One of the most terrifying verses that I came across in Scripture is in the story of Samson. After playing with sin for some time, Samson did not know that THE LORD had left him.
I am assuming most folk know the short story of Samson. Leading up to this terrifying verse, Delilah has tried numerous times to pry out Samson’s secret to his strength. And finally sweet talks, pouts, nags and manipulates Sam in a bad girl way. Scripture says Sam was in love with this pagan chick. Love or lust can cloud one’s judgment, make one irrational and do unpredictable stupid things like get a girl pregnant or give up classified secrets. So Samson gives up his secret like a dumbass.
Judges 16:15-20
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.
And she (Delilah) said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.”
BUT HE DID NOT KNOW THAT THE LORD HAD LEFT HIM.
21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.
***Samson’s spiritual blindness and bad discernment regarding freaky hotty Phillistine women led to his literal physical blindness and bondage.
God redeems and uses Samson’s desires for Delilah, to position him among the Phillistines to kill a large number of them, even more than he killed while alive. Samson is a Christ-like figure in giving his life to destroy the enemies of God.
And this boys and girls is the God of the Bible.
Playboy Samson makes it into The Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11.
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,
*** BONUS: What is wrong with the picture above?