Comfortable.  It is a word we all know and love to experience.  When I travel, I often long for my bed.  Why? . . . It is more comfortable than the hotel’s bed.  When I have been away from home for a while or spent the day driving, I look forward to my chair at the house.  Why? . . .  It is comfortable.  This wonderful word simply means to be in a state of ease or relaxation.  Comfort probably is a more significant influence on our decisions than we think.  However, sometimes being comfortable is not a good thing.

Judges 13-16 record events about the life of Samson.  He is the man of unmatched strength that brought the Israelites victory over the Philistines.  We paint him as a hero of the faith, but often forget he was an egotistical womanizer.  However, he seems to have exercised faith in the final moments of his life.  As he was placed next to the pillars of the building, he prayed, and God restored his strength.  But for the most part, he’s not the kind of guy you want your boys to imitate.

In 15:9-13, there is a fascinating account that deserves our attention.  Samson has brought disaster on the Philistines, and they have responded by setting up camp in Judah.  They were not on a weekend get-a-way.  It was an act of war.  When the men of Judah ask the Philistines why they are waging war, they learn it is for revenge against Samson.

Think of the incredible strength that Samson had!  The men of Judah know about it because they gathered 3,000 men to go get Samson and bring him to the Philistines.  They were willing to surrender their only hope of freedom to the enemy.  Why would they do this?  Comfort . . .

The men of Judah were comfortable in sin and bondage.  Their disobedience caused the oppression; we read in 13:1 that the Israelites did evil I the sight of the Lord.  Unlike previous times, we have no record of them calling out to the Lord to set them free.  They were comfortable where they were at and were willing to hand Samson, the man that God was going to use to free them, over to the enemy.

I urge you, don’t be comfortable in sin.  Sin should create discomfort in our lives because it interrupts our fellowship with God.  It should be like sitting on a tac or having a pebble in our shoe.  We should not embrace it; we should remove it.  Ask God to show you where you are comfortable in sin and through the blood of Jesus Christ, remove it.