Sidestepping Samson’s Fate
- Jul 7, 2010 -
A popular physical ed teacher at a Tennessee elementary school lost his job after local officials discovered he was visiting pornographic Web sites–more than one hundred such Internet sites–on a school computer during school hours. The man, a trusted teacher for more than 20 years at the same school, was immediately dismissed.
No one is totally safe from a fascination with such deviant material. In his appeal to our depraved nature, Satan has discovered a breach in our armor; his attacks reach into living rooms, boardrooms, chat rooms, and even pastors’ studies across our nation. The Internet, cable television, and rise of the video culture have brought the ugly ware of the pornography industry into our homes and offices.
We need only look to God’s Word to see what happens when we fall prey to lust and pleasures of the flesh. Known for his tremendous strength, Samson was born a Nazirite; he was to live his whole life in service to God. Samson’s feats of strength are incredible and are a clear indication of God’s Spirit resting upon him (Judg. 14:6,19). Yet the Bible clearly says that Samson would only begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.
His downfall? Samson ignored the counsel of his father and most importantly, God, in marrying a pagan girl (14:2). Saying of the girl who was a Philistine, Samson the Israelite said, “She looks good to me” (14:3, NASB).’ Later Samson engaged in sexual relations with a harlot in Gaza (16:l). He sealed his fate when he was attracted to Delilah, another Philistine woman who betrayed him for eleven hundred pieces of silver.
While in the end, God’s plan came to pass, Samson was not part of it and he lost everything, including his life, because of his flirtation with things of the flesh.
The lessons we learn from Samson’s experiences are clear: the seduction of pornography lies in the fact that it is pleasurable to our eyes and our sinful nature. Succumbing to such devilish attraction brings disrepute and destruction to our lives. The proper response? When such temptation appears, we need to flee and trust in God’s power to deliver us.
Further Learning
Learn more about: Family, Sexual Purity, Pornography,