We read in Judges 14 that Samson starts to take part in activities that are against his Nazarite vow. He walks through a vineyard even though he is not supposed to touch fruit of the vine, and eats honeycomb from the inside of a lion’s carcass. It is interesting to note that verse six tells us that he didn't tell his parents about any of this. He doesn't include it when he discusses what has happened throughout his day. He is making compromises, even though they seem small to him, that lead him to cover up what he has done. Oftentimes, areas of compromise are followed by coverup.
Now, some areas of compromise are inevitable. We will find ourselves taking shortcuts, and compromises are going to be a part of our lives. No one's going to be perfect in this area. When compromise comes, do you cover it up? Do you have a pattern of compromise and then cover up? That should be a huge warning sign to us. And for Samson, these just seem like little things that aren’t a big deal. It's this idea of you checking your side view mirror and noticing there is something in your blind spot. It can seem really small and far away to where you probably don't pay much attention to it. And that's the mistake. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal. It probably seemed justifiable in the moment, but later was regrettable.
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTION: When have you justified a seemingly small compromise? What were the later consequences of this compromise?
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