Samson was a man who was known for his strength but was destroyed by his weakness!

When Samson comes upon the scene the Israelites were doing what was right in their own eyes. They had compromised with the Philistines. God decides to do something about it. A couple, who could have no children, will have a son who will be special. He will deliver the people from the Philistines. From an early age the Spirit of God began to move him.

1 – The enormous potential of Samson

He was specially chosen by God for a task. He was a Nazarite and separated to God. His mission was clear and God gave him great physical strength. However, Samson had an uncontrollable weakness and it destroyed him. What is your weakness? Greed? Gossip? Sexual lust was Samson’s great weakness.

2 – The great weakness of Samson

Samson has a number of women in his life and some are even prostitutes. You cannot violate God’s word without paying a high penalty. Samson is a very lustful man. Samson liked a woman from her looks. Yet each one of these women causes him hurt and did not last.

If you walk in your weakness, you will not be following God. Samson is jeopardising what God has for him, by wanting to go to bed with each good-looking women. He thought it – he also did it! See Proverbs 16:32.

He could kill a lion, a thousand with the jaw bone of an ass but he could NOT control his weakness. We have to have control over our weaknesses or they will have control over us. There is no point in blaming others or make excuses. How are we going to respond? Samson was in bondage in his mind and lusted for more.

All the women had left him or set him up to destroy him. He did not learn from his mistakes and that was a mistake! His lust was stronger than his physical strength. If you think you have no weaknesses you are blinded! We all have weaknesses – but some can keep them under control.

3 – The consequences of Samson’s weakness

This weakness dominated Samson’s life. Every single aspect of his life became dominated by his sexual lust. See Judges 16:5-20. It is doubtful that Samson knew what love really was. In the end your weakness will destroy you, if you can’t control it.

Weakness blinds the human heart. Samson should have realised that Delilah was not good for him. Three times she sets him up and still Samson fails to realise. He has given in to his weakness many more times so it is not surprising.

Finally he tells her the truth and he is captured and bound. He was already bound by his weakness. He was chosen by God, of godly parents and given great strength. He blew it all because he could not deal with his weakness. He lost his strength, his life and his relationship with God. (“The Spirit departed from him”). He never found what he was looking for.

The Philistines gouged out Samson’s’ eyes and bound him to a mill wheel. He could not see the women anymore! Samson was now going around and around in sorrow, despair and defeat. It had all started to go wrong in his thinking. All he has to show for his lust is despair. See Judges 16:23-30.

The Philistines celebrated Samson’s defeat by praising their gods. They laughed and mocked Samson. Samson calls out to God and brings the building down! If he had cried out to God in his weakness then things could have been different. We can’t ignore or weaknesses. Call out to God before it is too late. Samson had much going for him but was destroyed by his weakness.

4 – How to deal with your weakness

Here are four steps:-

• Identify your weakness.
• Ask God to make you alert to the dangers of your weakness.
• Cry out to God for strength to walk in his way.
• Choose to walk in the will of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Categories: Judges