Invitation & Identity
God gives us experiential knowledge as we practice our gifts. He gives power that we might grow to be who He made us to be as we persist in pursuing Him.
“One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. Some time later, he fell in love with a woman…whose name was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head…When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines…After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him….he did not know that the Lord had left him…the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. While they were in high spirits…they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars…Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more…Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other…he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.”
Judges 16:1-30
What happens when you go to the wrong places, hang out with the wrong people, and are around the wrong patterns of living? You slowly give in to sin. Sin softens us. Temptation is a trap. Samson starts by visiting prostitutes then stays with Delilah despite her dark heart and devilish ways. She sells him out for silver, yet he stays around. If you read the full story you see that three times she betrayed him and her constant nagging slowly eroded his strength. Why would he stick around? Why would he keep staying with her?
The tragedy comes when Samson loses his strength. The shocking revelation is that Samson did not know God had left him. He thought to himself that he would just find a way out of the trouble like he had before but this time he was truly stuck in the trap. How did he end up in this tough spot? He pursued pleasure and put himself in the wrong places. He did not pursue his calling to be God's deliverer and before you he knew it he was physically blind. The truth is he had been blind for some time to the need to change the way he was living. He was blind to how sin was eroding his strength and how he had eased into the enemy's trap.
This is not just a Samson issue. It is so easy to get into new patterns and miss the presence of God. How often do you find your self busy, but not experiencing the power of God that comes when you believe? The gap between intimacy and absence is greater than we often realize. Not only was Samson not aware of the absence of God’s presence, but he had not been intentional about pursuing intimacy. Are you?
Never miss the source. Samson’s source of his strength was not his hair. His strength was God’s spirit. This truth is shown when as a blinded, humbled man he seeks God and receives the strength to do what he was made to do. Where does your strength come from? How are you creating space so that God can strengthen you? Before Samson lost his strength, he had lost his way. Jesus says stay rooted in me. He said remain in me and remember I am the way.
Samson prays a beautifully authentic prayer. He says Lord, remember our relationship and help me be who you made me to be. Samson remembers that it was God who made him, loves him, and made him for a purpose. You are made by God and have unique gifts. Samson was made to be a deliverer. He prays let me deliver as you made me to deliver and God gives him the strength to do what he was called to do when he calls on Him. Who are you made to be? You will receive strength as you live out your faith according to your identity in Christ.
“I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord…I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people”
Psalms 77:1-15
Just like Sampson, the psalmist found himself in a place of pain. He wonders when and how he will be delivered. The truth is he was unsure of where to start. This tends to be one of our challenges as well. We can find ourselves unsure of what the next step of faith is that will lead us on the right path. This is where performance thinking can come into play. We can think about what we have to do to get right with God. Often the enemy uses this against us and makes us feel bad for the pain we are in. Aseph wonders if the pain will ever end. Then he does the one thing that can restore all people to peace. Not their performance but awakening to God's presence.
He sought the Lord. He was intentional about his approach. The same word in this text for remember is the same word that Samson prayed. It means to actively recall the moments or person in the relationship. Remembering God's faithfulness will renew your strength. Something amazing happens when we seek God, surrender control, and stand on our relationship with Him. He shows up. He is always faithful. How could you incorporate remembering what God has done to help you build belief in what you are asking God to do?
“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path. Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways, for an adulterous woman is a deep pit”
Proverbs 23:17-19, 26-27
Following Jesus means being intentionally faithful in how you live. Solomon gives great advice, especially when you consider Samson. He says do not envy sinners. Envy is exactly what can entice us to leave the right road. Envy is everywhere in our world. It is celebrated, but very subtle. Consider every commercial or advertisement that tells you that you just need to have what others have. You need the new and the shiny. Envy entices us. It can make us say to Jesus I’ll be right back. I just need to check something out. Where have you been enticed by envy?
Solomon says apply your heart to instruction and ears to knowledge. What you seek you will find. The most important line in the text is the invitation. It is the invitation to give God your heart and learn to live a life that delights in Him. Have you given God your heart fully or are you one foot in and one foot out? Jesus is trustworthy, faithful, and worthy of your full devotion.
“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness…Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain…the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord…Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors…that he can gaze on their naked bodies! You will be filled with shame instead of glory.”
Habakkuk 2:4-16
It can be tempting to judge Samson. He was so foolish. We have seen many famous people including pastors fall from grace like Samson. How many people have allowed small temptations lead to trashing their lives and missing out on their true calling? Are we not just as susceptible to the same temptations? God calls out the people for pursuing greed and desiring darkness. In one of the most clear passages that speaks against porn, God says don’t gaze upon naked bodies or pursue lust. The desire to see people naked is an epidemic that particularly is harmful to men.
The prophet says the righteous will live by faithfulness and he warns against pride. He says that people will exhaust themselves for nothing but the glory of God will fill all the Earth. Have you ever found yourself exhausted at the end of the day and yet not feeling any sense of accomplishment? Did you use your gifts that day to glorify God or get more of what you thought you needed? The Bible says one day every knee will bow, the question is if our knees and our hearts will bow to Jesus today and be faithful to Him. Truth tells us that it is in practicing and pursuing faithfulness to Jesus that we find life.
“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness…so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires…make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins…make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble”
2 Peter 1:2-10
Samson had calling, gifting, and moments of faith. What he lacked was intentional, growing formation. Imagine what his life could have been life. He had the power of the Spirit of God on him and more strength than a thousand men. Why was he ever lounging around in lustful situations rather than leading his people to do great things for God? The bible says without vision people perish. Samson clearly lacked the vision of what it meant to be a godly leader and he listened to the lies of sin that seduced him into letting his gifts go to waste.
We do not have to make the same mistakes. We do not have to wait until we are fully in the fire to learn how to strengthen our faith. Peter gives us a sequence to follow to strengthen our faith so that we can see God glorified every day. This sequence matters especially in light of comparison with how Samson lived. What was the sequence? He says do your best to grow in faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and mutual affection. Imagine how different Samson's life would have been if he had practiced these. Consider imagining how different your life could be if you grew in them.
Peter says live in such a way that your invitation to participate in the kingdom, which is another way of saying your calling, is not just an identity but an identity that you intentionally exercise. He talks about knowledge and this word really means experiential knowledge. We are meant to see God's power at work in our lives. He wants to work in and through us. Peter says put into practice what you have learned and you will see God’s power at work in your life as you participate in bringing the kingdom each day. How could you put into practice your gifts?
Which of these characteristics of growing are easier for you and which of these are harder? Why? It’s amazing to see the connections and scripture, particularly when you consider how Samson was blinded not just by the people, but buy his own pride and carelessness. Let’s not follow the path of Samson, even though God redeemed him in the end. We do not need to wait until times of pain to turn to God. We can make a change and God will multiply whatever we offer Him.
Let us embrace the opportunity we have and the invitation to become who God made us to be. Peter says confirm your calling and election. These two words really mean you have a holy invitation and kingdom identity. You have been called by name and made to glorify God with how you live your life. You can make a difference in someone else’s life by serving Jesus. So remember the amazing grace of God, believe that you are gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit and go after you’re calling by giving God everything you have as He grows you day by day. Jesus says to you today my child, give me your heart and delight in my ways.