Empty Promises

The Philistines were desperate. Samson had been killing them for fun and sport, and they had to bring him down.

So, they bribed Delilah, a woman he was in love with, to find out the secret of his strength. No doubt Delilah was an attractive woman, because for temptation to work, it must be alluring.

Samson once again got involved with the wrong person. First there was the Philistine woman. Then there was the prostitute. And then there was Delilah, who approached him with her enticements and temptations, promising so much.

That’s what sin is like. It promises life, but it brings death. It promises fulfillment, but it brings a greater emptiness. Satan had found Samson’s weakness, and he was ready to exploit it.

It’s important for us to understand that sin doesn’t take anyone against their will. We might hear someone say, “I didn’t want to do this, but I couldn’t resist. The devil overcame me. He overpowered me and made me do it.”

There is no question that the devil will tempt us. He will bring appealing temptations our way. However, there must be an interest on our part for those temptations to work.

As James tells us, “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14–15 NLT).

Satan will use different kinds of bait for different kinds of fish, so to speak. Here’s what we need to remember: It isn’t the bait that constitutes sin; it’s the bite. In other words, it is not a sin when we face temptation. It is only a sin when we give in to that temptation.

This is clearly what happened to Samson. And amazingly, Delilah didn’t try to hide what she was doing. She said, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely” (Judges 16:6 NLT).

That should have been the first sign that this wasn’t a healthy relationship. But Samson didn’t realize what was going on. That is the problem with sin. It’s intoxicating, and it brings us under its power. Therefore, we don’t think rationally.

Samson thought he could handle Delilah. He probably thought, “What is she going to do to me? I’m Samson.” He may have even believed that it was a game. Yet the Bible warns, “Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire?” (Proverbs 6:27 NLT).

This should have been a wake-up call for Samson. It should have shown him that he was on the wrong track. Meanwhile, Delilah was getting closer and closer to the secret of his strength.

Every Christian will be tempted. And if you’re being tempted, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it could indicate that you’re on the right track spiritually and that Satan is trying to take you down. The problem isn’t being tempted. The problem is giving in to it.

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