Samson And Delilah
We are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and must listen, trust and obey. Samson was chosen to rescue the children of Israel out of the hands of the Philistines. He should have concentrated more on his mission for the LORD instead of playing pranks and joking with his enemies. We must equally be careful to concentrate on the task that the Lord has given us to do instead of doing what we want to do. Judges 16:1-21
Let’s do a recap of what we have learned about Samson to this point. He was born to be a Nazarite. The vow was he would never drink any wine and he would not cut his hair. Samson would observe the vow and the Spirit of God. Samson grew up to be very strong and killed a lion with his bare hands. Samson went down to Timnath in the land of the Philistines. The Philistines were ruling over the Children of Israel at this time and Samson saw a young Philistine woman and fell in love. His parents were not pleased that Samson was going to marry among the enemies of his own people.
Remember Samson gave a riddle at the wedding feast to the young Philistine men for 30 suits of clothes if they could not answer the riddle. “Out of the eater came forth meat. And out of the strong came forth sweetness.” Samson would have won had his new wife would not have found out the secret and told the Philistine men.
Samson went home to his parents and his Philistine wife was given to another man. This angered Samson and he caught the wild foxes and tied three hundred of them together by their tail, set them on fire and let them loose in the fields of the Philistines. Samson did not stop there; he slayed a thousand Philistine men with a jawbone of an ass.
Samson then went to Gaza. This is where we pick up the story of Samson he met a harlot and the Philistine were angry because he slept with her and they threatened to kill him. Samson took the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all; Samson put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of a hill that was before Hebron.
Next Sampson went to the valley of Sorek and fell in love with Delilah. The Philistines came to Delilah and told her to entice Sampson and find out there his great strength lie. They wanted to prevail against him. They wanted to bind him to afflict him. They said they would give Delilah eleven hundred pieces of silver.
Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray you, wherein your great strength lies, and where might they bound you so they might afflict you? Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green cord that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon you, Samson. And he broke the cord, as a thread of flax is broken when it touched the fire. So his strength was not known.
Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, you have mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray you, wherewith you might be bound. Samson said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.
Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon you, Samson. And there were lying in wait abiding in the chamber. And Samson broke them from off his arms like a thread. Bind with seven green cord, philistines,
Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto you have mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith you might be bound. And Samson said unto her, If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web unfinished stuff on a loom. Delilah fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon you, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.
Delilah puts more pressure on Samson when she said unto him, How can you say, I love you, when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me your great strength lie. She asked him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death.
Samson told Delilah all his heart, and said unto her, There have not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.
Delilah made Samson sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon you, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And Samson did not know that the LORD was departed from him.
But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. However the hair of Samson’s head began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.
And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport (or laugh, play, mocked Samson). And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, rest my hands that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house stands, that I may lean upon them.
Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women that beheld while Samson made sport.
And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said; Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
Then the brothers of Samson and all his relatives came down, and took Samson, and brought him up, and buried him in the burying place of his father. Samson judged Israel twenty years.
What Can This Story Teach Us?
This Bible story is a reminder to all of us to be faithful and trustful to the LORD God. Delilah betrayed Samson for money. Samson trusted the wrong person to tell his secrets to. Samson betrayed the trust the LORD God had put in him so he could do what he wanted to do.
In the end Samson once again put his faith in the LORD God and asked for His help. When Samson was obedient to the LORD he did much to set his people free. Samson could have done if he had put more trust in the LORD God instead of trusting in his own strength. He should have concentrated more on his mission for the LORD instead of playing pranks and joking with his enemies.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Samson And Delilah:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1955 ,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, January) “Samson And Delilah:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1955 ,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Samson And Delilah:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1955 , (accessed).
Joanne B. Holstein is a Becker Bible Studies teacher and author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She has received her Master of Science degree in Psychology/Christian Counseling with honors from Liberty University. She is well-known as a counselor to Christian faithful who are struggling with tremendous burden in these difficult times. She is a leading authority on the history of development of the Christian churches and the practices and beliefs of world religions and cults.
