion with your bare hands and tell NO ONE. Either Samson is the most unbearably modest guy mentioned in the Bible, or he KNOWS (Jews were taught the law extremely well
he knew the laws for Nazarenes) that he wasnt supposed to be anywhere near that vineyard.
Baby steps toward doom.
Samson gets the wedding arranged with the Philistine gal and when he later returns, he sneaks a peek at the bones of the lion he killed; probably taking a moment to relive the victory only he gets to share. Inside the carcass is a beehive, where bees have made honey
so he takes some, eats it on the way to the wedding, and even gives some to his parents. (Vs. 8 & 9) But, once again, "He didnt tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion." (Vs. 10) DING DING DING! Carcass? Not only was he, once again, back beside those forbidden vineyards, but he was also visiting, touching, and eating stuff off of a DEAD BODY (ahem. Rule ) Whats his problem? He knows better, since he doesnt mention it to his parents, and it doesnt even seem to bother him
he just keeps trekking to the wedding for a woman that has captured his focus away from God!
My point?
Samson didnt fall unknowingly into the trap of ungodliness
his baby steps led him directly away from God and he sacrificed an awesome relationship, being totally committed to the Lord in every way and his amazing gift of strength for WHAT? Probably a little lust, disobedience, pride
and just to clue you in, he lost that little Philistine girl to his best man in the wedding anyway
(Vs. 20) It wasnt one big mistake that led to his destruction, but rather the deliberate distraction from focusing on Gods plan for his life. (geez
he was born to be Israels SAVIOR, to free the Israelites from the Philistines!! )
What does God want us to learn??
"Jesus replied, the most important commandment is this: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your hear, all your soul, all your mind, and all your self."" ~Mark 12:29-30
We must start from the beginning making it a daily practice to devote ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus
Our actions can either set us free or become the death of us. That movie of questionable content or conversation of iffy subject matter may not be what sacrifices our relationship with the Father, but unchecked, it can lead to a snowball effect in our walk of faith with DISASTROUS consequences. Always be on guard for spiritual sand traps!
"You may say, I am allowed to do anything. But I reply, Not everything is good for you! And even though I am allowed to do anything, I must not become a slave to anything!" ~1 Corinth. 6:12
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." ~ Philippians 4:8
