Her name means: "Dainty One"
Her character: A prostitute whose nationality is unknown,
she used her beauty to betray her lover and enrich herself.
Her
sorrow: That Samson lied to her, making her look foolish on three
different occasions.
Her joy: That she overpowered one of
history's most powerful men, handing him over to his enemy, the
Philistines.
Key Scriptures: Judges 16:4-22
Her Story
Her teeth gleamed white in the dusky light as a smile parted lips soft and
smooth as a scarlet ribbon. Earrings glinted gold as she threw back her head and
laughed out loud. Fortune had come knocking on her door that day. No lover had
ever paid Delilah as well as Samson would.
The Philistine kings hated the long-haired strongman who had set their fields
afire and slain a thousand of their countrymen. Each had offered Delilah an
incredible sum—eleven hundred shekels of silver! She had merely to deliver the
secret of Samson's strength. His would be no match for hers, a strength born of
beauty and schooled in the arts of love. Weakened by passion, he would tell her
everything she needed to know.
"If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I'll
become as any other man," he replied to her persistent probing. Hiding a few
Philistines in the room for good measure, Delilah waited until he slept and then
carefully wrapped him with the thongs and exclaimed, "Samson, the Philistines
are upon you!" But he had outsmarted her, snapping the cords as his enemies
fled.
Like a man toying with a kitten, Samson repeated the ruse twice, tricking
Delilah with crazy stories about new ropes and braided hair. Finally Delilah
confronted him, "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." Worn down by her nagging, Samson gave in.
"No razor has ever been used on my head," he confided, "because I have been a
Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength will
leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man." Years earlier, before his
birth, an angel had instructed his mother that he should drink no wine, touch
nothing unclean, and never cut his hair. He was to be dedicated to God in a
special way, destined to play a great role in God's plan to free his people from
their Philistine overlords. A strong man unable to subdue his own tempestuous
nature, Samson had already broken the first two stipulations of his vow. Now he
was about to break the third, preferring the good graces of a woman to the favor
of his God.
Sensing she had heard the truth at last, Delilah sent word to the
Philistines. After cutting his hair while he slept, she once again called,
"Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" This time Samson awoke from his sleep
unable to resist his enemies, who quickly seized him, gouging out his eyes. Then
they imprisoned him in Gaza, where he spent his days in darkness, performing
women's work grinding grain.
That's the last we hear of the lovely, treacherous, and now wealthy Delilah,
but not the last we hear of her lover. Slowly Samson's hair began to grow back,
first a short cap to warm his head and then a cover for his ears. What harm can
a blind man do us? the Philistines must have reasoned.
One day they held a great celebration in honor of Dagon, god of the harvest,
for delivering Samson into their hands. Oblivious to their danger, they brought
him out of prison to make sport of their once-mighty enemy. But when Samson
stood among the pillars of their temple, he prayed, "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." Then he braced himself against the
two central pillars of the temple and pushed. The roof buckled and collapsed,
and Samson and his enemies were buried together under its rubble. By his death,
Samson killed more Philistines than he had in life. Just as the angel had
predicted, Samson had begun a work of deliverance that David would complete many
years later.
The strange story of Samson and Delilah is hardly edifying. It's tempting to
conclude that the selfish, ill-disciplined Samson had finally met his match in
the greedy Delilah. A visitation by an angel, the gift of supernatural strength,
a prophetic destiny—such obvious blessings could not assure Samson's devotion.
Why would God use such a man, enabling him to become a judge in Israel? What a
contrast to Deborah, who had ruled Israel a century earlier! Perhaps God had
little promising material to choose from, given the state of his people during
an era of Israel's history where "everyone did as he saw fit" ( Judges 21:25).
If anything, Delilah's role in this sordid tale assures us that God will use
anything and anyone to accomplish his purpose. Even our sin. Even our enemies.
Our deliverance is purely a matter of grace. But how much better if we become
people set apart for his service, whose inner strengths match our outer
strengths, enabling us to live out our destiny assured of God's pleasure.
Her Promise
Even the sordid story of Delilah and her Hebrew lover, Samson, conveys an
important truth: God loves us and will not abandon us even when we make
mistakes, even when we sin. Over and over throughout the biblical narrative, we
see God using people who are great sinners, people who are less than perfect,
people who through their own folly fail and only then recognize their need of
him. He didn't abandon people like Samson, foolish and sinful though he was, and
he won't abandon us, foolish and sinful though we might be. |
