Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley. The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Persuade him to tell you where his great strength comes from, so we can overpower him, tie him up, and make him helpless. Each of us will then give you 1,100 pieces of silver.” Judges 16:4-5 HCSB
It seems that our world is filled with people who are only interested in benefitting themselves. Their goal is to climb the corporate ladder and they seem willing to walk over and on others to get to the top. Often they will compromise their personal values and even take bribes to get ahead.
Delilah was only concerned with getting rich and was willing to betray Samson. She met with the Philistine leaders to determine how they could defeat Samson and his great strength. The Philistines were ruled by five rulers from five different regions, so more than likely Delilah was offered 5,500 pieces of silver to betray Samson into their hands (Judas betrayed Jesus for only 30 pieces of silver). That much money would have made Delilah a very rich and influential woman. The temptation of money often causes people to take drastic actions.
Challenge: What are you willing to do to get ahead? Are you willing to hurt or betray others to gain acceptance and promotion? How much money would it take for you to compromise your values and beliefs? Pray that God will help you to be a person of integrity who treats others with respect and chooses to do what is right.
Read The Bible Through In Two Years: Genesis 42:1-38; Matthew 27:32-66