Fireworks
| Then Samson prayed to the
Lord, “O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just
once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for
my two eyes.” Judges 16:28, NIV. |
The tragic story
of this phenomenally powerful yet incredibly weak young man is well known.
The pitiful final result of Samson’s foolish infatuation with a bewitchingly
beautiful woman was the loss first of his hair, then of divine power, followed
by freedom, and ultimately by both of his eyes, which motivated his suicidal
act. His anguished petition screams out feelings many people will suffer
this month, as their eyes are also brutally injured while enjoying enchanting
visions.
According to the Centers
for Disease Control, hospital emergency rooms treat approximately 12,000
fireworks injuries every year. The estimated cost is more than $24 million.
One in five injuries involves the eyes, with half of them resulting in
blindness or removal of the eyes. Three types of fireworks were most responsible
for injuries: firecrackers; bottle rockets (which caused 72 percent of
hospitalizations); and sparklers (producing severe burns by reaching temperatures
as high as 1,800°F, which can melt gold). In 1991 fireworks started
an estimated 25,500 fires, causing more than $33 million in property damage.
Fewer than a dozen states
ban all private fireworks; some have no laws whatsoever, and unregulated
mail-order sales or bootlegging disseminates these explosive devices. Many
of the injuries occur from misuse (intentionally aiming a rocket at people,
or throwing it after lighting it) or from malfunction such as erratic flight,
premature explosions, or ricocheting off a hard surface. Almost 80 percent
of injuries occur around the Fourth of July, and more than half affect
children and teenagers.
Fireworks have a captivating
excitement and seductive beauty that Samson would recognize. Only too late
did he realize that the seductive Delilah would be one of the very last
things he would ever see. How high the cost and how brief the thrill! It
reminds me of the proverb “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his
clothes being burned?” (Prov. 6:27, NIV).
| Lord, let me not play with fire! |
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