Fool Me Once, Shame on You — Fool Me Twice, Call Me Delilah

Samson has a new girlfriend.

And now we can understand why those Sunday School lessons were so adamant about students learning to stay away from sneaky girls.

Only, really? I’m not so sure that Delilah was sneaky. She seemed pretty forthright about her intentions. Oh, sure, she didn’t tell Samson that the Philistines had offered her a bulging purse and were hiding in the room every time she tied him up. But she left no question that she sought the secret of his strength only to ensure his capture.

She told him so.

So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” (Judges 16:6)

What about her motive remained hidden?

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Samson loved a good game. Remember the riddle?

It must have seemed kismet when his new girlfriend liked to play too.

So when Delilah set up the game table and dared Samson to tell her the secret of his strength, he was all in.

He didn’t hesitate to tell her that she could tie him with seven fresh, undried strips of leather and he’d be as weak as the guy next door. And she didn’t hesitate to tie him up with those fresh thongs.

With Samson bound, she shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” Shekel signs going off in the cash register of her mind, she stood by awaiting his certain capture and her big payday.

Of course, Delilah didn’t know this joker well enough yet to expect him to pop right out of the leather ties. But he did just that, and humiliated her.

Delilah chided him for making a fool of her, and again begged for the secret. Ok, Samson said. Try some new ropes, never used. Then I’ll be all yours.

His girl got the ropes, tied him up and announced the arrival of the Philistines.

You know the story: He broke free.

Samson got a buzz off his game.

Delilah got hot.

Twice he sucked her in.

Twice he made a fool of her.

Twice he jumped between her and eleven hundred shekels times a bunch of Philistine men.

::

Delilah had her issues. Each time Samson gave her a bogus means to drain his strength, she fell for it. Somehow, even though she’d told him she wanted to know how to subdue him, she believed he would tell her the truth.

But Samson, I think, didn’t know about the Law of Diminishing Returns. He knew Delilah’s intent and rather than give her the secret, toyed with her. He made a fool of her over and over again. The problem was that he was a gamer. And in order to keep getting his rush from the game, he had to raise the stakes.

First it was flimsy leather ties. Then the new ropes. But it became dull. He needed to take a bigger risk to get his buzz. He edged closer to his hair, telling Delilah that she could weave his seven braids into the fabric on the loom, then tighten it with the pin, and he’d be as good as dead. (Where did he come up with this stuff?)

Here we go again. He knew what Delilah would do. Yet he nodded off to sleep in the presence of one bent on his betrayal. He no sooner snored than the woman wove his hair into the loom and screamed of Philistines afoot.

Samson jumped up, pulled the pin, and remained as strong as ever.

Delilah nearly drove the pin through his heart.

Swallowing her rage, she turned on the charm, and like his bride, the tears. We read on in the text and find the unexpected origin of “If you love me, you’ll let me.”

Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.” With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death.

So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” (Judges 16:15-17)

Bored with the game, and tired of her cajoling, he spilled it. So confident was he that he would win this game, he dared her to shave his head.

Delilah put him to sleep, then gave him a buzz cut.

Samson! The Philistines are upon you!

He bolted up, and for the first time in his life, felt what it was to be weak.

He had no idea.

He risked it all, and the ultimate gamer lost.

The Philistines bound him, blinded him and set him to grinding in the prison.

It was over.

::

Samson stood at the edge of the water and let the waves lap at his toes. It was risky there at the edge. But he had it under control. The waves were small. His feet would dry.

Soon, splashing toes wasn’t enough. He rolled up his pant legs and waded in.

That too grew dull. Why stand ankle deep when the waves beckoned far from shore?

I’m a good swimmer. I can go further in. I have it under control.

As long as I can still see the shore . . .

And then the waves crash hard, the seaweed tangles, and lungs fill with water.

::

Sin is like that.

Last time, Samson sensed the danger. He chose not to lie still in it.

This time? Oh, he didn’t lie still. But neither did he run away.

He played with it.

And he lost.

And I wonder what I’m thinking those times I dip my toes in the water.

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Related: More posts in the Samson series