Lesson 065 Samson And Delilah Judges 16:4-21
MEMORY VERSE JUDGES 16:17 N o razor has ev er c om e upon m y head, for I hav e been a N azirite to God from m y m other s wom b. WHAT YOU WILL NEED: A yo-yo. A timer, two small containers, one of which is filled with small toys or other small objects. Several pipe cleaners, large wooden beads, masking tape and markers. ATTENTION GRABBER! Yo-Yo Demo You will need a yo-yo. Demonstrate faithfulness using a yo-yo. During your yo-yo-ing ask questions like, When I throw the yoyo down, what do I always want it to do? (come back up); What happens to my yo-yo-ing when the yo-yo doesn t come back up? (I have to stop and start over); How is this yo-yo coming back like being faithful to God? (does the right thing, does what you want it to); What are some ways that you can be faithful to God this week?
LESSON TIME! It is sad to be remembered for what one might have been: to go through life and never live up to your potential. In our lesson today we will learn about a man that was called by God to lead His people from their path of sin and the bad things that sin brings. Samson was called by God to be a Nazirite. A Nazirite vow was usually temporary, but in Samson s case it was for life (Judges 13:5). Being a Nazirite meant that he had taken a special vow to be separated to the Lord for a special purpose. As a sign of his vow, no razor was ever to touch his head. His hair would keep growing all of his life. Unfortunately, Samson used poor judgment and sinned terribly. He accomplished much when he determined to be set apart for God. But he didn t take his calling from God seriously. He would be given great strength to deliver Israel from the affliction of the Philistines, yet he used his power for his own purposes. All of us can relate with Samson, because we find ourselves making decisions every day that affects our walk with the Lord. A life lived for self will only lead to disappointment with God and others. We can learn from Samson, who was called and gifted by God. We mainly learn that we need to take seriously God s purposes for our lives. God wants us to be faithful. J U D G ES 16:4,5 Af t e r w ar d i t h ap p e n e d t h at h e l o v e d a w o m an i n t h e Val l e y o f S o r e k, w h o s e n am e w as D e l i l ah. An d t h e l o r d s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s c am e u p t o h e r an d s ai d t o h e r, " En t i c e h i m, an d f i n d o u t w h e r e h i s gr e at s t r e n gt h l i e s, an d by w h at m e an s w e m ay o v e r p o w e r h i m, t h at w e m ay bi n d h i m t o af f l i c t h i m ; an d e v e r y
o n e o f u s w i l l gi v e y o u e l e v e n h u n d r e d p i e c e s o f s i l v e r. " Samson was set apart for special service to God from birth. But for the most part he ignored God s call and began to depend more and more on his own strength rather than on God s. For the first time, the Spirit of the Lord is not mentioned as directly affecting one of Samson s great feats of strength (16:3), though the Spirit of the Lord was with him before (14:6,19;15:14). It is dangerous not to depend entirely on the Spirit of the Lord for everything. Whenever we think that we can accomplish God s plan in our own strength we will mess up every time. We must always turn to the Lord and seek Him in prayer in anything that we would do for Him. Instead of having a passion for the Lord, Samson s passion turned to sin (16:1-3). He had left his first love for God, to abandon it for the love of this world. Instead of seeking God s will for his life, Samson allowed himself to be tricked by a Philistine woman named Delilah. Samson had become very successful with his God given strength, but sin had found a place in his heart. When we are godly and seeking the Lord, He will bless everything we do. It is God who gives us the gifts, skills, and abilities to serve Him. Like Samson, we have a responsibility to be faithful in the use of our gifts. God wants us to be faithful. J U D G ES 16:6-12 S o D e l i l ah s ai d t o S am s o n, " Pl e as e t e l l m e w h e r e y o u r gr e at s t r e n gt h l i e s, an d w i t h w h at y o u m ay be bo u n d t o af f l i c t y o u. "
An d S am s o n s ai d t o h e r, " I f t h e y bi n d m e w i t h s e v e n f r e s h bo w s t r i n gs, n o t y e t d r i e d, t h e n I s h al l be c o m e w e ak, an d be l i k e an y o t h e r m an. " S o t h e l o r d s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s br o u gh t u p t o h e r s e v e n f r e s h bo w s t r i n gs, n o t y e t d r i e d, an d s h e bo u n d h i m w i t h t h e m. N o w m e n w e r e l y i n g i n w ai t, s t ay i n g w i t h h e r i n t h e r o o m. An d s h e s ai d t o h i m, " T h e Ph i l i s t i n e s ar e u p o n y o u, S am s o n!" B u t h e br o k e t h e bo w s t r i n gs as a s t r an d o f y ar n br e ak s w h e n i t t o u c h e s f i r e. S o t h e s e c r e t o f h i s s t r e n gt h w as n o t k n o w n. T h e n D e l i l ah s ai d t o S am s o n, " L o o k, y o u h av e m o c k e d m e an d t o l d m e l i e s. N o w, p l e as e t e l l m e w h at y o u m ay be bo u n d w i t h. " S o h e s ai d t o h e r, " I f t h e y bi n d m e s e c u r e l y w i t h n e w r o p e s t h at h av e n e v e r be e n u s e d, t h e n I s h al l be c o m e w e ak, an d be l i k e an y o t h e r m an. " T h e r e f o r e D e l i l ah t o o k n e w r o p e s an d bo u n d h i m w i t h t h e m, an d s ai d t o h i m, " T h e Ph i l i s t i n e s ar e u p o n y o u, S am s o n!" An d m e n w e r e l y i n g i n w ai t, s t ay i n g i n t h e r o o m. B u t h e br o k e t h e m o f f h i s ar m s l i k e a t h r e ad. As you look at this game that Samson and Delilah are playing with each other, it is hard to say whether there appears to be more of Samson s weakness or Delilah s wickedness. Samson never should have allowed himself to be in a place where he could be tempted by his enemy. The Philistines were enemies of God s people, yet he chose to spend time with a Philistine woman. When we give our attention to sin or this world, we will find that it will only trap us and cause us to fall.
Could there be anything more wicked than to betray someone you love by discovering a secret to bring harm to them? Delilah knew that she would endanger his life, yet for eleven hundred pieces of silver she was willing to betray him to those by whom he was mortally hated. It showed that she never really loved or cared for him. That is how Satan is. He tries to deceive us into thinking that he cares for us, or that what he offers is fun or good for us. But in the end it only leads to destruction. Delilah offered Samson pleasure that would only last for a moment, but would end up destroying his life. The temptation of sin in our lives may seem good at first but will always lead to misery and destruction if we give in to it. We find Samson here playing games with sin. Even Delilah s game was trying to find out Samson s strength. Her purpose was to do him harm, not good. Why would Samson do this? Samson s foolishness led him to believe that he was so strong that Delilah could never hurt him. Unfortunately, Samson relied on his own strength and his own wisdom. As a man called by God to be the leader of the great nation of Israel, Samson was aware of his great responsibility. He should have relied on the strength and wisdom of God to lead His people. But because of his sinful pride he was playing games with his enemy. God wants us to be faithful. J U D G ES 16:13,14 D e l i l ah s ai d t o S am s o n, " U n t i l n o w y o u h av e m o c k e d m e an d t o l d m e l i e s. T e l l m e w h at y o u m ay be bo u n d w i t h. " An d h e s ai d t o h e r, " I f y o u w e av e t h e s e v e n l o c k s o f m y h e ad i n t o t h e w e b o f t h e l o o m " ; S o s h e w o v e i t t i gh t l y w i t h t h e bat t e n o f t h e l o o m, an d s ai d t o h i m, " T h e Ph i l i s t i n e s ar e u p o n y o u,
S am s o n!" B u t h e aw o k e f r o m h i s s l e e p, an d p u l l e d o u t t h e bat t e n an d t h e w e b f r o m t h e l o o m. Samson continues in his game with Delilah, not even thinking about his spiritual condition. Sin had overcome Samson s heart to the point that he slept in Delilah s presence without concern. Samson was a man called by God, but he was not a godly man. He had given in to the temptation of sin. Though he could crush an army of a thousand, a deceiving young woman would be his ruin. Sin is deceiving. It tries to make us think that it will be good or make us happy. But as sin puts its grip onto our hearts it causes us to not think very clearly. Just like Samson, we will be unconcerned with God s will for our life and we will only seek to live our own way. Then as Samson will find out it will finally bring about destruction. Pass It Down This is more of a demonstration than a game. Have a time trial to see how fast your class can pass it down. Have them all stand in a row, shoulder to shoulder. Place a container at each end of the row, one should be full of small toys or other objects (blocks maybe), the other empty. When you say go the child on the end with the container filled with toys or other items should pick up one item at a time and pass it down to the next person and so on until all the items make it through the line and into the empty container on the other side. Time how long it takes for the children to do this. Allow them to do it a few times. They will probably get faster each time. Afterward ask what happens when someone isn t watching or paying attention. This is really just a fun game, but how can these things be like not being faithful to God? God has a path of obedience for each of us to follow, and it can affect other people
when we do not do our part. We need to pay attention to God s plan for our life and not make a mistake like Samson. J U D G ES 16:15-17 T h e n s h e s ai d t o h i m, " H o w c an y o u s ay, ' I l o v e y o u, ' w h e n y o u r h e ar t i s n o t w i t h m e? Y o u h av e m o c k e d m e t h e s e t h r e e t i m e s, an d h av e n o t t o l d m e w h e r e y o u r gr e at s t r e n gt h l i e s. " An d i t c am e t o p as s, w h e n s h e p e s t e r e d h i m d ai l y w i t h h e r w o r d s an d p r e s s e d h i m, s o t h at h i s s o u l w as v e x e d t o d e at h, t h at h e t o l d h e r al l h i s h e ar t, an d s ai d t o h e r, " N o r az o r h as e v e r c o m e u p o n m y h e ad, f o r I h av e be e n a N az i r i t e t o G o d f r o m m y m o t h e r ' s w o m b. I f I am s h av e n, t h e n m y s t r e n gt h w i l l l e av e m e, an d I s h al l be c o m e w e ak, an d be l i k e an y o t h e r m an. " Samson was deceived because he began to believe Delilah s lies. Each time she tested Samson, she only hoped to discover how she might overcome him. She became weary of Samson s games and forced him through her persistence to give her the truth. Delilah wouldn t give up and kept nagging Samson daily to find out the secret of his strength until he finally gave up (v. 16). Sometimes our enemy, Satan will keep coming at us with the same temptation. We need to be careful and resist him as the Bible says, and he will flee from us. Why didn t Samson leave Delilah? It was because he thought that he was in love with her and that she was in love with him and that would overcome any possible deceit. That also turned out to be a lie.
Delilah s persistence paid off, Samson gave in to her request and revealed all that was in his heart. We should never allow anyone, no matter how attractive or persuasive, to talk us into doing wrong. God wants us to be faithful. Unfortunately for Samson, he thought his hair was his strength. The angel that foretold his birth said nothing of his great strength, but only that he should be a Nazirite, which would mean that no razor should come upon his head (Judges 13:5). His consecration (being set apart) to God was to be his strength and it was in his obedience to the Lord that the Holy Spirit would work in him mightily. God wants us to be faithful. J U D G ES 16:18,19 Wh e n D e l i l ah s aw t h at h e h ad t o l d h e r al l h i s h e ar t, s h e s e n t an d c al l e d f o r t h e l o r d s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s, s ay i n g, " C o m e u p o n c e m o r e, f o r h e h as t o l d m e al l h i s h e ar t. " S o t h e l o r d s o f t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s c am e u p t o h e r an d br o u gh t t h e m o n e y i n t h e i r h an d. T h e n s h e l u l l e d h i m t o s l e e p o n h e r k n e e s, an d c al l e d f o r a m an an d h ad h i m s h av e o f f t h e s e v e n l o c k s o f h i s h e ad. T h e n s h e be gan t o t o r m e n t h i m, an d h i s s t r e n gt h l e f t h i m. Delilah knew that Samson told her all that was in his heart. She was a deceitful woman with honey on her lips and poison in her heart. Cold and calculating, she toyed with Samson, pretending to love him while hoping to receive money at his expense. How could Samson be so foolish? You would think that he would have walked away from Delilah s deception. If he didn t realize what was happening after the first and second experience, surely he should have understood the situation by the fourth time.
We think Samson is foolish, but how many times do we allow ourselves to be deceived by flattery and give into temptation and wrong beliefs? We can avoid falling into sin by asking the Lord to help us know the difference between deception and truth. He will help us by His Holy Spirit as He guides and directs our steps. Faithfulness requires us to walk in obedience to do God s will, knowing that He wants the best for us. God wants us to be faithful. Delilah s confidence to deliver Samson up to the lords of the Philistines was sealed by the payment placed in her hands. Now she could bring Samson down and deliver him to his enemies. Notice that she begins to torment him. She never really loved him, just as our enemy never really loves us, he just pretends to. Satan is a liar and will tell us anything so that he can ultimately torment us with the results of sin. Don t listen to him! J U D G ES 16:20,21 An d s h e s ai d, " T h e Ph i l i s t i n e s ar e u p o n y o u, S am s o n!" S o h e aw o k e f r o m h i s s l e e p, an d s ai d, " I w i l l go o u t as be f o r e, at o t h e r t i m e s, an d s h ak e m y s e l f f r e e!" B u t h e d i d n o t k n o w t h at t h e L O R D h ad d e p ar t e d f r o m h i m. T h e n t h e Ph i l i s t i n e s t o o k h i m an d p u t o u t h i s e y e s, an d br o u gh t h i m d o w n t o G az a. T h e y bo u n d h i m w i t h br o n z e f e t t e r s, an d h e be c am e a gr i n d e r i n t h e p r i s o n. Samson s relationship with God had deteriorated so much that he didn t even realize God had left him. Samson had taken his leadership abilities as well as God s presence for granted. God offered him all he would ever need, yet he chose instead to put himself into Delilah s deceitful hands. As a result he lost his
strength. Samson s pride had run its full course and he paid for it dearly. Samson, the mighty warrior became a slave. Rather than kill him, the Philistines preferred to humiliate him by poking out his eyes and making him grind grain, a woman s job. He now had plenty of time to wonder if the charms of Delilah were worth spending the rest of his life in humiliation. Although God did not completely abandon Samson (16:28-30), He allowed Samson s decision to stand, and the consequences of his decision followed naturally. We may choose to be close to God or to go our own way, but there are consequences resulting from our choice. Samson didn t choose to be captured, but he chose to be with Delilah. And as a result he would not escape the consequences of his decision. Sin binds, blinds and then grinds our life. Blinded and without strength, Samson was taken to Gaza where he would spend the rest of his short life. It was in Gaza that Samson demonstrated his great strength (16:1-3) but now he was an example of weakness. Samson s life could have been different if he had only lived a life of faithfulness. God wants us to be faithful. In faithfulness we can walk in God s strength and live a life that is full of His blessings. Through Him, we can live up to the potential that God wants for us in our life. Watch It Baby! Give your class pipe cleaners and big beads. Let each child make a person of his own out of the pipe cleaners and beads. They will look like little stick people, use the beads for the head, allowing the children to draw on eyes, nose, etc. Give
each child a small piece of masking tape for a blindfold for his person. Have them walk their people around the edge of the table, instructing them where to walk and what to watch out for so they don t fall off. What happens if the pipe cleaner person doesn t listen to his creator? Is listening and obeying considered faithfulness? What will happen if we don t listen to our Creator? PRAYER Lead the children in a prayer of commitment to be faithful to the Lord in all things. Pray that the Lord will help us all to take seriously His call upon our lives and the gifts that He has given us. If there are any children who have not yet responded to the gospel, give them opportunity to do so.