The battle is not to the swift, neither to the mighty one; only God gives victory. It is not how far in journey of life but how well. It is not how beautiful or glorious the beginning of an event, but the comfort and joy experience at the end of it. The mighty ones are falling in the battle of life; swift ones are coming last in the race of life, the wise of this world becomes fool thereafter, many started well on the way to stardom, but ended up in a terrible destination, some laugh in the morning, but weep at night.
Samson was a destiny child; born as a deliverer of Israel Judge 13:5, “For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Judge 13:24, “And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.” He was strong and mighty man of valour; but his mission was aborted by his lustful act for strange women Judge 16:18-21, “18And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. 19And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. 21But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.”
Saul was anointed as first king over Israel 1Samuel 9:22, “And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.” He prophesied among the sons of prophets 1Samuel 10:10-11, “10And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
His kingdom was tore as a result of disobedience 1Samuel 15:22-23, “22And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”
Solomon, a great king of his time; endowed with wisdom and riches of the earth, but he loved strange women 1Kings 3:3, “And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.” 1Kings 3:28, “And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.” His strange wives turned his mind against God. A man of wisdom eventually became idols worshippers. God took his kingdom from him and gave it to his servants 1 Kings 11:1-11, “1But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 7Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 9And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 11Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.”
This is a call for sober reflection and a call for self-reassessment. This is a call to ask whether or not we are still on cause. This is a call to ask if our visions are still intact or not. It is not how far; but how well. Be conscious of your steps so that you can end well in the voyage of life.