- Judges 16 Daily DEVO 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. Judges 16:20 – Notice even here the wording isn’t “that his hair had left him,” but “that the Lord has left him.” Samson got this wrong, and we often do as well when telling the story. His strength was not from his hair but from God. Yes the agreement he had with God was broken due to the cutting of the hair, but it was God removing the blessing of strength that left him powerless. Make sure you acknowledge it’s God giving you the blessings you have not your talents, wisdom, or abilities. Let that be a relief to you, for while talents and abilities may go away, God never will. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 596
- Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. Judges 16:1 – Just because you see something doesn’t mean you have to lean into it. Here Samson first chooses to go into Gaza, one of the five strongest Philistine (enemy) cities. He happens to see a prostitute and decides to act sinfully with her. But none of this had to take place. We don’t have to be sinful while we continue to live in this sinful world. We have a choice to see the sinful things yet turn away from it. We don’t have to walk into sinful, enemy territory. We don’t have to say yes to sin anymore. Our chains have been broken and we are free in Jesus from sin. Am I say you are a horrible person for slipping up after you’ve chosen to follow Jesus? Absolutely not. We just need a reminder sometimes that we truly are free from sin. When Jesus saved us He forgave us for all our sin but also broke the chains of control sin had on us. We now have something we didn’t have before when it came to the sinful ways in our story…a choice. You can continue to choose sin or you can choose to not lean into the sinfulness all around us. Just remember what Jesus had to do in order for you to even have that choice. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1799
- 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. Judges 16:21 – Sin has consequences. Samson had lived such a life of sin up to this point but hadn’t tasted much yet of the consequences that follow sin. Yet after choosing to remain in this unhealthy, ungodly relationship with Delilah, and in doing so rejecting a life of faithfulness after God, Samson finally tasted the result of his sinful choice. His eyes that looked upon women and led him to sexual sin were removed, his hands that had killed many and scooped out the honey from an unclean carcass were bound, and the enemy he was called to defeat now had him enslaved. Be then wiser than Samson when it comes to the sinfulness in your story. Do not be deceived thinking that your sinful choices will have no consequences. Yes, you may not see the negative consequences for a while, but sin never is free from hurt, loss, and damage. How then have you been entertaining sin rather than rejecting sin? Is there an obvious sin that you know isn’t holy for you to continue doing yet you find yourself continuing going to it? Let this story of Samson be the signal to cut the sin out now before the consequences get worse. Confess it to the Lord, lay it at His feet, and using His strength walk away from it. Our God is waiting for us to see the deadliness of sin and the call to righteous living we’ve been given. Let us begin that holy pursuit of God today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2872
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