This post is Day 19 in a series of studies about “Samson”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today. (The form is at the bottom of the page).

Samson – Day 19

It seems as though Samson had a weakness for women. We have already read about two wives, and this un-named woman would be referred to as a woman with a bad reputation. It seemed that if the Philistine people were patient they might profit from the personal pleasures of Samson.

Judges 16:1-2

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we will kill him.”

The Thought

These verses do not tell us why Samson went to Gaza which was a Philistine city. Maybe he was looking for trouble? Whatever the reason, he was being followed. People were afraid of this giant with superhuman strength, who seemed to be a law to himself. The people of Gaza wanted him dead and this visit to Gaza looked like it might be giving them an opportunity to achieve their goal.

It seems as though Samson had a weakness for women. We have already read about two “wives”, and this un-named woman would be referred to as “a woman with a bad reputation”, but it seemed that if the Philistine people were patient they might be able to profit from Samson’s personal pleasures.

The Philistine’s plan of surrounding the house as well as having people by the city gates which would be barred during the night, sounded good in theory, but we can imagine each individual being quite afraid. None of them was a match for this strong man, and they all knew that!

Action

Imagine the attitudes of the men of Gaza as they waited for dawn and the opportunity to catch Samson as he left the house. Were they afraid of facing him alone? Did they wait in groups knowing that no individual could match his superhuman strength? Who would make the first move, once Samson left the house?

Ask yourself how you cope in frightening situations. Who would you like to have nearby? Who would you ask to pray?

For a full list of online studies available on this site, please click here.

If there is a subject you would like to see on this site, please use the comment section below or drop us an email (there’s a link at the very top of the page). We can’t promise to cover them all, and our studies are usually prepared a month or two in advance, so please be patient.

For a full list of physical resources available through this site, please click here.