Judges 16:4-6 – Samson and Delilah
The next part of the account of Samson’s life takes place in the valley of Sorek, a valley that ran from just west of Jerusalem, along the border of the tribal territories of Dan and Judah, down to the Mediterranean Sea. Samson’s hometown of Zorah was near this valley and, Timnath, the hometown of his wife, was located in the valley. Now, near the end of his tenure as judge, he returns to the area where his fight against the Philistines began.
We are told Samson loved a woman in the valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. It may be that Delilah is a nickname, for it means “flirt.” This flirtatious woman proves to have a poor character. She will willingly sell out Samson for money.
The lords of the Philistines personally come to her. The term “lords of the Philistines” refers to the kings of the five great Philistine cities. That these men personally come to Delilah, and that they offer each to pay her 1,100 pieces of silver (totaling the enormous sum of 5,500 pieces of silver) shows how greatly they fear Samson’s strength. Delilah immediately sets out to wheedle the secret of Samson’s strength out of him.
Proverbs 31:30 warns, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” As before, we find in this week’s study, that Samson demonstrates poor judgment when it comes to his dealings with women. He is apparently attracted to women for their charm and beauty, but has no regard for whether they fear the LORD. His desire for the wrong women has led to much hardship in his life so far. Now, his failure to curb his desire will lead to his capture and death. May unmarried Christians who desire to marry learn from Samson’s mistakes and choose a wife or husband who fears the LORD.
Questions
- How do we know Delilah had poor character?
- Why would the lords of the Philistines offer her so much money?
- What kind of husband or wife should an unmarried Christian who is called to marriage be seeking?
Prayer Points
- Ask God to help us make wise and godly choices.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.