Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13
During his early adulthood, Samson had several run-ins with the Philistines. He burned their vineyards and fields, killed many of their people, and was a constant source of irritation and agitation. The Philistines longed for the day when they might arrest Samson and punish him for the damage he’d caused. Nevertheless, because of his superhuman strength, capturing Samson had proven to be a risky proposition.
This morning we will wrap-up our discussion of Samson. We will focus on his rocky relationship with Delilah and how it ultimately led to his demise. This portion of Samson’s story is, perhaps, the most well-known part of his life.
I. THE HARLOT OF GAZA (Judges 16:1-3)
Although he was a wanted man in Philistia, Samson was not intimidated and continued going there. He went down to Gaza, a leading city of the Philistines, and spent the night with a prostitute. When the Gazites learned that he was in town, they surrounded the place where he was, secured and fortified the city gate so that he couldn’t escape, and laid in wait planning to kill him in the early morning. However, Samson got up around midnight, pulled down the city’s gate along with the posts that held it, and then carried them on his shoulders to the top of a mountain near Hebron, several miles away in the land of Israel.
Samson’s overnight trip to Gaza provides another example of his moral shortcomings. It also foreshadows events to come. The Philistines failed to catch him again and realized that their attempts to do so were futile because of his amazing strength. If they were ever going to get him, they needed a new approach…
II. SAMSON TEASES DELILAH (Judges 16:4-14)
Sometime later, Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah who lived in the valley of Sorek. The leaders of the Philistines offered her a bribe of 1,100 pieces of silver if she’d entice Samson into revealing the source of his strength so that they could bind him. So Delilah asked Samson to reveal his secret. He told her that if he was bound with 7 fresh cords he’d become weak like any other man. So, presumably while he was sleeping, Delilah tied Samson up with 7 fresh cords and alerted the Philistine authorities who came and waited in the inner room. Delilah cried out, “The Philistines are upon you!”. Samson arose and snapped the cords, so that their attempt to capture him was averted.
Delilah moaned that Samson had lied to her and pleaded with him to tell her the true secret of his strength. So he said that if he was bound with new ropes that had never been used before he would become weak like any other man. Again, presumably while he was sleeping, Delilah tied him up with new ropes while several Philistines hid in the inner room nearby. When she woke him from his sleep, Samson broke the ropes as if they were thread. The Philistines’ plan had failed once more.
Delilah continued to press and coax Samson into telling her how he could be bound. He told her that if she’d weave the 7 locks of his hair and fasten it with a pin, he’d become weak like any other man. While he slept, she did just that. Then she cried out, “The Philistines are upon you!” and he sprung up, pulled the pin from his hair, and was as strong as ever.
Delilah’s repeated attempts of persuasion were reminiscent of Samson’s first bride in Timnah who seduced him into telling her the answer to his riddle. Ultimately, she was able to find out Samson’s secret and, as we will see in the coming verses, so did Delilah. There is a lesson for us here… the Enemy knows your weaknesses and will exploit them again and again in order to destroy you. This is why we must submit to God and seek His strength in order to resist the Devil’s frequent attacks (James 4:7).
III. SAMSON REVEALS HIS SECRET (Judges 16:15-22)
Though she had failed 3 times previously, Delilah continued urging and enticing Samson. He eventually became annoyed with and worn down by her persistence. Finally, he revealed his secret. He told her that he’d been set apart by God as a Nazirite from the womb, and that if his hair was shaved off he’d become weak like any other man.
Delilah alerted the Philistines and they came and hid in the next room as they’d done before. While Samson was sleeping, she cut off all his hair. Then she cried out and Samson awoke. However, his strength was gone because the LORD had departed from him. Seeing his weakness, the Philistines sprung forth and arrested him. They paid Delilah her bribe, gouged Samson’s eyes out, and led him to Gaza in chains. They cast Samson into prison where he worked grinding grain. As time passed by, Samson's hair began to grow back…
It is difficult for me to understand why Samson trusted Delilah. Based upon his past experience in Timnah and Delilah’s seemingly obvious allegiance to the Philistines, it confounds me that he’d tell her his secret. Perhaps he thought she was just playing with him (he didn’t know that there were actually Philistines waiting to ambush him) or perhaps he was just overconfident in himself believing that nothing bad would happen. For whatever reason, he made a foolish decision and should have known better. May this be another lesson for us, that we practice awareness and are not surprised by something we should have seen coming.
IV. SAMSON IS AVENGED (Judges 16:23-31)
The lords of the Philistines, along with many regular citizens, gathered to offer sacrifices to Dagon their god and to celebrate Samson’s incarceration. As the party ramped up, they had Samson brought out from his prison cell to entertain them. This was done to further humiliate the once mighty champion. Samson stood in the center of the house between 2 pillars. Because he was blind, Samson asked the young boy who was leading him around by the hand if he might feel the pillars that supported the house in order to lean on them. Meanwhile, all of the Philistine officials and people in the house, as well as about 3,000 watching from above through the open roof, looked on as Samson amused them.
Then Samson called out to God pleading for a final burst of strength that he might avenge himself from the Philistines. He took hold of the 2 main pillars upon which the house rested, 1 with his right hand and the other with his left hand. Then he shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” and he pulled the load-bearing pillars toward himself so that they broke. The entire house crumbled and fell, killing all those assembled inside and those who had been standing on the roof. Samson took out more Philistines in his death than he had throughout his life.
A few days later, Samson’s brothers and family members came to retrieve his body. They took him home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. At the time of his death, Samson had judged Israel for 20 years.
For most of his life, Samson was extremely self-centered. He took what he wanted and threw a fit whenever he couldn’t have it. He constantly provoked his enemies and recklessly flirted with danger. Samson’s parents, who had been visited by the Angel of the LORD prior to his birth, almost certainly expected him to turn out differently. Yet, in his final moments, Samson humbly submitted to God and acted sacrificially. Though he’d stumbled all along the way, in the end Samson finished well.
CONCLUSION
Like his birth, Samson’s death also shares some similarity with that of Jesus. Both gave their lives voluntarily in order to deliver their people from the grip of the enemy. While Samson’s victory over the Philistines was short-lived, Jesus’ victory over sin and death was complete and eternal. Samson spread his arms wide to grasp and break the pillars. Jesus spread His arms wide to be nailed to the cross, where He sacrificed Himself to pay for our sins and secure our forgiveness. Have you received salvation by placing your faith in Jesus Christ?
We have now completed the book of Judges, but there are still a few more judges to consider. They are covered in the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. Join us next Sunday as we enter into the homestretch of our series on “The Conquering and Independent Church”.
During his early adulthood, Samson had several run-ins with the Philistines. He burned their vineyards and fields, killed many of their people, and was a constant source of irritation and agitation. The Philistines longed for the day when they might arrest Samson and punish him for the damage he’d caused. Nevertheless, because of his superhuman strength, capturing Samson had proven to be a risky proposition.
This morning we will wrap-up our discussion of Samson. We will focus on his rocky relationship with Delilah and how it ultimately led to his demise. This portion of Samson’s story is, perhaps, the most well-known part of his life.
I. THE HARLOT OF GAZA (Judges 16:1-3)
Although he was a wanted man in Philistia, Samson was not intimidated and continued going there. He went down to Gaza, a leading city of the Philistines, and spent the night with a prostitute. When the Gazites learned that he was in town, they surrounded the place where he was, secured and fortified the city gate so that he couldn’t escape, and laid in wait planning to kill him in the early morning. However, Samson got up around midnight, pulled down the city’s gate along with the posts that held it, and then carried them on his shoulders to the top of a mountain near Hebron, several miles away in the land of Israel.
Samson’s overnight trip to Gaza provides another example of his moral shortcomings. It also foreshadows events to come. The Philistines failed to catch him again and realized that their attempts to do so were futile because of his amazing strength. If they were ever going to get him, they needed a new approach…
II. SAMSON TEASES DELILAH (Judges 16:4-14)
Sometime later, Samson fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah who lived in the valley of Sorek. The leaders of the Philistines offered her a bribe of 1,100 pieces of silver if she’d entice Samson into revealing the source of his strength so that they could bind him. So Delilah asked Samson to reveal his secret. He told her that if he was bound with 7 fresh cords he’d become weak like any other man. So, presumably while he was sleeping, Delilah tied Samson up with 7 fresh cords and alerted the Philistine authorities who came and waited in the inner room. Delilah cried out, “The Philistines are upon you!”. Samson arose and snapped the cords, so that their attempt to capture him was averted.
Delilah moaned that Samson had lied to her and pleaded with him to tell her the true secret of his strength. So he said that if he was bound with new ropes that had never been used before he would become weak like any other man. Again, presumably while he was sleeping, Delilah tied him up with new ropes while several Philistines hid in the inner room nearby. When she woke him from his sleep, Samson broke the ropes as if they were thread. The Philistines’ plan had failed once more.
Delilah continued to press and coax Samson into telling her how he could be bound. He told her that if she’d weave the 7 locks of his hair and fasten it with a pin, he’d become weak like any other man. While he slept, she did just that. Then she cried out, “The Philistines are upon you!” and he sprung up, pulled the pin from his hair, and was as strong as ever.
Delilah’s repeated attempts of persuasion were reminiscent of Samson’s first bride in Timnah who seduced him into telling her the answer to his riddle. Ultimately, she was able to find out Samson’s secret and, as we will see in the coming verses, so did Delilah. There is a lesson for us here… the Enemy knows your weaknesses and will exploit them again and again in order to destroy you. This is why we must submit to God and seek His strength in order to resist the Devil’s frequent attacks (James 4:7).
III. SAMSON REVEALS HIS SECRET (Judges 16:15-22)
Though she had failed 3 times previously, Delilah continued urging and enticing Samson. He eventually became annoyed with and worn down by her persistence. Finally, he revealed his secret. He told her that he’d been set apart by God as a Nazirite from the womb, and that if his hair was shaved off he’d become weak like any other man.
Delilah alerted the Philistines and they came and hid in the next room as they’d done before. While Samson was sleeping, she cut off all his hair. Then she cried out and Samson awoke. However, his strength was gone because the LORD had departed from him. Seeing his weakness, the Philistines sprung forth and arrested him. They paid Delilah her bribe, gouged Samson’s eyes out, and led him to Gaza in chains. They cast Samson into prison where he worked grinding grain. As time passed by, Samson's hair began to grow back…
It is difficult for me to understand why Samson trusted Delilah. Based upon his past experience in Timnah and Delilah’s seemingly obvious allegiance to the Philistines, it confounds me that he’d tell her his secret. Perhaps he thought she was just playing with him (he didn’t know that there were actually Philistines waiting to ambush him) or perhaps he was just overconfident in himself believing that nothing bad would happen. For whatever reason, he made a foolish decision and should have known better. May this be another lesson for us, that we practice awareness and are not surprised by something we should have seen coming.
IV. SAMSON IS AVENGED (Judges 16:23-31)
The lords of the Philistines, along with many regular citizens, gathered to offer sacrifices to Dagon their god and to celebrate Samson’s incarceration. As the party ramped up, they had Samson brought out from his prison cell to entertain them. This was done to further humiliate the once mighty champion. Samson stood in the center of the house between 2 pillars. Because he was blind, Samson asked the young boy who was leading him around by the hand if he might feel the pillars that supported the house in order to lean on them. Meanwhile, all of the Philistine officials and people in the house, as well as about 3,000 watching from above through the open roof, looked on as Samson amused them.
Then Samson called out to God pleading for a final burst of strength that he might avenge himself from the Philistines. He took hold of the 2 main pillars upon which the house rested, 1 with his right hand and the other with his left hand. Then he shouted, “Let me die with the Philistines!” and he pulled the load-bearing pillars toward himself so that they broke. The entire house crumbled and fell, killing all those assembled inside and those who had been standing on the roof. Samson took out more Philistines in his death than he had throughout his life.
A few days later, Samson’s brothers and family members came to retrieve his body. They took him home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. At the time of his death, Samson had judged Israel for 20 years.
For most of his life, Samson was extremely self-centered. He took what he wanted and threw a fit whenever he couldn’t have it. He constantly provoked his enemies and recklessly flirted with danger. Samson’s parents, who had been visited by the Angel of the LORD prior to his birth, almost certainly expected him to turn out differently. Yet, in his final moments, Samson humbly submitted to God and acted sacrificially. Though he’d stumbled all along the way, in the end Samson finished well.
CONCLUSION
Like his birth, Samson’s death also shares some similarity with that of Jesus. Both gave their lives voluntarily in order to deliver their people from the grip of the enemy. While Samson’s victory over the Philistines was short-lived, Jesus’ victory over sin and death was complete and eternal. Samson spread his arms wide to grasp and break the pillars. Jesus spread His arms wide to be nailed to the cross, where He sacrificed Himself to pay for our sins and secure our forgiveness. Have you received salvation by placing your faith in Jesus Christ?
We have now completed the book of Judges, but there are still a few more judges to consider. They are covered in the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. Join us next Sunday as we enter into the homestretch of our series on “The Conquering and Independent Church”.