Like Superman, Samson had great strength, but he had his kryptonite–women! Many like to blame Delilah (and she was certainly evil), but Samson, like us, was lured and enticed by his own evil desire.
I. Judges 16:1-30. Though the text says “loved,” there’s no indication that Samson had anything but a very shallow relationship with Delilah, perhaps not much more than he had with his “heifer” who was burned (Judges 14) or the prostitute. But like that first wife, Delilah worked with the Philistines to undo Samson by using her feminine wiles four times to discover the secret of his strength. Now, Samson’s thickheadedness in not recognizing what she was doing each time he fought off men doesn’t excuse his giving in and telling this evil woman (she tormented him in his sleep!) and thus throwing away God’s gift.
II. James 1:1:13-15. We too cannot blame others or circumstances … or the devil (Sorry, Flip Wilson) for giving in to temptation. Like the foolish youth of Proverbs 7:6-23, we get lured and enticed by our own desire. We must fight against it. While in the flesh and made like us in every way, Jesus did in Gethsemane when he committed to following His Father’s will and not his own. David didn’t do so well (2 Samuel 11), but Joseph resisted Potiphar’s wife’s advances (Genesis 39). We must submit to God and resist the devil who is fanning the flame of our desire (James 4:7-10).
III. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. In Casting Crowns “Slow Fade,” the husband and father doesn’t realize how he is giving himself away. Samson certainly didn’t get it. But Judges 16:18-20 tells us that when he gave in, his strength left him … because the Lord left him. The ending of Samson’s story shows that he went for vengeance rather than repentance. Let that not be our end as God is willing to forgive and restore if we turn our hearts and minds back to Him through godly sorrow and right actions.
Each person’s Delilah is constantly there, working at us until we are vexed to death. How we handle these temptations will determine if we hold onto our strength or die with the Philistines.