Samson was known as a strongman, but
in reality, he was very weak.  He could
slay a lion bare handed, kill a thousand
men in one fight, and carry the gates
of an ancient city up a mountain.  Yet
he was not strong enough to control
the sinful desires of his flesh.  All of
the famous events from Samson’s
story involve him indulging sensual
desires and suffering the consequences. 

Perhaps the most well-known portion of
Samson’s story is his encounter with
Delilah.  Delilah was not a godly woman
and did not love Samson.  The Philistines
bribed her to discover the secret to
Samson’s strength and she readily agreed.  

The first three times Delilah asked him,
Samson lied to her.  Each time the
Philistines were ready to take him, but
each time he escaped unharmed. 
Astonishingly, Samson finally revealed
the secret of his strength after Delilah
asked him for the fourth time. Did
Samson not know what she was trying
to do? Or could it be that he had
become so prideful that he believed
he didn’t need to keep his vow to God
any longer to keep his strength? 

Whatever he was thinking, the
result was Samson’s capture, torture,
and humiliation.  He had lived a
sensual, prideful life and he became
a prime example of the old adage,
“The bigger they are, the harder
they fall.” Why? Because “Pride
goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall.”
(Proverbs 16:18) Instead, we should
humble ourselves, and if we do,
God promises that He will lift us up.