Overcoming Bad Habits and Addictions — Part 5
Samuel became a highly respected prophet and priest to the nation of Israel, accomplishing great things for his people. Taking over from the corrupt leaders of his childhood, he remarkably turned his nation back onto the right path and restored honor and respect to its leadership. Samuel modeled what a great leader should be as he served God and served the people under his responsibility.
But much of what Samuel accomplished could have been accomplished by another man years earlier who was much more gifted than Samuel.
Samson was one of the most extraordinarily gifted people in the Bible. Many of the things that God accomplished through Samuel could have been accomplished through Samson, but in order to fulfill his purpose in life, it would be essential for him to overcome his fleshly appetites and to abstain from anything that would defile his body. God knew that these cravings could completely derail Samson’s purpose in life, and so He sent an angel to prepare Samson’s parents for his arrival.
*“And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was infertile and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Behold, you are infertile and have no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Therefore, be careful not to drink wine or [any other] intoxicating drink, and do not eat anything [ceremonially] unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for ****the boy shall be a Nazirite [dedicated] to God from birth; ***and he shall begin to rescue Israel from the hands of the Philistines.’”—Judges 13:2-5 (AMP)
As a Nazarite from birth, Samson was consecrated, dedicated to the Lord, separated and set apart for God’s purposes. He was required to abstain from certain things that would affect his body. In Samson’s case, even his mother was required to abstain from alcohol and unclean foods in order to protect her baby before he was born.
God had a wonderful and extraordinary plan for Samson’s life. God intended for Samson to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines much like Moses had delivered Israel from the Egyptians. Samson could have been a deliverer honored among the ranks of Moses and David, but before he could ultimately conquer the Philistines, he would have to conquer his own cravings and overcome his own bad habits and addictions.
Samson led Israel successfully for twenty years, but he never conquered his appetites. At the height of his success, after achieving astounding victories, his cravings led to his destruction. Lured into a trap by his desire for a woman, he escaped three times. But even when he became aware that a trap was being laid for him, he returned to the object of his lusts, unable to resist the appetites that drove him.
Finally, this man who was able to conquer a thousand men single-handedly was brought to destruction by the appetites that he had never overcome. In the end, Samson was abandoned by the Lord and became a slave, serving the whims of the enemy. His vision was taken away, and he died prematurely, not in the company of loving friends and family, but he died in shame, surrounded by the ones who had blinded him and robbed him of his freedom and his purpose.
Not only was Samson’s purpose cut off prematurely and left unfulfilled, but the lusts that he had traded his glorious purpose for were never satisfied either. Isn’t that the way it always works? Hasn’t that been your experience, too? The cravings that pull you away from your higher purposes in life promise satisfaction and fulfillment, but never deliver on their empty promises. Choosing to satisfy bad habits and addictions, rather than pursuing your higher purposes in life, always leaves you unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and filled with regret. And yet, if you do not overcome these cravings, they will continue to push you to try in vain to satisfy them again and again until they destroy you and you lose everything.
