Samson Tempts Himself (Judges 16:1-4)

2/20/2010 6:21 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Samson tempts himself

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Judges 16:1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. 2  When it was told to the Gazites, saying, "Samson has come here," they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, "Let us wait until the morning light, then we will kill him." 3  Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.”

            The question arises as to thy Samson was in this Philistine city in the first place.  If he were looking for a prostitute he did not have to go out of Israel, for even though it was against the Law of God to be a prostitute there were prostitutes in Israel.  This would actually make the situation worse on the character of Samson if this was the case. 

            Temptation is not a sin for Jesus was tempted “yet without sin,” as the writer to the Hebrews says.  Now there are times when we are tempted by demons, and this cannot be helped.  The Devil tempted the Lord Jesus Christ as seen in both Matthew and Luke chapters four and the way that He confronted the Devil’s temptation was to quote Scripture and this caused the Devil to leave Him until he saw another time to tempt Him again, which may have been in the garden before He would go to the cross.

            This section of Scripture shows a flaw in the character of Samson, a flaw that can happen to a person who has not dealt with a temptation in a Biblical manner.  James writes about dealing with this sort of sin.  “13 ¶  Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14  But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”  It seems evident to me that Samson had made a practice of having sexual relationship with prostitutes many times in the past and that is why he was unable to resist the temptation of sleeping with one at Gaza.  John speaks of this in 1 John 2:15-17 “15  Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”  Now one of the answers to combating sin is in verse 17 where John continues to write:  “17  The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”  When one remembers that this world and all of it’s lusts is passing away and that there is little time to accomplish the will of God, and sinning and being controlled by one’s own temptations is taking up valuable time where the will of God can be accomplished, then one should use their time for the glory of God.

            A little comment on the gates that Samson took with him to Hebron, or at least to the top of the hill, for it was forty miles to Hebron from Gaza.  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “To ‘possess the gate of his enemies’ was a metaphor meaning ‘to defeat your enemies’ (Genesis 22:17; 24:60).  When Jesus spoke about the gates of hell (hades), He was picturing the victory of the church over the forces of Satan and evil.  Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has ‘stormed the gates of hell’ and carried them off in victory!”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There seems to be a theme going on for me in the devotions that I have been doing for sometime now and that is to finish strong in my walk with the Lord.  No matter how much time the Lord has for me to be here on planet earth, whether He takes me in the rapture of the Church or through death, I need to be doing His work while I have time to do it and not to fall into temptations which would be actually wasting my precious time that the Lord is giving me to accomplish His work that He planned for me in eternity past.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. I want to remember the words of the “Lords Prayer,” which speak of leading me not into temptation, but deliver me from the evil one.

 

2/20/2010 6:54 AM