Samson part 3 of 3

Judges 16

re-told by Debbie Dunn

Story highlights:

* After 20 years serving as judge -Samson fell in love with Delilah

* Philistines bribed Delilah for Samson’s superhuman-strength secret

* Delilah cut Samson’s hair so Philistine rulers could enslave Samson

Bible tale:

It's time to conclude Samson's story by telling you what happened with his 'bad news' girlfriend, Delilah.

Question: Who recalls what superpower Samson possessed?

Answer: Superhuman strength

That's right. Because Samson followed God's 3 rules for his life, God gave him superhuman strength.

Question: What three rules did Samson have to follow?

Answer: 1st, don't drink wine or alcohol. 2nd, don't cut your hair. and 3rd, don't touch dead animals or dead humans.

Question: Who recalls how many years Samson served as a judge in Israel?

Answer: 20 years

At the end of those 20 years of judging Israel, Samson walked into enemy territory belonging to the Philistines. There, he fell madly in love with another pretty woman by the name of Delilah.

When the 'bad guys' heard about this, they secretly went to Delilah. Their Philistine ruler said:

PHILISTINE'S RULER: Delilah, we heard that Samson has fallen in love with you. We need you to persuade Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely.

DELILAH: What will you give me if I do this thing?

PHILISTINE'S RULER: If you find out Samson's secret, we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.

DELILAH: You have a deal!

That night, greedy Delilah said to Samson:

DELILAH: Samson, please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.

Don't you think Samson should have been suspicious of her odd question?

In any case, that night and the following two nights, Samson told Delilah lies about tying him up with various devices like bow strings, new ropes, and weaving his hair into her loom.

Each night, in Delilah’s attempt to remove his strength, she would use that item to tie him up. Hoping it would work, she would awaken Samson with the announcement that the Philistines were there to get him. Naturally, Samson had no problem breaking free.

Instead of feeling guilty, pretty Delilah would fuss and whine. After 3 nights of tricks, Delilah pouted as she demanded:

DELILAH: Samson, how can you tell me that you love me when you don't share your secrets with me? You've made fun of me three times now, and yet, you still have not told me the secret of your great strength.

Day after day, Delilah nagged Samson until he became sick to death of it.

Finally, Samson gave in and unwisely revealed:

SAMSON: Delilah, my hair has never been cut. If my head were shaved, I would become as weak as anyone else.

Thrilled, Delilah alerted the Philistine rulers to return with their money in their hands.

After lulling Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, she quietly told a guard to shave off the seven locks of Samson's hair. Then, Delilah called out:

DELILAH: Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!

Samson woke up and felt sure he could easily escape like he had every other time in his life. Unfortunately, because his hair was cut, the Lord had left poor Samson. As a result, he could not break free.

So, the Philistines finally captured Samson. Tragically, they gouged out his eyes. Then, they bound blind Samson with bronze chains and forced him to grind grain in their Gaza prison.

But before long, Samson's hair began to grow back.

One night, the Philistine rulers held a great festival to offer sacrifices to their false god, Dagon, for supposedly delivering Samson into their hands.

Half drunk, they demanded to be entertained by their blind captive. A servant led Samson in by the hand and propped him up between two pillars that held up the roof of that temple building.

All the Philistine rulers were inside the temple. There were also 3,000 men and women crowded onto the roof watching Samson from above.

Samson prayed to God Almighty and said:

SAMSON: Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow, let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.

Then, Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that supported the temple roof. Pushing against those pillars with both hands, Samson said one last prayer.

SAMSON: Lord, let me die with the Philistines!

Sure enough, the temple roof crashed down, killing the rulers, and Samson, plus all 3,000 people crowding the roof. In fact, Samson killed more Philistines than he had during his entire lifetime.

Later, Samson's family came, dug up his body, and buried him in his family's plot.

As for Delilah, we don’t whether or not she was one of those who died.

In any case, that was the story of another one of Israel's many judges.

Question: Any questions or comments?

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Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Bible tale: Samson part 3 of 3