SHIELD 241107 Judges 13

ACCOUNTABILITY FOLLOW UP

10/31/2024 Judges 12: A: △: ▽: T:

Stephen Ezell: 10/24/2024 10/31/2024 Judges 12:2-3 A: Need to get on God’s timeline △: 1). pray before work/2). at home enforce kids action ▽: Lost out on opportunities and blessings T: Cierra and Vincent

Tom Hess: 09/26/2024 Judges 9:56-57 A:Unrepentant sin God will discipline △: Find refuge in Christ / Mortify sin ▽: Failed Legacy T: Debbie and someone else

Lonnie Larson 10/24/2024 Judges 11:8-11 A: Important who we submit to △: get them to make choices now while in the home ▽: Can be unequally yoked T: sophia

Lyle Larson: 10/31/2024 Judges 12:6 A: Practice pronunciation △: talk to Alaine ▽: MBS Suffers T: Alaine

Keith Morgan: 10/31/2024 Judges 12:9 A: Opportunities missed with grandkids △: Take advantage of situation ▽: Neg effects T: Ilene

Mike Morgan: 10/31/2024 Judges 12:3 A: The Lord gives the victory △: Maintain relationship with the Lord ▽: Let people down T: Mark O

Mark Organ: 10/31/2024 Judges 12:6 A: I need to be careful of who I align with △: Limit/Go slow… work out a plan before bonding with another ▽: Unequally yoked T: Another elder

CONTEXT of Judges 13

Jephthah has defeated the Ammonites

The tribe of Ephraim got upset that they were not called into battle but Jephthah came against them and killed 42k

Jephthah then reigned for 6 years over Israel and then three other Judges were mentioned. It seemed like a period of relative but conspicuously absent was the presence and mention of the Lord

TEXT ANALYSIS

I. The prophecy concerning the boy Samson

Judges 13:1–7 | 1 Then the sons of Israel again did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, so that Yahweh gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had borne no children. 3 Then the angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall be with child and give birth to a son. 4 “So now, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. 5 “For behold, you shall be with child and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy 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, saying, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. And I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. 7 “And he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall be with child and give birth to a son, so now you shall not drink wine or strong drink, and you shall not eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”

Takeaway: The angel only spoke the complete instructions once. We must be very careful to respond to the word of God entirely

II. Only part of the prophecy repeated

Judges 13:8–14 | 8 Then Manoah entreated Yahweh and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom You have sent come to us again that he may instruct us what to do for the boy who is to be born.” 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, and she said to him, “Behold, the man who came the other day to me has appeared to me.” 11 Then Manoah arose and followed his wife, and when he came to the man he said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to the woman?” And he said, “I am.” 12 So Manoah said, “Now your words will come to pass. What shall be the judgment governing the boy and his work?” 13 So the angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Let the woman be careful in all that I said. 14 “She should not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing; let her keep all that I commanded.”

Takeaway: Earnestness is not a substitute for diligence. Manoah and his wife were earnest but they were inattentive and Samson ended up doing a pretty crummy job of saving Israel from the hand of the Philistines

III. The confirming sign

Judges 13:15–20 | 15 Then Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “Please let us delay you so that we may prepare a young goat for you.” 16 And the angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Though you delay me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to Yahweh.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of Yahweh. 17 Then Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” 18 But the angel of Yahweh 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 Yahweh, and He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 Indeed, it happened when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of Yahweh went up in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife saw this, so they fell on their faces to the ground.

Takeaway: It takes more faith to act on the word of the Lord without a sign than it does with a sign. There is a special blessing reserved for those who respond in faith

IV. The boy is born

Judges 13:21–25 | 21 Now the angel of Yahweh did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of Yahweh. 22 So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If Yahweh had desired to put us to death, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time.” 24 Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up, and Yahweh blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of Yahweh began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Takeaway: Sometimes the absence of outright destruction is indicative of the Lord’s grace - in America here we ought to have been wiped out, but God is gracious, nor desiring that any should perish

What Does This Text Say About:

God: The Father, Son, Spirit | People: Believers/Unbelievers

My attitude or behavior - What is the Holy Spirit convicting me about

What is one change that I can make | What is a consequence of not making the change

Who can I teach?

Stephen E. v___ A:_______________△:_______________▽:_______________T:_________

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Lonnie L. v___ A:_______________△:_______________▽:_______________T:_________

Lyle L. v___ A:_______________△:_______________▽:_______________T:___________

Keith M. v___ A:______________△:_______________▽:_______________T:___________

Mike M. v___ A:_______________△:_______________▽:_______________T:___________

Mark O. v___ A:_______________△:_______________▽:_______________T:__________