Just Thinking 12
Very often God is taken for granted in our relationship with Him, and this comes with dire consequences. Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt.
We see that example with the strongman Samson in Judges 16:18-21 (NLT) which says,
18 Delilah realized he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the Philistine rulers. “Come back one more time,” she said, “for he has finally told me his secret.” So the Philistine rulers returned with the money in their hands. 19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down, and his strength left him.
20 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. 21 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.
Samson said in verse 20, “I will do as before and shake myself free. But he didn’t realise the Lord had left him”.
God cannot be mocked
Samson deluded himself to think that it is business as usual. Unfortunately for him, God had walked away, for He cannot be mocked. The fact that something worked before does not mean that it would always be so. The currency that buys from God is faithfulness and obedience.
Sadly, the strongman lost his vision and freedom, and became a corn grinder! What a testimony!
Galatians 6:7-8 says,
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Final thoughts…
This hard lesson of Samson is to tell us that we cannot get away with anything that is not of God or which does not meet God’s approval.
Let us stay faithful and true!
