Bald Truth
Opening Prayer
Lord, thank You for the strengths You have given me—from birth and since I’ve been following You.
Read JUDGES 16:1-22
[1] One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. [2] The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.” [3] But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. [4] Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. [5] The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” [6] So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” [7] Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” [8] Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. [9] With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered. [10] Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.” [11] He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” [12] So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads. [13] Delilah then said to Samson, “Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.” He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric [14] and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric. [15] Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” [16] With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. [17] So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” [18] When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. [19] Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. [20] Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him. [21] Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. [22] But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What was Samson's big mistake?Imagine how amazing Samson’s gargantuan gate lift was (3)! But, amazing as this feat was, it did not intimidate the Philistines—they knew their enemy and his weakness for women. Twenty years later, Samson hasn’t changed. The only difference here is that instead of using a woman, a woman uses him. She, of course, is being used, too, by the Philistine leaders. If you were to ask the world’s strongest man, Mariusz Pudzianowski, the secret of his strength, he would tell you it’s malted milk! But Samson is more coy—and takes some time to admit to God’s call on his life (17). In fact, he has become so self-sufficient he doesn’t notice that the Spirit is missing (20b) and how blind he has become. He is literally blinded by the Philistines, but in many ways he’s been blind all along. How well would you do as a national leader? What would your strengths be? What would people see as your weaknesses? If the two were very separate, it would be easier to disentangle them. But, like Samson’s hair, our weaknesses are often woven in with our strengths.
Apply
Ask God to help you assess your strengths and weaknesses. How can you build on the one and strengthen the other?
Closing prayer
Lord, in whatever ways I may lead others, help me to be a faithful, true leader whose values reflect Yours.
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