And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. Judges 16:16:17
This is one of the saddest negatives in the history of the people of Israel. A man bestowed with great power, which was given for the good of the nation, became careless with his life, and robbed the nation of the benefit intended. In this native, it is important to notice that she pressed him daily with her words. This means that Samson was living with her, and he shouldn't have. Then Samson told her all that was in his heart. This was a sad moment for Israel under the leadership of Samson. It was not just Samson's secret that was devolved, it was a nation's security that was compromised by him. Samson placed himself in the place where he had no business being in, and over time, devolved the secret of his strength, and betrayed the entire nation.
Sometimes a personal strength that is given us may not entirely be for our personal gain, but for a communal benefit, therefore, what we do with it will have an overflowing consequence on the entire community. In Samson, we see how a sin that besets a leader (it may be the head of a family, or nation, or church) can also beset the people that he leads. Truly, sin is a reproach to a nation, but often it comes from its leaders. Is leadership at any level committed to your trust? Mind how you conduct yourself because what happens to you can have a spill over effect on those that you lead.
Toni
