Judges 16:1-3

Gaza and the City Gate

Read the passage

1One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to spend the night with her.

2When the Gazites heard that Samson was there, they surrounded that place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They were quiet throughout the night, saying, “Let us wait until dawn; then we will kill him.”

3But Samson lay there only until midnight, when he got up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and both gateposts, and pulled them out, bar and all. Then he put them on his shoulders and took them to the top of the mountain overlooking Hebron.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Samson goes to Gaza and spends the night with a prostitute. When the people of Gaza hear he is there, they surround the place and wait at the city gate, planning to kill him at dawn.

He rises at midnight instead. He pulls up the gate's doors, both posts, and the bar, puts them on his shoulders, and carries them to the mountain overlooking Hebron. The men waiting to trap him cannot hold him inside their city.

The escape is extraordinary, but it does not make the choice that brought him there an example of faithfulness. Samson's ability to get out of danger is not the same as wisdom about entering it. The passage gives us no reason to treat his survival as God's approval of his conduct.

We can recognize the strength without letting it dominate our judgment of the man. His story asks us to pay attention to the choices surrounding the feat, as well as the feat itself.

Questions

1 What do the men of Gaza plan to do?

AnswerThey wait at the city gate and plan to kill Samson at dawn. They expect to trap him when he leaves.

2 How does Samson escape?

AnswerHe rises at midnight, pulls up the doors, posts, and bar of the gate, and carries them to the mountain overlooking Hebron.

3 Why should his escape not settle our judgment of his choices?

AnswerAn ability to escape danger does not make the conduct that led there faithful. The passage does not praise his visit to the prostitute.

4 How should we evaluate someone whose abilities impress us?

AnswerWe should also consider honesty, restraint, and treatment of others. Results or talent alone cannot tell us whether someone is trustworthy.

What This Means for Us

Success can make warning signs easier to dismiss. Someone may be talented, persuasive, or effective and still need serious correction. Apply that standard to ourselves as well as others. Instead of asking only whether a choice worked, ask whether it was honest, faithful, and considerate of the people affected.

Prayer

Lord, keep our household from confusing remarkable ability with trustworthy character. Give us wisdom to notice moral danger even when strength is impressive. Amen.

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