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9 February 2008
Word on the Web
Judges 16 v 23-27
The Philistine rulers gathered to celebrate and to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They said, "Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us." When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,
"This man destroyed our country.
He killed many of us!
But our god handed over our enemy to us."
While the people were enjoying the celebration, they said, "Bring Samson out to perform for us." So they brought Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. They made him stand between the pillars. Samson said to the servant holding his hand, "Let me feel the pillars that hold up the temple so I can lean against them." Now the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine rulers were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson perform.
Here we see the great Samson completely humiliated in front of his enemies. The compromise he made when he gave away the secret of his strength to Delilah effectively broke his Nazirite vows. The consequences are seen here. The Lord punished Samson for turning away from Him.
Samson may have thought that compromising his secret for Delilah was not a big deal because he was in love, he didn't even realise that he had lost favour with God when he did it! We must be careful not to compromise our faith or commitment to God for anything or anyone.
God punishes those who turn away from Him, but He also promises to reward those who stick with Him whenever the world tempts them to sin. God's power is far stronger than any temptation of the world and we have access to His protection whenever we pray. With the power of the Holy Spirit we can withstand temptation and stand firm even when the world draws us towards sin.
Heavenly Father, give us the strength to be steadfast and unwavering in our commitment to you. Let nothing persuade us to compromise our Christianity and may we remember that we can turn to you in times of trouble and temptation and you will answer us. Amen
Written by members of the Xplore team
Word on the Web
Judges 16 v 23-27
The Philistine rulers gathered to celebrate and to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They said, "Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us." When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,
"This man destroyed our country.
He killed many of us!
But our god handed over our enemy to us."
While the people were enjoying the celebration, they said, "Bring Samson out to perform for us." So they brought Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. They made him stand between the pillars. Samson said to the servant holding his hand, "Let me feel the pillars that hold up the temple so I can lean against them." Now the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine rulers were there, and about three thousand men and women were on the roof watching Samson perform.
Here we see the great Samson completely humiliated in front of his enemies. The compromise he made when he gave away the secret of his strength to Delilah effectively broke his Nazirite vows. The consequences are seen here. The Lord punished Samson for turning away from Him.
Samson may have thought that compromising his secret for Delilah was not a big deal because he was in love, he didn't even realise that he had lost favour with God when he did it! We must be careful not to compromise our faith or commitment to God for anything or anyone.
God punishes those who turn away from Him, but He also promises to reward those who stick with Him whenever the world tempts them to sin. God's power is far stronger than any temptation of the world and we have access to His protection whenever we pray. With the power of the Holy Spirit we can withstand temptation and stand firm even when the world draws us towards sin.
Heavenly Father, give us the strength to be steadfast and unwavering in our commitment to you. Let nothing persuade us to compromise our Christianity and may we remember that we can turn to you in times of trouble and temptation and you will answer us. Amen
Written by members of the Xplore team
