Introduction to Series

Everyone is fighting a spiritual battle. As believers, we fight from victory—not for victory. We’ve already won! There’s no question about the outcome, as long as we stand strong, refusing to yield. The evil one is already defeated, yet still he fights, eager to steal back part of what Christ has won. He can’t take anything away from Christ, who is infinitely greater. So he comes against you. He targets you.

Victory belongs to you, since you belong to Jesus. So the only way you can lose the fight is if you surrender (or if you don’t even show up to fight). The way to defeat the enemy is to understand the particular ways he attacks you—your weak points, his same old schemes. So in today’s lesson, we’ll look at another great showdown—hero versus villain—in order to follow the example of the hero and learn the strategies of the evil one. Let’s take a look at Samson and Delilah.

(JASON DUNBAR)

The Weak Strong Man

Samson is one of those characters in the Bible who we generally consider a hero, but if you get to know his whole story, we see that he’s a hero who struggled. He was a man born as a result of God’s plan (Judges 13). He was born to begin the process of saving Israel from the power of the Philistines. But when you read the story of Samson, there are times of great failure—times he would not be proud of the decisions he made.

Samson is known for his strength. We have this image of him as really physically fit. Now, in reality, he is likely just a normal guy. Because as we read, the one thing people can’t understand is how he is so strong. They wouldn’t question that if he looked like Dwayne Johnson, because it would be obvious where his strength comes from. So he’s probably just an average looking guy. He doesn’t have to be like the Hulk to be strong because his strength comes from God. Being known for his strength, that’s how we tend to define Samson: strong. It’s generally an all-encompassing description for him. But what we tend to forget is that great strength in one area doesn’t make up for a weakness in another.

Yes, Samson was strong, but he still failed. One of the most effective weapons at Satan’s disposal is the illusion of comfort, of having it all together. Samson took his strength for granted and saw no need for much else. He had always been able to get out of anything or achieve anything by relying on his strength. He tore a lion apart with his bare hands in chapter 14, and he killed 1,000 men with the jawbone of a donkey in chapter 15. He was clearly given great strength, however, he failed to acknowledge where that strength came from.

What has God blessed you with? I’m not talking about material things like money or cars. I mean what attributes to you possess? Maybe you have some particular, great strength. Maybe you have a lot of patience. Maybe for you it’s knowledge. Whatever it is, do you realize that it doesn’t make up for the weaknesses you have? You may be the smartest person in the world, but that doesn’t make you good at driving. You may be so patient and can wait all day, but that doesn’t mean you don’t struggle with anger when things don’t go your way. Samson was seen as one of the strongest men in the world (if not thestrongest man in the world), yet his physical strength did nothing to counteract his weakness for Delilah. It’s not the strengths we possess that defeat Satan. The God who gives us those strengths is the One who gives us the victory.

You see, being strong in one area is great. It’s a gift from God and you are expected to use that gift in serving. But keep in mind that you still possess weakness, and that strength doesn’t necessarily counteract that weakness. Samson’s strength was no match for his weakness for Delilah.

And you might be thinking, “wait a minute, you said Samson was born as a result of God’s plan, born to save Israel. Why is he not using that strength to save Israel?”

You see, God has given us the gift of free will. God’s purpose does not overwhelm your freedom. God had plans for Samson, but God didn’t force Samson to do anything. We are all born with a purpose. No matter how strong a believer, no matter how tight your relationship with God, ultimately, God doesn’t force us to do anything. God wanted Samson to use his strength to defeat the Philistines, but Samson was too distracted in pleasing Delilah. He never dreamed of the day his strength would be gone.

Just because God is with you, doesn’t mean you don’t have free will to make any decision you want. And Satan knows that. He knows that God will not force you to do anything. So what does he do with that? Satan will confuse you. He will distract you. He will let you get comfortable thinking you’re so close to God, nothing can mess that up. And then he presents you with something that you just can’t say noto.

Of course, the stronger your relationship is with God, the better prepared you will be to battle Satan’s tricks, but you still have that choice to make. Look at Samson’s example. It can be tempting to sit back on our strengths, our wins, and think they will get us through anything. Until we come face to face with our greatest weakness. That’s when we have a decision to make…

(TIM HARRIS)

Delilah’s Lap

In this life, the most significant decisions we make have to do with whom we choose to love. Be careful whom you choose to love, to whom you confide your secrets. Love is chosen, a matter of the will, something you decide to do. It’s a chosen way of being with other people, which means we can make foolish choices and face the miserable consequences. In spiritual warfare, love makes you vulnerable, and lust makes you stupid. The devil knows this—that’s why sexual attraction and desire are among his most effective weapons against us. Samsonmeans “little sun,” Delilahmeans “night” (or flirt). They are day and night, spiritually incompatible, yet Samson wants what he wants. Spiritually speaking, he has switched sides, which means this now can onlyend in his defeat. James 4:4 says, “Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

B. The Philistine rulers recruit Delilah to create a trap for Samson. Her idea is simple: tease the secret of his strength out of him, lull him to sleep, neutralize his power, then finally subdue him. But it doesn’t work. Samson won’t tell his secret, so again and again, she thinks she knows his secret. She lulls him to sleep and attempts to neutralize his power, only to watch him wake up and make a fool out of them all. It’s like a game that Samson plays for pleasure—but how dumb is he really? Delilah reveals the very first time that she is not to be trusted, that she wants to harm and defeat him. Why does he stay with
someone who has proven her desire to hurt him? Why does he allow himself to be controlled by someone whose only power is to pitche a fit? She knows what she’s doing—so why doesn’t Samson?
When you fall asleep in Delilah’s lap, don’t expect to wake up with hair.But honestly, we learn something important about the devil’s strategies from the way he works through Delilah: The devil’s main advantage is that people never learn. You’ll step into the same trap time after time, reliving the same disasters over and over, for the simple reason that the devil knows your catnip. He learns the thing you can’t resist, and he’ll bait the trap with it. Every time.

C. That’s why we say that your enemy is persistent but predictable. Like Delilah, who puts on the same show every time Samson falls asleep in her lap, the devil has no new ideas. He doesn’t need them. The old ones work so well. Just ask Samson. At the end of his nap in Delilah’s lap, he wakes up, blind and defeated.

(JASON DUNBAR)

It's Never Too Late

Samson failed, right? We know he failed. We know he gave in to his weakness and he fell out of line with God’s will.

Many people will tell you that’s it. That’s the end. There’s no coming back from this. But thankfully, that’s not how my God operates. It’s never too late to start over. God’s plan for our lives cannot be undone by our failings. God is a god of mercy and grace and no matter how far we fall, it’s never too far for Him to pick us up again, if we let him.

See, God had a plan for Samson’s life, but he never forced Samson to do anything against his will. Samson followed his own will and failed.

BUT, his hair began to grow back! I don’t know about you, but I love these kinds of twists in stories. You read about something happening and it doesn’t seem to be going well at all, and then you get to that next verse and see that “but” and it’s you realize, hold on, it’s not over yet!

God was restoring Samson, even before he realized it. He spent some time in his lowest point, but God was restoring him from the moment of his failure. We all fail. We all stumble. For some, it’s a life-altering situation, for some it’s a quiet, private tragedy. But no matter how deep the pain, God provides the right remedy.

For Samson, it was the first time in his life he realized it’s not about him, it’s about others. And when he realized this, he won. He became the hero God created him to be. Even though he loses his life, he finds it the moment he gives it to God.

Questions for Discussion

1. What surprises you most: When a "sinner" behaves more like a "Christian" should, or when a "Christian" behaves more like a "sinner" should? Why?

2. What is Samson's great strength, and what is the secret behind it (cf Judges 13:1-5, 24-25)? Why does Pastor Jason suggest that Samson's physical body may have actually appeared quite ordinary? What would you say is Samson's personal, fatal flaw? How does the enemy use this character defect to cause Samson's fall?

3. What is Samson's spiritual condition at the beginning of this chapter? What is his attitude toward his Nazirite vow? What makes him so willing to gamble with the most holy and important things in his life? What important things in your own life should you be treating more importantly?

4. Pastor Jason says, "God had plans for Samson, but God didn't force Samson to do anything." How does Samson's personal freedom before God affect the way his life turns out?

5. Why does Samson finally tell his "whole secret" to Delilah? Would you say Delilah brings Samson down, or does Samson bring himself down?Have you ever seen a successful person, who seems to sabotage himself or herself? Why would anybody do such a self-destructive thing? Why does the devil so frequently use this kind of "self-sabotage" as a weapon against us?

6. Pastor Tim says that in spiritual warfare, "lust makes you stupid." What does he mean? Why do you think sexual attraction and desire are such effective weapons for the devil to turn against us? What kinds of traps does the devil set for us, using our sexual desire as bait?

7. Imagine the scene in verse 20, when Samson discovers that the LORD has left him. What thoughts, emotions, and regrets would have gone through his mind? How would your life be different if the LORD suddenly left you? How long would it take you to miss him?

8. How does Samson change after his capture? Why is God able to use him so mightily in the end? Why do we sometimes believe that it's too late to for God to do something new with us? In what area do you need a new start with the Lord right now? In what ways does Samson remind you of you? What does his story teach you?