Beauty and the Trapped
The perils and pitfalls of toxic beauty.
And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. (Judges 16:20).
The Australian predatory little plant, the sundew, is delicate and cunning. Although its attractive clusters of red, white, and pink and delicate blossoms are harmless, the leaves are deadly.
The shiny moisture on each sundew leaf is sticky and easily imprisons any bug that touches it. As an insect struggles to free itself, the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around it. This innocent-looking plant then feeds on its victim.
Delilah was a cunning sundew in the Philistinian countryside. What she lacked in physical strength, she compensated for by her temerity, doggedness, and possessive devilishness to tempt and trap one who was a thousand times stronger than she.
In her, we see the bane of beauty. However, in her victim, Samson, we see the folly of a hunting dog destined to be lost and who will always ignore the hunter's whistle.
Delilah's beauty was irresistible for a prodigal Samson.
As a potent tool in the arsenal of an oppressed nation, Samson underestimated the power of consuming evil and the conspiracy of hell against his destiny and that of the people he was created to deliver.
Severally and continuously, Samson carelessly walked the boundaries of good and evil, hoping to come out stronger. However, his human weakness and lack of personal discipline destroyed him.
Severally and continuously, Samson carelessly walked the boundaries of good and evil, hoping to come out stronger. However, his human weakness and lack of personal discipline destroyed him.
So it is for everyone who is bankrupt of spiritual convictions, tottering on the edge of faith and fatality.
In Delilah, we understand the persistence of evil to overcome good.
In Samson, we see the end of a life lived recklessly outside the boundaries of godly convictions.
No believer should ever roam in territories where constant temptation is the order of daily living.
God expects us not only to flee youthful lusts but also to tenaciously follow after righteousness, faith, charity, peace, purity, and perfect relationships that will prolong our lives.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. - 1 Timothy 6:11-12 (ESV)
Samson never learned the lesson of not being unequally yoked with unbelievers. His attempt to be a hero for Israel ended up in him becoming a zero in godly example.
Those who call on the name of the Lord must know and believe in His holiness and His aversion to polluted offerings. God expects us to live above sin and be separated unto Him so that our end will not be like Samson's.
Thought for the day: A moment's sinful indulgence reduces one from the zenith to zero point.
This exhortation, and its original title, The Bane of Beauty, is from the ©Daily Manna (Friday, 30th May, 2025)