Samson’s Achilles’ Heel is that weakness inherent in every man born of a woman on earth.
Whenever the story of Samson and Delilah is told from the Scriptures more often than not, more emphasis is laid on the role Delilah played in the capture of Samson, and the gouging out of his eyes by the Philistines, which was made possible by her getting someone to shave his hair the ‘Source’ of his powers whilst his head was on her alluring laps from whence she always lulled him to sleep but little attention on the weakness which made it possible for Delilah to have access to this information.
Samson was a man whom an Angel announced his birth as a child.
He was the messiah of his time, sent by the LORD GOD to lead and help Israel against the Philistines who were killing and oppressing them.
He carried out the Purpose of his life powerfully and the Spirit of God worked mightily through him.
But as powerful as Samson was, he had one weakness which it would appear he may or may not have known.
The first time this Samson’s Achilles’ Heel is mentioned was in Judges 14:1- 18 when he threw a party at Timnah, as was their custom for elite young men.
Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing .”
“All right,” they agreed, “Let’s hear your riddle.”
“Out of the one who eats came something to eat;
out of the strong came something sweet.”
After three days they were still trying to figure it out. On the fourth day, they said to Samson’s wife “Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father’s house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party to make us poor?”
Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, “You don’t love me; you hate me! You gave my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.”
“I haven’t given the answer to my father or mother,” he replied. “Why should I tell you?
She cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day, he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. (NLT) Then she explained the riddle to the young men.
Other translations of the Scripture say in Judges 14:17;
- He was worn out by her nagging (MSG)
- She pressed him with entreaties ( AMP)
- She pressed him hard ( ESV)
- She continued to press him(NIV)
- She pressed him so much (NKJV)
Samson gave his wife the answer to the riddle because she kept pressing him hard and continued to press him. At last, he caves into pressure and told her the answer to the riddle.
He was forced to pay the set price for the riddle, though the elite young men cheated.
This was possible because of the weakness his wife used against him.
This was exactly what happened in Judges 16:4- 22, which led to his capture and the gouging out of his eyes by the Philistines who deployed Delilah as a secret agent because of his love for her to find out the source of his power.
Judges 16: 15-16; Then Delilah pouted. “How can you tell me, ‘I love you ’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now and still haven’t told me what makes you so strong. She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. (NLT)
Other translations of the Scripture say in Judges 16:16;
And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. (ESV)
She kept at it day after day, nagging and tormenting him.
Finally, he was fed up – he couldn’t take another minute of it. He spilled it. (MSG)
With such nagging, she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. (NIV)
And when she pressed him day after day with her words and urged him, he was vexed to death. (AMP)
And it came to pass when she pestered him daily with words and pressed him so that his soul was vexed to death, (NKJV)
Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “ for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite at birth. If my head was to be shaved, my strength will leave me, and I would become weak as anyone else.”
Samson’s Achilles heel is that he can’t withstand being pressurized or nagged consistently about a matter.
Once the pressure becomes too much, he gives you the answer you seek so that you leave him alone and he can have his peace.
This weakness of his was why his wife was able to get the answer to the riddle he put forth to the elite young men in his wife’s kindred.
She cried and pressed him so hard, he spilled the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging.
It was this same weapon that Delilah used to get the secret behind the “Source” of his power she sold to the Philistines which led to his capture.
Ideally, one would expect that Samson will as we say in the language of today, change it for Delilah and Para for her, that ;
Hello Ma !, I love you, but what’s with you asking me nonstop, about the source of my power, and when I wake up I’m surrounded by the Philistines whom you know quite well are my enemies and are looking for how to capture and kill me?
Or he could have cut off whatever he had with her knowing fully well his weakness of not being able to withstand pressure.
But he did not. And just as it was in the case of his wife and the riddle he put forth to the elite young men, Samson again bowed to Delilah’s pressure and told her the “Source” of his powers.
He was left alone to bear the consequences of his weakness.
Samson’s Achilles’ heel led to his capture, gouging out of his eyes, by his enemies the Philistines who took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison. And when they were drunk, the people demanded,
“Bring out Samson so he can amuse us.”
Oh! What a great fall from the top.
Every man born of a woman on Earth, no matter how great and powerful he or she is, has an Achilles heel (weakness).
The term ‘Achilles’ heel’ comes from the myth of Achilles, who was said to have been dipped into the river Styx by his mother Thetis in order to make him invulnerable. His heel wasn’t covered by the water and he was later killed by an arrow wound to his heel.
According to WIKIPEDIA, An Achilles’ heel is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall.
Achilles’ heel is a fault or weakness that causes or could cause someone or something to fail.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines an Achilles heel as; a small problem or weakness in a person or system that can result in failure.
The Bible is filled with stories of great men, whose Achilles’ heel led to their downfall.
The story of the downfall of these men was recorded so that we the readers, might learn and make amends so that we don’t end up as they did.
King David’s Achilles’ heels was his “Love for women”. This led to him committing ‘Adultery and Murder .’ The consequences of his actions led to his first son Prince Amnon raping Tamar his sister and in retaliation Prince Absalom killed him.
Prince Absalom was not spared either. He was murdered by his father’s aide Joab as he was dangling from a tree because his hair was caught in the branches of a great tree when he tried to escape on his mule after he tried to take over his father’s throne.
At the time of Absalom’s rebellion, it was recorded that David had 10 concubines (2Sam15:16) and in his conquests, he married more wives(2Sam3:2-5).
King David’s love for women was so much that when he was about to die, those around him already knew that being around women revives him.
They searched throughout Israel for a young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.
When the king could not have sexual relations with her that was when his aides knew that the king is set to join his ancestors.
Gehazi the servant of Prophet Elisha’s Achilles’ heel was “Greed and Lust” for material wealth.
This brought upon him, his descendants and generations unborn the curse of; ‘ Leprosy ‘ forever. Oh! what a generational tragedy.
2 Kings 5:26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? 27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and your descendants forever”
Prophet Moses Achilles’ heel was “Anger”. Because of anger, he killed an Egyptian which led to him becoming a fugitive in Egypt as Pharaoh the King of Egypt, his adopted Father sort to kill him.
When he returned from the mountain and saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, out of ‘Anger’, he broke the stone tablet written by God with His own hands.
Moses’ anger though was justified because of the rebellion of the Israelites.
But it created an opening which the devil weaponized and used to bring him down.
In “anger”, he struck the Rock when the LORD GOD said; ‘Speak’ to the Rock.
That singular act cost Aaron his priestly position and entrance into the promise land. His son was told to replace him immediately.
Moses was not exempted.
He pleaded with the LORD God to please let him enter the promise land, but for the first time, we see God raise His voice at Moses, and told him not to mention it in His ears again.
Moses’ anger cost him and his elder brother Aaron access to enter into the ‘Promise Land. ‘
Many great and powerful men and women have been brought down from the top of their ministry and purpose and have become a plaything for the devil and demons just as the mighty Samson was after the Philistines plucked out his eyes, and they would bring him out to entertain them when they become drunk.
Why?
Because of their Achilles’ heels which were so small like we saw in the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of Achilles heel but it can lead to the failure of a person or system who has it.
They thought it was nothing but to the devil it was a loophole which was properly utilized and it led to their downfall and the end of their ‘Ministry and Purpose .’
Beloved it is easy to talk about the Achilles’ heels of Samson, King David, Prophet Moses, and Gehazi, what they should have done differently, and how you would have acted differently If you were to be in their shoes.
But what you seem to forget, is that;
Achilles’ heels differ for everyone. Their weakness might not be yours, nor yours their own.
Before casting aspersions on them, you must be sure deep within you, that if you were to be in their shoes, you would have acted differently than they did.
It is written: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:5
If you are tested in your area of weakness, your own ‘Achilles’ heels ‘ will you stand tall, or will you fall just like they did?
To answer this question correctly, you must know what your Achilles’ heel is first off.
Have you found out what your Achilles heel is?
Do you know that ‘ small weakness’ that you have, but is capable of ruining and destroying your life, family and everything you have worked for in the twinkle of an eye?
Scripture says, “Catch for us foxes, the little foxes that ruin our vineyards, our vineyard that is in blossom.” Songs of Solomon 2:15
Beloved, you are a beautiful blossoming vineyard with a ‘Ministry and Purpose.’ Little foxes represent the small little things we often ignore, little flaws and habits that go unchecked and we refuse to deal with it. If you do not properly and swiftly check these little foxes, it will ruin you.
That small or little character flaw or habit like;
Telling lies, Outbursts of anger, Always procrastinating, Not being resolute in your decision-making,
Not keeping your word, Not keeping to time, being Easily angered, being Too soft-hearted and can’t say the word “NO” when it’s not convenient for fear of offending people.
Being violent, Lack of self-control, Hot-tempered, Impatience, Gossipy, Boastful, Vengeful, Arrogance,
Excessive pride, Cheating on your spouse, Flirting with men or women on social media and erasing the chat so that your husband or wife will not find out, Watching pornographic content,
Always borrowing to impress friends and family, and Not being able to properly account for money put in your care, to mention but a few might eventually lead to your downfall if it’s not identified for what it is ;
Your ‘Achilles’ heels, ‘ which you need to quickly and properly address before it leads to your downfall.
The Achilles’ heels that led to the downfall of King David, Gehazi, Prophet Moses and Samson did not jump on them all of a sudden, it grew gradually.
They had it in them and it showed face at different points in their life but because they did not catch the foxes, it ruined them and led to their downfall in Life, ministry and purpose.
How To Overcome ‘Achilles Heels’
Step One: The first step to overcoming your Achilles heels, is to identify it.
You cannot fight a faceless enemy and expect to win.
“It is impossible to confront and conquer what you haven’t identified.”
To do this, you must accept, that as a human, there are some inherent character flaws in you. It’s not unique to you alone, every man and woman has it.
You go to the LORD God in prayer and ask Him to reveal to you, the little destructive seeds growing in you, which the enemy can use as a weapon to bring you down as you journey to the top, in your Purpose and calling in life.
No one knows a product than the maker of that product.
The LORD God is your potter and maker; He alone can reveal to you the flaws in you. You can only get the answers you seek from Him if you go to Him with sincerity of heart.
The man that God helps, is the one who is sincere with Him in the place of prayer and supplication.
Step Two:
The LORD God has revealed to you the little foxes in you which can ruin your journey on your way to the top of your career, purpose, ministry, or political ambition, or even bring you down when you are at the peak.
The next step is to become conscious of it and consciously present it before God in prayer always asking Him to help you to overcome these character flaws and habits, through the help of the Holy Spirit.
John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” John 3:27
The help we need as believers of Jesus Christ and God’s Children to overcome the devil who is always patrolling and seeking loopholes in our lives with which to bring us down can only come from above, not by human wisdom or strength.
Step Three: Make the Word of God your daily companion always.
“For the Word of God is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit,
between joint and marrow. It
exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4: 12
The Word of God is the lens through which we view ourselves as God’s children. It shows you who you truly are. Read it, chew it and meditate on it every day.
In the Word are the guiding principles you need to overcome your weaknesses.
Step Four: Seek external help from professionals.
There is nothing wrong with seeking professional help and counselling, for your weaknesses.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of. The LORD God knows that we would need them, which is why He made provisions for their areas of training and expertise.
God made science.
Take for example if you have “Anger issues” speaking to a Counselor who will help to enrol you in anger management classes, and getting to the root of your problem is not a bad thing.
The Holy Spirit through your classes can help reveal things to you that you might not even know it’s there and this can help your healing process.
No one wants to be friends with an angry person.
Beloved, “Wisdom is profitable to direct” as it is written in the Scripture.
The little or small weakness you chose to ignore today can become a powerful weapon in the hands of the enemy to shoot you down from the top tomorrow.
Don’t wait till you get to the top before you start seeking a solution. It might be too late.
Beware of the flaws which seem not to have immediate repercussions but have damning consequences tomorrow.
“Little drops of water make a mighty ocean.”
Thank God for the divine restoration of Samson’s hair which gave him the enablement to give one last blow to his enemies and crush them to death. But not without paying with his life.
Samson’s Achilles heel led to his fall from the top.
Are you next?
God Bless You
