Darlene Sorensen sang a special song in the morning service. The Youth Choir sang in the evening. Pastor Bob Sorensen brought a message from Judges 16:15-22, “Getting your haircut in the wrong barber shop!”
There is no doubt that Samson was a man of great strength and promise. His exploits enabled him to break the hold of the Philistines over Israel. When the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson he was given supernatural strength. As long as he kept the Nazarite vows not to cut his hair, he was given this amazing strength. But Samson dabbled in sin, broke his vows, lost his strength and did not even know that his strength had failed. Delilah persisted in asking him to tell her the secret of his great strength, and finally he did. When Samson’s hair was shaved off his head, the Spirit of the Lord did not come upon him. He was not able to fight the Philistines this time. They captured him, his eyes were put out, and he was made to grind in the prison house.
Samson’s sin cost him more than his strength, it cost him his name. He might have gone down in history with a reputation for honor and wisdom instead of shame. A young man grows up in with the name handed down to him from his father. If his father has been a man of honor with a reputation for honesty and hard work, the son benefits from the good name. If the father has a reputation for dishonesty and laziness the son will have a harder time making a name for himself.
Samson’s sin cost him his eyes. Sin blinds those who dabble in it. Instead of seeing sin for what it is, a person may say, “I don’t see anything wrong with what I am doing.” They may not realize that the Lord has departed out of their lives and they have missed the warning signs.
Samson’s sin cost him his family. Sin will drive a wedge between you and your family. Sin will destroy you and your family if you continue to dabble in it. The little sin grows until it can become like a strong fetter you can not break. People may say, “I can stop when I want to.” But they may find out that they can not and sin brings judgment. God is not mocked, you will reap what you sow.
Samson’s sin cost him his life. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Many a life has been cut short because of sin. We have a free will and God will let us choose our life, but remember that with sin there is a day of reckoning and it may be sooner than you think.
Are you tired of sin? Now is the time to change. Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Isaiah 1:18 says, ”Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like like crimson, they shall be as wool.
