Samson’s Sleep - Judges 16:20

And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. - Judges 16:20

    Most Americans have heard the biblical story of Samson. There have been many film accounts of his life and times. Many an aphorism has been quipped about ‘Samson and Delilah.’ It is Samson’s fall from grace that this post deals with.
    Samson’s stumble, while initiated by Delilah’s desire to know the source of his strength, came about, as a result, of his own personal failure. It was Samson’s attraction to a Philistine woman that placed him in spiritual jeopardy. It was his succumbing to her wiles that brought him to his shearing by his enemies. It was his reliance upon his own pride that blinded him and placed him in chains. All of these events occurred when, in his self-assurance, he fell asleep!
    Have we too, in our own pride, fallen asleep and forgotten Christ’s words of warning -
“Therefore stay awake— for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” - Mark 13:35-37. Jesus is simply commanding us to be vigilant. Such vigilance requires tenacity and strength of purpose. We cannot maintain our guard if we fall asleep due to being self-absorbed.
    The supposition in the title verse that “the Lord had left him” is merely a play on words since we know from Holy Scripture that God will never leave us or forsake us. “For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage.” - Psalm 94:14. The weight of Samson’s tribulation lay with Samson for letting his guard down and falling asleep in the midst of his enemies! The aftermath was humbling for Samson the Great - “And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison.” - Judges 16:21-22. The lesson of Samson’s sleep should not be ignored. “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” - Proverbs 12:24. In our worldly pride and self-assurance have we too fallen spiritually asleep?
    As Christians, we must maintain our watch for the coming of Jesus. We cannot afford to become complacent in our faith. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” - 1 Corinthians 10:12. About our commitment to Christ, we cannot become lulled by the world into a state of slumber. “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.” - Luke 12:35-36.
    How can we avoid the sleep of Samson? Scripture tells us what we must do to stave off the desire to close our eyes and give in to the world - “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - Mark 14:38. Maintaining our vigil and prayer are the tools we need to engage in if we are to be successful in our effort to forestall the worldly desire to simply close our eyes for a little while.
    Jesus continues to admonish us to remain vigilant and pray - “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” -Luke 21:36.   
    Finally, Paul’s words would have been a saving grace to Samson if he had heard and heeded the Apostle’s warning - “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:6. The “others” that Paul speaks about are those ‘of the world.’ And Scripture has assured us that while we are in the world, we are not of the world. Let us leave pride and self-assurance to the world and rest our faith in Christ, Who has overcome the world.