His Soul Was Annoyed to Death

Okay, it's my turn to confess.  I struggle every day with nagging.  I'm a nag.  I'm convinced it is an "oldest daughter" trait.  As the oldest daughter of an oldest daughter of an oldest daughter, I have it bad! (No offense, Mom) When my husband doesn't take the trash out right when I think he should, I can get kind of mean.  The nag he hates the worst is what he calls "go mode."  That would be when I am ready to go before everyone else in the family, and I nag them all to hurry. I know nagging is not appropriate behavior in a wife or mother, and I am trying to get better.  I hope I will never be as guilty as Samson's women.

Samson seemed to have a talent for choosing beautiful but manipulative women.  His first wife, an unnamed Philistine, picked at him for three whole days to tell her the meaning of a riddle.  He had made a bet with her people that they couldn't guess his riddle.  Her people threatened her harm if she did not get the answer, but she didn't go to her husband for protection.  Instead, she worried him for days about it until he finally gave in with disgust. I love Samson's line when the men tell him the answer. "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle." (Judges 14:18)  Not a very complimentary thing to say about his wife!  He left in a rage and his wife was given to another man.

Samson's second woman is much more notorious.  Delilah.  The very image of the "bad girl."  She asked Samson three times to give up the secret of his strength.  The first two times, he lied. Delilah fell for his lies and tried to make him weak.  Each time, the Philistines were lying in wait to capture him. Delilah did not give up; she turned on the tears and pulled the "you don't love me" card.  The Bible says that "his soul was annoyed to death" (Judges 16:16).  He had to know that the Philistines would attack again because knew Delilah did not have his best interests at heart.  And yet, he told her anyway.  Because he would rather have died that listen to her nagging anymore.  In the end, he did die as a result of Delilah's treachery.

These women did not truly love Samson.  They were loyal to their own people and only used Samson to please their countrymen.  What about you?  Do you love your husband?  For you single women, do you love the men in your life? I love my husband. For me, nagging is inexcusable.  Samson knew the Philistines would capture him if he gave in to Delilah, but she wore him down so much that he did anyway.  I trust that my husband knows what is best for our family.  I would hate to think he went against his better judgment just because I nagged him.  Even in the small things, like taking out the trash, nagging will do no more for our relationship than it did for Samson and his wife.  It will only make him angry.  Unchecked nagging could even lead to me losing him.  Yes, I have the power to manipulate the men around me to get what I want.  My goal is to be meek.  My goal is not to use that power.  Maybe today I'll do better than I did yesterday.

Melissa

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.