Samson And Delilah Judges 16:4-21
MEMORY VERSE
JUDGES 16:17
“No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a
Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb.”
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
A yo-yo.
A timer, two small containers, one of which is filled with small toys
or other small objects.
Several pipe cleaners, large wooden beads, masking tape and
markers.
ATTENTION GRABBER!
Yo-Yo Demo
You will need a yo-yo. Demonstrate faithfulness using a yo-yo.
During your “yo-yo-ing” ask questions like, “When I throw the yo-
yo down, what do I always want it to do?” (come back up); “What
happens to my ‘yo-yo-ing’ when the yo-yo doesn’t come back up?”
(I have to stop and start over); “How is this yo-yo coming back like
being faithful to God?” (Does the right thing, does what you want it
to.); “What are some ways that you can be faithful to God this
week?” Remain faithful to God!
LESSON TIME!
It is sad to be remembered for what one might have been: to go
through life and never live up to one’s potential. Samson was a man called by God to be His instrument in delivering the children of Israel from the Philistine rule, yet he would never experience all God had intended for his life.
Samson was set apart for special service to God from birth. He had
been called by God to be a Nazirite. A Nazirite vow—a vow of
special separation and consecration to God—was usually
temporary, but in Samson’s case, it was for life (Judges 13:5). As a
sign of his vow, no razor was ever to touch his head. His hair would
keep growing all of his life.
Samson was given supernatural strength and performed great
exploits for the Lord fighting against the rule of the Philistines.
However, he did not take his calling and enabling seriously. He
began to depend more and more on his own strength rather than
on God’s.
The Bible chronicles Samson’s great feats and prefaces them with
“the Spirit of the Lord came upon him” (14:6,19; 15:14). However,
Samson, full of pride and spiritually weak, was about to make a
foolish mistake.
J U D G ES 16:4,5
The passion Samson once had for the Lord was now superseded by
the passion he had for a Philistine woman—a woman of the world.
No longer in fellowship with God and in pursuit of His will, Samson
was in a dangerous position.
J U D G ES 16:6-12
Samson, foolish and weak, had put himself in a place where his
enemy could tempt him. How foolish to have put himself in such a
place by choosing to spend time with a Philistine woman, knowing
the Philistines were enemies of God’s people. As a man called by
God was the leader of the nation of Israel, and Samson was aware of
his great responsibility. Yet, we find Samson playing games with
sin.
Consider Delilah. Her game was to try to find out Samson’s
strength. Her purpose was to do him harm, not good. Could there
be anything more wicked than to betray someone who loves you by
discovering a secret that would bring harm to him? For eleven
hundred pieces of silver, she was willing to betray him to those by
whom he was mortally hated. It’s obvious she had no love in her
heart for Samson—the man she had captivated.
When we are enticed and drawn to the things of this world, we
open the door, for our enemy, Satan to trap us. Satan tries to
deceive us into thinking that he has our best interest in mind—that
what he offers is fun or good for us. In the end, the path Satan
allures us to follow will lead to destruction. Delilah showed
Samson pleasure that would last for a moment but would destroy
his life in the end. Giving into the temptation to sin may seem
good at first but will always lead to misery and destruction.
Remain faithful to God!
J U D G ES 16:13,14
Samson continues in his game with Delilah, not even thinking
about his spiritual condition. Sin had overcome Samson’s heart to
the point that he slept in Delilah’s presence without concern.
Though Samson was a man called by God, he was not a godly man.
He had given in to the temptation of sin. Though he could crush
an army of a thousand, a deceiving young woman would be his
ruin.
Sin is deceiving and blinding—Samson could not think clearly.
Why did Samson stay with Delilah? Perhaps it was because he
thought he was in love with her and that she was in love with him.
Perhaps he thought “love” would overcome any possible deceit.
That also turned out to be a lie. Perhaps Samson’s foolishness and
pride led him to believe he was so strong that Delilah could never
hurt him. Unfortunately, Samson was relying on his own strength
and his own wisdom.
Pass It Down
This is more of a demonstration than a game. Have a time trial to
see how fast your class can “pass it down.” Have them all stand in a
row, shoulder to shoulder. Place a container at each end of the
row, one should be full of small toys or other objects (perhaps,
blocks), the other empty.
When you say “go,” the child on the end with the container filled
with toys or other items should pick up one item at a time and pass
it down to the next person and so on until all the items make it
through the line and into the empty container on the other side.
Time how long it takes for the children to do this. Allow them to
do it a few times. They will probably get faster each time.
Afterward, ask what happens when someone is not watching or
paying attention. This is really a fun game, but how can these
things be like not being faithful to God? God has a path of
obedience for each of us to follow, and it can affect other people
when we do not do our part. We must pay attention to God’s
plan for our life and not make a mistake like Samson.
J U D G ES 16:15-17
Samson was deceived in a big way. Each time she tested Samson,
she only hoped to discover how she might overcome him. Weary
of Samson’s games, she forced him through her persistence to give
her the truth.
Delilah would not give up and kept nagging Samson daily to find
out the secret of his strength until Samson finally gave in (v. 16).
Sometimes our enemy, Satan will keep coming at us with the same
temptation. The Bible says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,...”(1 Peter 5:8,9).
And in James 4:7 we read, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you”
Sadly, Delilah’s persistence paid off; Samson gave in to her request
and revealed all that was in his heart. We should never allow
anyone, no matter how attractive or persuasive, to talk us into
doing wrong. Remain faithful to God!
Unfortunately for Samson, he thought his hair was his strength.
The angel that foretold his birth said nothing of his great strength,
but only that he should be a Nazirite, which would mean that no
razor should come upon his head (Judges 13:5). His consecration
(being set apart) to God was his strength, and it was in his
obedience to the Lord that the Holy Spirit would work in him
mightily.
J U D G ES 16:18,19
Delilah knew that Samson told her all that was in his heart. She
was a deceitful woman with honey on her lips and poison in her
heart. Cold and calculating, she had toyed with Samson,
pretending to love him while hoping to receive money at his
expense. Now she could deliver Samson up to the lords of the
Philistines. Her wicked scheme accomplished, she began to
torment him. Like Delilah, Satan is a liar and will tell us anything
so that he can ultimately torment us with the results of sin. Do not
listen to him!
Again, how could Samson be so foolish? You would think that he
would have walked away from Delilah’s deception. If he did not
realize what was happening after the first and second experience,
surely he should have understood the situation by the fourth time.
May we learn not to make foolish mistakes ourselves—not to be
deceived by false promises or the allurement of the world’s
temporary pleasures. God desires that we remain in close
fellowship with Him and pursue His wisdom and direction. His
Holy Spirit will reveal the difference between deception and truth.
God is able to keep us from falling. May we walk in obedience to
God’s will, knowing that He wants the best for us. Remain
faithful to God!
J U D G ES 16:20,21
How sad! Samson’s relationship with God had deteriorated so
much that he did not even realize His presence had left him.
Samson, the mighty warrior, became a slave. Rather than kill him,
the Philistines preferred to humiliate him by poking out his eyes
and making him grind grain, a woman’s job. He now had plenty of
time to wonder if the charms of Delilah were worth spending the
rest of his life in humiliation.
Blinded and weak, Samson would spend the rest of his short life in
Gaza, the place where he had once demonstrated his great strength
(16:1-3).
Although God did not completely abandon Samson (16:28-30), He
allowed Samson’s decision to stand, and the consequences of his
decision followed naturally. Samson had taken his abilities as well
as God’s presence for granted. God offered him all he would ever
need, yet he chose instead to put himself into Delilah’s deceitful
hands. As a result, he would not escape the consequences of his
decision. Each of us chooses to go God’s way or our own way. If we
choose to go our own way in disobedience to God, we must realize
we will face the consequences of our choice. Sin leads to bondage,
misery, and destruction. As Samson experienced, sin binds, blinds,
and then grinds (destroys) our life.
Samson’s life could have been different if he had only remained
faithful to God. Remain faithful to God! Daily, we make choices
to live our lives for our own selves or for God. A life lived for self
will only lead to disappointment, misery, and destruction. With
His strength and help, may we resist the temptation and trickery of
the enemy. May we fulfill God’s call on our life—living up to our
potential and experiencing His blessings. We will find He is all we
need.
Watch It Baby!
Give your class pipe cleaners and big beads.
Let each child make a person of his own out of the pipe cleaners
and beads. They will look like little stick people, use the beads for
the head, allowing the children to draw on eyes, nose, etc. Give
each child a small piece of masking tape for a blindfolded for his
person.
Have them walk their people around the edge of the table,
instructing them where to walk and what to watch out for so they
don’t fall off. What happens if the pipe cleaner person does not
listen to his creator? Is listening and obeying considered
faithfulness? What will happen if we do not listen to our Creator?
PRAYER
Lead the children in a prayer of commitment to be faithful to the
Lord in all things. Pray that the Lord will help us all to take
seriously His call upon our lives and the gifts that He has given us.
If there are any children who have not yet responded to the Gospel,
give them an opportunity.
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