Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, “Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” (Judges 16:4, 5 NKJV)
Samson loved Delilah. We don’t know her actual feelings for him but they did have a relationship. Somewhere along the way, Delilah was willing to sacrifice the relationship for a price.
Video of Samson from the Bible Series
If we’re honest with ourselves, many of us have a price. There are circumstances and benefits that hold such high value in our minds we are willing to sacrifice our relationships to receive them. Our price says a lot about what we think is most important and the arrangement of our priority lists.
Here are a few examples:
Maybe our relationships aren’t as fun as they use to be because real life struggles and responsibilities are bearing down on us. If the right person or opportunity comes along we may be tempted to break up for the sake of a good time.
Perhaps you’re in a relationship where money is tight and you can’t afford the finer material things in life. You may find yourself selling out love for luxury.
Some of us are easily swayed by physical intimacy. As soon as another man or woman shows us the affection we’re not getting at home, we enter into an affair. The list goes on and on.
Here are my thoughts. Delilah was in a relationship but when she was tempted, she gave up the love of the world’s strongest man for money. The only way to avoid making the same tragic mistake is to identify your price, compare it to God’s standard for marriage, and make the choice to conform to his standard. When we do this, we may find that the things we think are so important are low on the priority list for healthy, lasting relationships. We may find our pet issues or secret desires are vain in comparison to God’s greater plan.
What’s your price?