On The Fringe

On The Fringe

1/24/22

Living on the fringes seems like it would be an exciting time and place to be, but we were never designed to be in such trying conditions.  God created us to thrive in a pure and secure place both physically and spiritually for God knows that when we choose to live in such high stakes conditions that our physicality shall overtake and rule our existence.  Even though we believe that sitting on the fence is a secure position and that in a moment's flash can fall back into good graces, this process rarely occurs.  It is God's purpose to protect our hearts and to provide a secure upbringing with green pastures and cool streams of life, yet we tend to choose other paths that will lead to our downfall, even to our untimely deaths if we allow Satan's influences to dig deep.  These types of experiences are not what God wants for our lives, for when trials and tribulations come He wants us as close to Him as possible and the only way for this to occur is for us to be far from the edges of His Kingdom.

Does anyone remember the old saying about someone being on the fence, or sitting on the fence when it came to a particular topic?  I would probably be safe in saying that most of us have been in that position at some time in our life, maybe on many occasions and not just a few.  This saying describes a situation where one cannot make up their mind about how to act or respond to situations or decisions around us for we cannot stand on the ground that got us to this position in the first place.  Many times we forget that the fence represents a border, a defining line between two sides or a boundary of some kind ending two properties but we seldom remember that the land on both sides of that fence is independent and at some point, our decision to live on one side of that fence will approach.

It is okay to be at the end of the property line in order to see if the boundary is secure or if it needs to be repaired, but it is never a good idea to stay in this location for a long period of time.  If we linger long enough, another familiar saying will come into play, the grass looks greener on the other side.  It is this position that causes many of us to take a few steps on the fence to obtain a better look at what is on another property, a process of wanting that will come to haunt many later.  It is also at this point that God begins to tell us that it is not a good idea for us to be at the fence any longer and that it is time we return to His inner circle.  However, we continue our climb up the fence until we reach the top of it and take our position of sitting, now the real battle emerges and we find ourselves being pulled in both directions for our presence.

Have you ever wondered if there is an example in the Bible that shows us what occurs when we sit on the fence and then fall to the world because of us taking that position?  The Bible has many examples of God's people taking a fall when choices are made by them that do not agree with God's Ways but there is one that should stand out to us as the prime example for this action of ours.  It comes from a famous story that has been taught about and preached about, one about lust and sleeping with the enemy all rolled up together and it comes from our passage for this article and it is as follows:

Judges 16:4-6

"And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.  And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.  And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherein thou mightest be bound to afflict thee."

Now, as stated above, this story about Samson and Delilah is very well known, and it has been a story that we learned as a young kid in Sunday School or as a young adult or an adult in church services.  This story has been illustrated to us in many ways on many levels with different circumstances being used as the source of teaching.  However, in my opinion, there have not been too many teachings about the land where the beginnings of Samson and Delilah took place.  It is an important place, called the valley of Sorek and it is still present on present-day maps of the Middle East, specifically in Israel.  It has not moved and it still is a place that is significant to the area.  It is plentiful in water and temperate enough to grow fruits, olives, and grapes for wine.  But in the time of Judges 16, it served as the boundary for Israel and the Philistines even though it was beautiful.

It was the proverbial "fence line" between the highest enemy of Israel, on the fringe if you wish to place it into those words and categories, a place that should not be frequented by the Children of God.  Yet one could consider it a beautiful place to be, it has all of the necessities of a comfortable place to live, and yet at the same time, it served as a place of great gossip and turmoil with the physical presence of enemies.  This state of land and its service to both peoples was not hidden it was well-known and folks lived accordingly to its name and reputation.  Here lies the question concerning Samson, with his status in Israel, why would he wish to spend so much time in a place that had the potential of his demise?  

Yes, he had great strength given to him by God to act as judge over people but to live in such a place where he would be subjected to potential hate and sin was not very wise.  Samson understood the concept of borders and boundaries and he knew exactly what they stood for but his curiosity and then love made him stay in the area for a considerable amount of time and it was in this area that his downfall began and then set the stage for his demise.  Another detail that we tend to forget about fence lines is that other people live in that setting and since they do, they too are sitting on the fence and are subsequently subject to the same usages and consequences.  In verse 4, we see the phrase "And it came to pass afterward" which comes from the Hebrew phrase "Sometime later" which reinforces the fact that Samson had spent enough time in this fringed area that everyone knew his presence and the reason why he was in the place in the first place.

What is the lesson we learn from this part of the story about Samson and Delilah?  Well, in order for this passage to state what it does it means that Samson had to have stayed in this area for quite a bit of time, for the people who he was and that he was an Israelite.  They also knew that he spent a bunch of time with one woman named Delilah, so much time that he fell in love with her.  His continued presence there attracted the eyes of the lords of the Philistines and they watched Samson and the amount of time he spent there and who he was with.  This participation from the enemy's leaders soon grew into a formidable plan to end Samson's life by gaining access to his strength and in order for this to occur they approached Delilah to fulfill their plan.

From what the Bible says in this passage, Delilah put up no resistance in their plan for in the very next verse, verse 6 she began her campaign of finding out what the source of Samson's strength was.  Another detail is present here as well and it comes to the realization of all parties involved in this part of the story.  Samson, Delilah, and the lords of the Philistines had the same concept of God in that He was basically a figurehead and had no real relationship with any of them.  Samson had been on the fringes for so long that even though the gift of strength from God was still present in his life, it really was physical only thus vulnerable to the spirit realm that inhabits all of us.  Our enemy knows when our physical realm outweighs our spiritual realm and when we live in such an order for a long period of time the easier it will be for Satan to win victory over us and this is exactly what occurred to Samson even before his life ended sooner than later.

When we live on the outskirts of God's Kingdom and continually flirt with the fence line and those things on the other side, we automatically place ourselves into a position of destruction and eventual death.  Yes, God does have a Kingdom that covers us and all who are under it will prevail against the devil; however, God's covering is so huge that if every human being accepted Him as their King and Savior there would still be thousands of miles from the last person on the edge of Salvation until the border of His covering.  It is a choice of ours to live on the border of God's Kingdom and Satan's kingdom.  How is this living status visible today?  Look at the growth and strength of the Church that God gave us back about two centuries ago, church and being a Christian were popular and a good example to be to others.  Not now, we are backseaters and just numbers in the crowd of the world.

It is guaranteed that because Samson possessed such great physical strength as a gift from God he believed he was invincible and that at any time needed he could out-whit the enemy before they touched his secret.  Samson forgot that he too was weak as a baby when it came to the spiritual strength needed to fend off the enemies of God, he forgot that the gift that God gave to him was a reminder that physical strength is not enough and that he and Israel both needed to be spiritually strong; this spiritual aspect being more important.  God made it clear to Samson over his life not to mess around with the enemy, on ANY level, and that if he did it would cost him dearly, not just himself either.

Part of our human definition includes sin, in fact, we are born into it thus comprising our origins.  But we do not have to live on this fringe of existence, we do not have to become friendly and familiar with the beauty of the world and all that it has to physically offer.  God established boundaries way back in the Garden of Eden and He has not changed them one bit, but that does not mean we have to test the boundary's waters so to speak.  If God sends you to the fence line then go do what is necessary and return to His close proximity, tell Him what you witnessed and did and then enjoy being in His presence.  Do not linger or abide in areas that are dangerous to your eternal existence, being away from God, or keeping Him at a distance is not good for you or anyone else.  It is this setting that we need to be telling others about, for keeping God at a distance or out of sight will cause you to lose your life.

Samson knew that the Philistines were the enemy of Israel, yet he kept in so close of contact with them that he fell in love with one of their citizens; I believe that this is a basis of why God tells us not to be unequally yoked because it is the spiritual aspect of our lives that suffers first and leads to eternal death.  Instead of pressing into God and doing what God told him to do, Samson did the opposite just like many of us do and it cost him everything.  God plays for keeps and so does the world, but what eternal kingdom we choose to fight for and then live under is our choice.

God has mentioned here that it is okay for us to be on the fence line area to do work and repairs that are necessary and then head back into His presence for rest and instruction, what is He saying for us to do, exactly?  His words to us come from His Son when He said that we should go into all the world and preach the Gospel and to tell every part of the world that Jesus died for them and that He loves them.  There is no way possible that our weak, sick, and unhealthy physical lives can work on the front lines of the Kingdom of God and repair them without specific strength and instruction.  Also, it is known that we cannot stay out there on this fence line for a long period of time for even though we are on a mission from God we are still human and are in need of eternal and spiritual help.

It is obvious Church, that we went to the fringes where countless people are located but instead of a message of repentance and returning back to God we have ourselves stayed and enjoyed the benefits of the physical and spiritual beauty of the world.  We have laid God aside and have pursued what is before us and not told these people that they need Jesus.  We have been lured into the web of the world and not have perched ourselves on the kingdom fence line and are about to set the example to others that it is okay to cross over into the world yet still look back toward God.  Our presence in the world is obvious but our authority which God gave to us as a gift is not and it shows, not so much to the world but in the eyes of God.  WE need to repent Church, return to God and once again proclaim His eternal love and grace to the dying world, not participate with it.

DLB