THE DOWNFALL OF SAMSON

After several years, things seemed tosettle down, so Samson went to the Valley of Sorek near Gath. There he fell
in love with a woman named Delilah. We don’t know if she was Hebrew orPhilistine, but she had her price.

The Philistines offered her great rewards if she discovered the secret to Samson’s strength and informed them. Samson refused to tell her at first, but Delilah “tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it”
(Judges 16:16 NLT).

Samson finally revealed that his strength was due to his long hair. So while he slept, Delilah cut it off. Samson’s
strength immediately departed, and the Philistines captured and blinded him. They threw him in prison, forcing him to
grind grain.

One day, however, they had a great feast and brought Samson out to mock him. But his hair had grown back, and in one final, mighty act, he pushed apart the two main pillars supporting the temple roof. The entire temple collapsed—killing
thousands of leading Philistines.

Despite his incredible strength, Samson had a weakness for women, and it brought about his downfall.

Know your weaknesses and avoid temptation.

Ed Strauss, 365 Great Moments in Bible History: Key Events That Affected Humanity’s Future
(Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Books, 2014).