Who Is In Control?

By Judges 14 we see that Samson is surrounded by Philistines. He goes in and out among them peacefully and comfortably. The details of these chapters is meant to give us a picture of just how accustomed to the nations around them Israel had become. In fact, the comfortability with the pagan nation is such that Israel will intermarry and even celebrate together with the Israelites as it happens. When he found a pretty girl among them the text tells us they gave him 30 companions.
Judges 14:10–11 (ESV) His father went down to the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, for so the young men used to do. 11 As soon as the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.

YET Judges 15 makes it clear that Israel is in fact being RULED by the Philistines.
Judges 15:11 (ESV) Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?” And he said to them, “As they did to me, so have I done to them.”

What we have here is a picture of the compromised Christian. Then Judges 15-16 unpacks the horrible results. When God's people make concessions with sin, sin invariably begins to control their life. Samson is not ruled by His calling or election in God, but by the insults against him from those he should not even be trying to appease. 

This is the sad state of many Christians who fear more what the world may think of them than the Lord who saves them. Where does it lead? More conflict within and without. 

Judges 15 unpacks several back and forth aggravations between Samson and the Philistines. Mind you, these are the people he was happily consorting with just before. Now they are in a tit-for-tat fight against one another and Samson has no peace. Samson sets their field on fire, and they retaliate by burning his wife and her father to death. Samson again strikes the Philistines in anger and they attack Israel back. Samson then strikes down 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass. It's constant conflict and no deliverance. 

The compromised Christian will not live in peace either. No matter what you may think about sin it has only one aim - to control you. Remember Cain's warning?

Genesis 4:7 (ESV) If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

In the New Testament, Paul calls those saved by grace to understand grace is now the power of God to resist temptation and not to let sin rule over one's body. 

Romans 6:12–14 (ESV) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Samson is the last judge in the book of Judges and we see how far Israel has fallen from their calling in God. They have failed to exterminate the corrupting nations around them and have found themselves under their control instead. 

Make no mistake Christian, you will be controlled by something in this life. Either the God who formed you and calls you or the idolatrous practices of your generation. Learn from Samson's mistake and come to the true Savior for final deliverance. Then make no room for that old life any more. It has nothing to offer you but conflict and pain.