Bzzzzzz, bzzzzzzzzzz, bzzzzzzzz! That was it. About 3-4 buzzes and my hair was gone. They didn’t have much to work with though. In 1965 the hair fashions were shorter, so my twin brother Roger and I didn’t have much to lose with our “crewcut” hair styles. Most people getting their heads shaved don’t have much to lose — maybe a little ego or self-esteem. Scripture gives us a story about a buzz job that had some serious side effects.

Most of us are familiar with the biblical character Samson, and the image that typically comes to mind is someone like “The Rock” (a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson). I’m more inclined to think Samson looked more like Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show.” My rationale for that is that God works in just the opposite way that men would work, so Samson was most likely not a huge fellow. Chapters 13-16 of Judges document the rise and fall of this biblical hero. His birth was announced by the Angel of the Lord to a barren Israelite woman. He was to be a Nazarite from the womb. The Nazarite vow is found in Numbers 6; the individual is to abstain from strong drink and not allow a razor to touch his head until the period of the vow had been fulfilled. In Samson’s case, this was prescribed for his entire life.

Samson’s story is one of unrealized potential. In one instance he slew a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. In another he took the gates of the city of Gaza on his shoulder and carried them 38 miles uphill to Hebron. Unfortunately, Samson’s strength was insufficient to overcome his character defect. He consorted with harlots and he drank strong drink. The bottom line here is that he did not take seriously the Nazarite vow he was called to maintain. He fell in love with a woman named Delilah, whom the lords of the Philistines bribed to learn the secret of his strength (which proves my point — he didn’t look like “The Rock”). Each time he responds to her pleas, he gets closer and closer to revealing the secret of his strength. Just before he reveals his true source of strength, he tells her to weave the seven locks of his head (Samson had “dreads” long before it became popular). Finally, Delilah shaved off the seven locks and the guy was toast!

Most of us have never taken a Nazarite vow, but in coming to Christ we have, in a sense, committed ourselves to a life of holiness and service to the Lord. Like Samson, our strength comes from the Lord. In our case, it is through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Flirting with sin can grieve the Holy Spirit. When we flirt with sin we are imperceptibly weakened. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30, ESV). The context for this statement is one of living a godly lifestyle.

How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? We grieve Him when we take that second look at an attractive woman (snip) or when we consider taking an illegal tax deduction (snip). We grieve Him when we decide to take a Sunday off from church (snip) or when we fail to take a stand for our Lord (snip). I could go on, but I think you get the point. I once saw a demonstration where a person had several strands of thread wrapped around himself, which were then easily broken. He continued to wrap the thread, and at a certain point the individual could no longer break free. “For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin” (Proverbs 5:21-22).

The power of the Holy Spirit is what strengthens us to resist sin. Confession and repentance (turning away from what we know is wrong) are the means by which we maintain a Holy Spirit-empowered lifestyle. I don’t want to end up a modern-day Samson — flirting with sin until I end up blinded and bound by chains. I want to have the vow on my life to serve the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. What say ye, Man of Valor?