Temptation In Gaza Continues To Burn | Judges 16:1-3

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Our text today is Judges 16:1-3

“Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her. The Gazites were told, ‘Samson has come here.’ And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, ‘Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.’ But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.” — Judges 16:1-3

Samson walked straight into Gaza—the heart of Philistine territory—to spend the night with a prostitute. On the surface, he got away with it. At midnight, he ripped the city gates from their foundations, carried them on his shoulders, and walked away like a man untouchable.

But Gaza wasn’t just any city. Then and now, Gaza has been a hotspot of conflict—a place where compromise, corruption, and resistance to God’s people have festered for generations. What Israel tolerated in Gaza back then still plagues them today. It’s a sobering reminder that sins left unchecked don’t just fade with time—they multiply.

Samson thought he was strong enough to dip into enemy territory and walk away. In reality, Gaza became another crack in his armor, another step toward downfall.

That’s how temptation works. It whispers, “You’re strong enough. You can manage this. You’ll be fine.” But every compromise weakens us. Every trip into enemy territory costs more than we realize.

You can’t flirt with sin and expect to walk away unscathed. The little compromises we excuse today often grow into the strongholds that enslave us tomorrow. God calls us not to manage temptation, but to flee from it.

ASK THIS:
Where are you tempted to flirt with sin, thinking you can handle it?
How has “getting away with it” in the past made you careless toward temptation?
What compromises have you tolerated that now feel like strongholds?
What escape route do you need to take before the fire burns you?
DO THIS:
Identify: One temptation you’ve been “managing” instead of fleeing.
Confess: That one temptation, honestly to God today.
Action: Take one concrete step to remove access to that temptation (delete, block, avoid, or confess).
PRAY THIS:
Lord, I admit I’ve played too close to the fire. Forgive me for flirting with sin. Give me the wisdom to run from temptation and the strength to rely on You instead of myself. Amen.

PLAY THIS:
“God, Turn It Around.”