Samson drove around for hours after leaving Delilah’s house. He went out to the lake and watched the ducks. He picked up a few rocks and threw them in the water. He couldn’t believe the situation he found himself in. How could he have been so stupid as to get involved with Delilah?
Several scriptures came to mind, most notably the forty-first verse of the twenty-sixth chapter of Matthew—“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Samson had to admit that praying was the last thing on his mind when he opted to sleep with Delilah. If it had happened one time since his marriage, he may have gotten away with calling it a mistake, but it happened more than once. Delilah was temptation in heels. She demanded attention just from entering a room.
His ego got in the way of him resisting her. He knew she could have any man, but she wanted him. His ego overruled his right judgment. His wrong decision now had his back up against the wall.
A man like William didn’t make idle threats. If Samson didn’t do what he wanted, he had no doubt that William would tell Julia everything. Granted, it would be William’s words against his, but in light of how Delilah boldly came to his office time after time, Julia would side with William.
He loved his wife and wanted to make sure they had a long life together. He had to do whatever he could to protect his family. Samson sat on the bench and shook his head. His parents would be disappointed. He could hear his mom chastising him now for allowing himself to be caught up in an affair. What-ifs floated through his mind. Would his congregation forgive him? Maybe he should tell Julia about it because he was not going to let William have leverage over him for the rest of his life. His mind filled with endless possible outcomes of his selling or not selling the land. None would result in a happy ending for him.
As much as he hated to give in to William’s request, he had no choice. He had to convince the board to sell. Now he had to think of the right words to say to convince everyone else that it was a good idea.
Samson dialed Calvin’s number. “I need to see you as soon as possible. It’s about the church land.” Samson and Calvin made plans to meet at his house for dinner.
When he hung up with Calvin, Samson called Julia. “Hi, baby. Add two more names to the pot. I’ve invited Calvin and Michelle over for dinner. Calvin and I need to discuss some church business.”
A few hours later, Calvin and Samson were seated in his study with the door closed. “I know I’ve been adamant against it in the past, but now I feel we should sell our land to Trusts Enterprise.”
Calvin had a shocked look on his face. “Man to man, what does William have on you?”
“Nothing,” Samson lied.
“I never saw why we couldn’t sell in the first place, but you’re our church leader, so you know I’m going to go along with whatever you think we should do.”
Samson rehearsed what he would say earlier and repeated it verbatim. “I figured we should not turn away the blessing. We’re being offered three times what the property is worth. We have enough land here to expand and build the community action center right in our own backyard.”
“True. But I know William. He’s known for doing some underhanded things.”
Samson looked Calvin straight in the eyes, hoping Calvin wouldn’t be able to read between his lies. “He’s not my favorite person, but in the end I must do what’s best for the church. Selling the land would be in our best interest.”
Calvin stood up. “If you think it will be, then, Samson, you will have my vote. We can call a special board meeting and get this thing rolling.”
Samson shook Calvin’s hand. “I knew I could count on you to have my back.”
“That’s what friends and lawyers are for.” Calvin chuckled.
Later that night, while in bed, Julia said, “You and Calvin sure had a lot to talk about. What’s going on?”
“You’re going to find out about it soon enough, so I might as well tell you. The land that Trusts Enterprise has been looking to buy, well, we’re going to sell it.”
Julia curled her body into her husband’s. “But you said the Lord had told you not to sell.”
“I’m a man. I can change my mind.”
“And y’all want to talk about women.”
Samson wasn’t in the mood to be intimate with his wife, so he just held her as she slept. Sleep evaded him, however, as he thought about something Delilah said—she accused him of being selfish. A small voice inside confirmed her words. Selling the land to Trusts Enterprise would allow him to keep the life he wanted—a loving wife by his side and a devoted church following.