Judges 16 - Samson & Delilah

Samson takes the Gates (1-3)

Judges 16:1 ESV

1 Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her.

1a - Went to Gaza

1b - Saw a prostitute

1c - Went in to her

Many commentators don’t see the point of this entire story…they are distracted by a base interpretation that the judges have selfish intention and complete disregard for the Lord

Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary Samson’s Exploit at Gaza (16:1–3)

It is not clear what brought Samson to Gaza, which was about 38 miles from Zorah; but on what appears to be a casual visit his wayward, sensual nature took him into the company of a Philistine prostitute

Judges, Ruth (4) God’s Gift of [Partial] Deliverance (13:25–16:31a)

the narrator is concerned to reinforce the image of Samson the man that has emerged from chaps. 14–15. This segment reveals an Israelite inexorably drawn to the Philistines and continuing to be driven by his senses. He has no scruples about fraternizing with the enemy. But this relationship is even more reprehensible than the one in chap. 14, since he does not bother to marry this woman.

Samson did not go wandering to Gaza out of boredom looking for a good time.

1 - INTERPRETATION: The Lord called him to begin saving Israel from the Philistines! He is going to pick a fight with the enemies of the Lord!

2 - WORDING: There IS DOUBT over whether the phrase in vs 1 “he went in to her” has any sexual connotation...

Remember when Joshua sent spies into view the region of Jericho? They stayed in the home of a prostitute, named Rahab. When the king of Jericho sends guards to her house, she uses the same wording as Judges 16:1 when describing the activity of the SPIES:

Joshua 2:4 (ESV)

4 ... And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.

3 - CONTEXT: Samson is NOT distracted by the prostitute

Judges 16:2 ESV

2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” And they surrounded the place and set an ambush for him all night at the gate of the city. They kept quiet all night, saying, “Let us wait till the light of the morning; then we will kill him.”

v2 - The guards plan is to surround the place, set an ambush for Samson at the gate and wait until morning to kill him

2a - Samson is here

2b - Set an ambush at the gate of the city

2c - Let us wait until the light of morning, then we will kill him

Judges 16:3 ESV

3 But Samson lay till midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts, and pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.

v3 - At midnight, Samson has waited for everyone to be settled and he fulfills his mission in Gaza

3a - But Samson lay till midnight

3b - At midnight, he arose

took hold of the doors & posts of the gate of the city

pulled them up, bar and all

carried them to the top of the hill in front of Hebron

Highest point in the region

Taking the GATES to the LORD (?)

Significance of the Gates

ASK: Why are doors important?

Woe to Nineveh by Nahum...

Nahum 3:13 (ESV)

13 ...The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.

A promise made to Abraham about gates...

Genesis 22:16–18 ESV

16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Significance of Hebron

Gen 18 - The Lord foretold Isaac’s birth in Hebron.

Gen 23 - Sarah died in Hebron and was buried there…Abraham and Sarah were both buried in Hebron in a cave Abraham purchased from the Hittites…it was the ONLY land in the Promised Land that Abraham owned. Though

Gen 35 - Isaac and Rebekah lived and died there

Gen 37 - Jacob lived there and was buried there (Gen 49)

Numbers 13 - Hebron is where the spies find the fertility of the land and the strength of the people.

Num 14 / Josh 14 / Judges 1:20 “20 And Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said. And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak.” >> Hebron is the city given to Caleb and his household!

Hebron is where David ruled over Israel for 7 years before moving the capitol to Jerusalem!

Samson Loved Delilah (4-22)

Judges 16:4 ESV

4 After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

4 - Samson loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, Delilah

Judges 16:5 ESV

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Seduce him, and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to humble him. And we will each give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”

5 - The lords of the Philistines came to her

Likely five lords of the five major cities of the Philistines

Seduce him…and we’ll give you 1,100 pieces of silver EACH (5,500 shekels of silver) …compare with Abraham paying 400 shekels of silver for burial grounds.

Judges 16:6–9 ESV

6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and how you might be bound, that one could subdue you.” 7 Samson said to her, “If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 9 Now she had men lying in ambush in an inner chamber. And she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings, as a thread of flax snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

6-9 - Delilah said to Samson Pt 1

Judges 16:10–12 ESV

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you might be bound.” 11 And he said to her, “If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 12 So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And the men lying in ambush were in an inner chamber. But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.

10-12 - Delilah said to Samson Pt 2

Judges 16:13–14 ESV

13 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have mocked me and told me lies. Tell me how you might be bound.” And he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and fasten it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 14 So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web. And she made them tight with the pin and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he awoke from his sleep and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.

13-14 - Delilah said to Samson Pt 3

Judges 16:15–20 ESV

15 And she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.” 16 And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. 17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.” Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. 19 She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. 20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.

15-22 - Delilah said to Samson Pt 4

20 - He did not know the Lord had left him

Judges 16:21–22 ESV

21 And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. 22 But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

GO WITH THIS...

The Lord is the owner of the Land (Israel and all the earth)…we possess the gates of our enemy!

God gave Israel to Abraham before he owned a foot of ground

Samson affirms this in the raising of the Philistine’s gate to Hebron

Furthermore...All the earth is the Lord’s

Psalm 24:1 ESV

1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

There is no land that does not belong to the Lord

The authority of the Lord goes beyond just property... it is spiritual.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That very authority has been given to us in the spirit!

Matthew 16:15–19 ESV

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

We are not invincible / unaffected by sin

How many STOP signs do you run before you’re driving the wrong way down the interstate?