A Calculating Woman

This is the fifth of seven posts highlighting lessons we can learn

from a variety of different Bible characters.

[From Judges 16] You’re going about your business when there’s a knock at the door. You open it to find several men who declare themselves to be agents of your country’s government, along with a few of the most influential leaders. 

You’re in shock. You’re tongue-tied. Why are they here? 

To tell you that the country’s top enemy is in love with you. He is a proven threat to the nation, because he already has used his incredible strength to kill many of your countrymen. 

These leaders need your help. They ask you to discover just one little thing: the secret of the big man’s strength. You can save thousands of lives if you can find out that information. And don’t worry, nothing really bad is planned. If this enemy can be captured, they’ll just tie him up to keep him from doing further damage.

Wouldn’t you want to help your country in such a situation? Better yet, to sweeten the pot, these men at your door promise to reward you with incredible wealth. So if you give them what they want, you will be financially secure for the rest of your life. 

Just think of it: you can be a patriot…and a heroine…and be rich!

That’s the prelude to the story of Samson and Delilah. And with the incentive she has been given, Delilah starts to draw a net, using Samson’s love for her to reel him in. Knowing he is besotted with her, she requests – three times – that he identify the source of his strength. Three times, she begs him to reveal what it will take to successfully bind him up. It’s an age-old ploy: “if you really love me, you’ll do this for me.”

It’s cold. It’s calculated. It’s manipulative. And often it works. 

Yet three times, Samson provides false clues. His desire to protect his strength is greater than his desire for this woman. 

So Delilah gets desperate. She doubles down on her manipulation by questioning his love. She claims he’s making a fool of her. Shouldn’t he want to share his special secret with her; the woman who has captured his heart?

Samson finally relents and reveals his unusual secret: His hair never has been cut, but – if his head is shaved – his strength will evaporate.

His inability to keep this secret seals his fate.

Yet the leaders who urged Delilah to reel Samson in also reeled her in. Their plea for her help was based, at least in part, on lies. They didn’t tell Delilah their true intentions, perhaps thinking that she might not be so eager to help if she knew what horrors they had planned. Because, when Samson finally is captured, they subject him to torture and imprisonment. He is blinded and turned into a source of entertainment. Yet he ends his life in a burst of retribution and justice, as God restores his strength, Samson pulls down the pillars of the temple, and he dies along with the rulers and those who mock him.

Samson’s life ends in an ugly manner. The national leaders, and many citizens, die in an ugly manner. 

And Delilah? She disappears from the scene. She’s fulfilled her part of the bargain and never will worry about money again. But at what price? 

Yes, she helped to rescue her country from an enemy…but she manipulated Samson’s emotions and took advantage of his love. Was it worth it? 

Yes, she acted as a patriot…but her deceitful behavior led to the torture of another human being. Was it worth it? 

Yes, she earned fabulous wealth…but she allowed herself to be deceived by the nation’s leaders, who lied to her to accomplish their goals. Was it worth it? 

What would you or I do in such a situation? Would we make the same choice…or a different one

This biblical story is a challenging one to ponder, because much is left unsaid. We don’t know what Delilah was thinking or feeling. We don’t know what ultimately motivated her. Yet we see the consequences of her behavior, as the story ends with death, destruction, and despair for Samson and those around him.

And we’re left to wonder: what were the spiritual and emotional consequences for Delilah? What did these calculating and manipulative events do to her soul? 

What price did she really pay simply to gain fabulous wealth?