Be Careful Who You’re With

And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart.” So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.
          Judges 16:16-21

It is important to surround ourselves with good people. It is enjoyable when we get along with others and spend time with them. Time can indeed fly when we are having a good time. But we must ensure that we are indeed having a good time - a proper use of time. We ought to also ensure that we are keeping good company.

It can be a dangerous thing to be with people who are full of sin and who want others to share in that sin; people who are selfish, proud, or lustful. There are those who can be quite aggressive in pushing their own thoughts and beliefs on other people. They may be smooth talkers - people who can make the worst ideas seem like the best.

Consider Samson who fell in love with Delilah. Three times prior to the events in the above passage, Delilah tried to find the source of Samson’s strength and then use that knowledge against Samson. She wanted to turn Samson over to the Philistines for her own personal gain - for money. Samson should have learned that Delilah was bad company, but he remained and paid the price.

That is not to say we cannot have good non-Christian friends. Even though we are not to be of the world (Romans 12:2), we are in the world. And having these connections to people lends itself to bringing others to Christ. However, we must make sure that these friends are not ones who would push us into sin.

                -- John Thrower Jr.