UNEQUALLY YOLKED

DAILY WORD

12/1/22

13. Then Delilah said, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.”

Samson replied, “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I would become as weak as anyone else.”

So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric.

14. Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle. Again she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric.

Judges 16: 13–14 NLT

I wanted to rush through Today’s Passage, and honestly, I’ve been tempted to dash through this entire week’s Posts. But I refrained because I wanted to break The Story of Sampson as far down as possible, and I’m glad I took the additional time because I found something I might have otherwise missed.

As I looked over the Passage, I considered adding Verses 15–17, but as I read Verses 13 & 14, something stood out that I’d have overlooked had I charged through it indiscriminately. There is a progression to what is happening in The Story of Sampson that clearly relates to our own situations, and we ignore it at our peril.

Examining the Delilah Episodes, it struck me as odd that Sampson and Delilah would go through the motions of this little game they’re playing, up to this point, three separate times. It seemed redundant, and this part of the story isn’t even over yet!

Sampson clearly knows there is a danger in revealing the Source of his Strength to this woman. Otherwise, he’d have had no issue telling her his secret. And even if he did at first believe that she harbored no ill will toward him, it would have become obvious the moment he was bound, and his enemies ran in to capture him. No one is that dense; Sampson knew Delilah was not to be trusted!

But he still stayed with her! Sampson maintained his intimacy with a woman who was fine with seeing him dead or, at the very least, captured and humbled by his mortal enemies. It seems inconceivable that Sampson would remain in that position, knowing what she was capable of, but he did.

And after looking at The Story of Sampson, none of us would ever fall into that kind of self-deception or obliviousness, would we? Well, the answer to that question is where I derive Today’s Lesson.

We all are vulnerable to falling victim to this kind of threat, and if you think I’m wrong, answer me this. Have you ever stayed in a relationship with a toxic individual? How long did you remain, and why? Did you ever develop the strength and self-preservation required to leave, or are you still languishing there? And if you did get out, why did you stay so long?

The answers to that may vary, but if you’ve ever been in an unhealthy relationship, you know implicitly what Sampson was facing. Verse 4 of this Chapter tells us Sampson loved Delilah, so we can imply that he actually wanted things to work, or at least, that he hadn’t yet satisfied his lusts. In either case, Sampson wasn’t ready to leave.

I think we’ve all been there at least once, and some of you may still be there even now. But there is a Lesson in this Passage, and this type of situation, we cannot overlook because the very same thing happens to us when we are in Sampson’s position.

If you look at Sampson’s responses to Delilah’s clearly threatening inquiries, you can see how his answers begin to progress from the laughable to the ludicrous to the plausible. By the time we get to episode number three, Sampson has strayed far closer to the truth than was prudent!

The same happens when we think we can navigate relationships with individuals we know we are incompatible with. We often follow our lusts into these mismatched associations, inviting discord and friction from the outset. We begin with the best intentions. We can have some fun without being overwhelmed by the pleasurable. We are strong enough!

But look at what Sampson did here. He started strong, but after having his will whittled down by Delilah’s badgering, his resolve began to slip. We’ll see tomorrow the outcome of Delilah’s harassment and Sampson’s fragility; until then, consider this.

Sampson, David, and Solomon all fell to their lusts. These were all men God Used and Blessed; one of them was even called “A man after God’s own Heart!” So, if men of renown like them could fall to their lusts, do you think it may also be a danger to us?

We all can fall victim to the eventual and inevitable slow grind of sin and lust in our lives. We start off slow, taking in a little bit of transgression at a time until we miss the pieces being chipped away from our resolve by the drill bit of immortality. By the time we do notice, it is too late. The damage has been done and repairing it will take far longer than it took to destroy it.

That is why we must fastidiously maintain our determination to remain Faithful to God. We have a responsibility to shun and shed our lusts. Otherwise, we may face the very same struggles Sampson did, with similar results.

I’ve mentioned several times that The Story of Sampson is a Cautionary Tale, illustrating the dangers of blindly following our lusts. Well, Today’s Passage shows us how those lusts can drive us away from our destinies and into the depths of Hell! It is a slow, deliberate progression, like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and just like Delilah’s tormenting inquiries, the gradualness of it makes the damage that much more devastating! Do not be led into death by your own lusts; that is Today’s Lesson!

Have a Thought-Provoking Thursday And Remember, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”

#dailyword