Bible ReadingJudges 16 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him: and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver. And Delilah said unto Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee. And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known. And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man. Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread. And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; That he told her all his heart, and said, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven. Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us. And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.
[25:17]Observation questions- What repeated pattern can be seen in Samson’s movements and choices in Judges, especially in the places he goes and the people he joins himself to? [12:22]
- In Judges 16, what are the specific steps that lead from Samson meeting Delilah to his capture, blindness, and imprisonment? [19:38]
- What two things are taken from Samson, and how are those same two things shown to be the areas he had been leaning on most? [21:52]
- What change begins to appear in the second half of Judges 16 that points toward mercy and not only judgment? [25:45]
Interpretation questions- Judges says Samson would “begin to deliver” Israel. Why does that word “begin” matter for understanding Samson’s role and his limits? [02:36]
- Samson clearly had a calling from God, yet he kept trying to carry it out in his own way. What does that show about the danger of having right goals with self-directed steps? [16:28]
- James says a man is drawn away by his own lust. How does Samson’s story help show that lust is more than sensual desire and can include any strong desire for something God has not given? [10:06]
- Samson’s hair begins to grow again, and later he calls on the Lord. What does that suggest about chastening, confession, and the possibility of restoration after serious sin? [30:37]
Application questions- Samson’s fall did not begin at the moment of collapse but in a pattern of looking, wanting, and going where he should not have been. What patterns like that need to be noticed honestly before they grow into something worse? [11:14]
- God cares not only about the path, but about the next step. Where is there a temptation right now to say, “I know the general will of God, so I will choose the method myself”? [17:16]
- Lust can show up in ordinary life through comparison, resentment, and wanting what has been given to someone else. Where does that kind of desire tend to show up most often—work, home, money, comfort, recognition, or something else? [34:11]
- Samson did not realize how far he had drifted until strength was gone. What are some signs that a person may be relying on gifts, habits, experience, or personality more than on the Lord himself? [23:19]
- God’s chastening can feel painful, but it may be mercy meant to stop a deeper ruin. Can there be a hard season, loss, or closed door that now looks more like rescue than punishment? [21:52]
- Confession is the way back for God’s children. Is there any sin being explained away, hidden, or postponed instead of brought plainly before the Lord? What makes honest confession difficult? [31:09]
- Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him and did not live for himself. What would it look like this week to turn from self-focused living toward serving someone else in a concrete way? [40:09]
