He fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. (Judges 16:4)Everyone knows the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was the strongest man on earth, a super hero of Israel. For what physical strength was in great supply, he lacked moral strength as well as judgment.
Yes, Samson had a weakness, and it wasn't his long hair. Samson's weakness was lust. If Samson were a 21st century case study, we'd suspect he didn't have a loving relationship with his mother. We would put the pieces together and determine his subconscious was searching for that intimacy, lacking in the mother-son relationship, in the beds of other women.
The Bible reports on his failed marriage at an early age, his dalliances with prostitutes, and his affair with Delilah without any overt judgment. Somehow, though, between the lines we read of a strong man plagued with weakness.
Here, again, the Bible shows how well its writers know us. For we are all mixes of strength and weakness, faithfulness and faithlessness... dare I say it? Saint and sinner.
He remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:14)
Not to brush off Samson, but I found the following story fascinating - again, I don't recall this one, perhaps it was overshadowed by Samson before... The story of Micah and his homemade religion with a hired priest (ooo! a Levite! Now we're upper class...) - and then the Danites coming and stealing all his religious stuff and convincing the hired priest to come with them instead! I seem to recall Dan had a reputation for falling away into idolatry, I wonder if this is part of where I got that impression. - Amy
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