Delilah

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.  The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “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.”

  So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”

  Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

  Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them.  With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

  Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”

  He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”

  So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

  Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”

   He replied, “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.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric and tightened it with the pin.

   Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

~Judges 16:4-14

Why was Delilah so willing to betray Samson?  Why do you think Samson played along, giving her false answers?

• She probably wanted to find out how strong he really was for herself, if she didn't know already
• Because he thought he was pretty invicable and could not be fooled in case there was a trick involved

What are Samson's strengths?  What are his weaknesses?

• I think his strength could be that he was a strong leader of his people, both physically and in mind, but I think his weakness could be that he fell in love with a deceitful woman

What are Delilah's strengths?  What are her weaknesses?

• her strength was that she was able to woo a man and have him do what she demanded, but her weakness would be that when she warned Samson, he was able to get away too fast.  Perhaps if she didn't warn him he would have been captured by suprise?

List five areas where you think you are strong.  Now list five areas where you think you are weak.  What can you do to improve in those weak areas?

• Music, teaching, faith, listening to others, being compassionate towards others
• conversing with others, assertiveness, making eye contact, staying disciplined in a consistent practice time, confidence
• a lot of what I think I need to do to improve these areas is to just not worry about what people may think about me and just go for it! 

Then she said to 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.”  With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

  So he told her everything. “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 16:15-17

How exactly do you think Delilah wore Samson down so that he told her the truth about his strength?

• she probably would continuously say some antagonistic words towards him that he just wanted her to be quiet for once

What does such nagging do to a relationship?  If you ever nagged someone to do something, how do you feel when you get what you wanted?

• I think continuous nagging turns a relationship sour.  Well, I don't believe I have ever nagged to someone to get them to relent or conform, but even though it isn't really right to feel this way, but I guess if I were the nagging type, I guess I would be satisfied.

When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 

~Judges 16:18

How can you tell if someone is speaking the truth?  How important is it to be able to discern the truth?  From your children?  From your husband or boyfriend?  From your pastor?  From politicians?

• In this world of advancing technology, I would say that it would be best to tell that someone is telling the truth if you are right in their presence.  Usually, in order to assure someone that I'm telling the truth through an E-mail or chat message, I usually say something like "I'll be very honest." 
• I think with all of these people mentioned it is very important to be able to know that they are telling you the truth.  I think that if you let someone get away with lying to you, and find that out later on, you are going to end up very hurt and want to know why they lied to you.  That's why I think it's so important to be honest with anyone, whether they are your friend,  son/daughter, spouce/boyfriend/girlfriend, parisioner, neighbor, enemy, you name it!  Everyone deserves to know the God-honest truth from one another, no matter how much that truth will hurt.  Everyone will be much better off that way with that kind of knowledge.

After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.  And his strength left him.

  Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”

   He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

  Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison.  But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

~Judges 16:19-22

Not only did Samson's strength leave him, according to the end of verse 20 the Lord left him.  Does it suprise you that Samson didn't realize this right away?  Why or why not?

• no, I don't believe this suprises me because he was so deep in sleep that he had no idea that his head was shaved.

When have you felt at your weakest spiritually?  Did you feel this way because God has left you?  Or because of something you have done yourself?

• I probably felt pretty weak when I had found out the one time that I was not going to be able to student teach in the fall of 2007.  However, I don't think I have felt like God had ever really put me beside myself.

Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”

  When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying,

   “Our god has delivered our enemy
   into our hands,
the one who laid waste our land
   and multiplied our slain.”

  While they were in high spirits, they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.

   When they stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.”  Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.  Then Samson prayed 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.”  Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other,  Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

~Judges 16:23-30

Why do you think the story of Delilah is important?  What can she teach us?  Who finally wins in this story?

• Because we should be faithful to all our loved ones
• Not to decieve anyone into the hands of our enemies
• Even though he dies, Samson is the winner

In what area of your life do you need renewed faith that good will triumph?

• I would say at this time putting more trust into my future.