Samson Betrayed

Judges 16:4-21

     The mighty men of the Philistines were growing tired of Samson. They wanted to know what the source of his strength was and so they plot to kill him. When Samson finds out he leaves Gaza at midnight  pulling the city gates and posts right out of the ground, carrying them to the top of a hill many miles away.

     Samson falls in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines offer Delilah a great deal of silver to find out the secret of Samson's strength. "Let's go to Samson's wife. Maybe she can trick him into telling the secret of his strength."
     And so the Five Philistine Kings went to Delilah, Samson's wife. They promised her eleven hundred pieces of silver each if she could discover Samson's secret.

     That night, Delilah snuggled up to Samson. "What makes you strong?" she asked him sweetly. "If someone wanted to tie you up, how could they do it?" "Well," Samson said, "If they tied me up with seven new cords, that would do it. I would be as weak as any man."

     The next day, Delilah went to the five kings and told them the secret. They gave her seven fresh ropes. That night, while the five kings were hiding in the other room, Delilah tied up Samson while he was sleeping. "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" she shouted. Samson jumped up, and snapped the ropes like they were nothing.

     "AHH!" the kings thought. That wasn't the secret. "You tricked me!" Delilah said to Samson the next night. "Tell me really this time. What is the secret of your strength?"

"Well he told her, if you tie me up with ropes that have never been used, I will be as weak as any man." Samson said. And so, the next night, while Samson was sleeping, Delilah tied him up with new ropes. Samson! The Philistines are coming!" she shouted. And Samson jumped up and broke the ropes as if they were thread.

     "Samson," Delilah said to him the next night. "You're being mean to me! Tell me the truth. How could someone tie you up?" "If you weave my hair into a loom, then I will be as weak as any man." Samson said.

     And so that night, while Samson was sleeping, Delilah took his long hair, and wove it into a web and fastened them tight with a pin. "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" she shouted. Samson jumped up and broke free, just like before.

     "How can you say you love me," Delilah said, "When you won't even tell me the truth?" She kept asking him, and asking him, day after day, night, night after night, until Samson couldn't take it anymore.

     "All right, all right, I'll tell you," he finally said. "My hair has never been cut, ever since I was dedicated to God when I was born. If you cut my hair, I will be like any man." And so Delilah went to the five kings and said, "Come back one more time. Samson has finally told me the truth." That night, after Samson had fallen asleep in Delilah's lap, she cut his hair. "Samson! The Philistines are coming!" she shouted.
    
     Samson jumped up like before - but this time God had left him. He was as weak as any man. The Philistine Kings grabbed him. And then they did a terrible thing. They poked out his eyes, tied him with chains, and dragged him away. They put him to work turning a great stone wheel. Day after day, Samson turned the heavy wheel.