Lying Gets You Nowhere - Seek God
Statement of Intent
I will explain the story of Samson and Delilah according to the account in the sixteenth chapter of Judges. Samson was chosen by God to judge the Philistines. However, from the beginning, he began seeking women. This attraction led him to Delilah. He was physically strong enough to kill many people, but spiritually weak enough to lie to Delilah. Eventually, Samson told her the secret of his strength. This was a tragedy and led to his death. I will use this story to teach several lessons. The underlying themes are to tell the truth and seek God. I will also reveal some lessons and applications which sometimes get overlooked in the text.
Introduction
The story of Samson and Delilah is an important one. God is consistent throughout the Bible. His hatred for evil and lies, and desire for us to seek Him is also consistent. The complete outline is an overview of the entire chapter. The paragraphs are key points designed for personalization, spiritual growth, background and narration.
Samson is a personal name meaning, "of the sun" and "mighty warrior." He's the last of the major judges over Israel about 1100 B.C. (Judges 13:1-16:31). The son of Manoah of the tribe of Dan, Samson was a legendary hero who frequently did battle against the Philistines who, at that time, "had dominion over Israel" (14:4). Samson was history's strongest man.
I. His Misconduct
A. At Gaza (a Philistine city) Samson once again avoided capture, this time by tearing off the gate of the city (16:1-3).
1. His purpose in going to Gaza was to visit a harlot!
2. Samson's first account in Judges 14:1 illustrates how, "Samson saw a woman." After the Philistines gauged his eyes out in chapter 16, he couldn't see anything.
B. Samson was finally done in by a Philistine woman named Delilah, who discovered the source of his great strength (16:4-20). NOTE: At this point, Samson had probably violated all three Nazarite vows:
1. He had touched the carcass of a lion (14:8, 9).
2. He may have drunk wine at his wedding feast (14:10).
3. He had allowed his hair to be cut (16:19).
Samson was set apart for special service to God from birth. However, for the most part, he ignored his vow of devotion and depended more and more on his own strength and abilities rather than on God's. For the first time, the Spirit of the Lord is not mentioned as directly affecting one of Samson's great feats of strength (14:6, 19; 15:15).
If we become successful using our God-given gifts, we must not forget who gave us these gifts, skills, and abilities or the moral purpose that directs the use of those gifts. Notice what happened when Samson forgot (16:20, 21). We must always remember and thank God because all our gifts and abilities come from Him.
Samson was deceived because he desired to believe Delilah's lies. Although he could strangle a lion, he could not smother his burning lust and see Delilah for what she really was. How can you keep your desire for love and sexual pleasure from deceiving you into believing a lie: (1) You need to decide what kind of qualities you will love before passion takes over. Determine whether a person's character and faithfulness to God are as desirable as his or her physical appearance. (2) Since most of the time you spend with your spouse will not involve sex, your companion's personality, temperament, attitude and commitment to solve problems must be as gratifying as his or her kisses. (3) Be willing to exercise patience. The second observation often reveals what is beneath the pleasant appearance and attentive touch.
If you think you love someone, but the first qualities you describe are their physical qualities, you probably don't really love them in a Godly way. Lust and love are two very different things. Loving someone involves unselfish sacrifice and genuinely caring about their needs.
Delilah kept asking Samson for the secret of his strength until he finally grew tired of hearing her nagging and gave in. What a pitiful excuse for disobedience. Don't allow anyone, no matter how attractive or persuasive, to talk you into doing wrong.
Delilah was a deceitful woman with honey on her lips and poison in her heart. Cold and conniving, she toyed with Samson and pretended to love him while looking for personal gain. How could Samson be so foolish? Four times Delilah took advantage of him. If he couldn't figure out what was happening after the first or second time, surely he should have understood the situation by the fourth time! We think Samson is foolish; but how many times do we allow ourselves to be deceived by flattery and give in to temptation and false beliefs? Avoid falling prey to deceit by asking God to help you discern between deception and truth (good and evil, right and wrong).
A person's greatest accomplish may be helping others accomplish outstanding things. Likewise, a person's greatest failure may be preventing others from achieving success and greatness. Delilah played a minor role in Samson's life, but her effect was devastating, for she influenced him to betray his special calling from God. Motivated by greed, Delilah used her persistence to wear down Samson. His superficial infatuation with her made Samson a vulnerable target. Despitel his physical strength, he was no match for her and he paid a great price for giving in to her. Delilah is never mentioned again in the Bible. Her unfaithfulness to Samson brought ruin to his life and to her people.
Are people being helped by knowing you? Do they find that knowing you challenges them to be the best they can be? Even more importantly, does knowing you help their relationship with God? What do your demands for their time and attention tell them about your real care for them? Are you willing to be God's instrument in the lives of others?
We need to be careful to place our trust only in people who are trustworthy. Ask God for wisdom to know if someone is trustworthy or not.
Samson's relationship with God had deteriorated so much that he didn't even realize God had left him. Unfortunately, he took his leadership abilities as well as God's presence for granted. God offered Samson all he would ever need, yet Samson chose instead to lay himself in Delilah's deceitful hands. As a result he lost his strength. We must be careful not to put our lives into the wrong hands. Our only true security is found in God and His promises.
II. His Misery
A. Samson now learned the high cost of low living. "The Philistines took him, and put
out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house" (16:21).
B. However, in prison he regained his strength as his hair grew out again. He was then allowed by God to destroy thousands of Philistines who had gathered in their heathen temple for a drunken orgy. In the preceding destruction, Samson himself perished.
1. "Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life" (16:28-30).
2. Samson, the mighty warrior, became a slave. Rather than kill him, the Philistines preferred to humiliate him by gouging out his eyes and making him grind grain. Samson now had plenty of time to wonder if Delilah's charms were worth spending the rest of his life in humiliation.
Although God did not completely abandon Samson (16:28-30), He allowed Samson's decision to stand, and the consequences of his decision followed naturally. We may choose to be close to God or to go our own way, but there will be consequences resulting from our choice; Samson didn't choose to be captured, but he chose to be with Delilah, and he could not escape the effects of his decision. We can always be forgiven, but we cannot always escape the consequences of foolish choices.
Blinded and without strength, Samson was brought to Gaza where he would spend the rest of his short life. Gaza was one of the five capital cities of the Philistines. Revered for its many wells, Gaza was a vital stop along a great caravan route that connected Egypt to the south with Syria to the north. The Philistines probably showed off their prize captive Samson to many dignitaries passing through.
Ironically, it was Gaza that Samson had earlier demonstrated his great strength by uprooting the city gates (16:1-3). Now he was an example of weakness.
Looking back on my life, I was an example of weakness without God. We all were. Before we have God's power, we are weak and our power against sin is useless. Once we have salvation and follow Jesus, He will give us more power than we could have imagined. The following verse proves that strength is available from God, in any situation, to overcome temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Dagon was the chief god of the Philistines, the god of grain and harvest. Numerous temples were built to Dagon, and the worship there included human sacrifice. The temples were also the local entertainment centers. Just as people today crowd into theaters, Philistine townspeople crowded into the local temple. They sat on the flat temple roof and looked into the courtyard below. What they often saw was the torture and humiliation of prisoners.
Since the Philistines had control over the Israelites, they thought their god was stronger. But when the Ark of God was placed before Dagon in a similar temple, the idol fell over and broke into pieces (1 Samuel 5:1-7). God's strength goes beyond numbers or physical might.
In spite of Samson's past, God still heard and answered his prayer, destroying the heathen temple and worshipers. This reveals that God still loved him and was faithful to him. He was willing to hear Samson's prayer of confession and repentance and use him this final time. One of the effects of sin in our lives is to keep us from feeling like praying. But perfect moral behavior is not a prerequisite for prayer. Do not let guilty feelings over sin keep you from your only means of restoration. No matter how long you have been away from God, He is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship with Him. No matter how many steps you walk away from God, it only takes one to return to Him. Every situation in life can be salvaged if you are willing to turn again to Christ. If God could still work in Samson's seemingly hopeless situation, He can certainly make something very worthwhile out of yours.
III. His faith is referred to in Hebrews 11:32.
A. His faith and strength came from God.
1. In Samson's dying act, he demonstrated his faith.
2. In his death he killed more Philistines than the total he had killed during his life (16:30). B. Samson should be in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews.
1. Nobody in the "Hall of Faith" was perfect.
2. We can learn good examples to follow and bad examples to avoid from Samson and the other members in Hebrews.
Samson was the strongest man, but God gave him the strength. More importantly, Samson let himself be used by God. God could have used him without making him the strongest man. Let God use you where you are in life. God is in the business of meeting people where they are and taking them where He wants them.
Even in the midst of a painful trial, Samson thought about God and His purposes. This is an excellent model for us. Do you look to God when you need Him most -- in the midst of trials? God is faithful and ready to help You. Don't forget to ask.
God placed Samson in the Hall of Faith for a good reason. From his story, we can learn several things. God doesn't use perfect people, there is no such thing. God uses people that are available and willing to be used by God.
Samson did some awesome things because God is an awesome God. But God is also a just God, and did not save Samson from his situation. We can pray for a miracle, but should be prepared for the worst. Whatever situation God gives us will be the best one for us. But don't face it alone; face it with God.
Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Since Heaven is a reality to Christians, we should not be afraid to give our lives for Christ.
Conclusion: As you have learned, there are many good lessons to be learned from Samson and Delilah. This would have been a very different story if Samson had not lied to Delilah, but told her that it his strength is his secret. Actually, Samson should have never been with a harlot. Consequently, he lied to her, then told her his secret, lost his strength and died. Sin works in the same fashion. It begins small and seemingly insignificant. It slowly becomes a bigger part of your life. Before you know it, you are blinded to the truth and believing lies. So, pray for Godly wisdom, discernment and perspective. And analyze each circumstance by asking yourself, "What Would Jesus Do?"
Once you ask God for strength in the midst of a trial, and you will see how He sends it to you; your faith will be strengthened and then you'll understand how life was meant to live with God. It is foolish to live life alone, especially with a mighty God who wants to help us and bless us. Start thanking Him in each situation and be content with what the perfect God gives you.
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
In closing, physical strength and spiritual strength are two different things. It is important to stay in good physical shape, but even more important to stay in good spiritual shape. We cannot confuse right with wrong. God's Word is our instruction manual for life. When the answer is in question, look to the final answer -- God's Word.
Samson must have known lying was wrong, yet he sinned in this way several times. Truth is in God's very character and lying is never right.
Proverb 12:22 "Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight."
Bibliography
A Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 2 "Joshua to Esther," by Matthew Henry, World Bible Publishers, Iowa Falls, Iowa.
Eerdman's Handbook to the Bible, by David and Pat Alexander, Oxford, England, 1983.
Holman Bible Dictionary, Parsons Technology, 1992-1996.
The Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1988.
PC Bible Atlas for Windows, Parsons Technology, 1993.
Quick Verse for Windows, Version 4.0, Parsons Technology, KJV and NIV Bibles, Matthew Henry Commentary, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, 1992-1996.
Wilmington's Complete Guide to Old Testament People, Parsons Technology, 1992-1996.
