Judges Chapter 16 Part Six (Verses 21-31)

2. (Judges 16:21-22) Samson's Philistine imprisonment
Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison. However, the hair of his head began to grow after it was shaved off.

Then the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes: Samson was captured and taken into custody. His eyes were gouged out, which is another irony in this story. Samson's eyes were the instruments of his unfaithfulness. His eyes were the portals of his lust. He always did what was right in his own eyes. And now, God's harsh justice demanded that those fleshly eyes were to be blinded to the things of the world in order for Samson to finally see the LORD.

 They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains: The Philistines had a lot of experience with the inadequacy of ropes as a binding mechanism for capturing Samson. This time, they use bronze. Blinding Samson was a way to humiliate him and make him more docile. They also put him to working grinding grain.

He was a grinder in the prison: Usually, the scene which is illustrated in story books is one of Samson handcuffed to a huge industrial grain grinder which was normally powered by an ox or donkey. However, no such thing is implied by the test. All current archeological evidence is that thus type of grain mill was not even invented until at least 700 years after Samson's death. Samson merely sat at a standard stone grain mill and ground grain, a few handfuls at a time, from dawn to dusk.

Grinding grain was considered woman's work and for such a manly man as Samson to be reduced to such a thing after his notorious exploits made him utterly impotent and laughable to his enemies.

However, the hair of his head began to grow after it was shaved off: While Samson was languishing away in prison, something else was happening: his hair began to grow back. If one gives a little thought, a good question to ask would be: why would the writer of the Book of Judges record such an obvious and trivial thing as the very natural action of Samson's hair growing back? After all, this would happen to anyone under almost any circumstance. Of course, the answer is that the inspired writer has something more in mind here. It implies Samson re-examined his relationship with God, and Samson recognized his personal failings.

Samson was ready to acknowledge his sin and was going through the terribly painful process of true repentance. This repentance would lead to some kind of spiritual strengthening and some amount of restoration of his Nazirite status. 

This is a pattern for all of us to be aware of:
1. If we are unfaithful, our spiritual strength will deteriorate.
2. As out spiritual strength deteriorates, our usefulness to the Kingdom of God and His purposes for us begins to evaporate.
3. When we have become so unfaithful (we cross a line only known by God) as to cause God to react, God can chose to depart from us (at least in the sense of being an active protector or influence in our lives).
4. And when that happens, our fall/destruction is certain.

The good news is that even when we have finally come to destruction, if we recognize our sin, sincerely repent and confess it, then the LORD will return to us. However, that return may not be immediate or to the same degree or even for the same purpose as before our fall. Samson was in a glorious position for a long time. He was one of but a handful of Judges over Israel. Samson was feared and revered by friend and foe. The earth trembled wherever he walked. he was invincible.

But as we will soon see, even though he returned to God, and God returned to him, things were different. Samson's deteriorated condition bore little resemblance to his past glory. Sin has consequences, consequences which often are long lasting. Forgiveness does not mean those consequences will be averted. It merely means that the LORD will not cut us off from Him in eternity.


3. (Judges 16:23-25) Samson is mocked by his enemies
Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hands." When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, 'Our god has given our enemy into our hands, even the destroyer of our country, who has slain many of us." It so happened when they were in high spirits, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may amuse us." So they called for Samson from the prison, and he entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars. 

Now the lords of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon: As happened on regular occasions, the elite of the Philistines gathered at their temple to offer a sacrifice. The chief Philistine god was Dagon. While it was not for the express purpose of mocking Samson that they assembled, they did offer up thanks to Dagon for handing Samson over to them.

Dagon: Dagon is usually depicted in the form as a half-man and half-fish. (After all, the Philistines were called the Sea Peoples and their territory hugged the Mediterranean Sea.) However, Dagon's function was the god of grain and harvest. Fertility also played a role in Dagon's sphere of influence. This assembly was probably some sort of agricultural festival, which was underway in Philistia. Dagon is given credit for Samson's departure from God.

A very similar thing happens today. Whenever any Arab nation makes gains against Israel, Allah is given credit for it. This makes God seem weak and impotent to the unbelieving Muslims, thus it distorts God's true nature. Islam is growing at a much faster rate than Christianity, and that is not because of God. It is because of the unfaithfulness of His followers. This makes God seem weak, and God's enemies seem strong. Everyone likes to be a winner, so they will associate with whatever appears to be the perceived victor.

It so happened when they were in high spirits: Once the revelries of the festival were in full swing, and the people were drunk and feeling full of themselves, they decided it might be fun to bring Samson out so they could mock him,. But in prison, in the most unimaginable horror which were the prisons of old, Samson had changed, but not entirely. he had apparently come to terms with God such that God saw it as repentance. God returned some measure of strength and divine purpose to Samson.


4. (Judges 16:26-31) Samson's bittersweet death
Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, "Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them." Now the house was full of men and women, and all the lords of the Philistines were there. And about 3,000 men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them.

Then Samson called to the LORD and said, "O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. Then his brothers and all his father's household came down, took him, brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty years.

Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, "Let me fell the pillars": In those days, the typical supporting pillars were not one large carved piece. Rather, they were some smaller cylindrical sections stacked up to form a pillar. So Samson was able to push one of those sections on each pillar far enough askew that the column's stones no longer lined up and thus crumbled. 

Many examples of that era of ancient temples in the Middle East have been found and catalogued. it was common for them to be quite large. It was also common that the roof was used for the regular folks to gather and watch the ceremonies below, which was conducted by priests and dignitaries.

In verse 23, we are told that the chiefs of the Philistines were there, meaning at least the kings of the five major Philistine cities were in attendance, the same one who hired Delilah to deceive Samson.

About 3,000 men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was amusing them: The ground floor of the temple under the roof was full, and the roof was crowded. Undoubtedly the crowded condition of the roof made its total collapse easier, so that when Samson made the pillars that held it up unstable, the weight of 3,000 people on that roof contributed to its buckling. We are told upon Samson's death, he killed more of God's enemy (the Philistines) than he had in his many run-ins with them during his life.


The most powerful lesson we can learn: The LORD determined the last act of Samson, a redemptive act of sorts, after Samson had repented sufficiently, that the LORD decided to return to him. But this would also mean the end of his life. Unlike the earlier parts of his life, during a more faithful time, when the adoring women and children who followed Samson around and praised him after the many times he bruised the Philistines, this time the only songs that would be written for him would be as a memorial. The only honor he would get was to have his crushed body entombed with along with his father's. It did not have to be that way, but Samson could not see that before the LORD had departed from hum and his eyes were gouged out.

Samson died in a state of grace, but he died as a broken and shamed man. Samson could have been honored today as King David is honored. But instead, Samson chose the way of the flesh and preferred fellowship with God's enemies rather than with God's people. Samson ruined the unique gift the LORD had given him. All that was left was to lose his life in one final act of personal revenge--an act which at least served a purpose in God's Kingdom.

Just as in the past, it was always Samson's passions and lusts which led to the conflicts he caused, and then avenging and revenging that cycled back and forth between he and the Philistines. Even at his death, it was not God's instructions for him to kill all those Philistines, it was a person act of anger and payback for their treatment of him.

Then all his brothers and all his father's household came down: Verse 31 explains Samson's family came to the demolished temple to fetch Samson's body and bring it home for a proper burial. All know cultures of that era were greatly concerned with the corpse, and thus it was the norm for relatives of a fallen enemy to be given free passage to retrieve the body of a loved one. According to the Bible and all known records, Samson was an only child. The "brothers" spoken of here (those who claimed his body) are meant in a general sense and not in the sibling sense. These were members of Samson's clan, doing their duty as next of kin. Samson's judgeship ended after a 20 year run.

Judges Chapter 16 Part Five (Verse 20 Continued)

Did God's departure from Samson mean that Samson had lost his salvation?
Samson's hair loss as the chief symbol of his special relationship with God most likely did not mean Samson was spiritually cut-off from God. It most likely did not mean Samson was destined for the Place of Torment we call Hell.

We come back to a point I made at the beginning of this chapter: there is a critical difference between faith and faithfulness. By all accounts, Samson's faith remained; it was his faithfulness which he abandoned. Samson did not stop believing in the God of Israel. He did not even adopt other gods (as far as we are aware). Samson simply stopped being obedient. In fact, we watch him over time give in to primitive instincts: he touched dead bodies, used prostitutes, preferred the company of pagans and murdered out of personal anger and revenge. The result was a state of spiritual weakness which lead to his physical weakness. Samson now (with the loss of his Nazirite symbol, his hair) had no more power or strength than any pagan man. It is the same for Believers.

A Believer who backs away from his special relationship with God by means of disobedience gets weaker and weaker spiritually. He is more easily influenced by the world because he is less protected by God. He is less blessed by God and more connected to earthly treasures. There is almost no temptation that he can withstand any more since his nearness to God has evaporated. I can tell you from personal experience that a man can lose all faithfulness, and thus all power and nearness to the LORD, but still have faith.

This was my condition about 12 years ago. I was a Believer. I never stopped believing in God. I never renounced or denied Jesus was the Messiah. But I did stop being obedient. I stopped living the new life afforded by Jesus. I did not worship. I did not study or apply God's Word. I was a useless disciple. I had faith, but I was not faithful. The result was obvious, but I was oblivious to the process. When everything fell apart in my life, I knew what had to be done. I confessed to God and relearned how to be faithful. My life began to change, and in time, buds for future fruit began to form. But the process of returning to faithfulness was long and painful.

No man can measure your faith, but faithfulness is usually pretty apparent. While the first thing which happens when you are saved is acquisition of faith, the next step is faithfulness. Human birth is an excellent example of this.

When we are born, we are pretty useless. We are loved, and we have value in God's eyes. Our mere existence brings joy to our mother and father. Basically, as an infant, all we can do it receive and use up resources. Of course, no one is supposed to stay in that condition. We are supposed to grow, mature, learn, give back, become part of society and then the cycle begins again by bringing forth new infants.

Coming to faith in Jesus is like that, and thus the Bible calls it being born again. When at first we believe, we are pretty helpless and useless to the Kingdom of God. All we can do is receive. We have great value in the Father's eyes and we are loved by Our Savior. But we are not to remain in that infant state. We are expected to grow, mature, learn, give back and become a useful part of the Believer's community so that we can play a role in bringing forth new, reborn people. Our rebirth is from faith. The growth, maturity, learning, giving back and usefulness that ought to come in time are from our faithfulness. End the faithfulness and our usefulness ends along with it.

In short, faith is a state or condition of mind and spirit. While faithfulness is acting upon that state. Faith of itself is passive; faithfulness is action. Faithfulness is a physical acting out or expression of our inner faith. A life which bears little or no signs of faithfulness does not necessarily mean the person does not have faith, but it does mean they are being disobedient and are spiritually going in reverse. It is a fatal and even a dangerous position for a Believer.

We see this same principle playing out in the life of Samson. Samson maintained his faith in God (as far as we know it), but his faithfulness to God ebbed and flowed. (What we read about in the Book of Judges usually centers on Samson's low points.) Samson's lack of faithfulness led finally to the sad and utterly terrifying quote of verse 20: "But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him."


Samson was to save Israel from the Philistines...He was not supposed to become a Philistine
When Samson's insatiable lust for sex and beautiful women finally overwhelmed him (which happened with Delilah), he reached the point of no return. It would be just a matter of time before he was willing to make the all important symbol of his special and holy Nazirite status before the LORD (his long and uncut hair) something he was willing to risk if it meant he could continue in his fleshly pleasures. I have no doubt he never consciously thought that losing the symbol (and with it his set-apart relationship with God) would actually happen. 


Samson was born for the purpose of bedeviling the Philistines. This means he would have constant contact with them, but it did not mean he was to become one of them. The Philistines were to be his project and his enemy. They were not to become his closest friends. I point this out become it is common within Christianity for Believers with good intentions to involve themselves in the lives of criminals, prostitutes, or drug addicts. However, it is also rather common to see such a Believer begins to look more and more like those he came to rescue than the Savior who may have sent him. It happens that this Believer starts to take on the characteristics of the unsaved, but he says it is done to save them.

All too often this notion that we are rubbing elbows primarily of non-Believers as a means of doing something for God is that in fact we are doing it for ourselves. Sometimes it is a camouflage to hide our inner desires. Other times it is a means to appear especially pious. Samson grew to feel more comfortable with the pagan Philistines than he did among his own people. Such a comfort level is dangerous and can lead to a serious downfall unless one increases his nearness to God. Instead, Samson compromises his faith supposedly for the sake of fitting in with the group of people to whom he was supposed to be executing.

Judges Chapter 16 Part Four (Verse 20)

B. Samson's arrest and death

1. (Judges 16:20) Samson is seized by the Philistines
She said, "This Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson": Now that Delilah has Samson in one last trap; she again needs to prove she has not been fooled. Once more, she cries out that the Philistines are upon Samson. Samson is now left in the grasp of a Philistine soldiers.

Samson does not recognize his weakened condition at first. He thinks he will merely shake these men right off of his like dust and be free (just as he has always done). But it was over. Samson's Nazirite hair was gone and with it, he lost his incredible strength.

Lesson we can learn
There are so many valuable lessons and principles we can learn. However, we will only cover some of the most important ones. 

 

Samson's Hair
Why was it when Samson lost his long hair he lost his strength? The answer is Samson lost the final symbol of his set-apart and unique relationship with God. Samson hair was a symbol because the existence of his hair in and of itself was not magical nor did it carry some kind of mystical or cosmic connection to the LORD per se. Just like the Levitical sacrifices, whereby the blood of the bulls and goats carried no inherent power in it but rather it was the DOING of these rituals in accordance with God's instruction that was at issue, it was the same with Samson's hair. It was a matter of obedience to God for Samson to keep his long hair. 

When a man sinned, confessed it to God and brought his sacrifice of atonement (with a contrite heart) to the altar, it was all about obedience, not magical power. A Nazirite had precise God-ordained observances written down in the Torah which he was to follow: eat no grape products, do not touch a human corpse and do not cut your hair. If a person does not observe these, his Nazirite vow is broken. Saying it a little bit differently, break the terms of the vow and the person was no longer a Nazirite. The special set-apart relationship with God is dissolved and with it whatever power or special anointing that came with it.

Symbols
Symbols, whether God-ordained or man designed are tricky things. Men have a tendency to misuse both. But in either case, symbols do not contain any inherent power. Yet, when God ordains a specific purpose for a symbol, it is to be employed (and employed precisely as instructed). Even with God-ordained symbols, men can falsely impute special power to them, which was never intended.

A great example of this was the pole with the bronze serpent on it which Moses erected out in the wilderness to stop a plague of poisonous snakebites. The pole was kept, transported into the Promised Land and for hundreds of years it was wrongly used as an object of worship. The pole was created as a divine tool meant as a one-time only solution to save Israel from the consequences of a serious rebellion against God, but it worked so well that the Israelites (on their own) decided that it must have special power which they could call upon as they needed it and could do so indefinitely.

Once we impute power to symbols, they become idols (whether we acknowledge it or not). A menorah is a God-ordained and authorized symbol, but it has no power. A Star of David is a man- created symbol, and it has no power. The Ark of the Covenant is a God-ordained symbol, but it has no power. A cross is a man-created symbol, and it has no power. I have witnessed these symbols being looked upon by some as though they were inherently holy, inherently full of power and worth fighting and dying over. What happens is that without our realizing it, we have emotionally or intellectually transferred some amount of trust to the symbol instead of maintaining it exclusively in the invisible God of Israel.

Symbols are dangerous things, and we tend to take them very lightly. The problem is that when we have put even a little trust in a symbol, if we lose that symbol or are kept apart from it for some reason, we can lose faith.

When Samson's hair was severed from his head, God departed from him. God was Samson's strength, although, I am not sure Samson comprehended that at first. Let us understand the situation: the LORD had imbued Samson with such amazing strength that no one could have forcibly taken the symbol of his Nazirite relationship with God from him (a symbol which was God ordained). But Samson toyed with it. He used that divine symbol of uncut hair as a part of a dangerous and frivolous game with a girl who was essentially a whore working for the enemy. And thus, Samson allowed his long hair (a symbol of his faithfulness) to slip away from him because he had devalued it so much.

Believers, take this to heart. We cannot ignore or misuse the God-ordained symbols of our expected faithfulness to the God of Israel and assume that the power that He has given us to make a difference on this earth will remain with us. We cannot possibly deliver the Good News to people who need it, be healed of our diseases and expect Him to listen to our prayers and supplications if we back away from things He considers vital, important and central to our relationship with Him.

Judges Chapter 16 Part Three (Verses 10-19)

4. (Judges 16:10-12) Samson lies to Delilah about the source of his strength for a second time
Then Delilah said to Samson, "Behold, you have deceived me and told me lies; now please tell me how you may be bound." He said to her, "If they bind me tightly with new ropes which have not been used, then I will become weak and be like any other man." So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" For the men were lying in wait in the inner room. But he snapped the ropes from his arms like a thread.

Then Delilah said to Samson: Not to be deterred as a huge prize awaited her, Delilah pesters Samson to again divulge the magic formula. Samson, recalling the incident many years earlier at the rock of Etam where the 3000 men of Judah came to arrest and bind him and turn him over to the Philistines, told Delilah that by using new rope (moist rope that had not been weakened by use) he would become weak as a normal man.

Samson is playing with fire, but he is too blinded with his passion and arrogance to see it. Delilah ties Samson up with new ropes. Delilah yells, "The Philistines are upon you." He again instantly rects by breaking the ropes as if they were but made from thread.


5. (Judges 16:13-15) Samson lies to Delilah about the source of his strength for the third time
Then Delilah said to Samson, "Up to now you have deceived me and told me lies; tell me how you may be bound." And he said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web [and fasten it with a pin, then I will become weak and be like any other man." So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web.] And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web. Then he said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three time and have not told me where your great strength is."

Then Delilah said to Samson: Delilah is persistent. She now starts her pestering by telling Samson he has been lying to her and making fun of her. In other words, Samson is starting to hurt Delilah's feelings. Men know at this point, they are in trouble. Being told a woman's feelings have been hurt is like standing in front of a train. We can either continue on our path and be completely run over and leveled to the ground, or we can jump off the tracks and admit our error. Samson knows he must tell Delilah at least a partial truth.

If you weave the seven locks of my hair with the web: Samson tells Delilah to weave his hair into a loom. The loom was a large cloth making device which was affixed to the ground. If what Samson was saying was true, if the weaving of his hair into the loom took away his strength, then he would be trapped and left helplessly attached to a weaving weaving machine. He would be like a ram caught by his horns in a thicket. So once again, Delilah takes the bait, and Samson follows along.

I do not know about you, but I think Samson must have been one dumb guy if he was not catching on to Delilah's intentions by now. Love is grand, but just how far was Samson willing to go before he called Delilah's true intentions which would belie her hypocrisy? 

Men can be blinded by a seductive woman. Young me are especially prone to be enticed by beauty and sexy flirtations. Even though there are major red flags in this relationship, everything will continue on because once something is started it is hard to stop. It is much easier staying in a bad relationship--a relationship in which we may experience hurt feelings and even physical abuse--than ending the relationship and being left alone. 

If Samson would have had a sister or a family friend who was a female, she would have immediately seen through Delilah's insincerity. But Samson did not seem to have any of those. He wanted sex and not too much else from a woman. We do not ever read about Samson having relationships with Hebrew woman. The Law of Moses does not stand for illicit sexual relationships among God's people.

And she fastened it with a pin and said to him: Samson now has his hair thoroughly woven into the woven. Delilah again tests the situation and again Samson easily breaks free. But this seems to be the last straw.


6. (Judges 16:16-19) Samson finally betrays the source of his strength
It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death. So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, "A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man."

When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all that is in his heart." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his hair. Then she began to afflict him, and his strength left him.

It came about when she pressed him daily: Delilah is now raising the ante. She begins nagging Samson every day and pressing him hard until it annoyed him to death. Samson had already partly divulged the truth (in that his hair had something to do with where his strength lie), but now it was either tell Delilah the whole truth or end the relationship.

A razor has never come on my head: Samson finally reveals to Delilah where his great strength lies. It is his hair. Samson tells her he has been a Nazirite from birth. He tells Delilah if his hair is cut, his strength will leave him.

When Delilah saw that he had told her all that was in his heart: Delilah probably knew at once this was the truth. She knew there would be no more tests. She sends for the five Philistine leaders to come and observe as she traps their archenemy, Samson. Moreover, Delilah wanted payment on the spot. We read in verse 18 the five Philistine kings brought the money with them.

She made him sleep on her knees: Likely some time passed from the moment Samson revealed his secret to the time Delilah afflicted Samson. Samson assures himself he has it all under control. Delilah lures Samson to sleep. Samson places his head in her lap. Once asleep, Delilah signals for the barber to cut off Samson's hair. Samson hair is in seven locks (or most likely braids), which would have made cutting off his hair quick and easy.

Judges Chapter 16 Part Two (Verses 4-9)

A Quick Review
In the first few verses of this chapter, Samson's sexual passions again overcame him. He journeyed from his home in Zorah to the Philistine stronghold of Gaza. When he arrived, he immediately engaged in the services of a Philistine prostitute. The townspeople heard he was there and plotted to kill Samson in the morning.

Something in Samson alerted him to the impending danger. He got up and headed out of the city at midnight, but he took a little souvenir with him: Gaza's city gates. There is no mention of the Spirit of God overcoming him at that moment which causes me to conclude Samson acted using his own strength to pick up these gates made of wood and iron. He then carried them off on his shoulders. Samson was an extremely strong man even without the occasional special anointing of God with super-natural ability. Perhaps one way we can recognize a direct impulse from God upon Samson to do a certain action (as opposed to Samson just doing his own thing) was when we read the Spirit of God came upon Samson.

We must not lose sight that Samson was created for the purpose of causing discord between Israel and the Philistines and to undo all the efforts on both sides to affect a peaceful co-existence. In general we see God merely allowing Samson to do his own fleshly desires and evil inclinations. However, Samson acted in such a way which advanced God's agenda.  


2. (Judges 16:4-5) Delilah agrees to betray Samson
After this it came about that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice them, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver."

After this it came about that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek: After throwing the Gaza gates off a hillside on the road to Hebron, Samson returns home. Verse four tell us after some undefined time, Samson returns back to the Philistine territory for the same reason he always seems to come: women. And more specifically, Philistine women. While the four chapters which form the story of Samson in the Book of Judges is not a comprehensive history of Samson's life and deeds, it apparently is representative. Everything which is documented about Samson has to do with his love/hate relationship with the pagan world. More specifically, it is a love of pagan (Philistine women) and hate of pagan (Philistine) people in general. This is another of the many ironies of Samson, his behavior and his thought process. But is it not the same with the church today?

On one hand, we want to be different and separate from the world, and yet on the other hand we do all we can to hang on to it with all our might. We want unbelievers to see us as different, but not too different such that we are seen as intolerant or offensive. There are things about the world we like and there are things which we hate. And even the parts we like are not necessarily godly in any way. Basically, these worldly things call to us like a cold glass of water on a hot day. There are so important to us, we cannot imagine giving them up. And more often than not, it is these worldly things which regularly trip us up and cause us pain. They keep us from turning our faith into faithfulness to the LORD. We can resist for long periods of time when we really put our mind to it, but eventually, our memories fade and we are back for another try. We attempt to rationalize and harmonize our fleshly wants and desires with the ways of God's. Ultimately, we fall right back into the world's ways.

Delilah: Samson has fallen in love with a devastatingly seductive Philistine woman named Delilah who lived in the Sorek Valley. This was only a short distance from the village of Timnah, where Samson aborted his attempt to another Philistine girl occurred. Some like to point to Delilah's name as her destiny. But there is not consensus as to what Delilah's name means. Some say it means weak, others say it simply means hair and others say it means delicate or uprooted. There are a few who claim that it had to be a Philistine name because she was a Philistine. It is quite likely Delilah was not her real name, but it was rather a title or nickname given to her (by the Hebrews) well after the Samson affair. This is a common occurrence in the Bible. Without a doubt, Delilah is a derogatory title.

Delilah was a worshiper of the god Dagan and was fully loyal to the Philistines. Samson's affair with Delilah had apparently become fairly well known. The five kings of the five main Philistine cities (Gaza, Gath, Ashdod, Ekron, and Ashkelon) decided this might be an opportunity to finally do something about this one-man wrecking crew which had spoiled their hope of peace with Israel for almost 20 years. These Philistine kings were smart and pragmatic men. They figured since no amount of force had ever worked to subdue Samson; the only remaining avenue was deception and trickery.

By now, Samson's insatiable desire for beautiful Philistine girls was common knowledge and so what was a better trap than to lure Samson with the bait of his latest female friend. 

Entice him and see where his great strength lies: The Philistine kings go to Delilah and tell her they need to know the secret of Samson's strength. It was obvious to them that Samson's power was magical. Thus, it would take a magical solution to deprive him of his great strength. They recognized that size and muscle alone could not possibly allow for Samson's seeming invulnerability. So they offer Delilah 1100 pieces of silver EACH if Delilah can pry from Samson the means of his great strength. With 5,500 pieces of silver at stake (truly a king's ransom), Delilah enthusiastically undertakes the task, thus revealing her cold and calculating nature.

3. (Judges 16:6-9) Samson lies to Delilah about the source of his strength
So Delilah said to Samson, Please tell me where your great strength is and how you may be bound to afflict you." Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh cords that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man." Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now she had men lying in an inner room. And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the cords as a string of tow snaps when it touches fire. So his strength was not discovered. 

So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your great strength is": One day Delilah casually asks Samson the big question, where does his strength lie. With too much self-confidence, Samson toys with her. Undoubtedly, Delilah approached the subject matter carefully and at just the right moment so as to not appear too eager or conspiring. But Samson liked playing games. So he approached her inquiry as a game, not realizing the deadly wager which awaited the eventual winner.

Samson said, "If they bind me with seven fresh cords": Samson being Samson, he invents a lie and tells her that the magical power which can defeat him is in seven fresh bow strings. If he is tied up with those, he will be as weak as any normal human.

Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh cords: Delilah tells this story to her benefactors. They supply her with the seven bow strings. She binds Samson with them. But Delilah is a clever woman and was not particularly convinced that Samson was being honest with her. So she had some men waiting in a nearby room to assist her. As a test, she shouted, "The Philistines are upon you." Samson reacted instantly, and the bow strings snapped like they were nothing but single pieces of straw.

We must understand Delilah was not naive. The possibility that seven bow strings were the secret to Samson's strength was plausible. Seven was seen as a magical number in that era. Further, a fresh bow string was quite strong. Bow strings in that age were usually made from the tendon of an animal. The fresher the tendon, the stronger they were. As they dried out, they broke rather easily. No human could have been bound with seven fresh bow strings and simply broke them at will.

Judges Chapter 16 Part One (Verses 1-3)

SAMSON'S DISGRACE AND DEATH

A. Samson and Delilah

1. (Judges 16:1-3) Samson and the harlot at Gaza
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. When it was told to the Gazites, saying, "Samson has come here," they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, "Let us wait until the morning light, then we will kill him." Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.

The final words of the previous chapter are that Samson judged Israel for 20 years. Samson did not judge all of Israel. He only judged the area in the former territory of Dan and the northern area of Judah which were under the thumb of the Philistines. The Philistines only presented a problem for a relatively small part of the land of Canaan. They oppressed only a few of the twelve tribes of Israel during this time.

This 20-year reference is also not meant for us to think that 20 years had passed since the donkey jawbone incident and the beginning of chapter 16 in which Samson goes down to Gaza and engages in the services of a prostitute. We do not really know how much time has passed, but it probably was only a few years. It seems as though the Philistines had stopped pursuing Samson after he had single handedly killed 1000 of their men with nothing more than a donkey's jawbone. What we ought to take notice of is that Samson created havoc with the Philistines for a substantial amount of time.

Now Samson went to Gaza: In yet another violation of his Nazirite vow, Samson involves himself with a Philistine prostitute in Gaza. This is the same city of Gaza we know of today. Samson seemed to really have a thing for Philistines girls. There is no record of Samson showing any interests in Hebrew women.

One cannot help but wonder if Samson would really venture all the way from his home in Zorah to the coastal town of Gaza to simply lie with a prostitute. While prostitution went on in Hebrew society, it was not well accepted as it was in Philistine culture. It is amazing the Philistine army did not immediately come after Samson; however, I suspect they were hoping Samson would be a good boy this time around--he would enjoy himself and then go home without decreasing the Philistine population.

When it was told to the Gazites: The townspeople of Gaza were not so pragmatic. When they heard Samson was in town, they set a trap to kill him. They were going to wait for him to come out in the morning. Then they were going to kill him. Thus, the stage was set for another conflict between Samson and the Philistines.

They surrounded the place and lay in wait all night at the gate of the city: The foolish Gazites surrounded the place where Samson was staying. But, Samson must have sensed something was askew as he arose at midnight to leave. Rather than stealthily sneaking out of town, Samson went to the city gates, broke the lock and with superhuman strength lifted the city gates off their pivoting pins and walked off with them. I cannot even imagine the gaping mouths of the Philistines who stood looking at the hole in the city's defensive wall and their missing gates as the morning sun peaked over the eastern hills.

City gates were not small. No human could even contemplate lifting just one of them. The gates were made of heavy wood planks and usually were held together using large iron spikes. During this time in history, iron sheets often covered the outer side so it would not easily be burned down.

He put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain: Samson did not just take the gates down, he carried them off on his shoulders! He took them to a hilltop. Now depending on your translation, Samson either took the gates to a hill in Hebron or he took them towards Hebron. The city of Hebron was 40 miles away. It also had an elevation of approximately 2500 feet, meaning it was uphill all the way from the coastal city of Gaza. It makes little sense Samson would have taken the city gates that far. Almost certainly, he took them on a road which was TOWARDS Hebron and arrived at some intermediate place on a hill from where he would see Hebron.


Brief interlude
Samson is one of the most iconic characters in the entire Bible. It is hard to know what to make of him and allegorizing who he was and what he did into a wide array of sermons and topical discussions has proven to be irresistible to Rabbis and pastors alike.

There is a fine line between recognizing and applying a biblically defined God-pattern to a situation versus twisting the meaning of a Bible passage into something which attempts to prove our point. The key to know which you are hearing is context. If the context of the application is the same as the context of the original scriptural pattern, then the application is probably being properly applied. If it is not, it should be discounted as ear-tickling words of persuasion. Whether learning from me or any other Bible teach, that standard should always be kept in mind. Thus I think (and hope) what I am about to say falls within the former rather than the latter category: Samson presents us with a wonderful picture of the church in general and individual Believers specifically. Samson's pattern of being a walking, talking irony is the same pattern of any follower of Jesus; each of us (from the least to the most pious among us) is a living irony.

The Apostle Paul spoke about this strange condition of the Believer at length and summed it up in one of the most desperate, frustrated and passionate moments of his life when he made a bold admission not only about his spiritual condition but also about the mysteries of his relationship with God and how they play out in his life.

"For sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin be effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Lw, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:11-24)

This passage reminds me of the stark reality of my life and my walk with the LORD. And it is not the pretty picture we imagine our lives to be. My only comfort is that all followers of Christ live lives of irony. The same irony I live, Samson and Paul also lived. We have the Spirit of God living in us not because we have earned it but only because He declared us clean and holy enough to be His earthly temples; yet, our corrupted flesh remains just as corrupt as before our salvation, and our evil inclinations remain fully operational.

We have a holy and divine text at our fingertips which explains who God is and what His will is for us. We have a Holy guide who lives within is. And yet, we choose more often than not to ignore all that. We look elsewhere for validation and to do what pleases us at the moment. We usually know it is wrong when we do it and that it is sin, but we do it anyway.

Even worse, we detect and recognize God-induced urgings deep inside us which tell us there are things we are to do and were we are to be. But we often contemplate those divine proddings, mull them over and wrestle with them and discard them in favor of personal comfort, convenience and familiarity.

In the end, this was Samson. In the end, Paul recognized this in himself. And in the end it is you and I as the assembly of Jesus.

As we begin to study the well-known story of Samson and Delilah, we need to be conscious of this: there is a decided distinction between faith and faithfulness. Faith is an act of the intellect. Hindus have faith. Muslims have faith. Even atheists have faith. The source and object of our faith is everything. By itself, faith is passive. Regardless of whatever faith it may be until it is put to work it is dormant. James calls this dead faith.

Faith in action transforms to faithfulness. Faith is knowing, but faithfulness is doing. So it is not only possible, but it typical that one can have faith but NOT be faithful at all. Faith in the right thing will indeed save us for unimaginable joy and peace in the next world. But our lack of faithfulness will bring us nothing but misery, confusion and destruction in the present world.