Monday, February 16, 2015

Bad Girls of the Bible: Delilah

"Later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek.  The leaders of the Philistines went to her and said, 'Find out from Samson what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely.  Then each of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.' "  Judges 16:4-5

After reading about 3 nameless women, it's nice to finally put a name with the story.  And what a name it is!  Downright notorious!  The name Delilah conjures up all kinds of "bad girl" images in our minds because of her role in the book of Judges and her "relationship" with Samson.  She has been vilified over the centuries, but I like the way Liz Curtis Higgs examines her.

If you haven't read the book of Judges before (or recently), let me fill you in: it's brutal!!  This chapter, "The First Cut is the Deepest", takes a different look at the story of Samson & Delilah.  In the Bible, we know a lot about Samson, and he's not a real likable guy, in my opinion.  But God is with him, and no matter how many times he stumbles and struggles with weakness and temptation, he always calls on God for help and relies on God for forgiveness and strength.  Delilah, on the other hand...

Ms. Higgs approaches this tragic story from such a different angle, it really made me think.  She turns the narrative from Samson to Delilah.  And even if we just can't grasp how she may have felt, the fictional story of Lila, the hair stylist to Judge Sam Nazar, gives us one possibility.  Through Lila's story we start to have some sympathy for her and Delilah, strange as that may seem.  The Bible tells us very little about who Delilah was, her circumstances, or her relationship with Samson.  He was in love with her, but there's nothing to indicate it was mutual.  Our chapter is filled with questions, conjecture and inference, but oh how interesting!  And feeling a touch of sympathy for Lila/Delilah does not take away her "bad girl" status.

I hope you enjoy this inventive look at the infamous story of Samson and Delilah.  In the end, Ms. Higgs brings it all full circle to reveal why Delilah is "A Truly Bad Girl".  Take a look at the section, "What Lessons Can We Learn from Delilah?" for some final thoughts on why this story is important for us to read.  Many scholars think modern times are very similar to those found in the book of Judges, so perhaps there is more to learn from Samson and Delilah than we at first thought.

Think in ink and share your thoughts with us in the Comments.  I can't wait to read what you've learned from this truly bad girl of the Bible!

Your Partner in Ministry,

Shelly
warrior

"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  Proverbs 16:24


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