Even The Strongest Can Fall

Are you strong, mentally, physically, spiritually, or emotionally?

If you said yes then you are in danger. You see God resists the proud and His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Samson was the strongest man who ever lived. When he was born an angel of the Lord told his mother he should never cut his hair. His strength came from God’s spirit.
Judges 14:6: And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart.
Judges 15:14: Then the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands.

Even though he had physical strength he had weak habits. He made poor choices when it came to women, and he never tried to change.
He married a Philistine woman that betrayed him. He slept with a harlot in Gaza. He fell in love with Delilah who later betrayed him for money. He chose women based on looks not character. Because he was so strong he thought he could not be defeated. Delilah (which means delicate) did not appear to be a threat to him.

Do you think it will never happen to me?

His enemy the Philistines could not defeat him because of the strength that God gave him. They knew that he had a weakness for women. They went to Delilah and offered her money if she could find out the secret of his strength. So she directly asked him. “Tell me where your strength lies.” He told her a false answer and then she would try to bind him and he would break free. This happened three times, so he knew she was trying to catch him. He rationalized away the danger, and he made a compromise by not leaving someone that was not good for him, and trying to hurt him.

Are you rationalizing away your problems? Are you making compromises in your life when it comes to your habits or who your friends are?

If you and I don’t deal with our weakness or problems they will keep reappearing and get worse. Just like the Philistines kept coming after Samson, problems will keep coming back at us. Just like Samson’s bad habits with women our bad habits will come up again and again if we don’t deal with them.

She kept pestering him for his secret of his strength. She said to him if you really loved me you would tell me. Have you ever had some one say this to you?
“If you really love me you would do this for me”. If you hear someone say this look out! If you really love me you will have sex with me. If you really love me you would lie for me. Any person who tries to make you prove your love is probably not the right one, and does not have your best interests in mind. Remember that real love won’t ask you to compromise your standards.

He used bad judgment and finally broke down and told her what he thought was his secret (if he cut his hair he would loose his strength). He became comfortable with her even though he knew she had tried to hurt him (he fell asleep in her lap).
Are you letting sin cloud your judgment? Are you becoming comfortable with the bad company you keep, and the repetition of bad habits?

She cut his hair while he slept. The Philistines came and blinded him and captured him. Judges 16:20: He awoke from his sleep and said “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that The Lord had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes. They bound him with Bronze fetters and he became a grinder in the prison.
Don’t let sin blind you and don’t let your repeated disobedience cause the Lord to leave you defenseless to fend for yourself

So, what things can we learn from this story?
1. Moral compromise (even the small ones) will make you vulnerable!
They can add up and keep coming at you and lead to a big fall

2. Temptation comes to you in attractive packages.
Delilah was good looking to him, so he stayed even when he knew she wanted to do him harm. Don’t let the outside appearance fool you. The fruit in the Garden of Eden looked good. Satan knows how to package sin so it looks good to us.

3. Temptation comes when we choose the wrong company
1 Corinthians 15:33: Evil company corrupts good habits.
Who do you choose to hang around with? Are you picking your friends wisely?

4. Sin is intoxicating. Sin will cloud your judgment.
When you sin it will feel good at first. It will get you excited. It will cloud your judgment and you will do it again and again and make more bad decisions.

Sin will blind you, sin will find you, and sin will grind you.
Sin will blind you. It will make you not see things clearly, like Samson did not see Delilah as a threat. You will not see things as a threat that are and do them. Things that in the long run will harm you, like cheat on your loved ones, or do drugs or drink.
Sin will find you. If you compromise and put yourself near temptation you will eventually take the bait, like Samson who took the bait hooker line and sinker. You will not be able to hide this from God. Sin will find you out. You will fall away from God and be defenseless.
Sin will Grind you. Samson in the end became a slave, the grinder at the prison. Sin will destroy you, grinding you down. It will take away your strength as it took Samson’s, and it will in the end take away the best things in your life; your wife or husband, your health (aids), your family.

The good news is God can give people second chances, even if you sin and disobey God.
Judges: 22 and 29-30: And the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaven. Then Samson called to the Lord saying, “Lord God remember me I pray! Strengthen me. I pray, just this once. O God, that I may take vengeance on these Philistines.” Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple. Then Samson said. “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it.

Samson got a second chance to redeem himself and help his people against the Philistines. You may get a second chance but there may still be consequences for sin. Samson in the end died. He could have defeated the Philistines from the start but he compromised, and messed around with sin. Don’t compromise, don’t tempt yourself, and be careful who you hang out with.