On October 26, 1996, I vowed and said "I do" to Cherie VanCleave. What if I agreed to keep every one of those vows for 364 days a year and break them on one day of the year? On that day, I would slip my ring off and have a sexual fling. That would be preposterous! This action would negate my vows and belittle my union with my wife.
Today, a man's word means very little. We live in a culture where a "yes" or "no" is rescinded without a second thought. The ol' handshake that once bound a business deal is now almost pointless. Attorneys are hired to find loopholes in written contracts. A vow is as useless as glasses on a blind man or a one-legged NFL kicker. Well, you get my point! Today, we will see Samson break not one, but all of his vows; we can conclude that they meant nothing to him.
Before Samson was conceived, God assigned vows to both him and his mom, specifically the Nazirite vow (
Judges 13:7).
Numbers chapter 6 details the requirements of this Nazirite vow: No alcohol, no touching dead bodies, no eating anything unclean; as a matter of fact, Samson was not even to go near these things. As Mark Atteberry said in his book,
The Samson Syndrome, "they were to stay away from things that were
unwise (strong drink),
unclean (dead bodies), and
unnecessary (the cutting of hair)."
Samson breaks his first vow by being in the wrong place, the vineyard (
14:5). What is in a vineyard that he was to not go near? You got it, GRAPES! Samson touches an unclean animal and takes unclean honey from it (
v. 9). This broke his commitment to not touch a dead body nor consume unclean food. How can dipping a little honey be so wrong? But God did not seem to respond at that moment. Since God didn't respond, does that mean it wasn't evil? No, it was sin! God is longsuffering; remember, at this very time in Scripture, God has subjugated the Israelites to their enemies for 40 years so they will repent.
Samson continues to compromise and break his vows by consuming alcohol at his wedding party (
14:10). He is likely heavily inebriated when he propounds a riddle and gambles with his guests, resulting in the murder of thirty men. As a former alcoholic, I can assure you that little good, if any, comes from the consumption of alcohol. Samson is in at least three inappropriate relationships that defied his vow to the Lord. He should not have married the Philistine, hiring a prostitute was a bad idea, and eventually, his affairs with Delilah would be his ruin.
Many Christians today defile themselves just to enjoy a little honey in the carcass of a lion—perhaps indulging in too much alcohol, watching a popular movie with sexually charged scenes, or flirting in a questionable friendship. Disobedience is always sin!
Psalm 119:2 says that happiness is found in obedience to God and promised to those who search for Him with all their hearts.
Faithfulness is the antithesis of compromise; it is the mark of a successful Christian. Faithfulness is not derived from faith exercised by a Christian, nor is it a gift of the Spirit; it is rather the fruit of the Spirit (
Galatians 5:16). Faithfulness is produced by the Holy Spirit in a
yielded Christian heart. When one abides in Christ and his desire is God, he will bear fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. The Spirit resides in us that He may work through us. Getting right begins in the heart; it is an inside-out process.
Proverbs 4:23 says,
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do."
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