We have all heard or read the love story of the Strongest man in the Bible Samson. The book of Judges chapters 13-16 depicts His Life, His Lovers and His Legacy. Samson was not only strong but was separated by God for a purpose. As a Nazarene, he could not touch anything unclean or cut his hair. The secret of his strength was dependent upon his obedience to follow protocol and fulfill his purpose. Samson's choices of women, anger, and lack of discernment were his downfall.
In this blog, we will discuss how Samson was deceived, became bound, and lost his strength physically. More importantly, he lost his spiritual vision when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him without him knowing.
Main Scripture: Judges 16:20 “He awoke from his sleep and thought “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord had left him.”
In this scripture, we can discern how Samson became bound, was thrown in prison, and got his eyes gouged. First, he thought: "I'll go out as before." Samson was able to break free once, but after the Spirit of God departed from him, he was not able to break free again. Just because something worked out in the past does not mean it will work the same way in a different season. Samson made the mistake of thinking he could "shake himself free."
Samson failed to understand that his strength did not lie in his own ability to be free, but in God's spirit which empowered him (Zech 4:6). Lastly, Samson "didn't know" (lacked discernment) that the Lord had left him. Not being led by the Lord but by lust, left him without sight physically and spiritually.
Positive Characteristics of Samson:
He was a strong/fighter
Separated from birth for a purpose
He was born to be a deliverer of God’s people
He was a poet/ loved to say riddles
He was social
Samson was Strong and Struggled:
With lust
Woman
Anger
Lacked Self-Control
There were 5 causes that led to Samson's downfall:
Samson Struggled With Lust. He slept with prostitutes and picked the wrong women. The beginning of Samson's downfall was his refusal to adhere to his parents' concern to choose someone "more acceptable" (Judges 14:3). His insistence that the woman was "the right one for him" (Judges 14:3) cost him his life in the end.
Solution: Strengthen your Strengths and Weaken on your Weaknesses. Have an accountability partner, sponsor, pastor or mentor help you in your struggles.
2. Samson Was Deceived By A Woman- Judges 16;4,5 “Sometime later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
*The strategy of the enemy: is to sleep you, (fall into depression) make you bound (imprison), weaken you (so you are not effective), and blind you (lose your vision).
*God's Strategy in Scripture:1 Peter 5:8 “ Be alert (self-controlled) and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Delilah lured Samson into telling her the secret to his strength. The definition of the word "lured" is: “Tempt to do something or go somewhere, especially by offering some form of reward. “To influence or gently urge by caressing or flattering to persuade.”
The enemy's strategy is to use temptation and offer you something you love in order to bring you down. He will use flattery and persuasion to get you to fail and fall. The Spirit says, "be alert and awaken to my voice and do not adhere to the tempters."
3. Samson Had Anger Issues- Samson always fought his way out of every problem instead of talking to solve them. He only felt comfortable and became vulnerable when talking to women.
Solutions: Know your triggers. Talk about your feelings instead of acting out. Respond don’t react.
4. Samson Lacked Discernment and Discretion- He didn’t realize his hair was cut or that the Spirit of God left him. He was blind-sighted by a woman. His mistake was not being able to keep a secret. “He told Delilah everything." (Judges 16:18). Don’t tell your business to the wrong people who have evil motives.
Solution: Let the Spirit Lead
I read a quote that captured my attention and it said: "There are people assigned to bless you and people assigned to block you. Use discernment because they'll both be smiling."
5. Samson Slacked on Prayer- Throughout the story we only see him pray when he is in trouble.
Solution: Watch and Pray about everything.
In Matthew 26:41Jesus told his disciples to: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Pray For God to give you discernment, and wisdom to test the spirit (1 John 4).
*The enemy is Watching for you to fail, but God is Watching for you to fulfill His purpose.
After some time, Samson’s hair began to grow again. He gained his strength and one last time God granted him victory over his enemies. His story teaches us that you might have made mistakes in the past that caused you to go to prison, become depressed, or destroy your relationships, but God can restore the ruins and resurrect what is left.
Questions for you to reflect on:
1. How did you get into this situation?
2. What were the causes?
3. What could have you done differently?
4. Are you consulting with God first before getting into relationships?
5. What boundaries need to be set to avoid being sabotaged?
© Copyright, 2023, by Author Cynthia Rodriguez
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or other except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles without the prior written permission of the author.