BackDoor Bible Series

Download as Word 97

 Objective:

To help us understand that the drive for an opposite sex relationship can cloud our judgment.

Judges 14 - 16. Rom 8:28-39

• Samson - Large male
• Delilah - Female

 Costumes:

• Samson wears football Jersey - dressed like a High school football player
• Delilah wears cheer leading outfit

• Stereotypical High School jock

• Samson carries football
• Delilah carries pompom
• Host has camera flash unit that can be manually triggered

During an interview with Samson and Delilah, Delilah learns the secret of Samson's strength while the audience learns the secret of his weakness.

 Dialogue:

Host: Tonight we are going to visit with the world's strongest man, Samson. The Bible records Samson was so strong that no rope or chain could bind him. It also records that he personally killed 1000 Philistines in one day. The Philistines were the archenemies of the Israelites. Tonight we are going to see if we can learn the secret of his strength. The story of Samson is found in Judges chapter 13-16. So lets go see if we can bring him forward in time. Ah, here is the time I want, Judges 16:16.

Samson: Where are we?

Delilah: I don’t know?

Host: Hello, Samson. Welcome to the future. This is the Wednesday Night Live show and the year is 2000 AD. We've brought you here through a time machine to talk with you. We are very interested in how strong you are and wonder if you would answer a few questions for us?

Samson: (puffing up his chest) Oh yeah cool, sure I'd be glad to.

Host: Great, why don't you both come over here and sit down Then we can be comfortable while we talk (guides Samson and Delilah to the couch)

Host: Now Samson, who is this with you? Is this your wife?

Samson: Well no not exactly. . (Samson looks at Delilah and smiles) This is my girl friend, Delilah.

Host: Your girlfriend? Hmmm, I thought I read that you were married.

Samson: Well yes, I was married once to this philistine girl. In fact it was because of her that I started killing Philistines.

Host: You started your personal war with the Philistines over a girl?

Samson: Yep. Sure did. In fact it all started on my way to get married. While I was walking to her town, I found the carcass of this lion which I had killed a few months on the road. In it I found a bee hive full of honey. Later that day during my wedding celebration we were all horsing around and I made this bet with a bunch of my new wife’s philistine friends that they couldn’t figure out this riddle I made up.

Host: What was the riddle?

Samson: "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet."

Host: Did they figure it out?

Samson: (acting smug) Nope. it totally stumped them, and since I bet 30 sets of clothes that they couldn't get it I figured I was gonna be stylin.

Host: So you won the bet?

Samson: (looking a little sheepish) Well not exactly. You see I gave them a week to answer and since they couldn’t get it, they threatened my wife. They told her they would kill her and her dad if she didn’t get me to reveal the answer. So for the whole week my wife used all sorts of sneaky questions to get me to tell her the answer. She would say things like "If you really love me you'll tell me." and stuff like that. Since, it was my honeymoon and I wanted her in a good mood I gave in and told her the answer.

Host: So what happened?

Samson: (looking disgusted) Well, darned if she went and told them the answer. I got so mad that I lost the bet, I went and killed 30 Philistines and stole their cloths just to pay the bet. That was a really bad day for me, but I did learn an important lesson.

Host: What was that?

Samson: I learned not let women talk me into things I don't want to do even if they are pretty.

Host: Hmmm, I see (Host rolls his eyes) Well, if Delilah is not your wife then tell us what happened to her.

Samson: Well, she got killed. See a few months she was visiting her family and I went down to see her. She often stayed with them for weeks at a time since we lived kind of far away. Anyway when I got there I found out she had decided to leave me and had actually married someone else.

Host: Wow. How did that make to feel?

Samson: It made me furious. I got so angry that I went out and caught 300 foxes. Then I lit their tails on fire and sent them running into the Philistines wheat fields. As you can image their fields burned to the ground. They retaliated by killing my wife and her dad. From that day on I declared war against the philistines. Over the next few months I killed thousands of them, many with just my bare hands. One day I killed a thousand of them with just a donkeys jawbone.

Delilah: (looking at Samson with admiration) He sure did, I saw him do it that day. It was awesome. Ever since I’ve been in love with him. He’s the strongest man in the world. I just wish he would tell me what makes him so strong.

Samson: C’mon Delilah, lets not bring this up again. You’ve been bugging me about this for weeks and I’m just not going to tell you. It’s a personal secret between God and me.

Delilah: (now touching Samson – teasing manner) Oh Samson pleeeeeeeeeese I’ll give you anything you want and I’ll know that you really love me if you tell me.

Samson: No Delilah:: forget about it.

Delilah: (now acting angry) Samson, you owe me! The last time I asked you, you lied to me. In fact three times now you have embarrassed me. You told me that new leather thongs would hold you and they didn’t. You told me new ropes would hold you and they didn’t. You even told me that weaving your hair into that new tablecloth I’ve been making would do it and it didn't. How can you say, "I love you", when you won't confide in me? You don’t love me.

Host: I think she's mad?

Samson: Yeah, she’s really sensitive. I really love her though, especially when she lets me fall asleep on her lap. I think I better talk to her, I hate it when she’s mad.

Samson: (calls over to Delilah) Honey, I’m sorry. Maybe we can talk about this some more. Please come back over here and lets talk. I love you.

Delilah: (Snaps) You don’t love me! And I’m not going to talk to you again until you tell me the truth about what makes you so strong.

Samson: (throws his hands up and addresses Host) I don’t know what to do. What do you think I should do?

Host: Well, I think you should remember the "lesson" you learned with your wife.

Samson: (now turning and adressing audience but ignoring any response)

I just don’t know. What do you think?

Samson: (Cocks head to the side and talks to himself) No, she’s not like my first wife. She really does love me. I think I should just tell her the truth. You know she’s so beautiful when she’s happy..(Samson pauses then calls to Delilah). O.K. Sweetie pie, . I’ll tell you the truth this time but you have to promise not to tell anyone like you did the last time.

Delilah: (Springs to happy attitude- runs back to Samson side - Samson catches here and swings here around himself once before lowering her to the ground).

Delilah Oh Samson! You big lover boy. I knew you really loved me. Now tell me and I’ll be so happy that I'll make your favorite dessert and I promise I won’t tell a soul. I promise (Delilah winks at audience).

Samson: OK, OK here it is. See, I’m a Nazorite, someone set aside for special use by God and as a Nazorite no razor has ever been used on my head. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.

Delilah: Your hair, ooooohhh, so that’s it. How wonderful! Samson, can we go now. Ask that Host man if he can send us back to our time. I am so excited that I want to get to work making your favorite desert.

Samson: (looking excited ) Cool. Hey Mr Host, I think we need to go now.

Host: OK Samson but first I have to erase your memory so you don't accidentally change history. We could all cease to exist or something worse if time does not unfold in the same way it did before you came here. Come over here, look at me an close your eyes.

Host: Oh no, they went back with there memories intact. Is everyone still here? Whew! I guess we didn’t mess up time by not zapping their memories. Pretty interesting couple, aren’t they? That Delilah is pretty sneaky if you ask me.

Many of you may know this story and how it ends. Yes, Samson did tell Delilah his secret and Delilah did cut off all his hair while he slept; his belly full of his favorite dessert. She then called her Philistine friends and they came and took Samson captive. They tortured him, they burned out his eyes and then tied him to a giant mill stone. I guess Samson didn't learn his lesson after all.

Sometime late, the Philistines forgot where his strength came from and Samson’s hair began to grow . One day the Philistines were having a celebration and offering sacrifice to their false god. They mockingly brought out Samson from his prison cell to scoff and mock him. While being mocked, Samson asked God for one more chance to smite the Philistines, and God granted it. Samson, with the strength of many men pushed over the pillars of the temple to which he was chained and brought the whole building crushing down on everyone, even himself. That day he killed more Philistines then than in his whole life combined.

Samson was unbelievably strong but he was also very weak. He was strong as an ox physically, but weak as a worm when it came to his judgement. He let his desires for a relationship cloud his judgment. We often do the same thing. Have you ever caught yourself talking to a really cute friend of the opposite sex and realized that you were saying things just to attract them. Saying things you probably wouldn’t normally say or trying to act different than you really are. Today, the search for an opposite sex relationship can cloud a persons judgment and crowd out our relationship with God just like it did for Samson. Samson's story is a warning for us. Don’t let any relationship come between you and Jesus. Despite Samson's poor judgement, however, Samson is still listed in what's called the Bibles Hall of Faith. It's found in the book of Hebrews Chapter 11. Right there alongside Abraham, Noah, Elijah, David and Samuel is Samson. Can you guess why? Even though he messed up his life, he never stopped trusting God. He blew it big time with his choices including breaking his vows to God yet Samson never doubted God. He knew his strength came from God and he never let go of his faith. I challenge you tonight that no matter what you do, no matter what happens to you, don't ever stop trusting God He loves you so much.! You might be embarrassed about a sin, but He will in no way stop loving you. God will not disown one of his children. When we are wrong, He loves us back into right relation to him. Don’t ever think you’ve "lost God." That it is even possible, is a trick of Satan.

Suggested Closing Song: For I am Convinced