Weakness

 

    What do you consider weakness?  What does being weak mean to you?  Weakness is the sin that is held onto that keeps a person from embracing God completely.  It is the blind spot in our lives that may lead to our downfall.  Weakness is not always physical.  It can be mental, emotional, and spiritual.

    Samson struggled with being spoiled, selfishness, and his weakness for a beautiful woman.  One night he spent with a prostitute which definitely is a no-no for a Nazirite.  The Philistines thought this would be their moment to kill him, since his guard was down.  However, I guess he didn't want people to know where he was because he left when no one was looking.  However, that is when they realized that a woman was how they would get to him.

    Some time later he fell in love with another Philistine woman named Delilah.  She was given money to find out where Samson' strength came from.  Samson was not going to just give that information up.  She used her feminine ways and nagging to finally break him.  Finally he confessed to her about being a Nazaire from birth and if he never cut his hair, then God would always give him strength.  

    Samson's arrogance led to his fall.  Maybe he thought she really loved him.  Maybe he thought he would never fall.  Maybe he thought he was the exception to the rule and would never have to pay for his sins.  His why doesn't change the fact that Delilah shaved his head and God left him.  He was taken, beaten, and his eyes were gouged out.  It must have been hard to be so strong and to have it stripped to being so vulnerable and weak.

    As Samson's hair grew back he had time to think about his life, his mistakes (sins), and how he would change things if he could.  He finally made the choice to be a Nazirite on his own.  He was a prisoner only brought out of his cell to entertain the Philistines.  

    One night he was chained between two pillars.  He prayed to God to give him back his strength one last time.  When God granted that, he pulled with all he his strength until the entire building fell upon itself killing everyone inside including himself.  He was Israel's judge for 20 years.

Judges 16