Placing both hands on pillars supporting the temple, he pushes the two supporting ones apart and kills himself and thousands of Philistines in the process.
God gifted Samson with incredible strength, but he often abused it, using the might to show off, rather than bring glory to God. When we feel like acting on impulse, like he had, we need to remind ourselves of the truth of Scriptures.
Derived of all strength and humiliated beyond measure, God returns Samson his strength for one last showdown. Share this. Who Was Samson? He was a Nazarite, yet broke many rules of the Nazarite vow. God gifted Samson with incredible strength, but he lost his strength when Delilah betrayed him to the Philistines, who blinded and enslaved him.
At the end of his life, God restored Samson's strength. Samson Was a Nazarite. But What Is a Nazarite? Samson Was Violent and Proud. Samson was strong. Time and again the Bible tells us that the power of God came upon him and he was able to take down a lion and snap the ropes that bound him as though they were little strings. Somewhere along the way, Samson began to believe his own press release!
He began to believe his strength was his alone. He could rely on his own muscles and power. So coming up against Delilah, a woman no less, was a joke to Samson.
But what a terrible mis-judgment on the part of Samson, for Delilah was not like the other women for whom Samson had shown utter contempt. Delilah was different and tomorrow, we will find out that she was well-chosen. In Biblical times, a great deal of effort was given to choosing a name for a child. What I found out about Delilah supports the fact that the meaning of her name fittingly described her effect on those she met. To waste away. To exist in miserable and disheartening conditions.
It was that God knew that Delilah lived in that Valley. Blinded by his love for Delilah, Samson became weak — unable to resist and flee. Samson and Delilah are some of the most famous Old Testament characters, probably because their story is so action-packed.
Here are things you may not know or have considered about Samson and Delilah. Abstaining from any fermented drink including vinegar , abstaining from grapes or any food made from grapes including raisins , never getting a haircut, never touching or being near anything dead even undergoing a cleansing and rededication ceremony involving sin offerings if they happen to be with someone when that person dies.
Interestingly, the Numbers passage describes Nazirites who are only temporarily dedicating themselves to God, with a set time and a ceremony to commemorate the end of their commitment Numbers Some post-Old Testament Jewish sources argued that Nazirites can be temporary or permanent obligations, with differences.
In addition to being a Nazirite, Samson was also a judge, a protector over the Jewish people in a period before they had kings. Judges is selective in what it tells us about Samson: Judges says that he led Israel for 20 years but only tells us about a handful of events, his military, and romantic exploits.
Samson told them a riddle as a bet, the answer being that he had killed a lion and found honey in its carcass later. The last major story about Samson describes how he fell in love with a woman named Delilah who lived in the Valley of Sorek according to some sources , the border between Philistine land and the tribe of Dan. Philistine leaders offered Delilah silver to find out what made Samson so strong.
Samson made up answers on three occasions, saying that he had to be tied with seven bowstrings, or with fresh ropes, or have his hair weaved into a loom before his strength would go Judges Each time this measure failed and Samson drove away Philistines who tried taking him by surprise.
Finally, after much nagging, Samson told Delilah that his hair had to be cut for his strength to go away. What Delilah did after this is not known, although many adaptations of the story such as Cecil B.
One day the Philistines brought Samson out as a spectacle for a temple sacrifice to their god Dagon. Samson asked to be put next to a pillar so he could lean against it, and then prayed for strength. His strength returned and he knocked two pillars over, killing everyone in the temple Judges Read the story of Samson and Delilah in one sitting, and Samson looks pretty stupid.
Who tells someone their biggest secret after enemies have conveniently shown after the last three times that the person asked for that secret?
There is good evidence throughout the story to indicate that Samson was arrogant and foolhardy. There was some time delay, possibly a day or more, between Samson talking to Delilah and the Philistines showing up each time. Second, if scholars are correct in saying that Delilah lived on the Israel-Philistia border, then the Philistines probably came to attack Samson many times.
Third, Samson had a history of foolhardy choices when he wanted women. He saw a Philistine woman one day and decided to marry her, even though a Nazirite marrying a foreigner would have been a big ethical breach.
Later, Samson went into the Philistine city of Gaza and stayed with a prostitute who he apparently met in passing Judges So, Samson had a history of doing the foolish thing to get a woman he wanted, possibly because he figured his strength would always be there to get him out of trouble. There are plenty of things we could learn from the story of Samson and Delilah, from lessons about relationships to lessons about being a better member of our communities.
Here are three particular lessons we can all start following today:. Watch out for arrogance. Samson first got in trouble when he suggested a riddle that no one but him could solve, with a solution that highlighted his unbeatable strength.
He continued to behave arrogantly and take foolish risks throughout his life, and it ultimately got him into trouble. Regardless of how skilled or blessed we are, we need to remember to be humble. Consider carefully who you fall for. While Samson telling Delilah his secret was foolish, there was a gradual weakening where she pressured him every day. By not thinking about how marrying a Philistine would create trouble or how his actions against the Philistines would affect his Philistine wife , Samson created cycles of violence that harmed him and others around him.
We would all do better if we considered what community we join when we choose a partner and the responsibilities that that brings. Read the full Bible passage of this story below and browse related articles, video, and sermons to learn more about its meaning:. Plus Toggle navigation. Password Assistance. Email address. Samson and Delilah - Bible Story. Contributing Writer. Connor Salter.
Bible Articles Videos Audio. Who was Samson? Was Delilah Samson's Greatest Weakness? One of the most suggestive and beautiful prayers in the Old Testament is that of Manoah for guidance in the training of his yet unborn child Judges Whatever our estimate of his personality is, Samson was closely linked to the covenant.
He was endowed with the Spirit of Yahweh--the spirit of personal patriotism, the spirit of vengeance upon a foe of 40 years' standing Judges ,25 ; ; He also prayed, and Yahweh answered him, though in judgment Judges But he was prodigal of his strength. Samson had spiritual power and performed feats which an ordinary man would hardly perform. But he was unconscious of his high vocation.
In a moment of weakness he yielded to Delilah and divulged the secret of his strength. He was careless of his personal endowment. He did not realize that physical endowments no less than spiritual are gifts from God, and that to retain them we must be obedient. Chapter 13 of Judges tells the story of Manoah and his wife, who is barren. But this comes with a warning: She cannot contaminate her body with any alcohol, because her child will be a nazirite — dedicated to God from birth.
She also learns that her son will save the Israelites from the Philistines. The idea of God granting a child in order to dedicate that child to save the Israelites foreshadows a famous birth that appears in the first book of Samuel. There, the prophet Samuel is born to a previously barren woman, and he is dedicated from a young age to serve in the Temple. Samuel I, 1. The Philistines raid a town in Judah in order to lure and capture Samson.
To save themselves, the Judeans tie up Samson to deliver him to the enemy. But this episode does not end well for the Philistines:. The Philistines came shouting to meet [Samson]; and the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands.
Then he found a fresh jaw-bone of a donkey, reached down and took it, and with it he killed a thousand men.
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