Thinking about Delilah

"Then Delilah pouted, "How can you say you love me when you don't confide in me?  You've made fun of me three times now, and you still haven't told me what makes you so strong!"  So day after day she nagged him until he couldn't stand it any longer."  Judges 16: 15-16

Oh Delilah!  Have you ever known a woman like her?  I didn't think I had, but then I read this and I'm pretty sure I saw her staring at me from the mirror!

This is what we know about her according to the Biblical story:
*  She's a Philistine woman
*  Samson is in love with her (and he seems to visit her quite regularly)
*  She accepts a large sum of money from powerful leaders for information leading to the capture of   Samson, an enemy of her people.
*  She deceives Samson repeatedly
*  She pouts and nags until she gets what she wants

So, how am I like Delilah?  Well, if you ask my husband he would probably say that I'm pretty good at pouting and nagging until I get what I want.  That's if my feminine wiles don't get it for me first!  You know what I mean!!  Admit it, you've all done it at least once in your life!  Maybe it was to avoid him from noticing the little dent in the fender or that new dress in the closet.  Want a puppy or a kitten? That's when we lay it on thick: charm, batting the eye lashes, the sing-songy speech and constant references to how cute they are, his favorite dish at dinner and he gets to control the remote!  And when all that subtly doesn't work: nag, nag, nag.

I have to admit I have always bought in to the vilification of Delilah.  However, when I read the story again, leaving all the preconceived notions of what she was out of it, I saw her as a real person with a difficult decision to make.  I have asked myself over and over again, if I were in her sandals, would I have made a better choice?  Can I condemn her with what little I know of her?

I think not.  So I have to look at her actions and endeavor to do better.  To lift up those I love, to be honest, and to be respectful of their efforts and decisions.  Once again, there is the message of looking to God to fulfill me, not to money or possessions or relationships.  The section in the book, "What Lessons Can We Learn from Delilah?" is a good wrap up of this chapter.

While Delilah is the 'bad girl' we are studying in this book, there is also much to say about Samson and much we can learn from him.  But, honestly that's worth a whole other study and too much to cover in one week!  Don't let that discourage you from looking at his weaknesses and strengths.  His behavior certainly contributes to why we label Delilah a 'Bad Girl of the Bible'.

What do you consider the most important lesson you learned from Delilah?  Maybe it's something I touched on or maybe something that I didn't mention.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!!  Click here to go to the blog to leave a comment.

Your Partner in Ministry,

Shelly
warrior

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