I have a grandson who, in our southern lingo, is a “Hoss.” Just barely in his teens and already Drue is showing every sign that is going to be a tall and strong man. He is often given tasks that normally are reserved for adults, because of his strength. And nobody is surprised at what he can do. However, if one of his brothers or his cousins did some of the same man size things, there would be quite a stir in the family.
By now you are asking what this has to do with what Delilah said. Do not get impatient I’m getting to that. Now if Drue, who can reach 6 ft. when he tiptoes and whose scales have long forgotten 100 lbs., picks up the family suitcase and loads it in the trunk, its no big deal. But if Levi, who, if you stand a yard stick on its end would struggle to see over the top of it and some one has to tell the scales he is standing on them, was to pick up that same suitcase, the whole family would go bananas. Now that would be viral video for Facebook!
Now as for Delilah, and what she said. Think just for a moment about all the pictures and drawings you have seen since you were a Sunday School kid, of Sampson. Tall, head and shoulders above everyone else. Huge shoulders and bulging muscles. Usually wearing arm bands and dressed like a gladiator. (I started to say in a mini skirt, but I do not think that is what it was.) As for his legs, God could have borrowed them from a body builder.
With that in mind, Judges 6 and 15 starts the story like this, the lords of the Philistines tell Delilah, ‘ Entice Sampson to reveal the secret of his great strength and each of us will give you a lot of money’. Now at this point, Delilah should have hired an artist to paint a portrait of Sampson, took them to his gym, showed a program detailing Sampson’s daily workout routine, collected the money and went straight to the bank. But she did not. The story tells us that she pressed him daily. A lot of time, effort, planning, begging, and sweettalking went into the evil plan. She cooked a lot of meals and planned a lot of moonlit evenings, before she finally squeezed out of Sampson his well-kept secret.
Why was the entire country perplexed, and the answer worth so much money? Because Sampson did not look the way we imagine, he looked just like every other ordinary Jewish farm boy. Why is Delilah’s question so important to you and me? Because it allows us to understand that the superheroes in God’s kingdom are everyday ordinary people like you and me. It also gives us the courage, like another super from the past, to say, ‘Here I am Lord’ and cause the entire world to wonder?
Pastor Alton Thornhill