Judges 16 - Samson and Delilah
When we read about Samson we have to be amazed that he was so foolish. He was in a situation that he knew was dangerous. He was in a relationship with someone who was trying to harm him. He should have run from Delilah the first time she tried to trick him. But Samson knew he was strong. He had it under control. He was just toying with this woman. She was no match for him. He was Samson, ruler of Israel. He must have had a good laugh every time he tricked her.
Have you ever been a fool like that? Have you ever seen your friends or family members being a fool like that? They are in a dangerous situation or a bad relationship that is trying to destroy them but they "Have it under control". It could be a male-female relationship but it could also be a job, an addiction, a friendship or even a hobby.
In the Gospel according to Kenny Rogers it says: "You gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold em, know when to walk away and know when to run." Samson should have walked away.
We are not as different from Samson as we might like to think.
Dave
It seems we are most blind, where we are most proud. I have been warned of my blind spots by well meaning friends, and I just remain in the belief that I know better how to deal with the situation then they do. As it turns out, we are both half right. I likely need to listen to their advice with a more open heart, in turn they should probably push a little harder to get me to listen. Its difficult to know when to hold 'em and fold 'em.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to Samson's strength. The only part of the law that the Lord commanded directly for Samson to follow was the hair and the wine. It would appear that the hair was the one part that affected him the most. As Samson turned his back on other parts of the law, with no apparent reproach from the Lord, he must have come to believe he was above the law...maybe not above, but a certain pride would have crept in. I'm thinking pride was a fatal flaw of Samson's...and most of us as well.
Hmmm...Rod's comment about blindness and fatal flaws, makes me wonder.....in Judges 14, the beginning of Samson's adult story, Samson SEES a Philistine woman who is pleasing to him in the valley of Timnah, known for it's vineyards. Is it irony that Samson is ultimately BLINDED in ch 16, the end of his story, because of another woman from the Valley of Sorek (the valley of choice vines)? From a literary perspective, this book of Judges seems to be full of this kind of irony. Samson burns the Philistines grainfields in ch 15, then ends up grinding grain for them in ch 16. He is entertained at their expense in ch.14 and then he is their entertainment in ch. 16. He defeats and escapes them with his God-given impressive strength in ch 15 and ch16, then he is defeated and captured by them, void of His strength and not even aware that "the Lord had left him". 16:20. His request of the Lord at the end of the story is that he may have revenge upon the Philistines for his two eyes(according to blueletterbible.org, eyes can be physical or a figurative reference to the mental and spiritual faculties) and die with the Philistines. Not sure what this all means- Samson's story, the story of a Nazirite SET APART FOR God who is forbidden anything from the grapevine, is interwined with Philistines (a people APART FROM God) and vineyards. This story that began with an angel of God telling Samson's mom that her son would begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines, ends with him dying amongst the Philistine rulers. Are we to take from this story that Samson's "eyes" were led astray and so he didn't live out the role God had intended for him, or did he live it out in spite of his human foibles and weaknesses and this is ultimately a story of God winning in the end in spite of the flaws of his human "helper"?
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