Even the most gifted and successful people can get into trouble and mess up their lives. In Judges 13-16, we read about Samson. He became a judge in Israel and ruled for 20 years. In that day, the word ‘judge’ meant a military leader or tribal chieftain. Samson had everything going for him – supernatural strength, good looks, and a relationship with God. At the same time, he was his own worst enemy. He wasted his life and inherited all kinds of trouble due to the choices he made. The Philistines were the enemies of Israel. Samson had no love in his heart for these people.
In reading about Samson, I saw several fatal choices he made, and that he never learned from his mistakes.
1. If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are asking for trouble. Samson had at least two main weaknesses in his life that he never learned to control, and eventually, they brought about his downfall.
a. Samson had a bad temper, and he often got angry. His anger was motivated by revenge. In Judges 14, we read how Samson gave a riddle to thirty men to get their clothes. His bride’s parents assigned thirty men to be companions to Samson. They may have been bodyguards. They couldn’t get the answer to the riddle, so they asked his wife to get the answer from him. She cried and cried until he finally gave in. So he went out and killed thirty men and gave their clothes to the men who were assigned to him.
In Judges 15:3-5, we read how he set a field on fire just to get even with the Philistines. In verse 7, he said, “Since you have acted like this, I won’t stop until I get my revenge.” In verse 11, he said, “I merely did this to them (to get even for) for what they did to me.”
b. Samson also had a problem with physical desires. He was physically strong but morally weak. He deliberately ignored God’s principles. He never learned. He kept making the same mistakes again and again. He displayed an attitude that said, “How close can I get to the fire without getting burned?”
He saw Delilah, a Philistine prostitute, and was determined to have her as his wife. Her people kept encouraging her to learn the source of his incredible strength. So, he started playing a game with her, suggesting things that weren’t true. Each time, however, he was getting closer to revealing his secret. Finally, in Judges 16:17, we read, “Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. My hair has never been cut’ he confessed. For I was dedicated to God as a Nazarite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”
Delilah realized that he had now told her the truth. Her Philistine people brought her the money they had promised. In Judges 16:19, we read, “Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way, she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.”
The number seven, in scripture, is perfect, and it is associated with the LORD. The next time she said that the Philistines had come to capture him, he thought he would do as he had before. In verse 20b, we read, “He thought, I will do as I have before and shake myself free.’ But he didn’t realize the LORD had left him.”
In verse 21, we read, “So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with chains and forced to grind grain in the prison.” Folks, our choices do have consequences. In Galatians 6:7-9, we read, “Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from their sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So, let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don’t give up.”
Folks, catering to the flesh can be pleasurable. BUT, it can be very costly. Look at what happened to Samson.
I do have some good news. If we want to break the cycle, God says, “I will give you the strength to break out of the cycle of failure.” When Samson finally faced the facts, God broke his cycle of failure and gave him the strength and power to do what he should do. God gave him another great victory. He will do the same for us when we face the facts and stop playing games with God.
B. Something else we learn from this account of Samson’s life — We are asking for trouble if we choose and listen to the wrong people. Someone wisely said, “If you want to soar with the eagles, you can’t run with the turkeys.” Samson was associated with people who weren’t focused on his God. They wanted to bring him down, rather than build him up.
God has a special purpose for each of us, so it is essential to choose people who will encourage us in His plan for our lives. Constant exposure to wrong attitudes and wrong values will eventually take its toll on our lives. So, what kinds of friends do you have? Do they bring out the best in you or the beast in you?
C. Perhaps the most important principle of all to keep from messing up our lives is — WE NEED TO TAKE GOD SERIOUSLY! The people in Noah’s day didn’t take God seriously, and in God’s time, they were destroyed by a flood.
The children of Israel didn’t take God seriously. We are told that they provoked him again, and finally, He scattered them all over the world and they ceased to be a nation, until May 14, 1948. Habakkuk 1:13 says of God, “You are of purer eyes than to look on evil.” God is very serious about our harboring sin in our lives. Samson never really got serious about living for God until the end of his life, after everything had fallen apart.
In Judges 16:17, we read, “But before long, his hair began to grow back.” When I read those words, I thought, “God never gives up. He frequently gives us a second chance.”
In Judges 16:23, at a big Philistine celebration, they praised their god Dagon for giving them victory over Samson. As time wore on, the people were half drunk and hardly realized what was taking place. In verse 26, Samson asked the young servant who was leading him by the hand, “Place my hands against the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to rest against them.” There were at least 3,000 people in the temple, amazed at what they believed was Samson’s plight. In Judges 16:28-30, we read, “Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow, let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.” Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, he prayed, “Let me die with the Philistines.” And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.”
Samson prayed and turned back to the LORD while he was still alive. Once we die, it is too late.
The Philistines not only taunted Samson, but they also mocked Samson’s God. With every ounce of strength God gave him, he pushed outward on the two pillars, and the building collapsed. It was God’s original plan to use Samson to conquer the Philistines. The Philistines were the recipients of God’s wrath, and Samson had his victory. It was the greatest victory of his life.
In Hebrews 11, we have what is frequently referred to as God’s Hall of Faith. People who displayed great faith are listed there. It is so encouraging to see that Samson is on that list.
Maybe you have messed up your life, and Satan wants you to believe there is no hope for you. God has given up on you, and He wants nothing more to do with you. THAT IS NOT TRUE! God will pursue you right to your dying day, trying to get you to repent from your mistakes. Choose your friends wisely and listen to God as He speaks to you. Your life can end on a high note, and God will be glorified. He will give you the strength to clean up the mess you have made.
He Still Loves You!
Pastor Leonard
A Couple of Thoughts from Pastor Leonard …
This Sunday, July 27th, Paul Lenderman of Mark Ministries, will be our guest speaker. I encourage you to come and worship with Paul and your Jubilee Family. His sermon, “Why Did Jesus Cry”, will be based on John 11:35
As we approach our August Missions Conference, I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you as you plan your commitment to our missions’ ministry.
