Samson and Delilah: An Allusion By: Amanda Cooper, Katy McGee, Andrea Bachman

The Story Samson’s parents prayed for a child, and an angel appeared and responded that they would have a child, if the child would be a child of God, and he had to be reared under a Nazarite vow, which means: No cutting of the hair. No eating of grapes or raisins. No drinking wine. Never touching a dead body. When he grew up, he had the strength of several men, and this is because he never cut his hair, even though he broke all of the other rules.

STORY CONTINUED He fought the Philistines due to the fact that they beat and murdered thousands of Israel’s children. Samson single handedly slaughtered thousands of Philistines. In the midst of this, he met a beautiful lady named Delilah. Samson had a weakness for beautiful women, and she was no exception. She worked for the Philistines, who would pay her large sums of money if she could discover the secret to Samson’s incredible strength. He lied to her several times, but finally broke down and told her that if she cut off all of his hair, his strength would be gone.

STORY CONTINUED Delilah and some Philistines shaved Samson’s head, and his strength was gone. The Philistines then burned out his eyes with a hot poker and chained him to a cement wheel that was used for grinding wheat into flour. One day, many years later, he felt the breeze blowing through his hair, and prayed to God that He would give Samson one more chance. At a festival, Samson broke down a huge building that resulted in the murder of thousands of Philistines, including Samson himself. This concluded in Israel winning the war against the Philistines. Samson’s destiny, which was to serve God and save Israel, was fulfilled.

Where to find it! The original story: in the Bible. Modern day examples: “Simpson and Delilah” (Season 2, October 18th 1990) The Grateful Dead song: Samson and Delilah. Regina Spektor song: Samson

ALLUSIONS IN THE STORY Delilah=the temptress OR the feminist. She convinces Samson through her “love” to tell her the secret of his strength. She gains power and wealth by being clever. Thus becoming a more powerful role. Samson=the hero OR the image of sin. Young and powerful, saves thousands of people single handedly. Doesn’t always live up to “following the path of God” and his vow. He’s an example of the consequences of sin. In the end he’s still the hero, because he is forgiven and saves Israel.

WHY IT MATTERS It shows that you shouldn’t test your fate. But, if you repent, you have a chance to fix your mistakes. Don’t use other peoples’ gifts for your own benefit (Delilah used Samson's secret to gain power and wealth). Don’t give into temptation.