God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello,

Today we will finish the story of Samson.

After Samson’s wife and father died at the hand of angry Philistines, Samson got tangled up with another, shall we say, “interesting” woman. Her name was Delilah.

Delilah was on a mission to seduce Samson. She was determined to do this because a few Philistine lords had lured her with the promise of money. Her job was to seduce Samson into revealing the secret to his superhuman strength.

“…he (Samson) loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “entice him and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him….we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” (Judges 16:4-5)

So a game of cat and mouse ensued between Delilah and Samson. She would ask him where his strength came from and he would lie. She would repeat the process and like any good seductress, she would make him feel guilty- spewing the old “saying”  that love meant no secrets. Finally after Samson had lied to her a handful of times resulting in her incessant nagging for the truth, Samson broke down and told Delilah his secret.

Unfortunately for Samson, this was a grave error. And as we typically see in soap operas- even Biblical ones- this “love” wasn’t quite strong enough to withstand the promise of riches. Delilah reported Samson’s secret to the lords and reaped her financial reward. BTW the secret was in his hair, if it remained uncut, he had strength. The moment it was cut, his superhuman strength ceased.

Okay, lets cut to the chase- no pun intended.  The end result of the story was that Samson was captured, his eyes were gouged out and he was placed in prision to rot.

In prison however, his hair grew. So when the jailers decided to have some fun and put Samson on display during a large party, he was able to take the pillars of the mansion- with over 3000 people milling about both inside and outside- push them apart so the house collapsed and everyone was killed including himself.

In the end, Samson’s last day of life killed more heathen Philistines than all the years prior.  He ended up accomplishing at least some of the job God appointed him to do.

Teaching Points:

• Although we may be lured by the superficial qualities of another, ignoring that the union is toxic, good can come of our error.  God can use the relationship for His purposes.
• Pursuing riches in an ungodly way could kill you.  (Any drug dealer could tell you that)
• Even when it’s apparent that you messed up your life royally, God can use you in a final “act”.
• It’s best to follow the Lord’s teachings. The benefits include a clean conscious, the opportunity for real love, being in a position to receive blessings only God can give- like superhuman strength, insight,  ideas that help many people and provides you with financially security…the list is endless.

Romans 2:6-8 English Standard Version (ESV)

“He will render to each one according to his works:  to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;  but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”(Romans 2:6-8)

So that covers the story of Samson.  I hope by now you realize that the Bible is full of very human problems. It is a book of countless illustrations of God’s love and patience for us.  It doesn’t matter what sin was committed or how badly we messed up our lives. God will wait patiently with arms wide open, hoping that we will come back to Him. We do this by repenting of our sins and asking Him to take over the direction of our lives.

This decision, my dear readers, will be the best choice we will EVER make!

Blessings,

Lisa