Judges 13 - Birth of Samson

Judges 13 ESV

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, 7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ” 8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.” 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” 11 And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.” 12 And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?” 13 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 14 She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.” 15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.” 16 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.) 17 And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” 18 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” 19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground. 21 The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. 22 And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.” 24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

There are some places where going to church can be a cultural obligation, you go because everyone is going and that’s what “we do”... When I was growing up in Stillwater, Oklahoma, it was odd someone to not be going church on a Sunday morning.

While Kristy and I were living in Boston (15 years ago), if you ran into someone who went to church on Sunday, you knew they were trying to follow Jesus.

And your heart would leap if you did run into someone who went to church…because they were likely struggling with some of the same things you were as they tried to live out their faith in the midst of a culture that cared nothing for following Jesus.

In the midst of a culture so disconnected from the Gospel, a follower of Jesus would stick out in a city like Boston

I see Judges like I saw Boston back then… where people who were trying to listen for the voice of the Lord stuck out in the midst of the people of Israel who as Judges 2 put it...

Judges 2:10 (ESV)

10...who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

and on in vs 16-18...

Judges 2:16–18 ESV

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them.

To me, the judges stick in the midst of a people who does not know the Lord as representatives of the few people who are striving to follow the Lord and listen for his voice...

THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

Judges 13:1 ESV

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

1 - People of Israel did evil…again

The basic rhythm throughout the book of Judges has been,

the people of Israel do evil

the people of Israel are oppressed by an enemy

the people of Israel cry out to the Lord to save them from their enemy

The Lord raises up a judge to save them

their is peace while the judge lives

after the judge dies, the people turn back to doing evil

they are oppressed by an enemy

and they cry out AGAIN

CYCLE...

The latest AND last oppressor in this cycle is the Philistines and they have been oppressing Israel for 40 years...

But here the CYCLE is broken…Israel is in the midst of the longest defeat of it’s time and { they don’t even CRY OUT to the Lord} ...

BUT GOD...

Judges 13:2 ESV

2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children.

2a - Manoah the Danite of Zorah

2b - His wife was barren and had no children

Want to say a few things about Manoah’s wife being barren...

1-catch the parallel that the nation cannot even cry out to the Lord who brought them out of Egypt AND now the LORD is going to come to a woman who is barren and has no children. Though, Manoah’s wife is barren physically, the nation is SPIRITUALLY BARREN.

2-The Lord uses the humble heart of the barren woman to show that it is HE ALONE who fulfills His own promises and saves His own people

-Sarah > Isaac

-Rebekah > Jacob

-Hannah > Samuel

-Elizabeth > John the Baptist

-Mary > Jesus

So too in our passage with Manoah’s wife, we see the Lord improbably raise up another judge to deliver Israel...

THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Judges 13:3–5 ESV

3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

3 - Angel of the Lord

-You are barren, but you will conceive and bear a son

4 - Drink no wine or strong drink & eat nothing unclean

5 - No razor shall come upon his head

-Nazirite to God from the womb

-He shall begin to save Israel from the Philistines

Judges 13:6–7 ESV

6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, 7 but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”

6-7 - She told Manoah

Manoah’s Questions

Manoah’s 1st Question

FIRST - Lord, will you send the man again?

Judges 13:8 ESV

8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”

8 - Manoah prayed to the Lord (this is exceptional for the time period)

-Please send AotL again to teach us what we are to do with this child

Judges 13:9–10 ESV

9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.”

9 - God listened to Manoah and AotL came again to the woman

10 - She ran to get Manoah…he’s here!

Manoah’s 2nd Question

SECOND - Are you the man?

Judges 13:11 ESV

11 And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.”

11 - Manoah went and said…are you the man who spoke...

-I am - Not as in “I am the I am”

Manoah’s 3rd Question

THIRD - What is to be the child’s manner of life / mission?

Judges 13:12–14 ESV

12 And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?” 13 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 14 She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.”

12 - Now WHEN your words come true!

-What is to be the child’s manner of life and what is his mission?

13-14 - AoTL said…be careful...

-May not eat anything from the vine

-Neither drink wine or strong drink

-Nor eat any unclean thing

-Observe all I commanded

Judges 13:15 ESV

15 Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.”

15 - Let us prepare a goat to eat with you

Judges 13:16 ESV

16 And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.)

16 - I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord

-Manoah did not know that he was the AotL

Manoah’s Last Question

FOURTH - What is your name?

Judges 13:17–18 ESV

17 And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” 18 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”

17 - Manoah: What is your name? So that WHEN this comes to pass we may honor you

18 - Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?

…more like “extraordinary” OR “beyond understanding”

THE OFFERING

Judges 13:19–20 ESV

19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.

19 - Manoah took the goat and the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the Lord

To “the one who works wonders.” >> Is the name from vs 18

20 when the flames went up toward heaven from the altar

The angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar

Manoah and his wife fell on their faces to the ground

Judges 13:21 ESV

21 The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord.

21 - AotL appeared no more to Manoah and his wife

-Then Manoah knew he was the AotL

Judges 13:22 ESV

22 And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”

22 - We shall surely die, for we have seen God!

Judges 13:23 ESV

23 But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.”

23 - If the Lord had mean to kill us,

he would not have accepted our offering

Or shown us all these things

Or announced to us such things as these -

THE BIRTH

Judges 13:24 ESV

24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him.

24 - The woman bore a son and called him Samson

The young man grew and the Lord blessed him

Judges 13:25 ESV

25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

25 - And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him...

The Chosen BUT barren...

Apathy of the people - They did not cry out

Faith/Belief of Manoah and his wife - They prayed when the people weren’t even crying out under 40 years of oppression

Fear of God from Manoah and his wife

Angel of the Lord / Spirit of the Lord - what have I said about it in the past (?)

The ascension of the Lord and the giving of Holy Spirit

GO WITH THIS...

If you’re waiting on the Lord, you aren’t waiting without hope…because you are waiting on the only one who is faithful

Apply the four questions of Manoah to your life

1 (please send him again) & 2 (are you him) - Ask the Lord to show up (1) and don’t be surprised when he does (2)

3 - (what do we do with this son?) - God’s not going to tell you more than you need to know

Miraculous appearance of the Angel of the Lord (TWICE)

Obey all that He has commanded, and let him worry about the things unknown to you.

4 - (what’s your name so we may honor you?) - It’s too wonderful!

Psalm 139:1–6 ESV

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

Psalm 139:13–18 ESV

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.

Isaiah 55:9 ESV

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.