Judges 16:18-20 ( NKJV ) 18When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. 19Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.
Out study of Israel and their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land has led us to the borders of Canaan. God instructed them to possess the land. This meant they had to drive out the current inhabitants and occupy the land themselves. This week we have been focusing in why they had to drive out all the Canaanites.
The Lord instructed Israel to make sure that there were no Canaanites left in the land they were to possess. If they left any of the Canaanite system in Israel’s territory, it would cause them to compromise. Compromise would lead them to sin and sin would keep the Lord from blessing them fully. It would also hinder to do will of God. The same is true if we allow compromise in our lives as Christians.
It is possible to serve God with compromise is your life. Israel did it in the Promised Land. They never did drive out all the inhabitants yet they finally produced the Messiah. They were blessed of God at times; however, the compromise they left in the land caused them endless problems. It finally resulted in the splitting of the nation into to two parts with only the southern half serving God. This led to captivity and more bondage.
You can be a Christian and allow compromise in your life. Most Christians do, but we must ask the question, “at what cost?” Compromise exposes you to the risk of sin. We need to see sin for what it is; a dangerous toxin that can destroy us. (Romans 6:23) Why expose yourself and your family to something so destructive? It is simply not worth the risk.
Sometimes we seem to get away with allowing compromise. We may not see the bad affects; however, I have found that if it does not affect the person it will often manifest in their children. I refuse to take that chance. Compromise will affect your witness. Jesus said we are to be salt and light to the world. How can we “flavor” or “enlighten” those around us if we are compromised. Jesus said salt that is no longer salty is worthless. If we allow enough compromise in our lives, we risk becoming worthless to the Kingdom of God.
Sometimes we think our compromise is hidden. No one else knows about it so we are not affecting anyone else. This is a dangerous idea. We must remember that we are not just flesh. We are spirit, soul and body. Compromise always affects us in one of those areas. If we do not see its affects outwardly, we can rest assured that we will see them inwardly.
Compromise affects our soul by stealing our peace and joy. We do not feel the presence of God the way we should. It can even lead to hardness and cynicism that can eventually bring real destruction. Compromise affects our spirit by weakening our faith and sense of righteousness. 1 John 1:9 contains a wonderful promise but also a warning.
1 John 1:9 ( NKJV ) 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Thank God for the promise of forgiveness and restoration in this verse. However, if our righteousness were not affected by sin we would not need to be cleansed of unrighteousness. When we allow sin, we compromise our right standing with God. This does not mean we are no longer his children. It does mean we are cut off from the sense of that relationship and we are living outside of it.
When my children chose to disobey me, and they occasionally did, they were still my children. However, they could not comfortably come into my presence. They could not partake of the benefits of our relationship. If a child’s bad behavior persists long enough and is bad enough, they will no longer feel welcome in their parents’ home. They will live outside of its protection and comfort. That is what happens with us when we allow compromise to lead us to sin.
The story of Samson is a clear example of how compromise can lead to sin and destruction. Samson is in the great hall of fame of faith in Hebrews 11. I must concede from his inclusion that he did something worthy before the Lord. Having given Samson his due, I want to point out the darker side to this story.
Samson lived a life of compromise. He was strong because of a vow called the “Nazarite vow.” This vow required certain behavior. The most important in the story of Samson was the requirement that he never cut his hair. As you follow the narrative of his life, you will find that he continually did things that were not quite godly.
Samson went places he should not go. He spent time with people he should not have. He ate and drank things that were not right for him. We see a pattern of attraction to women that were outside of God’s requirements for Israel.
When he wanted to marry a woman from the nation of the Philistines, his parents asked him to reconsider. They knew that God had labeled such unions as compromise. However, Samson was used to getting his own way. He did not care what his parents wanted, he wanted what he wanted and that was the end of it.
His spirit of compromise caused problems in his own wedding plans. He ended up killing people that really had done him no wrong. His compromise brought danger on his people. Samson did deliver them from the wrath of the Philistines, but it was wrath his compromise had brought upon them.
Samson displays one compromised attitude after another. He causes many problems for himself, his family and his nation. The one thing he never did was cut his hair. Because he did not cross that line, the anointing of God was always there to strengthen him when he needed it. However, he continually stayed too close to that line. It was only a matter of time until the devil pushed him over it.
The story of Samson and Delilah is very famous. She is the scheming foreign woman who cut Samson’s hair and robbed him of his strength. Today’s verses are very telling. Samson got up thinking that this time was like all the other times he had compromised, but it was not. Compromise had taken him so close to the line that he finally crossed it. He did not cut his hair, but he put himself in such a compromised situation that the devil had easy access to him.
Samson’s condition was not Delilah’s fault. It was not the Philistines fault. It was Samson’s fault. If he had not cultivated a compromised lifestyle, he would not have been with Delilah. If he had obeyed all the commandments of his vow, he would have never been with that kind of woman in that place. His compromise led him to sin and sin led him to destruction.
I do not want to end up like Samson. He did some great things, but compromise wrote the final chapter of his life story. Do not let compromise write the ending to your story.
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