Samson & Delilah

The strongest man who ever lived

A long, long time ago, before there were any kings in Israel, there lived a man named Samson. Before Samson was even born, God gave him a special promise: as long as he never cut his hair, Samson would be the strongest man on earth. His long, long hair was the sign that he belonged to God.

Samson's strength was something to see. He once tore a roaring lion apart with his bare hands. He picked up the heavy gates of a whole city and carried them up a hill. When his enemies tied him up with brand-new ropes, he snapped them like burnt thread.

God had given Samson all that strength for one important job — to help God's people fight back against the Philistines, mean neighbors who kept hurting Israel.

The whispered secret

But Samson had a problem. He liked to do whatever he wanted, and he didn't always listen to God. One day he met a woman named Delilah, and he fell in love with her. The Philistine rulers heard, and they tiptoed up to Delilah with a sneaky offer.

So Delilah began to ask Samson, sweet as syrup, "Samson, my love — please tell me the secret of your strength."

The first time, Samson teased her. "Tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings," he said. So she did — and as soon as the Philistines jumped out, Samson snapped the bowstrings like cotton and roared with laughter.

The second time, he teased her again. "Tie me up with new ropes that have never been used." She did — and again, Samson snapped them like nothing.

The third time, he teased her again. "Weave my hair into your loom." She did — and Samson pulled it right off the wall.

Each time, Delilah pouted. "You don't really love me, Samson! You keep tricking me!" Day after day she pleaded. Day after day she pestered. Until at last Samson got tired of her asking, and he told her the truth.

The night his strength left

That night, while Samson was fast asleep on her lap, Delilah called for a man with a razor. Snip. Snip. Snip. Off came Samson's long, long hair. The Philistines burst into the room shouting his name.

Samson tried to spring up like he always had. But this time his arms were weak. His legs were wobbly. His strength was gone. The Philistines grabbed him, blinded him, dragged him down to a city called Gaza, and put him in chains. They made the strongest man in the world walk in slow circles, turning a heavy grain mill, like an ox.

It was the lowest day of Samson's life. He had walked away from God's promise — and now he sat in the dark.

One last prayer

But the Bible whispers something beautiful, just one little sentence in the middle of all the sadness.

A little bit at a time, Samson's hair grew. And a little bit at a time, Samson remembered God. He prayed. He was sorry. He turned his heart back to the Lord.

One day, the Philistines had a huge party in their giant temple to celebrate their fake god, Dagon. The whole roof was packed with people. They brought Samson out to laugh at him. They stood him between two great big stone pillars that held up the whole building.

Samson asked the boy guiding him, "Let me lean against the pillars." Then he closed his blind eyes and prayed his last prayer.

God heard him. God answered him. Samson put one hand on each big pillar, took a deep breath, and pushed with all his might. The pillars cracked. The temple groaned. The whole building came crashing down on Samson and the Philistines who had hurt God's people.

Even after Samson's many mistakes, even after his strength was gone, God still listened. God still used him. Because that's what God does.