Articles
He Did Not Know that the Lord Had Departed
The story of Samson and Delilah is sordid. So many lies. So much deception and deceit. It’s like the parable of the unjust steward in that the spiritual lesson comes out of fleshly events. But one line from the biblical account seems sadder than all the rest.
You may think the Samson shared his secret with Delilah because he loved her, or because he trusted her. Or maybe you think he was stupid. I mean, three times in a row she asked him what the source of his strength was and three times she tried to rob him of his strength. What would you expect would happen the fourth time? Delilah annoyed Samson to death (Judges 16:16). So he gave in and told her the secret of His strength.
Some think Samson looked like a modern-day Mr. Universe; a body builder. But if Samson looked like that his strength would have been his own. Samson probably looked like any other man of his day. Samson’s strength came not from himself but from the Lord.
The saddest part of the story is when Samson awoke after having his head shaved. He went to break free of his bonds like all the times before only to find out that the Lord had departed from him. Samson didn’t even know it (Judges 16:20).
If the Lord departed from Samson without his knowing He can depart from us without our knowing. Is God with you today? Or has He departed? If you are far from God sin is the problem. Jesus is the cure.
