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REFLECTION

“Samson in love” is the theme for our reflection. Love between a man and a woman which often leads to marriage or a lifetime commitment is a deep and tender feeling of affection coupled with romantic and sexual attraction both parties have for one another. We are told that “Sometime later, he (Samson) fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. (Judges 16:4). The next question is did Delilah also fall in love with Samson? The answer is no! Delilah betrayed the love Samson had for her thus “The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” (Judges 16:5-6) In Judges 16:15-21, we are told Delilah succeeded in luring Samson to tell her the secret of his strength and then used the information gathered from her love to betray him into the hands of his enemies hence the capture of Samson. Delilah traded Samson’s love for eleven hundred shekels of silver.

Love is the most beautiful thing on earth when you meet the right person who loves you the same way you love him or her but at the same time, love is the only thing that makes one most vulnerable when he or she meets the wrong person or a person who does not love him or her the same way. Samson, the strongest man on earth became the most vulnerable because he was not loved by the woman he fell in love with. A Relationship can make and unmake a person depending on the love and commitment that parties have for one another. Anytime love is not mutual the relationship suffers and one of the parties is more affected than the other. A Relationship, or marriage is successful when both the man and the woman are equally and affectionately committed to one another. Each one of them has to purpose in his or her heart that the other partner his or her priority in life and that every decision and action he or she takes will be in the best interest of the other. Delilah failed to consider the ramifications of her action in the life of Samson when she betrayed Him. Until couples or parties in a relationship get to the mutually beneficial level of commitment the relationship will suffer the fate of Samson and Delilah. Love and relationship between a man and woman can be very rewarding if only both parties are faithful to each other and devoid of any selfish ambition as was in the case of Delilah. Whereas Samson went into the relationship with his whole heart, Delilah went in with an ulterior motive. A motive to enrich herself at the expense of her partner’s life. This is one of the most tragic stories in the Bible which unfortunately continues to happen in our day and age. Some marriages and relationships are not working and have actually become bitter because both the man and the woman entered the relationship with different expectations. One entered the relationship to experience love. In other words, to love and to be loved but the other entered for the purpose of financial security and economic convenience. This was evident in the relationship of Samson and Delilah. Beloved in the Lord, a relationship will suffer and end with dire consequences so long as the parties are not ad idem or are not united in mind, purpose, will and mutual affection. Many have suffered depression and other mental health issues coupled with physiological medical conditions and have even died because they loved with their whole heart but got nothing in return except betrayal pain and bitterness. Some people have given up on relationships because of the betrayal and wickedness they have suffered at the hands of unfaithful partners. Indeed, many divorcees and singles live in bitterness and a state of unforgiveness because of being victims of unfaithfulness in marriage or relationships. The sad reality is that no matter how a person may demonstrate love through his or her actions and speech in a relationship you may never know their real intentions until they have been consistent in their selflessness and dedication to the growth of the relationship. Samson may have missed the opportunity to discover Delilah’s consistency or otherwise in the relationship because he did not give himself enough time to study her, his love for her completely made him careless. Even after being consistent for years some people still change hence we have people their ripe ages seeking divorce after many years of marriage. Nonetheless, love and faithfulness in a relationship are determined by consistency and resilience in the face of adversities or challenges that may hit the relationship. It is important for us to use every opportunity to consistently prove our love and faithfulness to our partners. During challenging times when we are sometime forced or tempted to choose wealth and power over our love or relationship, we must remain focused and prove our fidelity, because not all that glitters is gold. Delilah would have to live the rest of her life in guilt for causing the death of her lover. Remember gold and silver comes with a cost but when we discover true love we will realise that it is priceless and cannot be traded for anything till death separates us and our beloved. Many have found silver and gold or prosperity through love and faithfulness in their relationships. It may be long coming but God blesses genuine love and faithfulness in a relationship. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4). For a relationship to succeed, there must be a selfless demonstration of love through complimentary partnership and faithfulness which is captured in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves… (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, strengthen us to remain faithful in our relationships in a world filled with materialism and temptations. Amen.