[Wisdom cries] Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices (Proverbs 1:29-31).
When I was a child, around 6 or 7, my family took vacations to the Great Smoky Mountains for two consecutive summers.
On those two trips, our family of five rented a pop-up camper and hauled it behind our station wagon up into those beautiful mountains, where we rented spaces at various campsites along the way. One of those locations had a trout pond behind it, and guests were allowed to catch their own fish, pay according to the weight of the catch (I guess – that part wasn’t important to this little girl), and then take the fish back to the campsite to cook.
Behind that establishment was a porch that was just above the water and served as a fishing deck. And on that deck, there was a fish-food vending machine that looked like a gumball machine. Of course, I just had to feed those trout! My daddy gave me a quarter or whatever the amount was – probably more like a nickel or a dime (it was back in the early ‘70s), and I proceeded to throw those little pellets of fish food into the water. As I did, I steadily inched closer and closer to the edge of the deck, receiving several warnings from my dad: “Jennifer Lynn, you’re gonna fall into that water!”
I suppose you can guess what happened after just a few minutes.
Thankfully for me, the water wasn’t over my head. Unfortunately for me, I was still within my daddy’s reach.
That was one of only three times my daddy ever spanked me. Each one of those times involved my dad’s repeated warnings … and my repeated disregard for his words.
I was recently reminded of this misadventure when I was reading Judges 13-16 about Samson’s life. The circumstances were completely different, and yet …
Samson was a judge of Israel for 20 years before he died. He killed quite a few Philistines during that time and was essentially undefeated during his tenure. He had been dedicated to God from the womb and raised according to the directions of the angel of the Lord (see Judges 13). As an adult, he wasn’t that great at following instructions, but he did manage to keep at least one of the rules set forth by the angel of the Lord: he never cut his hair.
Aside from that, he didn’t really appear all that concerned with following God’s laws as set forth in the Ten Commandments. One of the ones he seemed to have the most trouble with was the one about adultery. Add to that his penchant for desiring the pagan women of the Philistines, and you have the one-two punch for the Israelite strong man.
The warning signs are so obvious to us as we read the Bible thousands of years after the fact, but apparently, the judge did not have very good judgment in the moment.
He first chose a Philistine woman for his wife, telling his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes” (Judges 14:3). This was despite his father’s protests against taking a wife from the “uncircumcised Philistines.” During the celebration feast for the wedding, the woman (at the prodding of her countrymen) nagged and cried and said Samson didn’t love her because he would not reveal the answer to a riddle he had posed to his wedding companions. His loose lips cost him 30 sets of clothes – although he took them off of some other Philistines. However, he should have learned from this experience.
Of course, he didn’t.
Later, after the death of his wife (see Judges 15), he began a relationship with Delilah, another pagan Philistine. But in the course of their relationship and at the behest of the Philistine leaders, Delilah began to question Samson about the source of his great strength.
Poor Samson … Despite his previous defeat through the betrayal of his wife, he had not learned his lesson.
Delilah started pestering him about what it would take to defeat him, and she didn’t even beat around the bush or try to disguise it! Judges 16:6 tells us that she said to him, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” Samson lied to her (never a sign of a godly relationship) and said that tying him up with seven fresh bowstrings would make him weak.
So what do you think happened? You got it! Delilah tied him up with seven fresh bowstrings, only to have the Philistines show up just at that moment! (Crazy, huh?) Of course, the lad with the lovely locks overcame his attackers with no problem.
Fool me once … but fool Samson four times! This exact scenario was repeated two more times after the bowstring farce. Each time, Samson gave Delilah a dishonest response, and each time the Philistines would “just happen” to show up to attack Samson, who would easily defeat them. Imagine that!
But finally, after Delilah pushed him relentlessly to give her the key to his defeat, he at long last told her the truth – that his strength would be gone if he got a haircut. Ahhh … the things we will do for love … or lust. All it took was a nap and a barber, and Samson was finally captured by the Philistines. What does all of that have to do with me as a 6- or 7-year-old girl?
Well, it’s not about haircuts, and it isn’t about trout. It’s not even about the fact that Samson lost God’s blessing and didn’t realize it. It’s something even more basic.
Samson and I have a connection in that we were both warned of danger – albeit through very different means – and yet we both chose to follow our own paths and push the limits of what was acceptable and advantageous. And we both suffered for our rebellious spirits. Granted, all I got on that occasion was a quick dip in the water and a spanking. But Samson eventually lost his freedom, his eyes, and finally, his life.
Obedience to God brings us many benefits, and it often keeps us from harm – sometimes from great calamity. So what is our problem? How do we miss the warning signs? Where are we supposed to find them?
We have God’s Word to guide us in His ways, but how often do we choose to heed only the parts we like … the ones that align with our desires? We have pastors and other godly teachers – or maybe even our parents, siblings, friends, spouses, or co-workers – who point us in the direction of godliness and wisdom, but do we listen to them only when they tell us what we want to hear? We might even receive a heads-up from a total stranger who sees something in us that prompts them to speak. (Maybe I’ll tell you about that experience someday.)
We even receive warnings from the very things we desire … things that we should know are going to be detrimental to us (like a pagan woman to a Jewish judge). A few examples might be: the calorie/carb count on a candy bar in the hand of a diabetic (not pointing fingers except at myself); the warning label on a tobacco product; the “Help for gambling addiction” signs posted on the doors of stores that sell lottery tickets; illegal drugs by the very fact that they are illegal … Need I go on?
What would our world be like if Christians started walking in obedience to God? We are often accused of being hypocritical, and that is sometimes based on a lost person’s misguided view of what true, biblical Christianity is. But sadly, that description is all too often based on the fact that many Christians do not live in obedience to Jesus.
So how about we all start paying closer attention to the warning signs – even ones we don’t like. We first need to determine if the cautions align with biblical truth. If they don’t, then we should follow the example of Peter and the apostles in Acts 5:27-30 and “obey God rather than men.” But if the admonishment is biblically sound, we shouldn’t get angry with the messenger or ignore the message. Instead, we should listen and obey.
God can and will do amazing things with a submissive and obedient heart.
