Hey There Delilah
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Getting my car painted
Car had some scratches
Kevin: I’m taking a paint and body work class
Work for free and I have free aircraft paint - should only take a month
Signed the waiver, Kevin did great body work
Painted inside the doors - not great but not bad (aircraft paint is thicker)
But then time started to go on and on and on
Month ended - no paint
Semester ended - no paint
Summer came - no paint
Finally in August, he said I could bring it in
When I dropped it off, I saw ants - that’s weird...
When I came back to pick it up, nothing was done
I asked Kevin - guys said I brought ants into his spray booth… what?!
No longer going to help (what kinda teacher is this...
My buddy Rob said, I’ll bet I could paint it
Made a spray booth, prepped the car and sprayed - didn’t work
He later ran a paint shop and said he did about 20 things wrong
He paid to take it to Earl Scheib - $300 for a paint job
When I traded in the car, the salesman asked, “What, did you paint that thing with a broom?”
That wasn’t what I expected when I started that deal
A year later, you might say I had some regrets
What started as, “Hey, in a month you’ll have a free new paint job” became “after a year of stress your car will look like junk”
That’s how life works sometimes
Not every deal is a winner
Not every person follows through
YouVersion: Hey There Delilah
We’re in Judges 16: 4-22
Today, we are going to see Samson’s final mistake
He’s going to go from having it all - to having nothing at all
4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
Again, Samson is after wrong women
He fell in love with Delilah
And Delilah was in love with money
1,100 shekels is 140 lbs. of silver
The Philistines REALLY want to get Samson
This is why it is so important to guard your heart
Before you enter a relationship - romantic, business, etc… make sure you know their character
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.”
Bam, right there he should know this woman is up to something
That should be the end of the game right there...
Samson does realize this I think
Remember what I said before - the source of His strength is not obvious
It’s not his huge muscles, he was probably ordinary looking
Except for his giant dreads...
So Samson gives Delilah a clue:
7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
Samson lied to her - obviously knowing he was in danger
Immediately she betrays him
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” 11 And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
The exact same scenario again
It seems Samson’s infatuation has made him lose all sense
Or maybe, at this time he likes messing with her
He’s been flirting with Philistines from the get go
He knows they want to get him, and yet he always goes back for more
Maybe in some twisted way, he accepts that these women will hate him
And yet he can get what he wants from them
But now watch this:
13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.”
Again, for a third time, Samson lies to Delilah
She betrays his trust, and he catches her
You’d think “3 strikes, you’re out!”
But not for Samson
Notice this: he’s slowly working himself toward the truth
First was bow strings, second was ropes, now it’s a pin in his hair
That’s dangerously close to the truth!
She says, “How can you say ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?”
Sadly, I think his heart is with her
That’s why he continues with her even though she’s clearly trying to get him
I think he loves her and longs for that honest, loving relationship
He keeps giving to chances to show herself, but she keeps showing her selfishness and deceit
But he can’t just call it and walk away - he’s weak, he’s lonely, he’s desperate
16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.”
Oh Samson… why’d you do it man?
He gave into his nagging Philistine wife before
Now he’s given into his nagging Philistine temptress
There’s no doubt her manipulation here was sinful
And no doubt Samson is sinning here as well
This has been the one vow to God he has actually kept
He hasn’t broken the vow himself - he’s not going to cut his hair
But there is NO WAY he doesn’t realize what Delilah’s going to do...
I’ll bet he talked himself into it
“She’ll probably cut it, but come on! God won’t leave me!”
You ever set a standard, and slowly chip away at it
I knew a guy - hated his dad smoking - flushed them down the toilet
I’m never going to smoke!
In HS, he just wanted to try one
Then he bought his first pack
Then he became a connoisseur
Then he started smoking weed
Then he moved onto harder drugs
It was like - I thought you were never going to smoke, now you’re a dealer?
All the while there’s this strange denial - I’ll quit before I get like my dad...
No you’re exactly like him!
Sometimes we do that with God
I’ll never be an alcoholic, I’ll never doubt God, I’ll never get divorced...
We realize how those things disappoint God, so we avoid them
Until we want them, and then we try to take God out of it
God will forgive this one little bit, I’ll get back in His graces, I’m not as bad as that guy!
I think that’s what Samson is doing
If I skip out on this hair thing, God will still follow through
We start wandering away from freedom in God’s grace
And start wandering towards taking advantage of His grace
Eh, I’m a forgiven sinner, no big deal...
While it’s true that every little sin doesn’t condemn us away from God’s grace… Scripture warns:
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
I don’t think Samson thought God would keep His part of the deal
He’d been shown so much grace, he’d neglected the importance of it
He made God too cheap in his heart...
Now Delilah knows she has Samson where she wants him
She’s so confident this time, she accepts payment early:
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him.
This is an evil woman
Puts his head on her knees, lulls him to sleep, whispering sweet nothings...
All to get paid, and she knows what is going to happen to him
CH Spurgeon: “Now there are a thousand razors with which the devil can shave off the locks of a consecrated man without his knowing it. Samson is sound asleep; so clever is the barber that he even lulls him to sleep as his fingers move across the pate, the fool’s pate, which he is making bare. The devil is cleverer far than even the skillful-barber; he can shave the believer’s locks while he scarcely knows it.”
And so she begins to torment Samson
She doesn’t even feel bad, just straight evil
Understand this: His strength left, not because his hair gave him strength
He was set apart for the Lord
This was symbolic that he was not like everyone else
Allowing his head to be shaved was actually a rejection of God’s mercy and sanctification
Now it’s about to get bad:
20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.
You see, Samson didn’t expect anything to change
Show uncut hair
When he woke up, you think he noticed?
Maybe, but he didn’t notice that the Lord had left him
Still thought everything would be as it always was
Still strong, still untouchable, no big deal...
But he was wrong
So the Philistines gouged out his eyeballs, brought him down to Gaza, and put shackles on him
And he ground at the mill in prison
For the first time in his life, he worked under his own strength
How surreal that must have been for him...
Whenever he needed strength in the past, the power of the Lord rushed upon him
Now, he just has to use his arms...
The pain, the regret, and the heartache of Samson in those moments...
So what can we learn from Samson?
1. Moral compromise always makes us vulnerable
1. Moral compromise always makes us vulnerable
Moral compromise always breaks down our defenses
Falling into sin almost always happens this way
Usually begins with small compromises, and they work their way to big ones
Ethics Professor Michael Josephson: “Sometimes the dues we pay to maintain integrity are pretty high, but the ultimate cost of moral compromise is so much higher.”
To Samson, telling a little secret wasn’t going to cost much
After all, HE wouldn’t cut his hair
But it did leave him open to attack
2. Temptation comes in attractive packages
2. Temptation comes in attractive packages
Ever say, “I’m so tempted to eat that brussels sprout sandwich...”
No, it’s the gigantic cookie tray next to your desk!
Tucker Max: “... the devil doesn't come dressed in a red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you've ever wished for ...”
Interesting coming from a guy who wrote the book “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell”
We have to be aware that looking good doesn’t make it good
And the things that are worst for us seem like they’ll be fulfilling
Remember in the garden, that fruit looked very good to Eve
Not just because of it’s flavor, but because of what Satan promised it could do
It will make you like God! Did He really say not to eat it?
Remember: Just because it looks good doesn’t mean it is
3. Temptation comes when we choose the wrong friends
3. Temptation comes when we choose the wrong friends
Old saying: Show me your friends, I’ll show you your future
Kevin is a good dude
He spent a lot of time getting into trouble
Worked at movie theater with lot’s of troubled kids
At some time in his life, Kevin decided he was going to stop engaging in that stuff
What did he do? He dropped all of his old friends...
He knew he couldn’t stay on the straight and narrow hanging around those guys
Instead, he got involved in church and his community there encouraged him to do well
Now, he’s a pastor
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Why is it that some people who could have been mightily used by God fail miserably, while others make great strides for His kingdom?
There are those we may think have very little potential, but they go on to enjoy great success
There are others we believe will change the world, but end up making some of the worst decisions
There is a good part to this story though
Up until now, Samson keeps on messing up
Murdering, stealing, deceiving, dishonoring God
But the best part of this story, is that it isn’t over
22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Let’s turn back
5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
God’s plan has never changed for Samson
Nothing he did changed anything for God
Samson’s story should serve as a warning to us
God gives us rules for a reason
He gives us purpose for a reason
But He is also faithful
And the best thing, is that God is a God of second chances
Always remember: God is a God of Second Chances
Always remember: God is a God of Second Chances
You think it was a coincidence God used Samson’s hair as the symbol of covenant?
God says you do this, if you fail, it will grow back
You can start again, and again, and again!
Maybe you need that second chance this morning
Maybe you’re on chance 3, or 4 or 50!
Either way, you can never give up on God
Because He will always follow through!