Thanks for Seeking God With Me.

If you need some Christian Nonfiction books to read, check out 5 Powerful Ways to Show Love and Heroine: Rising to the Challenge on Amazon

Couples: Samson and Delilah

Judges 16:15
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."

There is a love story in the Bible that I cannot figure out. Why did Samson fall for Delilah? Was she that beautiful? He seemed to be a smart guy, but somehow his love for Delilah got the best of him.

As soon as Samson fell in love with Delilah, she was told by her people to lure him into captivity. Samson knew she was with him in order to trap him, but he loved her anyway.

Time after time, she tried to get him to tell her how he could be tied and controlled. Samson wasn’t stupid, nor weak. He gave her false answers to see how far she would take this plan of attack. Every time the men hid to take advantage of this new way to subdue Samson, Delilah woke him up with the news that the Philistines were there. After each failure, she twisted the event to try to make him feel bad that he’d lied to her.

I felt sorry for Samson. He’d had woman trouble before Delilah. There was another woman who had done this same thing to him. She whined. He told her the answer to his secret riddle. She told the answer to others. She betrayed him. And Samson knew Delilah would betray him if she found out the secret of his strength.

I cannot imagine why did he not just throw Delilah out.

Apparently, he really wanted to be with her. Despite her flaws.

She was helping her people find the secret to restraining the man who was stronger than any other. I have no idea why she didn’t leave her people and run off with Samson. He would’ve been great protection for her.

Instead, she whined to him that he didn’t really love her since he wouldn’t tell her the secret to his strength. She nagged and whined until he finally gave in. As soon as she heard the truth, she told the Philistines how to capture him. The men tried again to subdue him, and this time they succeeded. Judges 16:21 tells us, “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 in the prison.”

Not a happy ending. I think God expects us to protect our gifts so that we can use them. But sometimes God uses people and their gifts differently than we expect.

Maybe someday I’ll understand Samson better. For now, I’ll keep seeking God.

No comments: