As Judge, Samson was responsible for enforcement of God’s laws. As the leader, his attitude toward the Law would set the example for the entire nation, and he did not set a very good example, as Judges 16:1 tells us. “Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.” He had to go to a Philistine prostitute because prostitution was forbidden among the Israelites, as Deuteronomy 23:17 tells us. “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.” Samson was ignoring that restriction, just as he had ignored the restrictions on marrying those who did not worship God and the rules for Nazarites.
People often think they can keep people from finding out
what they are doing. The Philistines
learned that Samson had gone to the prostitute’s house, and plotted to capture
him in the morning when they could see who they were fighting and he would be off
guard, as Judges 16;2 describes. “And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson
is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in
the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning,
when it is day, we shall kill him.”
At midnight, Samson woke up and decided to go home. Finding himself locked in, he broke out and
went home, as Judges 16:3 describes. “And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at
midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and
went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried
them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.” The gates were designed to stop and army
and were extremely heavy, hanging from massive gateposts. Samson pulled the gateposts out of the
ground, and carried the entire assembly, weighing several hundred pounds for
miles before dumping them just outside Hebron.
Undoubtedly the people of Gaza were just as glad he didn’t hang around
to fight after seeing what he had done.
They would have to new timbers and rebuild the entire section of wall.
Confident in his ability to defeat any trap, Samson paid no
more attention to the effort to trap him than he had paid to the lion’s
attack. He again disobeyed God, chasing
after another Philistine woman as Judges 16:4tells us. “And it
came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose
name was Delilah.” Desperate to get
rid of him. the Philistine leaders decided to take advantage of his infatuation
with her, in Judges 16:5. “And the lords of the Philistines came up
unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength
lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to
afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of
silver.”
Delilah was far more interested in the prestige and money
she got from dating different men than in Samson. She eagerly acquiesced to the rulers offer,
and began trying to discover the secret to Samson’s strength. Though he was infatuated, Samson was hesitant
to tell her what it would take to destroy him, as Judges 16:6-9 describes. “And
Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth,
and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with
seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as
another man.
Jud 16:8 Then the lords
of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs 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 thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a
thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not
known.”
There had been Philistines hiding with the intention of
capturing him if he lost his strength, but when he broke the restraints as
easily as if they were being burned in two, they stayed hidden. Delilah accused him o fnot trusting her and
lying and demanded he tell her the truth, in Judges 16:10-12. “And
Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now
tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he 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 thee,
Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them
from off his arms like a thread.”
Twice, Delilah had done exactly what he said would make him
weak. It should have been obvious she is
not seeking his best interests, but in his infatuation and pride he doesn’t
think anything could go wrong. It is the
same attitude that led to his bet with his wedding party. Once again he listened to her pleas, as
Judges 16:13-124 describes. “And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou
hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And
he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. And she fastened it with the pin, and said
unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep,
and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.”
Each time Delilah tried to take his strength away, she made
it clear she didn’t love him, but she insisted that if he loved her he would
tell her how to destroy him. Each time,
Samson had gotten a little closer to telling her the truth, and this time he
would bare his soul to her, as Judges 16:15-17 tells us. “And
she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not
with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein
thy great strength lieth. And it came to
pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his
soul was vexed unto death; 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.”
Though she had repeatedly tried to destroy his power, Samson still
didn’t think she would betray him.
Delilah was only concerned about what she could get, and
realizing Samson had told her everything, she made arrangements for the
Philistines to capture him, in Judges 16:18-19.
“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. And she made him 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.”
Each time before when she yelled that the Philistines were
coming, Samson had leaped to his feet ready to defeat them. and he responded
the same way this time, in Judges 16:20-21.
“And she said, The Philistines be
upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at
other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not 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.”
Samson felt no differently than he had felt the other times,
but the Spirit had departed. He had
become so used to having God’s power, that he didn’t even notice when God was
no longer empowering him. Sadly, a lot
of Christians, including Christian leaders get so caught up in getting what
they want they turn away from God, never realizing he is no longer guiding or
empowering them. Like Samson, they lose the reputation and
respect they once had. Instead of
leading Israel, Samson was performing a job usually reserved for a donkey.
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