Judges 16:4 – Fell In Love

Judges 16:4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.

Love is a many splendored thing. Or at least that is what we are told in the movies, starting in 1955 with the move by that title. Our culture has notions of live that don’t necessarily reflect reality. Our culture, and many cultures around the world present a distorted picture of love, and that distortion has lasted for millenia.
Our main character in the account from today’s Scripture passage shows Samson once again following his heart rather than his head. He impulsively acts and isn’t even thinking about the consequences. He wants what he wants and that is all there is to it.
This is the second time he has acted in matters of love without regard to the outcome for himself or for the people of God. He sees a woman and he goes after her. Something other than his mind and spirit are in control.
Delilah was a member of the culture that had just tried to kill him. She was in the enemy camp. Those around her had ill intensions for Samson and for Israel at large. But Samon sees her.
She becomes the bait! I’m not sure how she felt about the role she was to play, but she was going to be paid handsomely for turning on Samson. All she had to do was use her feminine wiles to strip Samson of his power. It took several tries, several rounds to wear him down, but she finally got to the core.
Samson denied his vow to the LORD. He betrayed his God and the consequences were swift and harsh. He lost his strength, had his eyes gouged out, and lived as a working slave and curiosity on display for the rulers of the Philistines.
So how could this love choice of Samson with such tragic personal consequences be used the the LORD to accomplish His purposes? The LORD gave him back his strength for a moment and he killed more in that moment of his death than in all the moments earlier in his life. The LORD was shown to be great.
So, does your impulse get you in trouble? Do you act before you have thought and prayed? Is there an area of your life that needs to be submitted to the will of God?