WHAT SIN DOES

In a few chapters of the book of Judges, we read of a man named Samson. He was one of the judges of Israel, but he was different from the others. Instead of leading an army, he WAS an army. With God’s Spirit in him, no man or army could stop him. In chapter 16, he succumbs to the wiles of a woman named Delilah and the Lord departed from him (16:20). As a result, his strength left him and the Philistines were able to overtake him. We can see in this story the effects of sin in our lives.

Sin blinds. When Samson finally told Delilah the truth about the source of his strength, they cut off his hair and his strength left him. The Philistines took him and “put out his eyes (Judges 16:21). Sin has a blinding effect today. We see only the thrill of the moment, not the destruction nor the eternal consequences that follow. God’s word often associates sin with darkness. Yes, sin blinds us to its devastating consequences.

Sin Binds. Not only did the Philistines blind Samson, they “Bound him with bronze fetters” (Judges 16:21). He had been free to go and do as he pleased, but now that freedom was gone. His life was now under someone else’s control. Sin still had a binding effect. Paul writes “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Sin has a way of imprisoning those who indulge even if they are never placed behind bars.

Sin grinds. Samson lost his eyesight, was bound and “he became a grinder in the prison” (Judges 16:21). He was stripped of his dignity and was worked as an animal. His God-given purpose was distorted as he grinded away at the mill. Sin robs millions of their God-given talents to glorify God. Their lives are spent doing things that destroy instead of building for the future. They fail to lay up treasures in heaven and face death and eternity without God.

What effect is sin having in your life?

--Lamar