Judges

Judges 16:1-3

Gaza was the southernmost of the five main Philistine cities.  It was on the main trade route coming from Egypt; its 135-acre site at the entrance to the coastal plain.  While it was a very important place at the time, it was still no place for an Israelite, particularly a Nazirite.  Why in the world is the man of God inviting temptation by going to enemy territory and entertaining a prostitute.  We've already seen Samson's wild and impulsive heart, giving into lusts of the flesh and showing total disregard to the call on his life.  We were left with some hope last chapter when he cried out to God and seemed to give Him some credit for the victory over the Philistines.  Yet, we open this next phase of his life in much the same manner.  Samson judged Israel 20 years – this info is sandwiched between two examples of disobedience to God, disregard to the vow on his life and poor steward of the call placed on him.  We must still consider him a man of God with a call upon his life.  God will use him, even in his failures.  Yet, he is missing out on the great joy of serving the Lord in obedience. 

This passage characterizes the life of Samson for twenty years as he played with temptation and made a game of sin, even using the strength provided by the Lord to serve himself.  He put himself in a dangerous place and believes he has the strength to always get out of it.  The Gazites laid a trap for him.  It may be that they locked the gate and surrounded the town and then went to sleep.  We don't know, it wasn't a very tight trap.  Samson unexpectedly left at midnight.  He took hold of the doors of the gate, the gateposts and bar and pulled them up.  He carried the entire thing on his shoulders to a hill facing Hebron.  Maybe this speaks of a local hill; Hebron was some 40-mile away, all uphill. 

Samson is a one-man wrecking crew, however he was primary wrecking his life, wasting what God had given him.  The text doesn't tell us the strength was provided by the Lord though the Holy Spirit.  However, we are left to assume this was the same strength previously displayed.  However, we can know it is unauthorized use of it. 

Samson wasn't worried about their trap but failed to realize that he had already fallen into a different trap.  His weakness was his flesh and sinful desires.  Because of pride and foolish decisions, he was constantly falling into temptation and sinning. 

We are left with questions.

1. Where were all these men that surrounded things when he carried off the gate?
2. Why Hebron, 40 miles away.

Judges 16:4-6

The valley of Sorek is near Samson's home town, near the Philistine border and also along the border between the territory of Dan and Judah.  Delilah captures his attention.  Her name is likely Aramaic meaning 'of the night'.  In Hebrews, her name would mean delicate.  Another source places the meaning 'languishing' on her name. 

The five main Philistine cities each had a king, each of equal power and authority.  They put a reward out for 1100 pieces of silver.  The scripture doesn't give us a weight or measure.  The total reward is 5500 silvers.  This was likely a substantial sum.  While it doesn't say, Delilah was most likely a prostitute.  It appears she had close ties to the lords of the Philistines as they employed her to find the source of Samson's strength. 

Judges 16:7-10

Round 1

Samson flirts with disaster, using his vow and the power the Lord gave him as a game or a toy to be played with.  He's taking the Lord for granted, assuming the Lord will rescue him from whatever might go wrong.  Did he not recognize his strength was a gift from God?  Bowstrings were usually made from tendons but could be other things (some areas used intestine).  The fact that he called out seven may be pointing toward some magic they might believe in. 

Delilah sets this up with the Philistines.  They provide her with the bowstrings and hide in her room.  She manages to bind Samson while these men are right there nearby.  Her test of the binds was in pretending there was an attack from Philistines.  Samson responded with breaking the bonds immediately exposing his lie.

As she lies to him, he lies to her – these two were made for each other.  Her complaint about being mocked is ironic, as her complaint is against his honesty and integrity. 

Judges 16:11-13A

Round 2

This time Samson claims binding with new ropes that had never been used would secure him.  Specifying the ropes this way may be another reference to their belief in magic.  The promise wasn't that the ropes were strong enough to hold him but that they would make him weak. 

She must've coordinated the test again with the Philistines.  She managed to tie him up and test the ropes with her declaration that the Philistines were upon him.  The ropes were useless and exposed as meaningless and powerless.

Delilah again tells him of her disappointment at his mockery and lies.  Samson must think he is exempt from her wiles. 

Judges 16:13B-15

Round 3

This time he moves away from binding his hands and feet.  He moves closer to the source of the truth.  It appears Samson is testing her about how far she would go.  It was common for men to have their hair bound or curled in segments.  Samson's hair was done in 7 segments; 1 in back and 3 on each side.  The loom was made by putting four stakes in the ground and setting up fibers for the warp and the woof.  Somehow, she set up a loom while he slept and wove his hair into the weave.  She tested the outcome; the results were similar.  Samson stood up with the loom pulled from the ground. 

Delilah sees the silver reward slipping away.  She uses the old line, "I thought you loved me!  If you loved me, you would tell me."  Over time she hounded Samson, pestering him daily and pressed him until he was worn down.  Samson was there daily, allowing himself to be pestered.  We don't have imagine why he was there.  He may have claimed love to come sleep with her.  She was withholding any sexual advances, saying he didn't love her because he had lied to her. 

Judges 16:16-20

Round 4

We get to see what we've known all along; Samson's heart was given without regard to whatever please him in the moment.  Delilah pestered him to the point of breaking.  The word translated to 'pestered' also can mean oppressed.  Samson understood that his hair represented the consecration and the crown that God gave Him.  He'd taken it for granted for so many years that he'd forgotten the value of his vow - or maybe he never really valued or appreciated it ever.  He recognized that without God he was as weak as any other man but that didn't seem to worry him.

The many previous violations could be forgiven by a renewal of the vow.  But, shaving the head ended the vow.  Samson was to be a Nazirite all his life.  When the vow ended, His life with the Lord would presumably end; for all he knew, his physical life also.

Delilah somehow knew he was being truthful this time.  She was about to count the money!  There was no hesitation in getting this set up with the Philistines.  It appears she may have drugged him in some way or lulled to sleep.  His head is shaved.  Delilah torments him, waking him from the sleep and testing him in the same way.  He awoke, assuming nothing had changed, taking his life for granted.  Verse 20 is one of the saddest lines in the bible: he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.  Samson had been lulled to a spiritual sleep by his weakness:  the words of enticement from a woman.

What is Sweeter than hony?

And what is stronger than a lion?"

There was nothing magical about Samson's hair.  The haircut was the final breaking of the vow that had gone on too long.  His hair was symbolic of his consecration; his hair was gone; the Lord had departed.

Judges 16:21-22

It's irony that Samson's eyes were put it out; it was those same eyes that got him into trouble in the first place.  His eyes fed his lust and started him down this long road that had no good ending.  His sin led to darkness, bondage and imprisonment.  It's been said that sin leads us to blinding, binding, and grinding results.  Samson isn't the first nor will he be the last man of God brought low by sin.  The blindness was a tragedy, but there was a symbolism in it in that he had been spiritually blind for most of his life.  The physical blindness is an outward expression of what had characterized his life.  He would no more be governed by doing what was right in his own eyes.

This is the low point of Samson's life.  He is now a grinder, turning the grinding wheel all day as if he were an animal; but his hair begins to grow.  In this state of bondage and darkness, there was plenty of time to think about his life and when and where things went south.  As his hair grew, so did his hope as it returned to the only place hope could be found; in the Lord.

Judges 16:23-24

Who could argue with the Philistines, it certainly appeared that way.  This man who had been consecrated by God to lead Israel had led his own life right into the enemy's hands.  The Philistines had a party and a sacrifice to celebrate.  In their eyes, their god Dagon had overcome Yahweh delivering Samson to them.  The sight of Samson grinding brought them to worship and praise Dagon. 

Oh, how offensive this must've been to God.

Samson is called 'the destroyer of our land' in one line from their song.  This is likely looking back to him burning the crops up by lighting the tails of the foxes. 

Judges 16:25-30

Samson and Delilah mocking each other was sad and pathetic, but when these people begin to mock God, the stakes are raised.  As they got drunk at their feast, Samson became the entertainment.  It seemed fitting to them to show off Samson bound in chains as if he were a trophy.  The strongman of Israel who had wreaked havoc among them was now blind, bound and led by a child.  This was likely cruel mockery of the blind man.  Apparently, no one noticed, or maybe they didn't care that his hair was growing back. 

If there were three thousand people on the roof then there were many pillars holding it up.  Samson was stationed between two of these pillars.    Samson does something that he had rarely done and at this minute probably came to realize it.  He called out to the Lord in faith and sincerity and repentance.  However, his last act was still for his personal vengeance.  The Lord allowed it because it was for His purpose. 

If he could push the pillars off the bases, he would start a chain reaction and the building would come down like a house of cards.  Samson pushed with all his might.  This appears to be the only time Samson applied himself completely to anything.   The pillars moved, the roof came down and the temple collapsed, killing everyone.

Dagon couldn't save them, because he is a powerless idol.  Samson had become like his enemies and oppressors instead of spending his life fighting against them.  Yahweh showed himself mighty.  Three thousand were killed; maybe not all that significant in shear numbers.  However, the five lords were there.  The prominent leaders of that nation.  The Lord had bypassed the killing of thousands to cut the head off the serpent.  The leadership of the nation was gone.

The sad note of Samson's life was that he killed more Philistines in death than during the span of his life.  Samson was never committed to the call on his life.  His flesh and personal desires distracted him.  He was dedicated to his lusts and pleasure at the expense of his walk with the Lord.  Samson's greatest victory came when he finally was willing to die to himself.  The Lord had his way.  The vow completed.  He was used to begin to deliver Israel from the Philistine oppression.  This becomes a picture of a life wasted by sin and disobedience.  His life became a consequence of sin.

Judges 16:31

Samson is listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews.  The Lord calls us all to faith.  We all have a calling on our life.  Can you articulate the call the Lord placed on your life?  Its not too late to turn completely to the Lord in faithfulness. 

1. Jesus gave His life for you; it is a right response to give your life to Him. 
2. Finishing well is important, its never too late to repent, trust and walk in faith.  But don't wait for some 'later' day that won't come (when I'm older, when I have time, after I've had my fun).  Those things display you commitment to yourself.
3. God has given you a strength; to love, minister, serve, witness, build, pray, show compassion, work.  Stop making excuses.

Samson died young and was buried.  The story of his life was written and completed.  He was buried between Zorah and Eshtaol.

© 2015, 2023 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater