8,000 STEPS TO STUPID

We all want to enjoy life and achieve good things, right? None of us sets out to be foolish or to make bad choices that lead to pain, shame, failure and regret. So, if nobody aims to make poor decisions, why do so many of us end up doing just that? It’s important to start with the guidance of God’s Word. Big mistakes usually don’t happen overnight; they’re often something we can see coming. But small decisions? They can pile up quickly, looking harmless at first but eventually leading us far off course. Through tiny compromises, we can find ourselves doing things we promised we’d never do.

Proverbs tells young men not just to avoid sexual sin with immoral women but to keep their distance completely (Proverbs 5:8). Chapter 7 gives further warnings and advice to help protect young men. In verse 7, wisdom sees a young man lacking good judgment. It’s intriguing to think about how wisdom knows this; he’s not wearing a sign that says, “I’m foolish.” Verse 8 shows us that he was walking near her corner. Anyone who gets close to sin is viewed as lacking sense. Verse 23 compares him to an ox walking toward slaughter, highlighting how foolish it is to keep moving toward trouble.

Samson is a perfect example of this. He was chosen by God and had incredible strength, but he made foolish choices that ultimately led to his downfall. Each step he took seemed minor at the time, so he didn’t realize how deep in trouble he was getting.

In Judges 14:1 (ESV), we read that Samson went down to Timnah and saw a Philistine woman. This trip from his home in Zorah was about 4 miles or 8,000 steps—steps that seemed unimportant. Each of those steps took him further away from where he should have been and closer to sin. He found himself in Philistine territory, where he met a Philistine girl. Even though God had warned against marrying those who didn’t worship Him, he went ahead anyway, and each step pulled him deeper into trouble.

His marriage ended in disaster, and soon after, he found himself back in Philistine territory with a prostitute. He thought it was no big deal since each choice felt similar to the last. Eventually, he got involved with Delilah, another Philistine woman. She kept asking him about the secret to his strength. Even though he knew telling her was a bad idea, he made up stories. Each time he woke up to find his words used against him, he still didn’t see the danger.

Finally, he revealed that his strength came from the Lord, symbolized by his uncut hair, which represented his commitment to God. He warned that if it were ever cut, he would be as weak as any man.

After being tricked three times, it’s hard to believe he was surprised when Judges 16:20 describes his thoughts upon waking: “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” He didn’t realize that the Lord had left him.

Having taken so many small steps over time, he stopped believing they mattered. Ultimately, he was captured, blinded, and imprisoned.

Compromise often creeps in through slow, subtle steps. Each one lowers our moral standards so gradually that we hardly notice how far we’ve fallen.

It’s easy to justify our actions by thinking about what we haven’t done yet. It might start with a simple work lunch with someone, then a work celebration, and before long, you’re having dinners where you feel a connection. You might think it’s just harmless flirting, and before you know it, it escalates to touches, hugs, and kisses.

This pattern isn’t just about sexual sin; it applies to lying, cheating, stealing—anything we once thought we’d never do can happen through those small, seemingly harmless steps.