And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And he awoke from his sleep and said, I will go out as other times and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out hsi eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. Judges 16: 20-21
Samson was a man known for great strength but he was also a man of great arrogance. His life story only spans three chapters of the book of Judges (13-16) and in these chapters, we see that doing what is right in our own eyes can be costly.
The first mention of Samson doing what was right in his own eyes comes in Judges 14:3, Samson has seen a woman he wants to marry, and while she is from a different culture and was forbidden, because of his heritage. Samson still moves forward in his pursuit of her based solely on her appearance. On his journey to “take her” as scripture says, he kills a lion and some days later there is honey in its carcass, something sweet, he indulges in this treat even though doing so requires him to touch a dead body. This act may seem to have little significance but it acted in direct opposition to the Nazirite calling he had been given (Judges 13:5). Samson goes on to murder, commit adultery, and other sins, all because he gave into what looked good to him.
In the end, Samson dies bound and blinded by the Philistines, a people he was born to defeat. Many of us are following in his footsteps, easily distracted and lured away by what looks right in our own eyes, blindly walking in arrogance. The only way we can prevent this sort of lifestyle is by dethroning ourselves as kings and queens of our own lives and crowning Jesus as king instead. This requires us to live in submission to Him and to trust His heart for us and all of His decisions.
I don’t want to be blinded by my own arrogance, so caught up in my own will that I miss the opportunity to be a part of His. So my prayer in this season has been “Open the eyes of my heart Lord so I can see that which you have for me.” I don’t want to fall victim to deception. Instead, I want to do those things which are beneficial and constructive. I know everything in this life is not exactly as it appears to be so I ask that God would reveal His truth to me.
I want to live out each of the days God has predestined in the way He ordained for me to live that things may go well for me as they do for all obedient children.
Father,
Help us to pursue your will out of our love for you instead of pursuing our will for ourselves out of our own arrogance. Help us not to be bound by our own sins. Help us to not be blinded by our own worldly affections. Instead help us to daily crown Jesus Christ as our King, giving him full reign to make decisions in our life that would bring You glory. Help us to view you as trustworthy, noble, and the source of our everything. We love you and worship you Oh God. Not just in word but in action and in deed. We bless your name, God.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Reflection Question: What things have you been blind to in this season? What is keeping you bound right now?