adapted from She, delighting in the women of the Bible, volume 4, pp. 11-12
Today’s Scripture: Judges 16; 1 Corinthians 10:6; 1 Timothy 6:10
The Judas of the Old Testament
She sold out Samson for at least 1,100 pieces of silver; yet another picture that money is the root of all evil.1
After this Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate him. Each one of us will vgive you 1,100 silver pieces.” Judges 16:4-5
Can I just say right up front that Delilah, the Judas of the Old Testament, as some have dubbed her, is not a positive role model from Scripture? Instead, she serves as an example of “what not to do” or “how not to live”. Seriously, friends, she lacks any hint of good character, and, quoting from today’s journal entry in the study guide: “Her lack of character is enshrined within the pages of Scripture for each generation to learn from her wickedness.” Let it be heard, loud and clear, there is nothing from her life that we should copy; however, we can clearly learn some ‘lessons of what not to do’.
The Philistines were always trying to understand Samson’s strength and find a way to defeat him. They were always thwarted—Samson was just too strong—until they teamed with Delilah. This woman was eventually Samson’s downfall.
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Let’s look at the bullet points of her story:
- Delilah had an affair with Samson, one of the judges of Israel (Judges 16)
- She betrayed Samson to the Philistines for no other reason than money (Judges 16:19)
- She accepted a bribe from the Philistine leaders to get Samson to reveal the secret of his great strength (Judges 16:18-19)
- Delilah was relentless in her attempt to find out his secret and finally won out through her “nagging” (16:16-17)
- Delilah’s love of money was greater than anything she may have felt for Samson (Judges 16:5-6)
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10
Make no mistake: today’s journey through the story of Delilah is meant to be about the example she left behind, not about whether money is good or evil. However, we would be terribly remiss not to mention the role money plays in her story. to note that she had a love for money, and that her love and/or craving for money led to her ‘evil’ actions of selling Samson out to those who sought to destroy him. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he warned him that the love of money could lead to all kinds of evil. So, while money itself is not evil, in light of Delilah’s example concerning money, I am reminded of the wisdom in Paul’s teaching. May God help us keep it in our minds so that we do not fall captive to the craving for it ourselves and wander from the faith, inflicting many sorrows upon ourselves or others.
The Danger of “Delilahs”
David Guzik, a wonderful commentator, uses Delilah to symbolize ‘ anything that lures a believer away from God’s truth and power. He urges his readers to guard their hearts and not let their guard down in dangerous, fleshy environments.2 We would be wise to heed his wisdom and warn others to do the same.
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
1 Corinthians 10:6
Reflection and Application
What can we learn from Delilah?
How is her deception an example to you?
What can we learn from Samson?
The More We Know
- She, delighting in the women of the Bible, volume 4, pp. 11 ↩︎
- https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/judges/judges-16.cfm ↩︎
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