After this he fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, "Coax him, and find out what makes his strength so great, and how we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." Judges 16: 4-5 NRSV
How much money would you accept to betray someone?
My mind immediately goes to the gospels and Judas Iscariot. I often hear others try to explain how he misunderstood Jesus' mission or that he thought what he did would force Jesus into military action. But I cannot get away from the thought of betrayal in exchange for money.
30 pieces of silver in Judas' time was a lot of money.
But in the time of the judges, 1100 pieces of silver per leader must have been an incredible fortune! I would imagine this would make Delilah a millionaire many times over as well have the reputation among her people for finding Samson's weakness.
Delilah's willingness to cooperate does not mean she was greedy. It reminds us that she was not one of God's people. Delilah's priorities and morals were different. She was the enemy of God's people and of Samson. The Bible doesn't say she was a prostitute, but there is no mention of either a family or of marriage so it does indicate that she not someone to take home to Momma.
In her mind, this was not going to be an act of betrayal but an act to save her people and get rich, too.
God, save us from betraying you for we all have our price and none of us are exempt. Only through your protection and mercy will we be saved. In Christ's holy name we pray. Amen.
Question of the day: What does it feel like to be betrayed by someone you love?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
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