Samson Part 4

Morally dubious, that’s our Samson. Judges 16 starts by finding him with a prostitute in Gaza. The people of Gaza lie in wait all night to kill him in the morning. Samson only stays half the night and then with a display of massive strength, walks away –

Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.  Judges 16:3

And that’s all we hear on the matter.

‘Some time later’…..there’s that phrase again….he falls in love again. This time with Delilah. Samson makes bad choices it seems. Our man is not at all lucky in love. I suppose when you’re famous, you’re susceptible to the whole ‘kiss and tell’ scenario. You see, the Philistines offer her money to find out the secret of his strength.

A lot of money. Who wouldn’t?

This next dialogue makes great reading –

Delilah: Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.

Samson: If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.

So: the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. With men hidden in the room,she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

Delilah: You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.

Samson: If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.

So: Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

Delilah: All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.

Samson: If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.

So: while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

Delilah: How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.

With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

Samson: No razor has ever been used on my head, because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.

So: after putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.

What a story! And what can we learn from it?

Be careful who you fall in love with.

No one likes being made a fool of.

Saying ‘no’ will only make a woman more determined.

Money can buy information.

Be careful who you tell your secrets to.

Nagging works.

The phrase ‘If you really loved me…..’ gets them every time.

A woman knows how to get anything out of a man.

A woman will always find a way.

Long hair on a man leads to all sorts of problems.

Never assume you will always have your strength.

(All rather tongue in cheek of course, but some truth to be found there, I’m sure!)

However, all hope is not lost.

But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.  Judges 16:22

Why did no one think of that? It’s so easy to become complacent….he’s blind…..he’s shackled……he’s a broken man….we have subdued and beaten him….what danger is he to us now?

So when the rulers of the Philistines assemble to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god to celebrate the capture of Samson, they bring Samson out to entertain them.

And boy, does he put on quite a show! He asked to be put between two pillars for support.

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.  Judges 16:28-30

His family come to take his body away. He had led Israel for twenty years.

And when he cried out to God, God remembered him. God heard. God answered. God strengthened him.

And when we cry out to God, God remembers us. God hears. God answers. God strengthens us.

So I’d invite you to clink on this link now – ‘O Lord, hear my prayer’ – and focus on the beautiful images and let the beautiful music soak into your very being for the next four minutes…….and let your soul and heart respond and cry out to God……..because He does hear and He will listen.