THE INCH GIVEN AND THE MILE THAT’S STOLEN
The Inch Given to Steal a Mile
To explore the grocery, drug, and hardware stores of Bible times while visiting Israel, Neot Kedumim is a must-visit. Here, you can see plants and trees mentioned in the Bible marked along the walking paths. I mentioned in an earlier blog how much Israeli culture valued things for their usefulness and not for their appearance. From Tree and Shrub in Our Biblical Heritage,
The story of one of Samson’s actions…Dr. Ephraim Hareuveni…after he had studied one of the interesting plants growing both in the many dry river beds of the Negev…as well as on the coarse sandhills and sandy loam of the coastal plain—areas that were in Philistine hands in Samson’s time…. This plant’s Hebrew name…yitran…best plant for making ropes…. The leaves…are small and flush with the branch. They have a thick membrane on the bottom (outside) and on the upper side (inside) they are covered with white, feltlike hairs…. Its roots penetrate to the deep strata of the soil, enabling the plant to remain fresh and green throughout the year…even in desert areas. The yitran’s branches are bent…easy to distinguish…even at a distance…
This plant can make rope “strong enough to tow a jeep from hubcap-deep mud.” This was why Samson chose this as a believable option to bind him with (Judges 16:4-9).
In the foothills of the Judean mountains where Samson lived in “Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol” (Judges 13:25), the yitran does not grow. Ropes made from yitran fibers could certainly have been bought in the local marketplace, but Samson’s instructions to Delilah explicitly prevented this, for he told her that they must be “moist and never been dried.” In other words…precluding their purchase in the local marketplace as ready-made, dry ropes…. Samson’s conditions required the Philistines…to gather huge quantities of yitran fibers on the coastal plain where they grow; these had to be worked clear of twigs in preparation for the actual plaiting…before the strands dried out—all the while paying strictest attention…had to be plaited with special care to ensure the greatest possible strength. All this required…a number of experienced teams…after the ropes were finished, they still had a long journey of at least twenty kilometers…to Samson’s home….
Before I wrote this blog, I thought about this rope in light of the desert dryness. Survival requires ropes to access water in the desert. Apparently, no one would leave rope at public wells because rope was a valuable commodity. You brought your own rope and bucket, or someone would steal it. That’s why Jesus told the Samaritan woman he had nothing to draw with. But as I wrote this blog, I began to ponder more on the old saying, ‘Give the devil an inch, and he’ll steal a mile.’
Samson didn’t anticipate they would retrieve the ropes, or he found amusement in their futile efforts. When we fall from the grace of the Lord, it never happens in big dramatic ways without little slips of diligence first. What a sad ending to Samson’s life, a reminder of the consequences of disobedience. Lastly, may we learn from his hard-earned lessons without traveling down those similar paths, staying vigilant and faithful.
In other words, give the devil an inch, and he’ll steal a mile.
The above pictures were scanned from Tree and Shrub in Our Biblical Heritage, Desert and Shepherd in Our Biblical Heritage, and Google’s images.
