And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” Judges 16:16-17
Make no mistake about it, we all have a sin problem, but unlike the penitent Christian, Sampson was actively pursuing his immoral indulgences and in due season, his perverse activity caught up to him. The fact of the matter is that Sampson had numerous opportunities to nip his Delilah-problem in the bud, but because he took pleasure in the mocking, the lying, and the adulterous lifestyle, it grew like a tick on a lazy dog.
A continual dripping on a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike; Whoever restrains her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand. Proverbs 27:15-16
Nag, Nag, Nag
First things first—Sampson understood exactly what he was doing. There had already been three previous attempts on Sampson’s life and he was fully aware that Delilah’s latest scheme wasn’t going to vary all that much from the others. Nobody (gulp) is that stupid. Sampson knew that what he had revealed would ultimately lead to a haircut.
No Power in the Hair
I submit to you that Sampson knew there was no power in his hair. What I believe is that he had the mistaken notion that God was turning a blind eye to his sin. Why would he suppose such a thing? Because there were three components of a Nazirite vow: no grapes, no touching of dead things, and no razor upon the head. Sampson had already violated the first two when he entered a vineyard and [later] touched the lion’s carcass. At this juncture Sampson had to be thinking, “God didn’t seem to care about those indiscretions, so he likely will not care about this one either.”
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
Isn’t that the mistake we so often make as well? We falsely assume that because God is patient and long suffering, because He is gracious and merciful, that somehow the sin we have been getting away with is okay, or worse yet, not a sin at all. There are many people today participating in sin because they falsely believe it is not a sin. I believe this was Sampson’s error. We must never make the mistake that seasonal liberality is in some way permission to transgress. God never winks at sin.
However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven. Judges 16:22
Well we know what happened to Sampson; they shaved his head, poked out his eyes, tied him up, and put him to work at the grind stone. The obvious application for us is that sin is the grind that blinds and binds. But something began to happen to Sampson as he treaded out the grain, something way beyond is hair growing back—he began to grow inwardly—Sampson was becoming spiritually mature. Sampson would die a blind man as depravity always has it’s consequences, but in his repentance God would bring restoration.
So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten… Joel 2:25a
He Dwells -- The B'log in My Eye 