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If you grew up going to Sunday school, you’re probably familiar with the story of Samson and Delilah. Dedicated to God before his birth, Samson was a strong man and a judge of Israel. He killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. But he was betrayed by Delilah, the woman he loved. His strength was destroyed and the Philistines captured him. They blinded him and chained him to work like an animal. But his strength came back and he killed 3000 Philistines with his final feat of strength.

That’s pretty much the Sunday school version, but there’s much more to the story. As adults, we need to look at the story in Judges 13-16 and reevaluate Samson’s and Delilah’s roles in the tragedy. If we do, we will see two powerful truths: Samson prostituted his purpose in life long before Delilah betrayed him, and her betrayal of him was only made possible by Samson’s betrayal of God.

Samson started his judgeship with an unbelieving wife from among the Philistines. In light of Judges 14:4, we might be inclined to excuse it as simply being God’s will if not for the events that transpired later. (However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Judges 14:4) Because Samson had already developed a weakness for forbidden women, God used it to bring about the “occasion against the Philistines.” Had Samson been determined to look for a wife from among his own people, God would have used some other event to bring Samson’s strength to bear against the Philistines.

But Samson didn’t desire a godly wife. And after his Philistine wife was murdered, he avenged himself on the Philistines.

Though Samson judged Israel for twenty years, the book of Judges doesn’t report on most of that time. It does, however, tell of three separate acts of treachery. And the fact that all of them are related to women is significant, especially since Samson shouldn’t have been with any of them. The three acts are his Philistine wife’s betrayal of the secret of his riddle, the Philistine’s attempt to capture him while he is with the harlot in Gaza, and, of course, the well known betrayal by Delilah. Woven through the stories of his feats of strength, his exploits with women certainly indicate that sexual purity wasn’t high on his list of priorities! All the work he did for God was tainted by his disobedience.

Samson was obviously a powerful protector of Israel, or the Philistines wouldn’t have still been seeking to kill him after twenty years. But he held back from God that one thing – sexual purity. When he took up with Delilah, the Philistines quickly approached her because his weakness for women was well known in the enemy’s camp. Samson thumbed his nose at God’s commandments for marital relationships, and Satan used that vice to bring about his downfall.

We are all like Samson in that we have weakness – a sinful desire that speaks powerfully to us. It may be sex, as Samson’s was, or it may be drugs, alcohol, a violent temper, or some other “biggie” sin. But it can also be more “innocent” things – money, TV, computers, fast cars, surfing. The Delilah you create is whatever you desire enough that you thumb your nose at one or more of God’s commands so that you can have it.

The good news is that Jesus’ sacrifice already destroyed the power of sin. By accepting His sacrifice and relying on the power of His blood, we can send Delilah packing. But we have to be able to identify her first. Will you recognize her after she betrays you with seven fresh cords, or will you only “see” her with your eyes gouged out?

If you’re having a hard time staying devoted to God, look for Delilah! She’s clever, and well paid by Satan, so she will persist until she convinces you to trust her. But God will help you recognize your Delilah for who she really is. And then He will help you break free of her power – before she saps you of your strength in the Spirit.