Written by Britt Towery   

June 6, 2014 Britt Towery's newspaper column

Man who got his haircut in the wrong barbershop (610 words)

There are some trusting folks out there. A roadside vendor had a display sign that read: “If no one is here, get what you want and put the money in the slot.”

I would like to believe that there are many others with that same sense of faith in their fellow Texans. It is good to be trusting of people, but can also be dangerous at times.

Trusting the wrong people reminded me of one of the old Methodist preacher Jack Shuler. He was easy to remember for his fancy sports coats and enticing sermon titles to lure the unsuspecting sinner to attend the tent meeting.

The sermon title that I can’t seem to forget was about the Old Testament judge, warrior and strong man, Samson. He called it, “The man who got his hair cut in the wrong barbershop.”

I was a teen-ager when I first heard that sermon and in coming years was tempted to use it in the pulpit, but never did.

Samson was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of his day and his girl friend, Delilah, was like many a Hollywood vamping actress. (For readers that want to read the unabridged version of the story, it begins in the 16th chapter of the Book of Judges – the book between Joshua and Ruth.)

Delilah was in cahoots with Samson’s sworn enemies, the Philistines. These people were famous for building and sailing ships as well as wanting to thrown the Israelites off their property.

Time after time the Philistines tried to get the secret of Samson’s unusual strength and failed. They decided to get gorgeous Delilah to find his secret.

So it was while enjoying Delilah’s attention one day she asked him where he got such strength. As much as he enjoyed her company, he also liked to tease. Three times Sampson would tell some tall tale about the secret. (Third attempt was his downfall.)

He told her such fantasies as binding him with “seven fresh bowstrings” and he would become weak like other men. Then she would try again and be told “bind me with new ropes, never before used” and he would be helpless in her arms.

Each of these failed. (Delilah would signal the Philistines to come and take Samson and each time Samson would laugh and throw them out.)

After each ordeal Delilah would pout and say he didn’t love her and use all he own “amorous strength” to get the truth from him. Not only was Samson fun to play with but the Philistines had promised Delilah eleven hundred pieces of silver to deliver a weak Samson to them.

Samson was a jokester, a kidder, always throwing out riddles for folks to ponder. Life was just a lark for this strongest guy on the block. Possibly that is why he does not understand the seriousness of his situation.

First of all, he had no business messing around with her kind. He was physically strong, but the elevator did not go well above his neck.

His strength lay in his never having his hair cut. Missing Delilah’s delightful attention, as she kept pouting, he told her his secret. At his next nap in her lap, she proceeded to cut his locks till he was almost bald. (She sure had loved him to sleep, so he slept through the whole thing.)

The Philistines rushed in, gouged out his eyes and put him in chains.

What is the lesson here? There are many. Spend more time on schoolbooks and less time at the gym. Don’t fall in with the wrong crowd, no matter how attractive; don’t trust everybody and definitely don’t underestimate the enemy.
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