DELILAH’S LAP

He never intended for it to happen. It snuck up on him. He was just living life. He was just biding his time until, hopefully, some painless innocuous happening would compel him out of his mediocrity. Surely something would take place to shake him, to draw him back from the valley of complacency and back onto the mountain peaks of fervent spirituality.

The days seemed to pass more and more quickly with no resolution to his dilemma. His intense desire became a passive preference. His ability slipped gradually from the exceptional to the unremarkable to the ineffective. He seemed to be dying one day, one missed opportunity one ignored chance at a time. He finally stopped living altogether and was content to just exist.

His languor unduly affected those around him. They too became sullen, lethargic, complacent. Talent that once raised the bar high and challenged the potential of others, now languished too comfortably in feather beds of the familiar. It seemed the whole world was content to lay down and die without protest.

They had all been victimized by Delilah’s Lap.

Judg 16:16 “And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;”

“Come and rest here,”

she would urge him.

“You’ve worked too hard for too long to continue on without relaxing for a while.”

“Come, let me stroke your ego and remind you of past accomplishments and the

energy expended to make them happen.”

“Let me whisper smooth things into your ear that will convince you that you’ve done enough to last a lifetime.”

“Let me caress your weary soul in the luxurious comfort of my lap.”

“Let me help you escape the terrible chore of living. “Come, let me help you sleep.”

And so it is that yet another strapping Samson yields his massive strength to the subtle overtures of a sensuous, smooth talking seductress. His carnal cravings compromised his spiritual calling. If only he’d been more alert, more astute. But alas, his conscience was too comfortable, his will too numb to withstand Delilah’s deadly embrace.

It is the story of the ages. Good men, strong men, give away secrets and throw away kingdoms while lying in the alluring lap of Delilah. What could have been, never was. Men who had once scaled the walls of possibility found themselves recuperating from their struggles in a den of self-deception.

It is a sorry story that seldom has a good end. Before any benefit can be ferreted out of this tale of woe, there has to be a wake up call. A tragedy of gargantuan proportions must befall the pliant pawn who lies there in Delilah’s lap. The trap has been laid. The prey has been captured. The Strong Man is now an unimposing wisp of a has-been toiling in the enemy’s gristmill of pathetic, ritualistic, carnal redundancy. But, there is a faint glimmer of hope that wedges its way into his mind’s dull thoughts. If he can only die, he deduces, then the enemy of his soul will die with him!

He is blind to the real potential in his plan. He only knows that his death is a certainty. With a mighty heave he forces apart the two massive marble pillars that support the imposing structure erected by his foes to worship their gods. His wisdom is returning. To destroy your enemy you must position yourself in the center of his support system. When you’ve eliminated that support, you’ve effectively defeated your enemy.

In a way it’s sad. There were some things about the masterful young man that were impressive. Like the time he tied firebrands to the foxes’ tails and turned them loose in the enemy’s grain fields; or the time he removed the huge gates of a city and shouldered them to a hill miles away to be left on display. And who can forget his innovative use of a donkey’s jawbone to slay a thousand warriors? But, in the end, some parts of a man must die if the best parts are to truly live. And therein lies the solution to contemptuous complacency.

When the comfortable, compliant carnality of a man dies, he breaths new life into his spirit. Kill the enemy, and the spirit lives. It’s just that simple. Oh, it’s not easy. It’s, just simple. When the fleshly willfulness of a man is subdued, then the spiritual man that resides within the flesh is freed to truly live. Samson had to kill the fleshly strong man so that the spiritual strong man could live again!

John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

LET GOD BE GOD!

H. L. Sheppard Bulletin May 2008 DELILAH’S LAP He never intended for it to happen. It snuck up on him. He was just living life. He was just biding his time until, hopefully, some painless innocuous happening would compel him out of his mediocrity. Surely something would take place to shake him, to draw him back from the valley of complacency and back onto the mountain peaks of fervent spirituality. The days seemed to pass more and more quickly with no resolution to his dilemma. His intense desire became a passive preference. His ability slipped gradually from the exceptional to the unremarkable to the ineffective. He seemed to be dying one day, one missed opportunity one ignored chance at a time. He finally stopped living altogether and was content to just exist. His languor unduly affected those around him. They too became sullen, lethargic, complacent. Talent that once raised the bar high and challenged the potential of others, now languished too comfortably in feather beds of the familiar. It seemed the whole world was content to lay down and die without protest. They had all been victimized by *Delilah’s Lap. Judg 16:16 “And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;” “Come and rest here,” she would urge him. “You’ve worked too hard for too long to continue on without relaxing for a while.” “Come, let me stroke your ego and remind you of past accomplishments and the energy expended to make them happen.” “Let me whisper smooth things into your ear that will convince you that you’ve done enough to last a lifetime.” “Let me caress your weary soul in the luxurious comfort of my lap.” “Let me help you escape the terrible chore of living. “Come, let me help you sleep.” And so it is that yet another strapping Samson yields his massive strength to the subtle overtures of a sensuous, smooth talking seductress. His carnal cravings compromised his spiritual calling. If only he’d been more alert, more astute. But alas, his conscience was too comfortable, his will too numb to withstand Delilah’s deadly embrace. It is the story of the ages. Good men, strong men, give away secrets and throw away kingdoms while lying in the alluring lap of Delilah. What could have been, never was. Men who had once scaled the walls of possibility found themselves recuperating from their struggles in a den of self-deception. It is a sorry story that seldom has a good end. Before any benefit can be ferreted out of this tale of woe, there has to be a wake up call. A tragedy of gargantuan proportions must befall the pliant pawn who lies there in Delilah’s lap. The trap has been laid. The prey has been captured. The Strong Man is now an unimposing wisp of a has-been toiling in the enemy’s gristmill of pathetic, ritualistic, carnal redundancy. But, there is a faint glimmer of hope that wedges its way into his mind’s dull thoughts. If he can only die, he deduces, then the enemy of his soul will die with him! He is blind to the real potential in his plan. He only knows that his death is a certainty. With a mighty heave he forces apart the two massive marble pillars that support the imposing structure erected by his foes to worship their gods. His wisdom is returning. To destroy your enemy you must position yourself in the center of his support system. When you’ve eliminated that support, you’ve effectively defeated your enemy. In a way it’s sad. There were some things about the masterful young man that were impressive. Like the time he tied firebrands to the foxes’ tails and turned them loose in the enemy’s grain fields; or the time he removed the huge gates of a city and shouldered them to a hill miles away to be left on display. And who can forget his innovative use of a donkey’s jawbone to slay a thousand warriors? But, in the end, some parts of a man must die if the best parts are to truly live. And therein lies the solution to contemptuous complacency. When the comfortable, compliant carnality of a man dies, he breaths new life into his spirit. Kill the enemy, and the spirit lives. It’s just that simple. Oh, it’s not easy. It’s, just simple. When the fleshly willfulness of a man is subdued, then the spiritual man that resides within the flesh is freed to truly live. Samson had to kill the fleshly strong man so that the spiritual strong man could live again! John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.* John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. LET GOD BE GOD!
Pastor H. L. Sheppard