Resources - Samson and Delilah

Samson and Delilah - Judges 16

Your group's involvement is to shout as loud as they can at the indicated places:

"No Samson - don't tell her!"

You can also stop at the point that Samson is captured, if it is too long for one session.

 

There once lived a man called Samson. God loved Samson. God had made Samson very very strong.

God had chosen Samson to help God's people called the Israelites. The Israelites were fighting their enemies called the Philistines.

One day Samson met a lady called Delilah. Samson fell in love with Delilah.

The rulers of the Philistines said to Delilah, "If you can find out the secret of Samson's strength, we will make you very rich indeed!"

So Delilah agreed to try to find out the secret behind Samson's strength. "Oh Samson, my dear Samson. Please tell me the secret of your strength."

"No Samson - don't tell her!"

Samson was not stupid. So Samson decided to play a little trick on Delilah.

So Samson lied to Delilah and said, "If you tie me up with seven fresh bowstrings, I will become as weak as a kitten."

So Delilah hid some of the Philistines in the room next door. When Samson was asleep Delilah tied Samson up with seven fresh bowstrings. And then Delilah cried out, "Samson, oh Samson, the Philistines are coming!"

The Philistines crashed through the door and tried to capture Samson. But Samson simply broke the bow strings that he was tied up with, and Samson chased the Philistines away!

Delilah said to Samson, "You lied to me. You made me look stupid. Tell me, tell me please the secret of your strength."

"No Samson - don't tell her!"

Samson like this new game, so Samson told Delilah another lie. Samson said, "If you tie me up with new ropes that have never been used, I will become as weak as a kitten."

So Delilah hid some of the Philistines in the room next door. When Samson was asleep Delilah tied Samson up with new rope that had never been used. And then Delilah cried out, "Samson, oh Samson, the Philistines are coming!"

The Philistines crashed through the door and tried to capture Samson. But Samson simply broke the rope that he was tied up with, and Samson chased the Philistines away!

Delilah said to Samson, "You lied to me again. You made me look really stupid. Tell me, tell me please the secret of your strength."

"No Samson - don't tell her!"

"OK." said Samson. But Samson lied to Delilah again. "If you weave my hair into a cloth on your loom, then I will become as weak as a kitten."

So Delilah hid some of the Philistines in the room next door. When Samson was asleep Delilah weaved Samson's hair into a cloth. And then Delilah cried out, "Samson, oh Samson, the Philistines are coming!"

The Philistines crashed through the door and tried to capture Samson. But Samson jumped up, taking the loom with him, and Samson chased the Philistines away!

Delilah cried and whined "Samson, you don't really love me. That was the third time you have made me look a complete fool. Please, pretty please, tell me the secret of your strength." And Delilah went on, and on, and on, and on. Day after day she asked Samson how he was so strong.

Finally Samson got fed up with Delilah nagging. Perhaps Samson forgot that it was God who made him strong. So finally Samson told Delilah the truth.

"No Samson - don't tell her!"

Samson said to Delilah, "I promised God that I would never cut my hair. If you cut my hair I will become as weak as a kitten."

So Delilah hid some of the Philistines in the room next door. When Samson was asleep Delilah cut off all of Samson's hair . And then Delilah cried out, "Samson, oh Samson, the Philistines are coming!"

The Philistines crashed through the door. Samson woke up and shouted, "I will chase you away just like I did all the other times."  But Samson could do nothing. He WAS as weak as a kitten. The Philistines captured Samson, chained him up and put him in prison, and made him work very hard. The Philistines made Samson blind, and treated Samson very badly.

But ….... Samson's hair started to grow again!

Some time later, the Philistines decided to have a party. The party was to celebrate the fact that they had captured Samson, and to thank their god called Dagon, for helping them capture Samson. But the Philistines did not realise that the one true God stilled loved Samson. God still wanted Samson to protect the Israelites from the Philistines.

And this is what happened.... Three thousand Philistines were all in the temple of Dagon for the party. The place was packed! The rulers of the Philistines dragged Samson into the middle of the party, and all the Philistines laughed at Samson.

The Philistines said, "Our god called Dagon is better than your God!"  And then they dragged Samson to the side of the temple next to the pillars that held up the temple.

Samson said to the guard, "You know that I am blind. Please can you put me in between the pillars so I can lean against them."

Samson was put between the two main pillars that held up the temple.

Samson prayed to God, "Please God. I now realise that my strength was a gift from you. Please give me back my strength just one more time."

And Samson took hold of the two pillars and pushed, and pushed and pushed. The pillars cracked, crumbled and then collapsed, and the whole temple came crashing down. The temple crashed down on the Philistines. The temple crashed down on Samson. All the Philistines died, and Samson died as well.

At last, Samson did what God had wanted him to do. Samson protected the Israelites from the Philistines.