In this life I have discovered that everything that seems good to you, isn’t necessarily good for you. There are some things in this life that you may find yourself drawn to that which are not meant for your good. Even though they may seem enjoyable to you at the time, but in the end it could cause you ultimate destruction. I’ve learned that it does not matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what your stature is, no one is exempt from being caught up in compromising predicaments and some questionable circumstances.
As we examine this text, my mind ventured back to the late 1980’s where I’m reminded of a movie that had America and probably the rest of the world talking. This was a movie that changed the way we looked at both relationships and fidelity. This was a film that had married women daring their husbands to even think about being unfaithful. This was a film that had even the toughest, most masculine, manly men scared to even look at another woman.
It dealt with the danger, the act, and the consequences of becoming involved in an extra-marital affair. The movie was called Fatal Attraction. It explored just what can, and will often happen when a man or a woman decides to slip up and fall into another relationship.
Let me suggest to you, that likewise those of us, who are in the Household of Faith, if we’re not careful, we will have the proclivity, the tendencies, and the inclinations to end up in our own Spiritual Fatal Attraction. If we’re not careful, we can end up in the same predicament as the characters of our text.
Look at this, Samson illustrates to us a prime example of what can happen when we allow ourselves to be attracted to sin, he sows us the effects that a Fatal Attraction can have on our live. For James 1:15 emphatically informs us that when lust has been conceived, it gives birth to sin: and sin, when it is finshed or is fully-grown, it produces death. So this lets us know that the attraction to sin is is deadly and it fatal.
The word fatal is defined as something causing or capable of causing death. Something, (or someone) causing ruin or destruction. It comes from the Latin word fatum, which means deadly, and destructive.
In other words, something fatal is something that is deadly, disastrous, destructive, and lethal to you. And the word attraction is the act or capability of attracting, or the power of attracting. Something that attracts you, lures you, charms you, it fascinates you, appeals you, it tempts, it entices, and it calls you by your name.
One thing that we have to understand is that the devil is crafty. He’s smart when it comes to the flesh. You see; he knows what turns you on. He knows what makes you tick. He knows how to turn your head. And he’ll put it right in your face and say, here It is take it, you know you want it. He offers you a Fatal Attraction and there are times when we fall short that we let him lead us like a lamb, to the slaughter.
Now, remember this wasn’t Samson’s first encounter with a Fatal Attraction, it was only by the Grace of God that he made it through before, but this time it would be fatal.
I said that simply to say this. We’ve got to stop letting the devil play us like puppets whenever he gets ready. We’ve got to stop falling for the same old tricks everytime.
We’ve got to stop giving in to the same old desires. We’ve got to stop cheating on God. We say we love the Lord, and we’re going to keep His commandments, but yet we’re having an affair on him. you might ask how is that pastor? Well, everytime we go against His Word, and operate out of His Will, we are having an affair with a Fatal Attraction, and that Fatal Attraction is sin.
And the bad part about it is that there are some conditions. There are some consequences. There are some situations. That will eventually manifest themselves as a result of our Fatal Attraction into sin and it will take you…
I. Farther than you wanted to go (v 4-17)
Now it seems to me, that in view of everything that Samson had been through in his previous relationships, he would have learned to leave well enough alone. After some of the things that we have been through, it seems like to me that we shouldn’t go back down the same alley again.
After experiencing two bad relationships, you think he would have been careful in his dealings with Delilah. But when you have your nose wide open. And you are attracted, allured, and enticed by something; you’ll do whatever it takes to get it. The text clearly shows us that Samson was willing to go all the way to be with Delilah. He was willing to do whatever it took to have her.
He was so captivated by her that he gave up his secrets to his strength. Many times in life, we become so attracted to something, that we’re willing to forfeit the very things that God Himself has given us as our powerful weapon against sin.
I’m sure Samson’s original thoughts was not to give Delilah his secret, but that’s what happens when we get enticed, and ensnared into sin. We become involved in that ‘fish on a hook syndrome. When a fish goes to nibble on your line, his intention is to eat your bait. But oftentimes what happens is that when he nibbles at the bait, it gets so good to him that he takes the whole bait and the hook catches him in his mouth and when he tries to get away it pulls on the line is when the hook digs in to allow the angler to pull in his catch. And many of us have been reeled in because we took some nibbles.
You see, Delilah had the right bait (her beauty). And all she had to do was to
cast her line, and she was able to hook Samson and take him farther than he wanted to go.
He tried to just hang around the outskirts of sin by just being with her. But she was able to hook him, and reel him just to get the secret behind his strength.
And that’s just what the enemy does, he’s able to reel us in and take us farther than we want to go. How you might ask, well I’m glad you asked. The devil He knows how to hit you right that very area you claim to be strong in. If you’re a strong family man who loves his wife and children, he knows how to send of Gomer your way.
If you’re diligent in the area of finances, he knows how to mess with your spending habits. My Sisters the minute you decide you’re going to commit yourself to the Lord, and wait for Him to give you a mate, that fine brother is going to walk into your life, trying to wine and dine you.
That’s what Delilah did, she didn’t hold back, she play her poker hand and she was all in, she got right to the point. Just like the devil, when he gets us within his reach, he’s not going to waste any time trying getting hold of us. His job is to kill, steal, and destroy, and he will do it, by all means necessary.
My grandmother used to have an old saying, she would always tell us, "Be careful when you play with fire, because you just might get burned. If you play with a dog too long, he will lick you in the mouth. We must be careful when we play with the enemy. When we hang out with the enemy, when we dancing with the devil in the moonlight, we might not plan to go all the way, but if you’re not careful, the Fatal Attraction of sin will take us farther than you wanted to go.
If you keep on reading, you will discover that Samson lied about the source of his strength 3 times. He tried to deceive a deceiver. He tried to beat Delilah at her own game. Likewise many times we go too far with the enemy and when we try to beat him at his own game.
Unfortunately, what Samson failed to realize is that every time he lied to her, he was in actually leading her closer to the truth of his strength. When we play a game of mental Russian Roulette with the enemy, we’re really exposing our true self, and our true weakness to him. And we end up going farther than we wanted to go.
In verse16, Samson finally reached the point of no return, she bugged him so that Samson goes all the way, and he tells Delilah the secret of his strength. If we are not careful, we will expose ourselves to the enemy and allow him to rule, reign, and wreak havoc in our lives.
Secondly, sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay. In veres 18-21, When Delilah finally learned how to take advantage of Samson, she did what it took to put him at a disadvantage. That’s what we get when the enemy gets you involved in sin, he’ll do what it takes to keep you bound in that sinful situation.
He’ll do what it takes to keep you down.
He’ll do what it takes to keep you bounded.
He’ll do what it takes to keep you in the trenches of torment (So that you can’t praise God, worship God and be an overcomer.
You see, before Samson told his secret, he always had a plan of attack. He had a way to escape. He had the ability to overcome. But he forfeited the power of God by exposing his secret of his hair. He gave his enemies the ammunition that they needed to defeat him. Many times in life, we allow the enemy not only to take us into sin, but he also to keep us enslaved, entangled, and entrapped in it, because we forfeit the Power of God. Not only are we relinquishing our covenant with God, but we become also confined, incarcerated and en-prisoned by the attractions laid before you.
That’s what the enemy does to us: He blinds us, which causes us to take our eyes off of Jesus and to lose sight of where we are going. He binds us, which holds us in the captivity of his will and our own dependence on him. Then as a result, we take on the mentality of a prisoner. The fatal attraction of sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay.
Finally the fatal attraction will cost you more than you are willing to pay. (v 30)
In verse 23, we find out that Samson has to endure the high cost of humiliation that came from the Philistines that he had agonized, torture and torment. The Bible says that they offered a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, and rejoiced because he had delivered their enemy Samson into their hands.
They rejoiced in the fact that they had overtaken Samson and brought him into captivity. Once the enemy has you in captivity, he can relax. He can let his hair down, and He can begin to rejoice. That’s why it seems that those who are not lining up with the Word aren’t really going through anything. Because the enemy already has them in captivity and all he has to do is maintain a certain level of control.
They called for Samson to come and perform for them. They called him to come and make a fool of him-self for them. They called to make a mockery of what he had once been. He was once a pillar of strength. A force to be reckoned with. He once stood as a symbol of strength in the army of the Lord, but now he was so consumed by this Fatal Attraction to sin, which whine up costing him more than he was willing to pay.
And as our text concludes, we find that indeed Samson’s Fatal Attraction winds up costing him more than he was willing to pay. He ends up paying the ultimate price, because he ends up paying with his life.
Now I must admit that the first time I read this story, I thought it had a sad ending to it, but then I was reminded of what Paul said over in Romans 8:28, that all things work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
And if memory serves me correctly, Samson’s original destiny was to deliverer of the children of Israel from the hands of the Philistines, and even though he allowed the Fatal Attraction of sin to take him farther than he wanted to go.
Even though, he allowed the Fatal Attraction of sin to keep him longer than he wanted to stay. Although he allowed the Fatal Attraction of sin to cost him pay more than he was willing to pay, aren’t you glad that God’s will, will always be done? Aren’t you glad that God’s plan and purpose will always come to pass? Even though Samson had to lose his life, He still destroyed the Philistines. In fact he destroyed more at his death, than he did when he was alive. But the best part about it, is that the children of Israel were still delivered from hands of their enemies.
And because of that, I can sing:
"I’m free, praise the Lord, I’m free,
No longer bound, No more chains holding me,
My soul is resting, It’s just a blessing,
Praise the Lord, Hallelujah, I’m Free.
