Quick Note – Judges 16:20 – The Entanglement of Sin

Judges 16:20 – And she said, “the Philistines are upon you, Samson!”  And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.”  But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

Addiction is not born at one time, but it is a bad habit that is built, because of many failings.  Whether it be to drugs, alcohol, pornography, television, shopping, gambling, etc., a person does not fall into this hole because of one incident, it is many occasions where one has given into the craving that leads to this imprisonment.  Sin, which encompasses many of these activities, is an addiction.  It begins with a little taste here, a little touch there, until finally, one is entrapped and cannot escape. 

Samson, one of the strongest men that ever lived, experienced this first-hand.  Samson was a mighty man selected by God from birth to be a judge and deliverer for Israel.  His job was not only to defeat the Philistines, who were oppressing Israel, but also to lead and guide them back to the LORD.  However, Samson had a tendency to fall into sexual sin.  Eventually, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who was paid by the Philistine leaders to seduce him, to determine where Samson got his strength, and to entrap him, so that they might capture him.  Judges 16 describes how Samson quickly fell into a hole.  The first time Delilah asked him about his strength, Samson lied to her and said that if he was tied with fresh bowstrings, he would lose his strength.  When she did that, he broke the strings and escaped.  The second time, Samson told her if he was tied with new ropes, he would lose his strength, and when she did that, he escaped again.  The third time, he told her if she weaved his hair and fastened it into a loom he would lose his strength, and once again, he escaped when she did that.  Finally, after constant pestering, she obtained her answer, when Samson told her that he was a Nazarite and if his hair was cut, he would lose his strength.  Being that he escaped three times before, although Samson likely knew that Delilah would cut his hair, he thought that he could escape again, which is why Judges 16:20 states, “And he awoke from his sleep and said, ‘I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.’”  However this time, he did not.  He fell into the trap, was captured by the Philistines, and even lost his two eyes.  Samson played with sin, and although he thought he would not get caught, the trap had sprung. 

Sin is the same with every Christian.  We may dabble in it, a little here and a little there, thinking that we will never fall into its trap.  When the consequences do not catch up to us right away, because of God’s mercy, we become a little bolder and dive deeper into it.  But as we keep entangling ourselves into its web, we, one day, find ourselves enslaved to what we were simply toying with before.  It is when we least expect it that the Devil devours us like a roaring lion.  Sin is tricky, deceptive, and dangerous like that.  Let us be careful to never take sin lightly.  We must never assume that we can shake ourselves free, for it is when we think we stand that we will fall.  Stay far away from sin that is the best way to avoid it. 

Proverbs 5:22 – The Entanglement of Sin

Proverbs 5:22 – “The iniquities of the wicked ensare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.”

I don’t know about you, but I am one of those people who enjoy eating frog legs.  I don’t really like them cooked in any old way, but when they are coated with some batter, mixed with salt and pepper, and fried, I cannot resist.  That dish is delicious!  But it is also pretty pricey.  This may be due to frogs being hard to catch but maybe it also has something to do with cooking it.  I have heard that when you cook a frog, you cannot just throw it into boiling hot water, because it will jump right back out.  Instead, you must place it in nice room temperature water in the pot and slowly bring the heat up to boil.  At room temperature, the frog will calmly settle into the water, and as you bring up the heat, the frog is not phased, because it is accustoming itself to each degree one by one.  Then finally, when the water is at boiling temp, the frog no longer stirs, for it slowly grew accustomed to its watery surroundings never realizing that it was being cooked alive.  It never knew it was being trapped until it was finally too late.

The sad truth is that many people are just like that frog when it comes to sin and addictions.  They say that they will only try the drug, take a sip of the alcohol, steal a peek at that bad movie or magazine, but as they take those small steps they are slowly being entangled by what they thought they had control of at the beginning.  Like a fly that puts just one foot on a web, they are fully trapped and entangled waiting to have their lives consumed by the predator.  The thing about sin is that it always seems okay at the beginning.  It always seems to be “controllable.”  That is the one reason why many people don’t realize that they are trapped until it is too late, and the sin has already become a bad habit/addiction.  Our passage, a proverb from Solomon, stated it best, “The iniquities of the wicked ensare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.”  Sin, although it may seem “freeing,” is actually an unanticipated captor that will spring its jaws on you when it is too late for you to run.  It promises fun, happiness, and fulfillment to all who take part in it, but all it gives in return is guilt, discontentment, and dependence.  Just look at how so many men, and even women, are slaves to pornography, so much so that they cannot even enjoy their marriage for they are glued to their fake fantasies on a computer screen as they slowly destroy their relationship with their spouses.  And it usually starts with just a click of a button.  Or take an example from those who get entangled in their lies, for their entanglement usually begins with just a “little white lie.”  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must never allow Satan to take even a small toehold onto our hearts, minds, and lives.  Satan tries to convince us that just a little bit of sin is okay, just a small step in that direction, a taste of that life is all we need, but in reality, he is just baiting a trap to capture all those unsuspecting Christians who will give him a slight chance.  Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to run the race that is set before us, and in doing so, we must put aside the “sin which doth so easily beset us.”  We are told to lay aside that sin because of its hindering effects to our growth as a Christian.  Not only does it hinder your purpose and ministry in life, but it also hinders your relationship with Christ, for God cannot dwell where sin is present.  It must be expunged, which is what Christ came to do.  If you as a Christian or even a non-Christian have fallen and are entangled in sin today, turn to Christ, for He, like a master key, will get you free from any addiction.  All you need to do is turn to Him in repentance, for He died to free you from sin.  If as a Christian, you are being tempted to sin, then remember its capturing properties and run.  Run away as fast as you can.  Don’t play with sin, for it’ll get you into a messy situation.