Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Group Study
Thread: Meanest Women of the Bible
Post Topic: Delilah the Cunning Barber
Post in Thread: #5
Scripture: Judges 16:4-21
Key Verses:
Judges 16:15-18
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.” 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.17 So he told her everything…
18 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.
Observations
Context
- Samson was a judge of Israel known for his massive strength.
- He lived in and around the Philistines, the enemies of the Israelites.
- He seemed intrigued by their women, often spending time in the Philistine towns, even while fighting against many of them.
- The source of Samson’s strength was his dedication to the Nazirite religious sect, as had been commanded to his mother:
- An angel had appeared to his barren mother before he was born in Judges13:2-5.
- The angel said: “You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Events – Don’t you love me?
- Samson saw a Philistine woman who appealed to him – the seductress Delilah.
- The Philistines offered her big money to expose the secret of his strength.
- Three times he lied, not telling her his strength came from God, as he was a Nazarite.
- She and the Philistines unsuccessfully attempted his capture him three times.
- Each time he came closer to the truth, the third time telling her to braid his hair.
- She begged and accused him of not loving her.
- Finally, he told her the truth. Cutting his hair would violate his standing as a Nazirite.
- They captured the weakened Samson, gouged out his eyes, and paraded him like a captured beast.
Discussion
- Judges 16:16 describes Delilah as “nagging…prodding” and Samson as “sick to death of it.” Can you visualize how she might have begged?
- What makes a man give in to a cajoling woman?
Interpretation
Setting
The Philistines lived on the coastal plain on the Mediterranean Sea directly west of Judah and south of Israel. Today it’s Israel and the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Genre/Author
Jewish tradition says that Samuel wrote the book of Judges. He was the last judge. The genre is a historical narrative. Today it might be called narrative non-fiction.
Takeaways
- Samson’s strength made him a one-man army. He was a foe passionately hated by the Philistines.
- The Philistines were ready to pay Delilah huge amounts of silver to help them capture Samson.
- Samson’s downfall was his attraction to Philistine women. Delilah was not the first, but she was the last.
- Delilah seduced and betrayed Samson. She used guilt trips and pouting to provoke him.
- “You made a fool of me; you lied to me.”
- “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me?”
- Samson’s first three lies showed he didn’t trust her. Yet he still gave in.
Discussion
- Why did Samson finally tell her the truth? Did he think God wouldn’t actually remove his strength?
- Did Delilah ever love Samson, or was she trapping him from the beginning? Or was it the love of money that turned her?
- What was going on in Samson’s head? Was he part idiot? Or under a spell? Not her first attempt to capture him.
Correlation
- Proverbs 11:22 – “A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.”
Discussion
- Is this the origin of the phrase about putting lipstick on a pig?
- Except here, the gold ring is compared to a beautiful woman, who lacks discretion. How was the beautiful Delilah like a gold ring in a pig’s snout?
Application
Generic Applications
Samson wasn’t interested in women of his own faith. Perhaps he was looking for excitement by connecting with forbidden women. Maybe he expected to be more free to indulge in sensual pleasures in Philistia instead of his homeland.
Samson’s story should be a warning against playing the field during our youth before searching for a life partner who shares our values.
Group Discussion
- Should men always choose to date and marry within their own faith?
- Is that a guarantee of a happy union?
- Should we expect our spouses to be the source of our happiness?
- Delilah’s actions the first three times showed her to be untrustworthy. How long should we stay in such a relationship?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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