Judges Deceitful Delilah
Samson goes on with his life after his wife’s death. He meets deceitful Delilah. He loved her dearly, but her love was a ploy to learn the source of his strength.
We are not told how many years pass between the death of Samson’s wife and the entrance of Delilah in his life. We also don’t know how long it took Delilah to wear Samson down to the point where he revealed his secret. It had to be years, on both counts, because once Delilah was through with him, he didn’t see freedom again. Samson ruled Israel for 20 years, so she had to be part of that time. Only God knows how much of it.
I want to know HOW Samson stayed with this woman! She pestered him daily for the secret to his strength. And every time he gave her an answer, she tried it out. Of course, when he told her the truth, she would try it out too. She must have been something special for him to remain with her.
Funny thing about this is that Samson’s wife did the same thing to him. She pestered him relentlessly until he told her the answer to his riddle. Does he know how to pick them, or what! No kind of relationship I want to be in. Let’s rejoin Samson as he is led around by the nose by his physical ‘needs’.
♥ ♦ ♥
Samson’s heart is empty. He had such great hopes for his future. A wife, a family, a little plot of land, and a happy home. All of that was ripped away from him through treachery. He knows that his temper played a part in what happened, and he will forever carry the guilt of it. He does NOT feel guilty for his actions beyond ‘paying his wager’ for the riddle. His life is full of ‘if only’ moments.
“If only my wife wouldn’t have harangued me for the answer to the riddle…”
“If only I had remained strong and not given in…”
“If only I hadn’t posed that stupid riddle in the first place…!”
“If only I had not gotten so angry…”
“If only they would have left well enough alone…”
After the events with his wife are over, Samson dedicates his life to helping the people of Israel. His life was dedicated to the Lord from before he was even born. He tries with all his might to lead the people in the ways of the Lord. When they come to him for help or judgment, he renders what he believes the Lord would have him to. One thing he does very well is to advocate for those who he believes are being treated unjustly. He ‘stands up for the little guy’. If it involves putting a little fear into the Philistines, so much the better.
It is going on 18 years since the death of his wife. He has helped many of the people of Israel lessen the weight of their oppressors, the Philistines, but he has not engaged in any more bloody campaigns. The fear of him is enough to keep them at bay. The Philistines are biding their time; waiting for the right opportunity. The fact that Samson hasn’t been in their land for these past years is part of their reluctance to act.
Samson is tired of the loneliness. Judging Israel has filled part of his heart, but there is another part that has been left dormant too long. He hasn’t found any woman who turns his heart like Dana did in all of Israel. It’s time to look elsewhere. He heads out for the land of the Philistines.
Samson walks boldly as he makes his way to Gaza. He fears no man. His heart is set on finding someone he can at least cleanse the ache of his heart; even if only for a little while.
Gaza is a huge town. Samson walks its length and breadth before deciding on one woman that he finds enticing. By her position in the city, he knows that she is a prostitute. That doesn’t bother him. She won’t be a long-term relationship for him, but right now…
Samson approaches her and gives her a smile and an appraising look. “Are you free for the night?”
“I’m available, for the right man and price” she says seductively.
“Am I the right man” Samson asks while leaning in close.
“You could be” she says as she runs her fingers up his arm. “What will you give me if I say yes?”
“The night of your life for starters.”
“You’re so big and strong, I bet you could. We can talk more later.” She takes Samson’s hand and leads him into her room.
While Samson had been checking out the town, the people of the town were checking him out too. Some of them recognized him as the man who had cost so many Philistine lives. He was number one on their revenge list. They watched Samson and the woman and they saw him go in with her. He would be with her all night. It was perfect!
Word spread quickly. “Samson is here!” The men of the city gathered in a secret ally. “He is with the prostitute. He will be there all night. ‘At dawn we’ll kill him.’ (Judges 16:2c) We will put men on both sides of the city and at the gate. We will take him as he tries to leave.”
The men assumed their places and settled in to wait. Most of them fell asleep, expecting that nothing would happen until dawn.
In the room with the prostitute, Samson was sated and didn’t want to stay any longer. He found the woman had little to talk about besides her craft. He paid her a handsome fee, then left at midnight. As he neared the city gates, he saw the men who were waiting in ambush. He had no doubt what they were doing there. They were waiting on him so they could attack and kill him. Then he noticed that they were asleep. He chuckled to himself as he got closer to the gate. It was locked tight for the night.
“No problem” he said to himself. “Don’t get up; I’ll let myself out” he whispered with a smile. Samson walked up and took hold of the center bar on the gate. It was the bar that connected to both posts. The one the city was so proud of as being thief proof.
With one grunt and solid lift, Samson lifted the gate and its posts from the ground. It tore free from the wall with a wrenching sound.
The men who had been waiting by the gate came awake with a start as the timbers near them crashed down on top of them. They were trapped in the rubble. From where they lay, they could see Samson walking away from the city, carrying the gates and the posts, and LAUGHING!
Samson carried the gates on his shoulders all the way to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. He planted them there into the ground and walked away. The men on the sides of the city who were waiting in ambush had a surprise waiting for them in the morning.
Samson stayed away from Gaza after that. It wasn’t worth going back there. The city’s humiliation would just cause him more headaches than it was worth. But he went to other Philistines towns in search of someone to fill more than just his bed. He wanted someone to fill his heart.
Samson’s search was rewarded when he found a woman who melted his heart like snow with the coming spring. He name was Deliah and she lived in the Valley of Sorek. The fact that it was on the boarder of his own tribe’s territory was a big plus. He didn’t have to travel deep into Philistine territory to visit with her.
Delilah was everything Samson wanted. She was smart, strong willed, beautiful, and could make his heart soar with just a look. He loved her with all his might. He KNEW his heart would shrivel up and die if he ever lost her. He clung to her, no matter what.
Samson was everything Delilah wanted too. He was handsome, strong, anxious to please her, and a ‘meal ticket’. She wouldn’t have to worry about providing for herself as long as she had Samson. He hadn’t suggested marriage though, so she had no lasting ties to him.
Delilah was also mercenary. She looked out for herself and would do anything to ‘feather her nest’. This was perfect for the Philistines who discovered her relationship with Samson. The leaders in her town watched as Samson’s visits got more frequent and longer. They reported his movements to the Philistine kings and were paid handsomely for doing so.
“He has been coming to her for over six months now. I think it’s time to approach her.”
“How do you know she will agree to betray him? She might be in love with him and refuse.”
“I know Delilah personally. That woman is in it for what she can get. All we have to do is offer her more than she can get from Samson.”
“What happens if she can’t get the information we want from him?”
“Like I said, I know Delilah. There isn’t a man who could resist her when she puts her heart into it.”
“Alright. We have to do it when Samson isn’t around. We need to get close enough to get to her within a day of him leaving. Any longer than that and we run the risk of him discovering our plan.”
The city leaders sent word that Samson had left for his own country that morning. By afternoon, the kings were at the home of Delilah.
“Hello Delilah” the one who had known her from before said as she opened the door.
A sly smile weaved its way across her face as she studied the men before her. “And what brings you to my door so unexpectedly?”
“May we enter? Or would you rather have your private matters spoken on the doorstep?”
Delilah stepped back and the five men entered her home. After they passed through the door, Delilah looked out into the street, to see who might be watching, before closing the door. Then she moved to her chair and sat down.
“We have heard that you have been keeping company with the man Samson.”
“And what business is that of yours” she asked with a shrug of her shoulder.
“We have a proposition for you concerning Samson.”
Delilah face took on a bored look before stating; “Go ahead. What is it?”
“See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” (Judges 16:5)
“Each of you?”
“Yes. Each of us.”
“I have your word on that? Because Samson provides very well for me. If I betray him, he will abandon me. Then where would I be?”
“You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams; that’s where you will be.”
“Alright. I will do it. And when he tells me, what do you want me to do with the information?”
“Pass it on to us right away and we will set it up for him to be taken.”
The kings left after striking the bargain and made their way back to their own cities. On the way they discussed the meeting.
“That Delilah is a piece of work! Brains, beauty, and treacherous as a snake.”
“Do you think she will go through with it? Would she betray us to Samson and ask for more money from him?”
“She will do as we ask. She knows which side her bread is buttered on. Samson could never provide her with what we have promised. Trust the process.”
A few days later, Samson arrives at the home of Delilah. They exchanged their usual greeting as Delilah accepted the gifts Samson had brought her this time. Figs were her favorite, and Samson had brought her a large bag of them. Delilah snatched one out of the bag as soon as she saw them and quickly popped it into her mouth. Juice began to dribble down her chin as Samson looked on. He leaned over and licked the juice as it reached her neck. Delilah moved her head so that Samson could have better access to her neck.
Within minutes the two of them were tangled together in Delilah’s bed. Once they were both sated, Delilah laid her head on Samson’s chest and started running her fingers through his chest hair. Then she began her ‘work’.
“Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued” (Judges 16:6) she cooed softly.
Samson raised his head and looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Why” he asked.
“Because I’m curious” she said as she continued to play with his chest hair.
Samson gave a small chuckle before answering her. “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” (Judges 16:7)
Samson couldn’t see the devious look that covered Delilah’s face. She quickly replaced the devious smile with one of ‘love’ and raised her head up to look at Samson. She rose up to his face and kissed him passionately before rising from the bed.
The rest of Samson’s visit proceeded as normal. Delilah didn’t bring up the issue of his strength again. When he departed for his own country, Delilah quickly sent word to the kings.
“He has told me the secret of his strength. If he is tied with seven fresh bow strings that haven’t been dried, he will become weak.”
As soon as they received the message, the king of Gaza sent Delilah seven bow strings, exactly as she had described. He also sent men to subdue Samson.
“We will wait in another room while you bind him. Once you have him bound, call out to him in alarm. If he truly is helpless, we will take him away and you will be paid.”
Delilah hid the bow strings in a small jar near her bed. When Samson next visited her she was ready. She greeted him passionately and the two were soon in her bed again. She lay with him until he fell asleep. Then she quietly opened the jar and removed the bow strings. Samson was a VERY sound sleeper. She was able to tie his hands and feet with the bow strings without him even stirring. When she was certain that the strings were snug, she called out to him.
“Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” (Judges 16:9)
Samson jerked awake and sprang from the bed, snapping the bow strings as if they weren’t even there. Delilah’s mouth fell open for a moment at the ease of his release. She watched as Samson drove the men from her home with the flick of a wrist.
“Those seven bow strings were nothing to you” Delilah said with a tilt of her head and a crooked smile.
Samson laughed as he looked down at the remnants of the bow strings scattered across the floor.
For the rest of Samson’s visit, Delilah was sullen. She rebuffed many of Samson’s advances. But he kept coming back to her. She was like the air he breathed. His heart depended on her love.
On his last night with her, she ‘melted’ and gave herself to him. After he was sated once again, she asked him again about his strength.
With a great pout, Delilah said; “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.” (Judges 16:10)
When she looked up at Samson he couldn’t resist. He told her the ‘secret of his strength’. “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” (Judges 16:11)
Samson left the next morning to return to his duties as a judge for Israel. Delilah figured that obtaining new ropes was easy enough for her to do on her own. She did notify the kings of what Samson had said and arranged for the men to come again and wait in ambush.
Samson was gone for a week this time. Delilah was hoping she hadn’t scared him off with her questions. She would find a way to entice him back if she had.
When Samson entered Delilah’s home, he was bearing gifts again. This time it was a scarlet piece of material for her to make herself a dress. Delilah’s eyes grew wide when she saw it. She brought it to her face and felt the coolness of its silken texture.
Delilah rose up on her toes and kissed Samson fully on the lips. Then she stepped back and wrapped the fabric around her and began spinning about the room. Samson laughed as he watched her for a few minutes. She spun around until she collided with Samson and slumped against him. He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. He then swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. The fabric was tossed to the side and the two of them again explored each other’s bodies until they were satisfied.
Delilah waited again until Samson had fallen asleep before putting her plans in motion. She quietly let the men into the house and retrieved the ropes from her hiding place. She bound Samson hand and foot again as well as running a length of rope between his wrists and ankles. Once she was satisfied that he was bound securely, she called out in alarm again.
“Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” (Judges 16:12b)
Samson snapped awake and jumped from the bed. The ropes broke as easily as string from his hands and feet. He stood ready to fight. The Philistines who had been waiting in ambush fled from the room as fast as their feet could carry them. Samson didn’t care to give chase.
Delilah laughed, laughed as the men fled from the room. Samson looked at her and couldn’t help but laugh too.
Delilah then came over to him and playfully slapped his chest. “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied” she pouted.
Samson wrapped her in his arms. He tried to draw her back to bed, but she wouldn’t move.
“Not until you tell me”, she said with a seductive smile.
“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.” (Judges 16:13b)
Delilah waited two nights before putting Samson’s words to the test. While he slept, she brought her loom into the room and carefully weaved the seven braids in his hair into her loom and made them part of the fabric she had begun. Then she fastened it tight with a pin.
The answer Samson had given her this time was so strange that she didn’t. arranged the ambush. She was suspicious of his answer but she would test it out none the less. After she was done weaving his hair, she called out in alarm again.
“Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” (Judges 16:14)
Samson snapped awake again and sprang from the bed. With him came the pin, the loom, and the fabric. He looked around the room and saw that no one else was there. Then he felt the weight of the loom behind him. He pulled his hair free from it and swept it to the ground.
Delilah was standing across the room from him. Her fists were on her hips and a look of anguish was on her face. “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.” (Judges 16:15)
Samson shook his head in frustration. “Why is it so important that I share my secret with you?”
“Because, people who love one another don’t keep secrets from one another.”
“That’s not true. Even the best marriages have some secrets.”
“Well, I don’t like secrets” Delilah says and stamps her foot.
“This one is mine, and mine alone. Maybe someday…”
Delilah drops her arms and steps over to Samson. “I’m sorry. I just want to share everything with you” she cooed. Samson took her in his arms and held her close. No matter what, he still loved her.
From that day forward, whenever Samson came to Delilah, she found a way to work the question of the secret of his strength into their visit; SEVERAL TIMES each visit. And she used her body as an incentive to entice him. Samson was like an addict. He couldn’t leave her, even if he wanted to. Delilah held his heart in the palm of her hand. But he was growing weary of her probing. Delilah finally broke Samson down. He was weary of hearing her ask and of putting her off. He finally told her his true secret.
“No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “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.” (Judges 16:16)
Delilah wanted to shout for joy and dance around the room after Samson shared this with her; but she couldn’t. She had to be smart. If he saw her true feelings, he would know something was coming. Instead, she melted into his arms and gave him the most passionate night they had spent together in a LONG time.
When Samson left for his own village, Delilah quickly sent to the kings. “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” (Judges 16:18b)
“She has said she knew the secret of his strength before. Should we believe her this time?”
“She sounded quite certain. I think we should try this one more time. If she is wrong this time, we will give up.”
Men were sent to Delilah to wait in ambush again. Delilah met them and told them her plan.
“I will have Samson sleep across my lap. I will dim the lamp twice when he is fast asleep. You need to bring in a barber that can skillfully cut the braids from Samson’s hair without waking him. As soon as the last braid falls, I will call out in fear to him again. You must be ready to subdue him as soon as he rises.”
“What if his hair isn’t the source of his strength? He will attack us for sure.”
“I’m certain that he spoke the truth to me this time. It all makes sense.”
“Alright, we are trusting you; this LAST time.”
“And you better be ready to pay me once it is all done” she demanded.
“The kings have all sworn that they will pay you as agreed, as soon as Samson is taken.”
Samson stayed away a little longer this time. Delilah was getting worried that she truly had scared him off. But he arrived on her doorstep with a smile on his face and a gift in his hand. Delilah breathed a silent sigh of relief. To Samson, she threw herself into his arms.
“I was worried that you had tired of me” she pouted.
“Never my love! I had business to attend to that couldn’t be put off.”
“How long are you here for this time” asked Delilah.
“I have a whole week before I need to return” he said while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Delilah took his arm and led him into the house. The two of them engaged in their normal ‘welcome home’ routine for the first night. The second night Delilah told Samson that she wanted to read to him from a new book she had found.
Delila settled herself on a cushion on the floor, put a lamp nearby so she could see to read, and invited Samson to lay his head across her knees. As she read, she gently plaid with the braids of Samson’s hair. Slowly she had him adjusted to where all of his braids were flowing off the side of her knees. As she stroked his hair and read to him, he drifted off to sleep.
When Delilah heard Samson snoring she sent her signal to the men waiting outside. They quietly opened the door. The barber was quick and gentle. Delilah kept stroking Samsons head too so he wouldn’t notice the difference.
The last of Samson’s braids hit the floor and the barber departed. He didn’t want to be caught by Samson if this didn’t work. The men were ready and in place. All that remained was for Delilah to call out in fear.
With a mischievous smile on her lips, Delilah calls out again to Samson.
“Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” (Judges 16:14)
Samson awoke with a start and thought to himself; “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.”
As he started to rise, one of the Philistines hit him in the back of the knee. Samson fell to the ground, unable to rise again. The pain in his knee was excruciating. Then the rest of the men jumped on him and dragged him off of Delilah. She scrambled to the corner as they subdued Samson.
Samson is bound hand and foot on the floor but still struggling to break free. One of his captors kicks him in the ribs and he curls up to protect himself. Another grabs his head and begins to press his thumbs into Samsons eyes.
A scream rips from Samson’s lungs as his tormentor’s thumbs sink deep into his eyes. Samson loses consciousness because of the pain and the men drag him from the house. Samson is thrown into an iron cage on the back of a donkey cart.
Delilah steps from her home as they are readying to leave. “Don’t forget to tell the kings that I expect payment right away.”
“We will pass along the message” they say as they crack the whip to start the donkey moving. Once they are safely out of town, the men start talking about Delilah and Samson.
“That one has a black heart for sure!”
“I can’t believe that he kept coming back to her after she tried to have him subdued so many times.”
“She must be something special.”
“Not special enough for me!”
“Me either, but at least she got the job done.”
“Poor slob. I almost feel sorry for him. Trusting a woman like her.”
The cart with Samson reaches Gaza and he is brought straight to the king’s dungeon. The king himself is there to ‘greet’ him.
“The might Samson! Not so mighty now, are you.” The king roars with laughter at his own whit. When he stops laughing, he tells Samson of his new existence. “Welcome to your new home. From here you will grind my corn every day, ALL day. If you work well, you will be allowed to eat. If not,…” the king shrugs his shoulders. “Sorry, you couldn’t see that could you.” He roars again with laughter. “I’m sure you can figure out what I mean anyway.”
The king then turns to the guard. “Take him away. Make sure his binders are always tight. We wouldn’t want to lose our ‘prize possession’.” The king turns and walks away. His laughter can be heard echoing through the dungeon as he retreats to his palace.
True to his word, the king’s instructions become Samson’s daily life. He pushes the grinding stone around, and around, and around and… ALL day long. At night he is given bread and weak wine for his meal. As the months pass, Samson’s body begins to lose its mass on the meager rations he is given. He begins to look weak. The guards no longer fear him, and they pay little attention to him beyond ensuring that he stays moving all day. They have not noticed that his hair is growing back. Nor would they understand if they did. These were not the guards who cut his hair that night and bound him in chains.
The king is throwing a banquet. The guests are from the upper rungs of society in all the lands of the Philistines. It was a banquet for their god Dagon to celebrate the subduing of Samson.
At the start of the banquet, a cry went up; “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.” (Judges 16:23)
Discussion among the kings turned to Samson and his ‘new life’ here in Gaza.
“Did you know that he is grinding my corn, in my dungeon as we speak? His work is what makes my bread so tasty!”
“Just knowing that he is helpless as a babe makes my heart sing” said the king of Gath.
“I would like to see him for myself.”
The king’s conversation spilled over to the other guests. They began to chant; “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” (Judges 16:25)
The king called for his guard.
“Bring Samson and put him in the middle of the floor so we can all see him. So he can entertain us.”
As soon as the people saw Samson they began to praise their god. “Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain.” (Judges 16:24)
Samson was no longer considered of any danger. They left him to be led by a young man. Samson was led into the middle of the room by his ‘keeper’. After the praise to their god died down, the crowd began to roar with laughter. The sound of 3,000 people laughing at once, at his expense hardened Samson’s heart. He knew that his strength was returning with the lengthening of his hair. He may not live to laugh at their demise, but they wouldn’t laugh at him again after this night.
In a quieter moment, Samson spoke to the boy who was holding his hand. “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” (Judges 16:26)
The boy led Samson to the pillars and helped him put his hands on them; one on each side of him. Samson leaned lightly into the pillars. He moved his hands around the pillars to judge their girth. Satisfied with what he found, Samson quietly said a prayer 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.” (Judges 16:29)
Samson leaned into the pillars with all his might. They moved a fraction at first. Samson continued to lean into them without making a sound. When he felt them give way, his spirit soared. Within moments he and all who were in the hall, or on its roof, lay dead under the rubble. Samson had taken more of the Philistines with him in his death than he had killed in his whole life. Neither nation would ever forget Samson.
(to be continued)
When I first thought about Samson’s story, I couldn’t fathom anyone staying with a partner who treated them like Delilah did. I considered Samson to be lead around by the wrong part of his body. But then the Spirit spoke to me of Samson’s loneliness. Samson was alone since the death of his wife. He lost his future and the plans he had for himself. I began to see him as a man who would do anything to hold onto even the illusion of love. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. I feel that I understand him a little better now.
The relationship he was in was toxic. I wish he would have walked away from it. But even that relationship brought about a GREAT defeat for the enemies of God’s people. It didn’t end the Philistine hand on Israel, but it stung them severely. God can use even our worst mistakes when we give them to Him. Samson searching out the Lord’s help that final day mended a rift between Him and God. He ‘came home’ to his Father.
Father God, thank You for the fact that YOU can use MY worst mistakes too. That You can take what I have totally fouled up and make something wonderful for You Kingdom from it. I KNOW I fouled up when I spent the money to create this website in the beginning. But You used that mistake to bring me GREAT JOY. You have allowed me to share Your word and Your stories with the whole world.
I’m about to take another step Father in sharing our story time. Please don’t let it be another mistake. But if it is, bless it to the use of those who will take it in. Bring those who are searching for a more personal walk with Your stories to the place where they can find what we have done together. I TRULY believe this is YOUR work through me. Let it bless all who find it.
