The adage goes “Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.” We can only wonder who gets the shame for being fooled three times as Delilah had been. Three times she asked Samson the secret of his strength and each time he had lied to her. We must ask why. We aren’t told, but we can make an educated guess: Samson may have been teasing Delilah for his own enjoyment. That surely seems to fit with his character; everything else he did seemed to be for this reason.

If this is why Samson played with fire by teasing Delilah as he did, it tells us even more about his character. Before this we are told that Samson loved Delilah. That detail is not mentioned in his first marriage, or in the account of him pursuing a prostitute just before this. Samson loved Delilah, and yet he still put his own desires above hers. Samson provides us with a wonderful example of a terrible husband.

Later, though, we encounter a different Husband in Scripture, One who put His Bride’s needs before His own. A Husband who laid down His life for His Bride. A perfect Husband who is in the process of perfecting His Bride for her good and His Father’s glory. A perfect Husband in Jesus Christ.

How can you sacrifice your own desires, and perhaps even your own needs, for someone else this week?