4th Episode Delilah Tampered With A Man Super Power

The podcast is discussing the story of Delilah from the Bible. Delilah was described as treacherous, untrustworthy, and motivated by money. The podcast host asks listeners to reflect on their own behavior and what kind of woman they are. The host also talks about Samson's strengths and weaknesses, and the tactics of the "strange woman" mentioned in Proverbs. The story shows how Delilah was used by the enemy and highlights her selfishness and greed. The podcast discusses how Delilah was able to impair Samson's judgment through sex and nagging. The host encourages listeners to consider their own motives and how they can avoid making similar mistakes. Hello there, welcome to the Wholesome Book Club podcast, where the book here is the Bible and the who are the women written therein. Week after week, one woman's life, legacy and lessons we can learn are examined. Who am I? I'm glad you asked. Cheryl Tremwell, your host. Hello there, welcome back to another episode of the Who's Who Book Club podcast. Today's woman in the spotlight is one who tempered with a man's superpower. I find it interesting that her physical features was never described to us by way of the Bible, but yet her spirit was. Her spirit being a treacherous one. The woman in the spotlight today is Delilah. What does treacherous mean? I'm just going to capitalize the meaning. She was low down and cold blooded. She is a woman that could not be trusted. She was an opportunist and money loving. Let's start right there. What brand of woman are you? How do you show up in the world? I really don't want you to answer from your perspective. It's a question that if you get the answer from so many people, if you're hearing one thing several times from people who do not know one another, that's how you can get a clearer picture of how you're showing up. People do lie on us. Yes, we know that. But as my mother would say, everyone is not lying on you. So you can get a real view of what type of womanhood you represent. Before we get to Delilah, we have to speak of the back story concerning her. So let's talk about the man she is forever connected to, Samson. We know of his story, how strong he was. But I want to give you my opinion before I give you exactly what the Bible says. Samson, in my mind's eye, must have looked like a man of regular strength. Not one that had a super strength. If he was walking around very bulk, his muscle, people would just assume he's strong because he got these muscles. I'm not saying he looked like Barney Fife, but I am of the opinion I don't think his strength was obvious on sight. The Bible tells us of a time that he got into a fight with a lion. But here's the catch. It doesn't say that Samson killed the lion. No. It told us that Samson tore a lion to pieces. That's a very different type of strength. The Bible also gives us other descriptions of him and his strength, but I like to bring this particular one out. What about when he was out all night? The Bible says at a harlot's house. All right? All night he was with this woman. He gets up in the morning and he carries away the gates that guard the city. Check that out. Now, you know, there's athletes that their coaches don't want them to have sex, whether they're dating or married. That's because it weakens them. They want them to do that after the fact. This man, the Bible tells us he was at this woman's house all night and got up and took away the gates that guarded a city. Oh, yeah. Samson had a physical strength like no other. But let's talk about his weaknesses, because he had weaknesses before he ever met Delilah. One weakness that Samson had was his taste in women, wanting what he wanted at any cost. The Bible tells us that one time he begged his parents to go and get him a woman that he should not have had. So his weakness is his taste in women. I once knew a guy who was so handsome, his features was right out beautiful. We as young people, he was so sought after. But I remember meeting him later in life, and he told me out of his own mouth that the detriment of him was his taste in women. He would tell me that his grandmother would tell him when he would bring certain girls home, certain women, stop playing in those alleys. Yeah, the weaknesses. When a man's taste is in a certain woman will bring him down. Then we cannot bypass the book of Proverbs written for men, addressing this very issue. The Bible tells us that Proverbs, Scriptures, the rules, the guidance there is just so men would be mindful where they place that third leg. Proverbs says the strange woman, how can you bring her to your bosom and not get burned? The strange woman. Let's talk about that for a minute. The strange woman, she has tactics. She has tactics on how to draw a man in. Proverbs said the strange woman that was written there perfumed her bed. If you're married and you perfume the bed, there's nothing wrong with that. You, your scent is all a part of your marriage, and your husband should be away from home and can imagine a certain fragrance and remember you. But when you're dating and you're sinful like the strange woman, perfuming your bed is a tactic. So the strange woman, she has tactics. I want to get Delilah, have her bed perfumed. The story of Delilah and Samson can be found in Judges. You know, the Bible goes on to say to us that Samson grew to love her, but it was not neutral. We know it was not neutral. So for you, under the sound of my voice, let me ask you another question. Have you ever been loved and you know you didn't love the person back, but you stayed for gain? That is so important to the woman we're talking about today that I'll repeat it. Have you ever been loved and you know you didn't love the person back, but you stayed there for gain? You know, I have to tell you, for me, I cannot. I have never been one who could fake the funk. I don't have a poker face. I am so connected and driven and attracted to brain cells, to intellect, that if that gets off for me at all, it is so telling that this is not working for me. But in the case of Delilah, such as between she and Samson, it boils down to motive, and it will boil down to motive regarding you, that if you ever was in this type of arrangement. Meanwhile, seeing that Samson was clearly in love, his enemy, the Philistines, gets wind of it and cooks up a plan to barter with Delilah. Let's talk about that. I mean, this is really an excellent point to bring about. Being used of the enemy. In this story, the enemy represented is the Philistines. But we all know that behind every scene, behind every circumstance, every decade, from year to year, the enemy of us all, the devil, Satan, Old Sleuthfoot, the serpent, whatever you call the enemy of you and me, you do know that when you played a part in bringing people down, in a person's downfall, you were in partnership with Lucifer. You must know that. That any time that you was a part of bringing someone down, their hope, their vision, their business, anything, you were in partnership with him who hates us. So, Delilah, how is the enemy able to pull her in? It's the same with Satan. He does not kidnap us to play a part with him. There has to be something in the person that he can put a hook in our jaw that we may say, yes, I'll play this role with you. So let's see how is it that the Philistines were able to pull Delilah in to their scheme. The first point to make about her is that she was selfish. Very selfish. How do we know she's selfish? Because when somebody say, will you help me to do this and that, and your only reasons to do it because you're thinking about how can you benefit, that's selfishness. I'm glad that the Bible didn't give us her physical description of her features because we know of her spirit. She's a very ugly woman. And to be selfish is a very ugly position, disposition. And she was a selfish woman. Sitting there listening to whatever that's being asked of her, she had to come with the conclusion that it is about her and her only. Other than that, you would not allow yourself to harm someone else because you'd be thinking about them as well. But no, she was selfish. The other attribute of hers to speak about is that she was greedy. She was a woman of greed. She was definitely about securing the bag. As she sat at this table of counsel, the enemy of Samson, they each offered 1,100 pieces of silver from each of them. It is not that they said we'll pay you $1,100 if you work with us. They said each of us. We don't have a clue how many men made up that counsel. So yeah, this woman was a selfish woman. This woman was money loving, greedy. So again, I ask you to ask yourself, since this is a woman's discussion, first and foremost, what's your brand of womanhood? We as women, we know we possess a superpower regarding men who love women. So I ask you, what's your brand of womanhood? In order for us to understand, how is it that after the Philistine bring her in, how was she able to bring Samson in? Let's go further. How is it that she could impair Samson's judgment? We already said earlier that he was of the mindset to like a certain type of woman. So that plays in her favor. But how was she able to impair his judgment? Well, I got two S's for you. Sex impaired his judgment and nagging impaired his judgment. Let's look at the sexual. You know, the Bible has been debated on every subject matter. There are some people who debate the fact, was she a harlot, right? The scripture that speaks about he was at a harlot's house, one and the same when it comes to Delilah. But a few lines after he was at the harlot's house, it tells you that he met a woman named Delilah. So there are different schools of thought. So whether she is a harlot or not, at the end of the day, sex was very much what she used to pain him. Why? Because the Bible already painted a picture regarding him. So she had him at the place where she had him eating out of her hand. So sex, we know, impairs judgment. That's why it has been preached and taught, whether in the church or secular, that when you meet someone, try your best not to have that be the starting point, because that will impair your judgment, whether this person is sincere, if they're really into you. Many women, men too, feel like they've been tricked because they were in it, and then it turns sour. Well, if that be the jumping off point, it truly will impair your judgment, whether you're getting sex or you desire it. So you don't even have to be actual in a relationship that's sexual. But if that's driving your motives, it can impair the judgment. So that's the first way she was able to impair Samson's judgment. The next thing the Bible tells us that she would nag him. She would always ask him, hey, where does your strength lie? And so at first it's like we can assume that it was said playful, right? Samson, where do your strengths lie? It's come hither. It's sexual. It's sensual play. But the Bible says that she got to the point to nag him to death. But now let's look at that. Most men can't stand to be nagged. And let them not really love you, they're going to soon bounce, because they cannot stand to be nagged. But if there's one who loves you, and you are a woman who nags him, he will try his best to deal with that. Because he loves you. And so the Bible told us that she would nag him, wanting to know where his strength lies. As women, we really have to learn how to ask our husbands, to ask our boyfriends, things without nagging him. I give you an example one time between me and my brother. I lived on the third floor, and I had this huge heavy bag that I wanted to get to the lobby so that the thrift shop could come and pick it up. So I would say to my brother, when you come over here, will you take this big bag down to the lobby for me? He said, yes, of course. But that bag sat in my vestibule on my third floor for days, for weeks. And I mean, he's laughing and talking to me different times, but he has not come to take that bag down. One particular day, he calls me, and he says, Cheryl, can I get $20 from you? Of course you can. Well, when my brother came, I had taped the $20 very securely to the bag. If my brother was going to get the $20 off that bag, he was going to have to handle that bag. And that's how I got the bag down to the lobby that day. We have to learn how to get the attention of our men without nagging them. There is a way. But Delilah, she nagged Samson. So that's how she was able to impair his judgment. So, she keeps nagging him. To the point that the one particular day, she nags him. Where do your power lie, he tells her. And she betrays him. Let's speak about that. There is an intimacy between a man and a woman, and it's a beautiful thing. Pillow talk we know about. But if a man lays his head in your lap, it is the most intimate position one can be in. So, I tell you, watch where you lay your head. She had him to lay in her lap and call the people in as he slept and cut his hair. When he awakens to see that he has no power because she keeps poking him and doing things to make sure that the power is gone, she and the enemy is successful. You must watch where you lay your head. My next question to ask you today, how do you treat the superpower of them that's in your life? Do you help them to guard it, or are you the stumbling block? Many have been the stumbling blocks to people who have great anointing. I know of a pastor who used to speak about how he and his wife were not compatible. That's here in the church. He would tell the church that he couldn't be even mannerable to any other woman other than his wife. He and her could be going out of a door, and a woman could come in or be going out behind them, and he could not hold a door for another woman because it would set his wife aflame. Many people have hindered calling. So again, are you a stumbling block, or do you guard the superpower of them that's in your life? This woman was truly a stumbling block, and Samson thought it all was a game. The story of Delilah is a very sad one because many men have been brought down such as him. Instead of Samson asking himself, why do this woman keep asking me for information that I have not shared freely? He thought it was just a game. Now, we need to be mindful of the person who we're dealing with, but when you let your sexual organs lead you, you just can't do it. So he was captured. They blinded him. They imprisoned him. And yet, they forgot to keep his head shaved. What idiots! They did everything to cripple his power. Chained him to a wheel. Blinded him. He no longer had freedom. They made sure he was put in a cell underneath the palace. Imprisoned. And yet, these idiots forgot to keep his head shaved. Mother used to say all the time, you cannot be low down and smart. And that was proof of it, how the Silverstones dealt with him. You know, before I tell you the ending of the story, I want to say this regarding Delilah. The Bible doesn't say she was in regret, not one time, based on how he died and what she had done. That's a very important point to be made because the Bible told us about Judas, how he, when he betrayed Jesus, that he was someone who became regretful, even to the point of killing himself. But the Bible does not tell us that Delilah was of regret. It doesn't mention how she thinks. And it's not that it's an oversight. There must not have been anything to tell In order, we don't know how she looked at what she did. Was she at home counting her money? Did she grab her money and move from that area? Or did she brag and tell people, yes, I helped them to pull down Samson. We don't know any of that. But the Bible, for sure, doesn't say she was in regret. Now, how can you do this to a man and show no regret when Judas betrayed Jesus and showed great regret? So, Samson, imprisoned, and the enemies of him wanted to celebrate and show people that they had captured their enemy. So a big old party was being planned. They were in the Colosseum. Everybody was excited to see what goes on for the celebration. We have seen many movies. We have seen many gladiators in the Colosseum, killing and fighting. And we could put in our imaginations how this would look, that this Colosseum would be packed in order to see the once-known, strong man named Samson. The Bible made some point to tell us how packed it was, that it was full, right? From the bottom to the roof of it. So we have to be mindful of what the Bible tells us and don't tell us. This place was packed. It was packed. The one point that I like also, too, about the story is, before the incident, the killing incident happened, there was a boy who was directing Samson, where Samson asked him where to place him because Samson knew that he was going to kill these people. But the point I want to make, there's a boy who's leading this man. Never sent a boy to do a man's job. How could they dare let this man be guided by a boy? It's because they, in their ignorance, think he's so weak that they consider a boy to do a man's job. You know, that's just the kind of God we serve, that people will count you out, but not God, because he is faithful and your gifts and callings are without repentance. So they sent a boy. If it had been a man of common sense, good sense, he would have said, now why do you want to stand in between two columns? Never sent a boy to do a man's job. So the boy does what Samson asked him to do. Samson then said, will you put me between these columns? You should run home. He never said that. But God, in his favor, honored Samson's prayer and strengthened him that he may bring down the Coliseum, that everybody in attendance died after this killing event. Samson's parents, after it was all over with, was able to pull his body from the rubble that they may bury him. Parents have watched their children make mistakes and the end result is their free will. The parents came. They took his body from the rubble and buried him. But in the case of Delilah, we never hear how her ending was in the Bible. So that tells us very much that Delilah is still living today. I'm Cheryl. I hope you enjoyed today's Woman in the Spotlight. If you do, follow me on YouTube as well for the Who's Who Book Club Podcast. I enjoy being with you every Sunday. I hope to hear you here next Sunday. Ciao for now. Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed the discussion. Thanks for joining me. And remember, a life lived is worth examining. I'm Cheryl Termois, your host, for the Who's Who Book Club Podcast. Meet you here next week. Ciao for now.