Samson

The Consequences of Playing With Sin

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

And she said unto him, “How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.” And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; that he told her all his heart, and said unto her, “There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”  And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.  And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.  And she said, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.” And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.” And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
Judges 16:15-20

For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments: and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
Psalm 78:5-8

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Proverbs 16:9

What Is Missing?

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

And she said, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson.” And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, “I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.” And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.        Judges 16:20

What is missing Samson? He did not realize that he no longer had the LORD with him.

There are a lot of things Samson did that was a sin against God. Eating things that his Nazarite vow forbade him to eat, such as the honey from the dead carcass of the lion he had killed with his bare hands. He loved a Philistine woman which was not even the right thing to do for any Israelite, and he took up with all sorts of womanizing. Yet, God was with him… at least until his hair was cut by a deceitful, lying, schemer named Delilah.

Now, I am not approving of Samson’s actions, but of the presence and power of God on him, until God was not there, as he sadly assumed.

Samson is like many of us. He is a popular Biblical character, even today. Maybe that is because we can identify with him too much.

There are many cases in the Bible where people assumed that God was with them, and they found out in a very frightful way, that He was not. For example Numbers 14:40-45 where after rebelling against the LORD to enter the land of Canaan, they rebel again by trying to enter after they have been forbidden to do so.

We never do things like that do we? Ha Ha! When the LORD leaves us it is not so much that the LORD leaves, it is that we have left Him.

As Samson’s hair began to grow and he was growing nearer to the LORD in his blindness, the LORD gives him victory over the enemy of Israel (Judges 16:23-31) when he called on the name of the LORD (Judges 16:28), and the LORD heard him.

No matter what we may do in life that causes us to separate from God He is working to bring us back to Himself.

If you do not know God through His Son Jesus Christ you have no idea what I am writing about. You can by calling on the name of Jesus  who died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and He rose again. He will then be with you everyday from now through eternity.

The Pentitents Prayer

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

“And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.” Judges 16:28-30 (KJV)

The Philistines were the enemy of Israel. They worshipped false deities, and defied the God of Israel, Jehovah. They really thought they had conquered Israel and their God by blinding and capturing their Judge, their saviour. How could Samson save them now.

Samson, the rascal that he was, the sinner that he was realized that without GOD he could do nothing. He had violated his vow. He had been impure, unholy, deceitful, wicked in his life and living. The blind man was blinded by his enemies having his eyes burned from their sockets.

As his hair began to grow, the Philistines in their eagerness to display their victim, defy Jehovah, and celebrate victory, a supposed victory; brought Samson into their grand cathedral of Dagon their god; to mock, and ridicule him and the GOD of Israel.

As the people are loudly mocking, jeering, laughing; Samson prays to the Lord GOD, and God hears him.

There is no level of one’s life that we can reach where God will not hear the cry of the penitent. You may think that you have sinned beyond God’s forgiveness. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary paid the debt for all our sin.

In sorrow for your sin, cry out to the Saviour Jesus and He will hear your cry and forgive your sin.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13