#Samson escapes Gaza

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Samson and Delilah

Samson Escapes Gaza

1 And Sampson went to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in to her. 2 And it was reported to the Gazites, saying, Sampson is come hither: and they compassed him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and they were quiet all the night, saying, Let us wait till the dawn appear, and we will slay him. 3 And Sampson slept till midnight, and rose up at midnight, and took hold of the doors of the gate of the city with the two posts, and lifted them up with the bar, and laid them on his shoulders, and he went up to the top of the mountain that is before Chebron, and laid them there.

Samson and Delilah

4 And it came to pass after this that he loved a woman in Alsorech, and her name was Dalida. 5 And the princess of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Beguile him, and see wherein his great strength is, and wherewith we shall prevail against him, and bind him to humble him; and we will give thee each eleven hundred pieces of silver. 6 And Dalida said to Sampson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein is thy great strength, and wherewith thou shalt be bound that thou mayest be humbled. 7 And Sampson said to her, If they bind me with seven moist cords that have not been spoiled, then shall I be weak and be as one of ordinary men. 8 And the princess of the Philistines brought to her seven moist cords that had not been spoiled, and she bound him with them. 9 And the liers in wait remained with her in the chamber; and she said to him, the Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he broke the cords as if any one should break a thread of tow when it has touched the fire, and his strength was not known.

10 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast cheated me, and told me lies; now then tell me wherewith thou shalt be bound. 11 And he said to her, If they should bind me fast with new ropes with which work has not been done, then shall I be weak, and shall be as another man. 12 And Dalida took new ropes, and bound him with them, and the liers in wait came out of the chamber, and she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he broke them off his arms like a thread.

13 And Dalida said to Sampson, Behold, thou hast deceived me, and told me lies; tell me, I intreat thee, wherewith thou mayest be bound: and he said to her, If thou shouldest weave the seven locks of my head with the web, and shouldest fasten them with the pin into the wall, then shall I be weak as another man. 14 And it came to pass when he was asleep, that Dalida took the seven locks of his head, and wove them with the web, and fastened them with the pin into the wall, and she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he awoke out of his sleep, and carried away the pin of the web out of the wall.

Delilah Learns the Secret

15 And Dalida said to Sampson, How sayest thou, I love thee, when thy heart is not with me? this third time thou hast deceived me, and hast not told me wherein is thy great strength. 16 And it came to pass as she pressed him sore with her words continually, and straitened him, that his spirit failed almost to death. 17 Then he told her all his heart, and said to her, A razor has not come upon my head, because I have been a holy one of God from my mother's womb; if then I should be shaven, my strength will depart from me, and I shall be weak, and I shall be as all other men.

18 And Dalida saw that he told her all his heart, and she sent and called the princess of the Philistines, saying, Come up yet this once; for he has told me all his heart. And the chiefs of the Philistines went up to her, and brought the money in their hands. 19 And Dalida made Sampson sleep upon her knees; and she called a man, and he shaved the seven locks of his head, and she began to humble him, and his strength departed from him. 20 And Dalida said, The Philistines are upon thee, Sampson: and he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at former times, and shake myself; and he knew not that the Lord was departed from him. 21 And the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he ground in the prison-house. 22 And the hair of his head began to grow as before it was shaven.

Samson’s Vengeance and Death

23 And the chiefs of the Philistines met to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon, and to make merry; and they said, God has given into our hand our enemy Sampson.

24 And the people saw him, and sang praises to their god; for our god, said they, has delivered into our hand our enemy, who wasted our land, and who multiplied our slain.

25 And when their heart was merry, then they said, Call Sampson out of the prison-house, and let him play before us: and they called Sampson out of the prison-house, and he played before them; and they smote him with the palms of their hands, and set him between the pillars. 26 And Sampson said to the young man that held his hand, Suffer me to feel the pillars on which the house rests, and I will stay myself upon them. 27 And the house was full of men and woman, and there were all the chiefs of the Philistines, and on the roof were about three thousand men and woman looking at the sports of Sampson.

28 And Sampson wept before the Lord, and said, O Lord, my lord, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, O God, yet this once, and I will requite one recompense to the Philistines for my two eyes. 29 And Sampson took hold of the two pillars of the house on which the house stood, and leaned on them, and laid hold of one with his right hand, and the other with his left. 30 And Sampson said, Let my wife perish with the Philistines: and he bowed himself mightily; and the house fell upon the princes, and upon all the people that were in it: and the dead whom Sampson slew in his death were more than those whom he slew in his life. 31 And his brethren and his father's house went down, and they took him; and they went up and buried him between Saraa and Esthaol in the sepulchre of his father Manoe; and he judged Israel twenty years. — Judges 16 | Brenton's Septuagint Translation (BST) Brenton’s Septuagint Translation of the Holy Bible, 1884. Cross References: Numbers 6:2; Numbers 6:5; Numbers 14:42-43; Numbers 16:14; Joshua 7:12; Joshua 13:3; Judges 14:16; Judges 15:18; Judges 15:47; Judges 17:1; Judges 19:6; 1 Samuel 5:2; 1 Samuel 19:11; 1 Samuel 31:9; 1 Chronicles 10:9; Esther 1:10; Lamentations 5:13

[samaraark]

Dating Delilah Part 2 Final

Following my recent Bible study titled Dating Delilah, a series preached by my pastor, I want to highlight a few more key points from Samson's story. In Judges 16:28, we see Samson making his final, heartfelt plea to God: “Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, ‘O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.’” It’s really moving to think about this—Samson had only made two big prayers in his life. The first was for water after a tough battle (Judges 15:18), and the second was this desperate request for strength. Even though Samson had a divine calling and had seen God answer his prayers before, he chose to ask for strength to get revenge instead of seeking wisdom or self-control.

Samson’s story is incredibly sad. Despite knowing from birth that he had a special purpose, he made a series of poor choices. He got drunk, had relationships with prostitutes, and was ultimately betrayed by Delilah. Her name means "temptation," and she played a big role in his downfall by leading him astray. Samson’s eyes, which had once been a source of his troubles, symbolized his ruin. He saw a Philistine woman in Timna, married her despite his parents' objections, and she and her family were later killed by the Philistines. He then fell for Delilah, a prostitute he met in Gaza, which added to his disgrace. His eyes were gouged out, and he was imprisoned and forced to grind grain.

Samson led Israel for 20 years, but his life serves as a cautionary tale. It’s a powerful reminder of the importance of seeking God’s guidance and resisting temptation and pride. Even though Samson is listed in Hebrews 11:32-34 as someone of faith—“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight”—his story is still a tough one to swallow. The Bible offers many examples of faithful living, such as Joseph's integrity, David's repentance, and Daniel's steadfastness. Samson’s life, on the other hand, is unfortunately an example of what not to do.

Proverbs 16:18 sums it up perfectly: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Samson’s story teaches us about the need to stay humble and seek God’s help, making it an important lesson for all of us. Samara S.C

[hamswalkerpresentationgroup6]

May Mayor: Work Log

I was assigned the role of explaining and describing what is happening in the scene painted by Solomon. I spent a lot of time familiarising myself with the bible story behind the painting in order to get a better understanding of the scene, in which I’ve learned that Samson was a Nazirite, someone chosen by the lord that abstains from cutting their hair and drinking alcohol. He was born of a woman that was infertile until one of the Lord’s angels blessed her with a child, being Samson.  

His strength enabled him to tear apart a lion barehanded, tear Gaza’s city gate out and carry it up a hill, kill a thousand men with the jaw of a donkey, escape multiple attempts of being captured and eventually, despite his blindness, bring down the temple he was inside killing him and many more Philistines than when he had lived.  

There is contest on whether or not Delilah was a Philistine, however once Samson falls in love with her she is approached by Philistine officials who offer to pay her 1100 silver shekels each if she aids in his capture – which she agrees to. After multiple failed attempts at Samson’s capture, due to him initially lying to Delilah about what subdues his strength, he eventually gives in after her constant nagging. It is that night she cuts his hair off and the captors finally restrain him, which is what the painting is depicting.  

Reading into this story was interesting - death and war in the name of religion has always been a frightening concept to me due to not personally believing in any religion or the idols, deities and gods that come with that territory. The thought of millions of people in ancient and modern history losing their lives over a concept created thousands of years prior is hard to comprehend, despite it being the basis for many conflicts we still see today.  

During my research into the story behind Samson and Delilah, I’ve really enjoyed learning about the conflict between the Israelites and the Philistines to further understand the context and scene depicted in Solomon’s artwork. Whether or not you believe in the stories from the bible or the characters within, the conflicts between the Israelites and the Philistines did occur.  

The Philistines had occupied modern day Palestine (then known as Canaan) since migrating from the Aegean Sea in the 11th century BCE which was an area we know now as modern day Greece. They are often described as being one of, if not the most advanced civilisations at the time before clashes with the Israelites, Neo-Assyrians and Babylonians. It is generally accepted that the Babylonian conquest in the 7th century BCE was the final blow the Philistines and their culture faced before fading into obscurity.  

It has been interesting, and quite relevant in today's politics, to only read materials on these civilizations that are unbiased towards Judaism and ancient religion, and instead focus on the societies alone that have been studied, excavated and recorded not under the field of religious text but archaeology-based history. Whilst the history of these feuding civilisations and my tangent is not exactly relevant to this 19th century biblical painting, I likely would not have jumped into this rabbit hole had we not studied it, hence writing about it for the blog. 

[partywithponies]

Then came another distant detonation, and the door he was trying to open shook under the bullet buried in it. Flambeau’s shoulders again filled out and altered suddenly. Three hinges and a lock burst at the same instant, and he went out into the empty path behind, carrying the great garden door with him, as Samson carried the gates of Gaza.

Then he flung the garden door over the garden wall, just as a third shot picked up a spurt of snow and dust behind his heel. Without ceremony he snatched up the little priest, slung him astraddle on his shoulders, and went racing towards Seawood as fast as his long legs could carry him. It was not until nearly two miles farther on that he set his small companion down. It had hardly been a dignified escape, in spite of the classic model of Anchises, but Father Brown’s face only wore a broad grin.

Can you believe Hercule Flambeau is literally the most iconic character in the entire history of literature? 

[jeffersonvann]

mysterious ways

mysterious ways Judges 16:20-31 (JDV) Judges 16:20 Then she cried, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When he woke up from his sleep, he said, “I will escape like I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that Yahveh had left him. Judges 16:21 The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles, and he was forced to…

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Samson and Delilah

1 One time Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and went to her. 2 The people of Gaza were told, “Samson has come here.” So they surrounded the town and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate, but they relaxed during the night, saying, “Let’s wait for the light of morning. Then we will kill him.”

3 But Samson slept only until midnight. He got up in the middle of the night, grabbed the doors of the city gate along with the two gateposts, pulled them up crossbar and all, set them on his shoulders, and took them up to the top of the hill opposite Hebron.

4 Sometime after that, Samson fell in love with a woman from the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 The serens of the Philistines approached her and said, “Persuade him to reveal where his great strength comes from and how we may overpower him, tie him up, and humiliate him. Each of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”

6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what the source of your great strength is, and how you can be tied up in order to humiliate you.”

7 Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I will become weak and be like any other man.”

8 So the serens of the Philistines brought her seven new bowstrings that had not yet been dried, and she tied him up with them. 9 She had men hiding in the room waiting to ambush Samson, and she said to him, “Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a flax thread that was scorched when brought near fire. So the source of his strength was not revealed.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Look! You made a fool of me and told me lies. Now please tell me how you can be tied up.”

11 Samson answered her, “Actually, if anyone ties me up with new ropes that have never been used for work, I will become weak and be like any other man.”

12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. Then she said to him, “Philistines are upon you, Samson!” There were men hiding in the room waiting to ambush Samson, but he tore the ropes off his arms as if they were thread.

13 Delilah said to Samson, “So far you have made a fool of me and told me lies. Tell me how you may be tied up!”

So he said to her, “If you weave the seven locks of my hair into the fabric of a loom ⎣and fasten them with a pin, I will be as weak as any other man.”

After she had waited for him to fall asleep, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them in the fabric of a loom. 14 She fastened them with the pin and said to him, “Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But Samson woke up from his sleep and pulled out the pin from the loom along with the fabric.

15 She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? This makes three times you have made a fool of me, and you have not told me where your great strength comes from.” 16 This was how she tormented him with her words day after day and nagged him until he was sick to death of it.

17 Finally he told her everything in his heart. He said to her, “A razor has never touched my head, because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from the womb of my mother. If I am ever shaved, my strength will desert me, and I will become weak and be like any other man.”

18 When Delilah saw that he told her everything in his heart, she sent for the serens of the Philistines, saying, “Come back one more time, for he has poured out his heart to me.”

The serens of the Philistines came up to her and brought the silver in their hands. 19 Delilah let Samson fall asleep on her lap. Then she called for a man and shaved off the seven locks of his head. She began his humiliation, because his strength had left him. 20 She said, “Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as I have time after time, and I will shake myself free.” But he did not realize that the Lord had left him.

21 The Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, and restrained him with bronze shackles. He had to grind grain in the prison.

22 But the hair on his head began to grow after it had been shaved.

Samson’s Death

23 Meanwhile, the serens of the Philistines gathered to make a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate. They said, “Our god has given our enemy Samson into our hands.”

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god: “Our god has given our enemy into our hands, the devastator of our land, who has caused the death of many of us.”

25 When they were feeling good, they said, “Send for Samson, so that he can provide amusement for us.” They summoned Samson from the prison, and he served as their entertainment.

They made Samson stand between the pillars. 26 He said to the young man who led him by his hand, “Put me where I can touch the pillars that support the building, so I can lean upon them.” 27 The building was full of men and women, as well as all the serens of the Philistines. On the roof were about three thousand more men and women watching Samson as he was amusing them.

28 Samson called out to the Lord. He said, “Lord God, remember me, I pray. Give me strength, I pray, this one more time, O God. Let me get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes in one act of vengeance.” 29 Samson then grasped the two central pillars supporting the building. He leaned against them, one with his right hand and one with his left. 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He pushed with all his strength, and the building fell upon the serens and upon all the people who were inside.

The Philistines he put to death when he died were more numerous than those he had put to death during his lifetime.

31 Then his brothers and his father’s entire household went down, carried him back, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had served as judge of Israel for twenty years. — Judges 16 | Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. Cross References: Numbers 6:2; Numbers 6:5; Numbers 14:42-43; Numbers 16:14; Joshua 7:12; Joshua 13:3; Judges 14:16; Judges 15:18; Judges 15:47; Judges 17:1; Judges 19:6; 1 Samuel 5:2; 1 Samuel 19:11; 1 Samuel 31:9; 1 Chronicles 10:9; Esther 1:10; Lamentations 5:13

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there an harlot, and went in unto her.

2 And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

3 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron.

4 And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said unto her, Entice him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may prevail against him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and we will give thee every one of us eleven hundred pieces of silver.

6 And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee.

7 And Samson said unto her, If they bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

8 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green withs which had not been dried, and she bound him with them.

9 Now there were men lying in wait, abiding with her in the chamber. And she said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his strength was not known.

10 And Delilah said unto Samson, Behold, thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith thou mightest be bound.

11 And he said unto her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that never were occupied, then shall I be weak, and be as another man.

12 Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And there were liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread.

13 And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.

14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.

16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;

17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.

18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.

19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.

21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.

23 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars.

26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.

27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.

28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.

30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.

31 Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years. — Judges 16 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain. Cross References: Numbers 6:2; Numbers 6:5; Numbers 14:42-43; Numbers 16:14; Joshua 7:12; Joshua 13:3; Joshua 15:33; Joshua 15:47; Judges 15:18; Judges 17:1; Judges 19:6; 1 Samuel 5:2; 1 Samuel 31:9; 1 Chronicles 10:9; Esther 1:10; Psalm 97:7; Jeremiah 15:15; Lamentations 5:13; Luke 21:20