02
The Subtle Trap of Compromise
John DangananJudges 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 what the LORD had left him"
This has to be for me one of the top 10 most tragic verses in the bible. The tragedy of Samson is that through a series of compromises, he disqualified himself as God removed his presence and anointing on him. The divine call of God was undeniable in Samson’s life from his miraculous birth from a barren mother to his consecrated upbringing in the Nazarite vow. In fact it is said of his life, “And the young man grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir in him.” (Judges 13:24-25). From the womb the Spirit of God was upon him. Yet through gradual and incremental compromises “the Lord had left him”. The subtle trap of compromise is that it first appears innocent, harmless and inconsequential but it suddenly leads to destruction. Proverbs 24 says, "A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like a robber.” It started small from eating unclean honey, then breaking the boundary of marriage—all of a sudden his eyes are gouged out as a slave. He took God’s anointing for granted and continued compromising until God’s presence eventually abandoned him.
