Judges 13-16 (view this passage)

nathan made this entry on February 14th, 2007
Topic(s): Faithfulness

Sampson's story is one I usually don't like to read that often. I've never really liked how the story went. Sampson had amazing strength and he did some unheard of things, but the way he lost it always seemed so sad to me. I think there is much to be said about his story, however.

I believe where Sampson went wrong is that he gradually began to put his trust in himself. After dominating everyone for so long with his strength, he began to see how no enemy, regardless of their sizes and strength, could defeat him. He was victorious every single time. During his first battles he would place his faith in God. He realized that God was the one who provided his strength. Soon, however, he began to move away from God by visiting prostitutes, lying, and doing pretty much whatever he wanted. Sampson began to forget the importance of his faith in God and he started to trust in his own strength. He became proud of who he was and what he could do. No one could touch him, and he knew it. When it got to the point where he told Delilah about the true source of his strength, somewhere in his heart he probably believed that even if he lost his hair he would still have the same strength as always. His faith in God had dwindled to the point where he attributed his strength to himself, and not to God. When he woke up and found his hair cut off, he still believed that he was as strong as ever. He placed all of his faith in himself and his own inherent strength. This complete lack of faith in God is what caused his strength to leave him.

This is an example of our lives in Christ. We too, can have amazing strength where no enemy, regardless of their sizes and power, can ever for a moment defeat us. Through faith in God, we can defeat all of our enemies every single time, just as Sampson did. In our pride, however, we often begin to put faith in ourselves and we stop depending on God for victory. We begin to feel that there is something inherent within us that makes us victorious.

This is why so many christians have an up and down spiritual life. When we are up, we, like Sampson, do not realize that our success comes from God and not ourselves. While it may not be our intentions to spite God, we forget that only by faith in Him are we made strong. We make the wrong assumption that there is something about us that makes us do right. Sooner or later we will be faced with a temptation. In our own self-trust, we count our victory such a sure thing that we do not plead for strength from God. It is this lack of faith in God that causes our strength to leave us, and we then fall. Just as Peter was able to walk on water by looking at Jesus, we too can do amazing things by depending on Christ. It is the moment when we take our focus away from him that we begin to sink.

God does not want us to be so inconsistent. If we believe in Him at all times, we will never fall. If we look at Him while we walk on water, we will never sink. This is the gift that He is so willing to give to us. This is what salvation is all about; being free from the bondage of sin that keeps us sinking in water.

I do have to mention that Sampson truly repented of his sins to God. During his last moments of the Philistine party, he asked God for strength to knock the pillars down. This time there was something different. He realized that by himself, he was a blind, powerless servant. He knew there was nothing inherent within him that could give him strength. He also knew, however, that God would give him the strength he needed. He put is faith completely in God. When he put his hands to the pillars and pushed, he wasn't counting on his own inherent strength to make them fall. He had complete faith in God, and at that moment when he moved, believing fully in God's power, his amazing strength returned and like before nothing could keep him from success.

2 Comments

Thank You for this devotion. I ask God to forgive me because I made the assumption that it was by my own strength that I didn't fall into temptation. I believed that it was my determination and will that kept me from sinning. But I just read Philipians 2:13 (New Living Translation)--It says that "God is working in me, giving me the desire to obey Him and power to do what pleases
Him."

Like you said..."sooner or later you will be tempted." Now I am facing a temptation to do "my own thing" to make money--instead of trusting God to make a way for me. I am learning to rely on Him and trust His Power.

Like Peter, I can achieve "the impossible"--when I keep my eyes on the Lord.

Thank You again for this encouraging Word.

S.S.
Phx, AZ

Thanks for your comment! It is actually just recently that I have realized how much I have been trying to do things in my own strength. I always used to feel that if I would give my all, I would be able to do or not do certain things, and I would get mad at myself when I failed.

While God does wants us to give our all, I am now seeing that our all means nothing unless He is the center and focus. Really, like the verse you quoted says, He is even the one that works in us so that we can give our all in the first place.

I will keep you in my prayers that God will deliver you from every temptation. The good thing is, the more He delivers you, the easier it becomes to believe that He will do it over and over again.


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