...blinding

“Then she cried out, ‘Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!’ When he woke up, he thought, ‘I will do as before and shake myself free.’ But he didn’t realize the LORD had left him.”

—Judges 6:20

One of the saddest statements in the Bible is this one: “But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him” Judges 6:20.

This refers to Samson, who lost touch with God. It culminated with Delilah shaving his head as he slept. Samson’s power, however, was not in his long hair. Rather, it was in his commitment to God, which his long hair symbolized. Samson didn’t know it, but he already was in a state of decline that had been taking place over a period of years. This is so typical of a person who’s in a state of spiritual decline. Sometimes, they’re the last to know.

That’s because sin blinds us. And that’s why we need Christian friends who will tell us the truth, friends who are willing to say, “I see this area in your life, and you need to be extra careful there.”  We should thank God if we have friends like that because we can have blind spots in our lives. For example, I know of men and women who left a loving spouse and children for some stupid fling.

That’s the blinding factor of sin. There can be an excitement the first time you do the thing you’re not supposed to. But you’re not thinking it through. You’re not thinking about the repercussions that are about to come. Samson ultimately faced the repercussions of his sin. The Bible tells us, “So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison” Judges 6:21. Then we read, “But before long, his hair began to grow back” verse 22. It’s saying that God gives second chances. 

There’s hope—even after you fail.

-gregory laurie