A FATAL ATTRACTION!
JUDGES 16 (v 4-5,16-20,30)
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 are not meant for your good… Even though they may seem enjoyable to you at the time, they may, in the end cause you ultimate destruction…! Furthermore, it does not matter who you are... What your stature is... For no one is exempt from being caught up in compromising predicaments and questionable circumstances...!
As I examine this text, my mind travels back to the late 1980’s and I’m reminded of a movie that had all of America (and probably the rest of the world too) talking… This was a movie that changed the way in which 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 women…!
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 oftentimes does happen when a man decides to slip and dip and shake his_______ with another woman…! (We all know the story…)
Let me suggest to you beloved, that likewise those of us, who are in the Household of Faith, if we’re not careful, can have the proclivity to end up in our own Spiritual Fatal Attraction…! If we’re not careful, we can end up in the same predicament as the central character of our text… For Samson illustrates to us, a prime example of what can happen when we allow ourselves to be attracted to sin, and the effects this Fatal Attraction can have on our lives…! For James 1:15 emphatically informs us that “when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin... When it is full-grown... Produces death...!” So this lets us know that the attraction to sin is one that is deadly... It is one that is 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, destructive…
In other words, something fatal is something that is deadly, disastrous, destructive, and/or lethal to you…! And subsequently, the word attraction is the act or capability of attracting. The power or quality of attracting… Something that attracts you, allures you… It charms you, It fascinates, It appeals, It tempts, It entices, and it calls you…! (Examples: food, clothes, cars, sin...)
One thing that we have to understand is that the devil ain’t no fool… He ain’t no fool when it comes to the flesh… You see; he knows what turns you on…. He knows what makes you tick… He knows how to get your goat…. And he’ll put it right there in your face and say, “Here…! Go on and take it… you know you want it….!” He offers you a Fatal Attraction…! And we’re so gullible, that we’ll let him lead us like a lamb to slaughter… Many times over and over again…!
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 suckers whenever he gets ready…. We’ve got to stop falling for the same ole thing...
We’ve got to stop giving in to the same ole 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…! Every time 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 inevitably manifest themselves as a result of our Fatal Attraction to sin... 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 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’re 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 he secret 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…! I’m quite sure Samson’s original intent was not to give Delilah his secret, but that’s what happens when we get enticed, and lured into sin…! We become involved in that ‘fish on a hook syndrome…’
(Panama Trip) 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, the hook catches in his mouth and when he tries to get away it pulls on your line letting you know that you a have bite… Then you are able to grab the pole, and reel him in…!
You see, Delilah had the right bait (her beauty)… And all she had to do was 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 in 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? I’m glad you asked)… I said before, the devil is not stupid, he knows how to get your goat… 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…! 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 any punches with Samson, she got right to the point (look @ v6)…
Likewise, when the devil gets you within his reach, he’s not going to waste any time getting hold of you… He job is to kill, steal, and destroy and in fact, and he’ll do it ... “By any 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 just might lick you in the mouth…" Be careful when you start playing with the enemy… When you start hanging with the enemy… When you start dancing with the devil in the moonlight…. You may not plan to go all the way, but if you’re not careful, the Fatal Attraction of sin will take you 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...(vs. 7,11,13). He tried to deceive a deceiver… He tried to beat Delilah at her own game… Likewise, we go too far with the enemy 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 actuality 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... Our true weakness to him... And we end up going farther than we wanted to go...!
(v16) Samson finally reached the point of no return... She bugged him so... (That’s what the enemy does bug and oppress until you give up...) It was time to put up or shut up...
The devil wants to lead you to the point of no return... He wants to cause you to just fold and give up... He wants to cause you to put up or shut up... (Examples) The ways of the world... Other people...
Samson goes all the way... He tells Delilah the secret of his strength (explain).... If we’re not careful, we too will give the enemy the secret to our strength (explain)...
We too will expose ourselves to the enemy and allow him to rule, reign, and wreak havoc in our lives... And that’s what the Fatal Attraction of sin will do... It will wind up Taking You Farther Than You Wanted To Go…!
II. KEEP YOU LONGER THAN YOU WANTED TO STAY! (v 18-21)
When Delilah finally learned how to take advantage of and overcome Samson, she did what it took to put him at a dis-advantage (explain)…! Likewise, 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 in the muck and the mire of mediocrity… He’ll do what it takes to keep you in the annals of adversity… He’ll do what it takes to keep you in the trenches and trenches of torment (So you can’t Praise... Worship... Overcome)…
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…(explain the meaning of the hair). He gave the opposition the advantage needed to defeat him…! Many times in life, we allow the enemy not only to take us farther into sin, but also to keep us enslaved, entangled, and entrapped in it... Because we forfeit the Power of God…!
The problem is not only are we relinquishing our covenant with God, but we become also confined to and incarcerated by our prison-like mentality... Whereby the enemy can take full advantage of us and our situation...! (v 21)
That’s what the enemy does to us: He blinds us… (Which causes us to take our eyes off of Jesus and 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 grinder… A prisoner...! (Whereby we become enslaved by him to do his work and his will...) The Fatal Attraction of Sin Will Keep You Longer Than You Wanted To Stay…!
III. COST YOU MORE THAN YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY! (v 30)
Not only will the Fatal Attraction to sin take you farther than you’re willing to go, not only will it keep you longer than you’re willing to stay, but tragically more than likely, the Fatal Attraction of sin will ultimately Cost You More Than You’re Willing To Pay…!
As we continue in verse 23, we find out that Samson has to endure the high cost of humiliation that comes from the Philistines (Agony.... Torture... 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…"
Their hearts were merry as 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… 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… All he has to do is maintain a certain level of dominance over them… All he has to do is maintain a certain price over your head… A bounty if you will… And he’ll keep you in position where your freedom will cost you more than you are willing to pay…!
They called for Samson to come and perform for them… Come and make a fool of himself for them… Come and make a mockery of what he had once been… 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 because he was so consumed by this Fatal Attraction to sin, it wound 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... For we find that he winds up paying the ultimate price… Verse 30 lets us know that 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… "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… Even though 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, then 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…!
Aren’t you glad that even though the enemy sucks us up and reels us in with the Fatal Attraction of sin… Although the enemy is able to take us farther than we want to go… Although the enemy keeps us longer than he wanted to stay… Although the enemy costs us more than we’re willing to pay… Aren’t you glad that "All things…"(Not some, several, or just a few)… "All things work together for the good..."
Samson had to die so that "the good" could come for the children of Israel… Likewise sometimes your flesh has to die (your will, your desires…) So that "the good" can come out of whatever circumstances you’re going through…! So that God can get the Glory...!
I’m also reminded... That God’s original destiny for all mankind was for us to reign, rule, and have dominion over the earth… But one day in the midst of The Garden, the serpent was able to entice Adam and Eve with a Fatal Attraction to sin… And thereby separate and isolate their relationship with The Master…
But I’m so glad that "All Things…" The evidence of this is found in the fact that God sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus… One who was without sin... To stand in the place of a sinful world… In spite of all that they did to Jesus (explain)… "All things…!" Even though they buried Him in the tomb, "All things…!"
Even though He hung, bled and died... And rose on the third day...! So that we could be delivered from the Fatal Attraction of sin…! 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…!
