A Hero With Dirty Linen

A Hero With Dirty Linen


That was Samson—larger than life, a he-man with a she-weakness. He should have been a godly man … but he wasn’t.

Silver Spoons

There are five great advantages Samson had as he stepped onto the stage of human history:

1 — His birth was announced by the angel of the Lord.

2 — His mission in life was declared by God before he was born.

3 — He was raised by godly parents.

4 — He was blessed by God as a young man.

5 — He was empowered by the Holy Spirit.

No man ever had so much going for him. Compare Samson to the other great heroes of the Bible.

That only leaves one question: Where did Samson go wrong? Fortunately, so tat we will be careful t avoid destruction by the enemy. We don’t have to wonder about the answer. Judges 14 unfolds the tragic story of how a man who had it all let it all get away from him.

In particular, it reveals to us his seven great mistakes.

1. He Went to The Wrong Place 1

The decline in Samson’s spiritual life was imminent , he leaves the land of Israel for the land of the Philistines. To put it bluntly, Samson left his friends to visit his enemies.

By going to Timnah, home of his sworn enemies, Samson is indeed “going down.”

2. He Was Looking For The Wrong Thing

“Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman.” (1) When he returned home, he told his parents, “I have seen a Philistine woman.” (2) After his father objects, he says, “Go get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” (3) Literally, the phrase in verse 3 reads, “She is right in my eyes.”

He is a man motivated purely by physical appearance.

Samson thought he was free, but he wasn’t. He was in bondage to his own uncontrolled emotions. Strangely enough, the truly free man is not the man who does whatever he wants. The truly free man is the man who has dared to let the truth hurt him and in the process of being hurt, he has been set free.

Samson was looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing for the wrong reason. In life, you get what you pay for and Samson is investing in all the wrong places.

3. He Rejected Godly Counsel

4. He Continued A Wrong Relationship

5. He Played Fast And Loose With His Spiritual Commitment 6-10

6. He Couldn’t Bear To Hear The Truth

7. He Couldn’t Face Up To His Own Stupidity



Samson was Empowered But Not Controlled

We hear the truth … we know the truth … but we deflect the truth so it never gets close enough to hurt. Therefore, we are not set free.

And that’s why …

We’re still angry

We’re still stubborn

We’re still bitter

We’re still greedy

We’re still arrogant

We’re still filled with lust

We’re still self-willed

We’re still unkind

We refuse to let the truth hurt us!

Are You Willing To Let The Truth Hurt You?