The Influence of a Woman

 

            As we continue our look at the women of the Bible, one of the most unpleasant ones we will encounter is Delilah.  Samson, one of the Judges of Israel, whom God had selected to rescue them from the control of the Philistines, fell in love with Delilah.

It’s unclear whether she ever loved him or not.  What is clear is that her greed was stronger than any feelings she may have had for Samson.  She readily accepted the Philistines’ challenge to determine what made Samson so strong.  On three occasions, she begged Samson to tell her the source of his great strength.  Each time he tricked her with his answer, and the Philistines’ efforts to subdue him failed.  Even so, her devious ways didn’t affect Samson’s love for her.  Ultimately, her pouting and nagging convinced him to share his secret.  That misguided trust led to his downfall.

Delilah didn’t show any redeeming traits in her relationship with Samson, but she does teach women one very important lesson.  Women can influence the men who love them.  It’s up to each woman to decide whether that influence will be for good or evil.  As Christ's followers, women must consider both their motives and their methods of influence.  Delilah is not an example that any woman should follow.

Samson and Delilah’s story also teaches us some important lessons about God.  For one, He finds “faith” in very strange places.  As humans, we would probably question His choice of Samson as a leader.  After all, he was very gullible and weak.  However, God saw something in Samson that made him worthy of being included in the faith chapter of Hebrews (11: 32 – 34).

Samson’s ultimate pleas for God to remember him once more (Judges 16: 28), reaffirms our confidence that God hears when we call.  In response to Samson’s prayer, God gave him the power to destroy his Philistine captors.

Perhaps the most important lesson we learn from Samson and Delilah is that sin separates us from God.  When Samson finally surrendered to Delilah’s pleadings, contrary to God’s will, he lost his strength because “the Lord had left him” (Judges 16: 20).  God is a holy God!  He will not and cannot tolerate sin.  Sin separates but confession and repentance reunite. 

Delilah and Samson were not a happy couple, and their behavior is not such that we should emulate.  However, they reaffirm the truth that God uses imperfect people to carry out His will, and He hears when we surrender to Him.  That’s a comfort to all of us as imperfect as we are.

Judges 16

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