Delilah - Her Life And Times

Delilah - Her Life And Times

HAIR

Samson’s hair obviously plays a key role in the story of his rise to power and his fall from grace. He had grown it long, plaiting it in seven braids as a result of a Nazirite vow (for more on such vows, read Numbers 6).

Good-looking Absalom, King David’s son, had so much hair that he had to cut it whenever “it became too heavy for him” (2 Samuel 14:26). Remarkably, his shorn curls weighed as much as five pounds! But Absalom’s luxurious locks eventually got the better of him. During battle one day his head got caught in the branches of a large oak tree (2 Samuel 18:9). His mass of hair no doubt contributed to the entanglement. The man who had tried to wrench the kingdom from his own father swung helplessly from the tree, an easy target for his enemies.

Before being thrown to her death, Queen Jezebel not only painted her eyes but “arranged her hair” (2 Kings 9:30). The beautiful hair of the Beloved in Song of Songs is compared to a “flock of goats” and a “royal tapestry” (Song of Songs 4:1; 7:5), while the Lover’s hair is described as “wavy and black as a raven” (Song of Songs 5:11). Often the Old Testament writers described living to old age — so old their hair turned gray — as a mark of God’s favor and blessing (Proverbs 16:31; 20:29). People who were mourning would cut or pull out their hair in their grief (Ezra 9:3; Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah 7:29). A sinful woman, full of anguish for her sins, poured perfume on Jesus’ feet, washed them with her tears, and wiped them with her hair (Luke 7:38).

By New Testament times, men were wearing their hair shorter and only women allowed their hair to grow long. Paul was pretty adamant about this in 1 Corinthians 11:6, 14 – 15. Both Paul and Peter took time to warn the women of their day specifically against “braided hair,” directing them to focus on inner beauty, not outward.

Women today spend millions of dollars cutting, coloring, perming, and styling their hair. But remember, no amount of money or primping can cover up a lack of inner beauty. Before arranging your hair into a becoming style, consider where your inner beauty needs work. Go to Galatians 5:22 – 23 for some attractive characteristics the Spirit is willing to work in you. Then you’ll be beautiful outside and in.