Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak! Matthew 26:41
When you have a job interview, there is one dreaded question that we should all be prepared to answer: "What are your weaknesses?" This question is dreaded because none of us like to think about our weaknesses, let alone tell the person we want to hire us what our weaknesses are. While we may dread this question, it is beneficial for us to be aware of and acknowledge our weaknesses. When we are aware of our weaknesses, we are better prepared to fight against them and ask for help. To Samson's detriment, he failed to understand this truth, and it cost him greatly. We are going to see this in our study of Samson today in Judges 15.
We find Samson in Judges 15 continually stuck in his anger. He found out in this chapter that the woman he married in chapter 14, had been given to one of his friends to marry. His wife was a Philistine, a group of people who Samson never should have associated with. In his fury, Samson attacked the Philistines, and the Philistines retaliated by killing this Philistine woman and her father. It was truly a tragic situation. As I read Samson's story, I start to wonder why he did not realize his weaknesses. Why didn't he see his short temper, and why did he not see his weakness for women who he did not need to be associating with? And then I remember all of the times that I have been blind to my own weaknesses. We have all been in situations where we give in to our weaknesses when we knew better.
One of the main ways that we can be prepared to fight against our weaknesses is to be aware of them. Jesus reminds us of this in Matthew 26:41. "Keep watch and pray," He said to His disciples, "so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!" This was good advice for Jesus' disciples. It's also good advice for us today. Let's stop, recognize our weaknesses, and ask God to help us in them.
Today, your challenge might feel difficult, but it is important. Make a list of all of your weaknesses. Ask trusted family members, accountability partners, and friends to help you as you try to identify and recognize your weaknesses. When you have made your list, write out a prayer on that list, asking God to help you in those areas where you are weak.
Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat as a present to his wife. He said, “I’m going into my wife’s room to sleep with her,” but her father wouldn’t let him in.
“I truly thought you must hate her,” her father explained, “so I gave her in marriage to your best man. But look, her younger sister is even more beautiful than she is. Marry her instead.”
Samson said, “This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do to you Philistines.” Then he went out and caught 300 foxes. He tied their tails together in pairs, and he fastened a torch to each pair of tails. Then he lit the torches and let the foxes run through the grain fields of the Philistines. He burned all their grain to the ground, including the sheaves and the uncut grain. He also destroyed their vineyards and olive groves.
“Who did this?” the Philistines demanded.
“Samson,” was the reply, “because his father-in-law from Timnah gave Samson’s wife to be married to his best man.” So the Philistines went and got the woman and her father and burned them to death.
“Because you did this,” Samson vowed, “I won’t rest until I take my revenge on you!” So he attacked the Philistines with great fury and killed many of them. Then he went to live in a cave in the rock of Etam.
