Sampson: Gifted but Unguarded (Part 3) By Babatunde Olugboji
We’ve been discussing how Samson, the strongest man who ever lived, and one of the most colorful characters in the Bible was taken down by lack of self-control, that vital fruit of the Spirit, especially concerning women. Our final point last week was how sin grinds you, how Samson, the man who once terrified armies, ended up moving in circles grinding grain for his enemies.
The consequences of sin can be brutal. Sin reduces us, it diminishes us, it steals from us, it wastes our gifts and talents, it turns strength into bondage. Sin always takes us farther than we wanted to go, keeps us longer than we wanted to stay, and costs us more than we wanted to pay. As believers, that should make us consider our ways in every step we take, every move we make and every decision we arrive at. Sin is dangerous.
And Samson discovered that fact painfully. The man who once carried the gates of Gaza was now being led around by the hand. The man who once broke ropes was now in chains. The man whose enemies once feared him had become their entertainment.
What happened? His enemy finally discovered something more effective than confronting his strength: They exploited his weakness. And that is an important lesson. The enemy does not always attack where you are strong. He studies where you are weak.
Samson’s strength was obvious. His vulnerability was hidden. But eventually, his private weakness destroyed his public strength. Strong Outside, Weak Inside Samson could defeat a lion. He could kill a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:15). He could carry city gates on his shoulders.
But the greatest battle Samson ever faced was not against the Philistines. It was against Samson. And that is often true for us. Your greatest enemy may not be outside you. Sometimes it is the appetite you refuse to discipline. The bitterness you refuse to release. The pride you refuse to confront. The relationship you know is dangerous. The secret habit you keep excusing. The anger you keep justifying. The temptation you keep entertaining.
We sometimes pray: “Lord, defeat my enemies!” And heaven may be saying: “First, let Me deal with what is inside you.” Proverbs 16:32 says:“ He who rules his spirit [is better] than he who takes a city.” Samson could take a city. But he struggled to rule his spirit.
That is why strength without self-control is dangerous. Anointing without character is dangerous.
Gifts without discipline are dangerous. Influence without boundaries is dangerous.
Samson Lived by Revenge
Another weakness in Samson’s life was his appetite for revenge. When wronged, his instinct was retaliation. Judges 15:3 records him essentially saying that he now had a right to get even with the Philistines. But revenge has a way of producing cycles. They hurt me. So I hurt them. Then they hurt me because I hurt them. Then I retaliated because they retaliated.
And nobody remembers how the conflict began. That is the world’s way. Jesus calls us to something higher. Matthew 5:44 says: “Love your enemies… pray for those who… persecute you.” That does not mean injustice is irrelevant. It means the believer must not allow another person’s wrongdoing to determine the condition of his own heart. You cannot control what people do to you, but with God’s help, you can control what their actions produce in you.
To be continued.
Have a good week.
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