Samson, Samson, Samson!

Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
Judges 16:1‭-‬2 KJV

On the 23rd of June we mistakenly attributed to Delilah the story of Samson’s first Philistine wife. A faithful reader pointed it out to me. Please note that Samson was a lady’s man. That woman is different from Delilah and the harlot we are dealing with now. Why would a man so anointed like Samson have a character flaw of immorality? What underlies such a question is the assumption that anointing can preserve your holiness. It won’t. Anointing is God’s enabling for the miraculous. Holiness is personal act, which is ” to be separated from the world of sin, darkness, and the devil by faith in the Lord Jesus (Acts 26.18)”. Samson had power as a Judge, but was not separated from sin and the flesh. That’s why he ended tragically. You don’t go to sleep with harlots because you’re anointed. Character may sound old fashioned, but without it no one will make it to the presence of the Lord. Someone says, ” Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing”. Our character is shaped by the choices we make every day. In a space of two chapters, Samson is already into the second woman. Later, the mistress of them all will lead to his death. What does your character say about you?