“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? – 2 Corinthians 6:14
Yesterday, we discussed the power of sight. Today we discuss how various situations went down in Samson’ life. It is common to hear, when things are going poorly, phrases like “things went downhill fast,” or there was a “downward spiral.” The book of Judges does something similar to tell the life story of Samson. The scenes of his life are introduced by saying he “went down.”
● Judges 14:1: “Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.”
● Judges 14:5: “Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah.”
● Judges 14:7: “Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes.”
● Judges 14:10: “His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do.”
● Judges 14:19: “[H]e went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil.”
Samson repeatedly “went down” – physically, spiritually, and morally. He is a man who crosses all boundaries and has no regard for what is right. He repeatedly is with people and in places, as a believer, he should not be, especially for one who is supposed to be leading others as a judge. His example is negative and, in this way, Samson looks a lot like everyone else in his day.
Examining our own lives, if we are honest, we’ve all done the same thing as Samson. We have crossed God’s boundaries for belief and behavior. In so doing, we have brought pain on ourselves and others as Samson did.
Think of a time in your life where things “went down.” How did you handle that situation and what did you learn from it?
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