Judges: The Misery of Sin
Israel Under the Judges
Continued

On a later occasion, Samson decided to spend the night with a prostitute in the Philistine stronghold of Gaza. The Philistine military made sure that Samson could not escape from the city and waited until dawn for a chance to kill him.

Unlike Ehud and Jael, Samson could not be accused of subtlety in dealing with his enemies. But what he lacked in subtlety, he made up for in strength. In the middle of the night, Samson "got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron" (Judges 16:3). An unusual method of escape, no doubt, but one that highly embarrassed the Philistines.

Unfortunately, Samson was still obsessed by Philistine women. A woman named Delilah had Samson’s eye at this time. Unknown to Samson, each of the Philistine rulers had promised to give Delilah the vast sum of 1,100 shekels of silver apiece, if she could find out the secret of Samson’s strength.

"Delilah then said to Samson, ‘Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.’ He replied, ‘If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man’" (Judges 16:13).

Like water eroding stone, Delilah slowly wore down Samson’s resistance. Eventually, he told her the secret: "‘No razor has ever been used on my head,’ he said, ‘because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man’" (verse 17).

So one fateful day, Delilah soothed Samson to sleep on her lap and got a man to shave Samson’s head. When Samson awoke, his strength had departed, and the Philistines overpowered and blinded him (verses 19-21).

The Philistines threw Samson into prison and put him to work, grinding at a mill. As Samson worked long, arduous hours at the mill, he undoubtedly reflected on his life, on how he had allowed his weaknesses to come between him and God. Yet Samson also knew that God was merciful and forgiving.

The Philistine rulers decided to organize a great celebration in honor of Dagon, their god of grain and chief deity. "How vividly the Philistines remembered Samson’s ‘reign of terror’! It had been a time of devastation and death, and even Dagon’s grain was put to the torch (15:5). But this was replaced by laughter and feasting as the drunken Philistines called for the once invincible Samson to appear before them (v. 25). The word translated ‘entertain’ (sa-haq) is literally ‘play with,’ ‘amuse.’... Clearly the Philistines intended to mock Samson as he performed for their amusement (cf. Gen 21:9)" (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 479).

But God, the only God, had delivered Samson into the hands of the Philistines in order to fulfill his purpose — as they were about to find out! With the help of a servant, Samson located the two central pillars of the temple. In one last fervent prayer, he asked God, "Please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines" (Judges 16:28). Then, with a mighty push, Samson dislodged the supporting pillars, causing them to slide off their stone bases. "And down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it" (verse 30).

In spite of Samson’s past, God still answered his prayer and destroyed the pagan temple and worshipers. God still loved him. He was willing to hear Samson’s prayer of confession and repentance and use him this final time. One of the effects of sin in our lives is to keep us from feeling like praying. But perfect moral behavior is not a condition for prayer. Don’t let guilt feelings over sin keep you from your only means of restoration. No matter how long you have been away from God, he is ready to hear from you and restore you to a right relationship. Every situation can be salvaged if you are willing to turn again to him. If God could still work in Samson’s situation, he can certainly make something worthwhile out of yours. (Life Application Bible, NIV, commentary on Judges 16:28-30)

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