In Judges 16:4, the Bible tells us about the meeting and attachment of Samson (God’s little sun for Israel, which is the meaning of his name in Hebrew) to a Philistine girl with a significant name who will not only destroy him but also divert the destiny of God’s hero. Her name was Delilah, which means “flirt” or “always presentable”; this speaks to her attractive side but ultimately to harm us. Samson’s mission is presented to us in the book of Judges 13:5b in these terms:

“And he will begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.“

However, Judges 16:21 and 25 show us how Delilah’s entry into Samson’s life changed everything:

“Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison. While they were in high spirits, they shouted, ‘Bring out Samson to entertain us!’ So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.“

The one destined to be great became the laughingstock of all. It is hard for me to read this phrase that the Louis Segond version translates as: “Bring Samson, let him entertain us” (the Hebrew verb used means: to distract, to provide a pleasant pastime, to prevent serious thinking for a moment). The “Parole de Vie” version says: “Bring Samson to amuse us.” The Martin version shocks, angers, and challenges me: “Bring Samson to make us laugh.”

Just as the meeting with the flirtatious Delilah changed and diverted Samson from his destiny, the Delilahs around us seek and will seek to destroy our destinies. We must be careful not only to avoid meeting “Delilahs” but especially not to attach ourselves to them. Delilah, a female personality, also applies to men who play the same role.

Six essential reasons make these encounters dangerous:

1. “Delilahs” stop the little sun from shining;
2. “Delilahs” lead “Samsons” to lose their vision by gouging out their eyes;
3. “Delilahs” come alone and are then used by our enemies or sent from the start to harm us;
4. “Delilahs” should never be met or should be avoided because of their harmful nature;
5. “Delilahs” often hide their true intentions, and their dangerous side is always hidden at first;
6. “Delilahs” are people who divert destiny (as we have said, they transform liberators into entertainers, heroes into distractors).

Some important prayers regarding Delilahs:

Therefore, because of all the unknown and hidden but real harm that Delilahs can do to us, I make these five prayers for you:

a) May the Delilahs with their plans to deviate destiny stay away from your paths!

b) May my God enable you to detect “Delilahs” (both male and female) and their evil designs they want to place on your path!

c) May no Delilah make you fall into her trap by stealing what God has given you and placed in you that makes you special.

d) No Delilah will shorten or deviate you from your trajectory because you will go to the end of your journey so that, like the Apostle Paul, you can say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

e) Unlike Samson in the Bible, may God enable you to shine permanently and not intermittently…

This text is an excerpt from the book “The Impact of Encounters on Destiny” written by Roland DALO.

We invite you to read the following article “David and Jonathan.”

Samson and Delilah. Samson and Delilah. Samson and Delilah