Judges Chapter 16: Verses 16-20 (NIV-UK)
With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
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.’
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. 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.
Then she called, ‘Samson, the Philistines are upon you!’
He awoke from his sleep and thought, ‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him.
Samson learned a hard lesson. He had become complacent and thought he could outwit Delilah and the Philistines when they tried to trick him. But he had actually forgotten the real reason that he had the strength that he did. His strength was God-given and dependant on the obedience to the instructions given to his parents before his birth. One of those instructions was never to have his hair cut. The strength that he had left him because by having his hair cut, he had taken lightly God’s command; he had been disobedient. Delilah had worn him down by her nagging, but if he had been wholeheartedly following God, he would have been able to withstand that; indeed, he probably wouldn’t have been in that relationship.
If God gives us a particular calling, we need to be careful never to take His gifts and instructions lightly. Obstacles may cross our path, and people might try to get us to change course. But if we stick close to God, He will give us the strength to withstand any such hindrances – even if they come from those we love. Samson had lost his focus on God to such an extent that he didn’t even realise that God had left him. We need to make sure that we keep our eyes on Jesus, and if we do, we will not be caught napping and able to resist temptation. Our gifts and calling may be irrevocable, as we are told in Romans Chapter 11 verse 29, but we need to treat them rightly and never take them for granted.
Dear Lord,
I’m grateful for every gift and blessing You have given me. May I NEVER take them for granted. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.