Lessons from Samson
Judges 13:
5 For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a [b]Nazirite [dedicated] to God from birth; and he shall begin to rescue Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Samson was set apart and dedicated to God even before he was born. He was picked out as one who should live differently because his purpose was to free a nation from its enemies. His parents were careful to do their part. His mother did not defile herself all through her pregnancy, she was careful to keep herself pure so as not to derail her sons calling.
Samson, on the other hand, did not care much about living a separate called out life. He did what he wanted and his weakness was with Philistine women. First, we see him seeking to intermarry with the Philistines and that did not go well. Then we see him going in to sleep with a prostitute.
Judges 16:1-2
Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and went in to her. 2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” So they surrounded the place and waited all night at the gate of the city to ambush him.
Samson allowed his life to be driven by his fleshly lusts and not his desire to please God and fulfil his purpose. The Bible tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Unlike Joseph who runs away from sexual temptation, Samson seems to be on the lookout for it.
Next we see him with Delilah and just before his hair is cut off and he loses his anointing. We see him laying his head at a very dangerous place.
Judges 16:19
19 She made Samson sleep on her knees, and she called a man and had him shave off the seven braids of his head. Then she began to abuse Samson, and his strength left him.
Samson was careless and did not maintain his purity and in the end he was trapped and enslaved. He became the very thing he was meant to set his people free from and that is slavery and oppression.
It begins with becoming careless with your purity in private when no one can see you and the deceit is that you still flow in the anointing that God has given you. You can still preach and people are delivered, you can still lead worship and people get lost in the presence of God. Then you become so comfortable being careless in private it begins to slip out in public and you don’t even notice it. Now you no longer go to the prostitute at night like Samson, you become comfortable sleeping on Delilah’s laps and that’s when the enemy makes an open show of you and you lose your anointing.
Psalm 119:9 (AMP)
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to Your precepts]
