The Book of Judges

10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484

SURVEY OF BIBLE HISTORY
(THE JUDGES TO THE KINGS)
Samson and Delilah

Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1998
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

Lesson 27

Judges 16:4-19

Once Delilah contracted with the five Philistine lords to learn Samson's secret of strength, she went right to work. She said to Samson in Verse 6, "Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee." It would seem that a forward "come on" like that would have alerted even the most thick-headed dummy. It's obvious she wants to know how to make him weak. Even he saw that much, for he answered in vs. 7: "If they bind me with seven green withs that were, never dried, then shall I be weak: and be as another man. "In spite of seeing what she wanted to know, there is no indication that Samson recognized the reality of the fact that she was directly set on destroying him. I remember as a boy seeing fat pet calves eat corn out of the hand of the one loading them on a truck to the slaughter house. I've seen the very one hauling them off scratch under the neck. The calf would stretch his neck and raise his tail as if to say "let me help you load me." Samson literally did the same. He's the one who knowingly told Delilah how to destroy him.
Delilah's discovery of Samson's strength took quite a while. She was not his wife, just a common-law mistress whom he visited pretty often. He visited her often enough for the Philistine lords to recognize the pattern, and establish their contract with her. On the next visit after the contract, Delilah asked Samson about his strength, and he told her that if he were bound "with seven green withs that were dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man "Verse J_ The Hebrew word for "withs" is "yether. "Arthur Cundall says it means "gut" material from which bow strings were made.

After Samson departed, Delilah told the Philistines who brought her the green withs. At Samson's next visit they hid in Delilah's house. Apparently unaware of the reality of Delilah's intentions, and thinking it only a game with her, he allowed her to bind him with the seven green widths, Verse 9 Then she cried out, "the Philistines be upon thee, Samson." The text doesn't clearly say, but it appears that she did it in a sort of jesting manner. And, the text does not say clearly whether or not the Philistines revealed themselves. What is clear is the fact that Samson either didn't recognize what Delilah was doing or didn't care. When he tested the green widths, they broke as though burned in two in the fire, verse 9.

After such a clear cut evidence of Delilah's intentions, one would have thought Samson would have broken off the relationship. He had previously done so for less with the Timnath woman in Chapter 14. But lust and hot passion is blind, so Samson went back. This time, Delilah turned up the intensity of her effort to learn his secret. She played on his conscience for having "mocked" her and having told her lies, Verse 10. So, he told her, "if they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man." Verse 11. Well, as soon as Delilah could get the rope, she bound him. Obviously he submitted himself to the binding. When she finished, she again said, "the Philistines be upon thee, Samson," Verse 12. Some think the hiding Philistines didn't show themselves, but waited to see if he really had lost his strength. Although, it seems that they did appear at which point Samson broke the ropes and backed them down. Whether or not they revealed themselves, Samson broke the new ropes like they were mere threads.
This trickery by Samson really disgusted Delilah. So in Verse 3, she again said to Samson, "Hitherto thou has mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mayest be bound." It is absolutely amazing that Samson couldn't see the handwriting on the wall. But blindly he stayed with her. "He said unto her, if thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web," Verse 13. He's weakening under the pressure. He's getting close to the area of his secret; yet he won't break off the ungodly, immoral relationship. Like the man who won't quit drinking or smoking, even though he knows it'll ruin him; sensuous, self gratifying pleasure can mean more than life.

So , this persistent woman got him to sleep, then promptly took the spinning wheel and wove his hair right into a piece of cloth leaving it attached to the weaving beam. You will recall that Samson's hair was very long. Because of his Nazarite vow, he had never had it cut in all his life. So, it wove into the cloth quite nicely.

Then Delilah awakened Samson by calling out, "the Philistines be upon thee, Samson," Verse 14. But Samson "awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web."

For Delilah, it was now time for the nagging. The word pressed in Verse 16 is from the Hebrew "Tsuwq" (Tsook) meaning "oppress; distress; lie sore." A good english comparison is "nagg." She-said he didn't love her, a common play by lovers to gain the upper hand one over the other. She accused him of humiliating and mocking her. Again, claiming hurt is a common pressure lever when one is trying to get his or her way in a dispute between lovers. She tells him in principle that he is greatly mocking and deceiving her, and that he wouldn't do that if he really loved her. Her logic to him is that a divulging of his source of strength would be a sure sign of his love to her.

And, she kept this up day after day. It is clear by Verse 16 that Samson is staying with her constantly. She keeps up the nagging. There is never any longer a peaceful moment. She's constantly on his case trying to make him feel like a heel. The "happy-go-lucky," "all play and no worry," 'fun and games," "satisfy the lusts of the flesh" atmosphere is gone. Though Delilah was not Samson's wife, they were living together as such, and Proverbs 19:13 seems appropriate, "the contentions of a -wife- are a continual dropping." Solomon continued in Proverbs 27:15, "A continual dropping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike." And then he said in Proverbs 21:9, "It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling, woman in a wide house."

Nothing can quite compare with constant bickering and contentions in a home. It has a most devastating and weakening effect. As mighty as Samson was, the "daily" pressure began to get to him "so that his soul was vexed -unto death," Verse 16, You who would seek a marriage mate surely should consider how much bickering, arguing, and failure to resolve differences peacefully goes on between you and your prospect. And you married couples who bicker and argue, and you who constantly nag and run off at the Mouth should take a long hard look at what that practice can do to a marriage. You'd better find a way to stop it, otherwise you're very likely to see your marriage collapse.

What an irony exists at this point! Delilah is getting hot and heavy after Samson about mockery, deceit, and failure to be honest and open with her. She's trying to make him feel guilty and dirty about his treatment of her. Yet, his deceit to her pales into oblivion when compared to what she was doing to him. She's cold heartedly a part of a well planned scheme to destroy him. Hers is a death plot against him. She has no love for him. It's all a front and pretence with her. She's after the money. Yet, she consistently rebukes him about deceit, mockery, and abusing love.

Folks, don't. be taken in by fronts, especially in supposed love affairs. It has been said that "all is fair in love and war." Though it's not true, many believe it is and live that way. To get what they want, people will lie, pretend, and passionately plead positions in which they don't believe. To satisfy their lusts, boys will tell you they love you, and are planning to marry you. Girls will lead you on, and even reason immoral things to be alright because you're "in love. " Here is an area where you'd better not just, listen to what another says. You'd better keep in mind what God says. And, you'd do well to keep an eye on how your prospective mate lives, and let that have more impact on you than what he or she says. Samson bombed out here. He bit Delilah's deception hook, line, and sinker. He listened to what she said, oblivious to what she did.

Under the constant pressure of Delilah's brow beating and nagging, Samson broke. Verse 17 records these fateful words, "That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath 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." He divulged the secret of his Nazarite vow. The one aspect of the vow which he had kept was allowing no razor to come upon his head. the refusal to drink strong drink part, and the avoiding of dead bodies part had meant little if anything to him. But, his hair grew. His hair was not the source of his great strength. The Spirit of the Lord was the source of his power, but the hair was a symbol of separation to the Lord, Numbers 6:7. In spite of his failure to be truly separated unto the Lord, the Lord had blessed him; but now the Lord was getting ready to reveal to everyone Samson's unfaithfulness to his vow. The shaving of the head was a symbol that the vow had been broken, Numbers 6:9.18.

The Philistines seem to have given up hope that Delilah would succeed. At first they had hidden in the house as she sought his strength Verse 9; but now she must call for them, Verse 18. Yet, when she called, they came with their money in hand, eager to take Samson.

In her deceitful, cunning way, she made Samson to sleep upon her knees. She then called for a Philistine barber, who began "to shave off the locks from his head."

Verse 19. Why she didn't personally use the razor is a mystery as he lay on her lap, she directed the cutting of the barber, and Verse 1 says, "she began to afflict him. The Hebrew for "afflict" is "anab" (aw-naw') literally meaning "to weaken or humble." She began and the Philistines continued as they took him, blinded him, and made him grind like an ass at the grist mill.

Verse 19 ends with the words, "and his strength went from him." Sooner or later sin takes its toll. The strongman who gave his heart to pleasure and sensuous living had it coming. It was just a matter of time. The very pursuit of pleasure to which he gave himself became his undoing. What a sad story, but clear warning. Galatians 6:7-8, "be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

QUESTIONS ON "SAMSON & DELILAH"

Judges 16:4-19

What did Delilah want to learn from Samson?
What would Delilah's realization of her goals mean personally to Samson?
If Samson and Delilah were not married, what was their relationship?
What happened to the seven green withs with which Delilah first bound Samson?
After the green withs experience, what does Samson's failure to break with Delilah say for him?
What can passion and lust do to one's spiritual vision?
What did Delilah do after her first effort failed?
While Delilah bound Samson with new ropes, where were the Philistines?
To what were the ropes that bound Samson likened under his strength?
How does Delilah's third attempt against Samson suggest he was weakening?
How could Samson's hair be so easily woven with thread into a hair-cloth fabric?
After each effort of Delilah against Samson, how did she clearly demonstrate her evil intentions?
How did Samson respond to his hair woven to the spinning wheel?
Of what did Delilah accuse Samson after her third failure?
Explain the irony of Delilah's accusations.
Explain the spiritual warning inherent in this irony.
Explain the power of persistence in this story.
Of what was Samson's hair a symbol?
Of what did the shaving of Samson's hair testify?
What became the source of Samson's undoing?

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"