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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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SIXTH PERIOD
(20YRS): SAMSON AGAINST THE
PHILISTINES (13:1-16:31) (13:1) Judges 13:1-25,
11/27/13 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. A NEW CYCLE BEGINS (JDG 13:1) A. The new cycle is not a better cycle
because each cycle begins with the all too familiar phrase, “the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the
LORD” (Jdg 3:5–7, 12–14; 4:1–3; 6:1–2; 8:33–35;
10:6–9). B. It is presumable that their evil was the
worship of false gods. In Jdg 10:6 God accuses Israel of worshipping the
“gods of the Philistines” (Dagon) among others. In Jdg 10:7, we see that in
the Lord’s anger, He delivered Israel into the hands of the Philistines. C. The Philistines had lived in Palestine
since Abraham’s time (Ge 21:32–34; 26:1–6). Shamgar had a great victory over
the Philistines, at least temporarily (Jdg 3:31). D. The Philistine domination went on for
“forty years” (Jdg 13:1) until God decided to raise
up another deliverer, by the name of Samson. We do not read that Israel cried
out to the Lord. In fact, we do not see the Israelites cooperating with
Samson against the Philistines. The Philistines would continue to trouble
Israel until the early years of the reign of David (2Sa 5:17-25). II. THE ANGEL OF THE LORD VISITS MANOAH’S WIFE
(JDG 13:2-7) A. Manoah and His wife (2) 1. [2] Members of the tribes of Dan and
Judah were in Philistine territory and the first to come under domination
(Jdg 15:11). A man named Manoah, from the tribe of Dan, lived in Zorah,
located in the foothills about fifteen miles west of Jerusalem.. 2. Similar to Abraham’s situation, Manoah’s
wife would be barren until a divine intervention. B. The Angel of the Lord 1. [3] The Angel of the Lord is once again
introduced into the book of Judges. As was previously stated and will also be
shown by the context of Jdg 13:8-23, the angel of the Lord was the
pre-incarnate ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. a) The name God and the Angel of the Lord
were used interchangeably (Ex 3:1-4 cf. Ac 7:30-32). b) The angel of the Lord spoke to Moses on Mt
Sinai (Ac 7:38 cf. Ex 20:1, 22). c) Other passages that confirm the identity
of the Angel of the Lord as God (Ge 31:11-13; 48:15-16; Ex 13:21-22 cp. Ex
14:19; Jdg 6:11-15ff; 13:21-22). d) If the Angel of the Lord is deity, then He
must be a member of the Trinity. Which member? It would be the One who is the
visible image of the invisible God, the Lord Jesus Christ (Col 1:15; He
1:1-3; Jn 14:9). 2. The Angel of the Lord appeared to
Manoah’s wife and declared to her that she would “conceive and give birth to a son.” This very expression was a divine prophetic blessing
given several times in the Scriptures (Ge 16:11; 17:16; 18:10; Is 7:14; Lk
1:35). C. Samson would be a Nazirite 1. [4] The Angel of the Lord instructed
Manoah’s wife #1- not to drink wine or strong drink, not eat anything unclean
(Mosaic Law), #2- nor use a razor upon his head (5). 2. [5] The reason was that Samson was to be
a Nazirite to God from the womb. a) The word “nazirite” (nazir) means
to dedicate or consecrate (Nu 6:8). b) It was a vow that was made by a person to
the Lord; Samson’s case was the exception. It included the two restrictions
given to Samson’s mother (cf. Nu 6:2, 8, 12, 18, 21).
#3- A third major restriction for a Nazirite was the
prohibition of coming in contact with a dead person (Nu 6:6). c) God’s purpose in making Samson a Nazirite
from the womb was to convey that Samson was God’s chosen deliverer against
the Philistines. d) Samson would inevitably break the Nazirite
vow, which would lead to his downfall. 3. [6-7] Afterwards, Manoah’s wife told him
everything that happened and everything the Angel of the Lord said. III. ANGEL OF THE LORD VISITS MANOAH (JDG
13:8-23) A. [8] Faced with the responsibility of what
he just learned, Manoah entreated the Lord to teach them how to raise this
child, which was to be dedicated to the Lord. B. [9-10] God heard Manoah’s prayer and the
Angel of the Lord visited a second time. Though Manoah was not present, his
wife went and told him about the visitor (10). C. [11] Manoah asked the Angel of the Lord if
He was the one that spoke with his wife before. The Angel of the Lord
affirmed that it was. Up to this point, Manoah’s wife referred to the Angel
of the Lord as a “man of God” (6, 8). The term “man of God” with the
“appearance of the angel of God” means a chosen prophet or messenger sent by
God (Dt 33:1; 1Sa 9:6; 2Ch 8:14), not necessarily the actual Angel of the
Lord. D. [12-14] Manoah asked about his son’s mode
of life and vocation. The Angel of the Lord answered by reiterating that
Samson was to be a Nazirite, dedicated to the Lord. The Angel of the Lord was
careful to gain the woman’s attention. Not only would these restrictions
apply to Samson, but also to Samson’s mother (“she”) while she carried the
child. God wanted the parents’ dedication as well, so that they would have an
influence on Samson’s upbringing. E. [15-16] Manoah offered the Angel of the
Lord food, but He asked instead for a burnt offering to be offered to the
Lord. A key insertion is the phrase, “For
Manoah did not know that He was the angel of the Lord.” F. [17-18] Manoah also asked the visitor’s
name in order to honor him. The visitor replied that His name was a wonderful
name. He did not mean that His name was one of the better names among men.
The word “wonderful” (pali) can mean incomprehensible, in that His
name was not a name understood as a mere human name but of a divine nature
(cf. Is 9:6). G. [19-21] After Manoah offered the sacrifice
on a rock to the Lord (cf. Jdg 6:21), the Angel of the Lord performed
“wonders” (pala - same root as “wonderful” vs. 18), i.e. miracles that
could only be ascribed to God. The flame from the offering rose toward
heaven, which was a sign that the offering was accepted by God. Then the
Angel of the Lord ascended with the flame to heaven and Manoah and his wife “fell on their faces to the ground.” Since the Angel of the Lord did not return but stayed
in heaven, Manoah and his wife understood that He was not a mere “man of God”
but the Angel of the Lord, God Himself. H. [21-23] Understanding that he saw and was
speaking to God, he feared that they would die. Because man is sinful, when
he comes into the presence of God, he understands that he should be destroyed
from God’s holiness (cf. Jdg 6:22-23). Not with arrogance, but with good
reasoning, Manoah’s wife deduced that if God were going to kill them, then He
would not have revealed His plan for the birth of Samson with them. IV. SAMSON IS BORN (JDG 13:24-25) A. [24] Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son and
named him “Samson” (Shimshōn fr. Shemesh) which means “sun,”
possibly as in the sun was made for man’s blessing in light and heat. Samson
was raised as a delivering blessing for Israel. B. [25] While in Mahāneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaōl, the Spirit of the Lord began to “stir” (pagain - thrust
or impel) Samson with a burden to trouble the Philistines. V. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. A Model for Parents - Manoah and
his wife become an example on raising children dedicated to the Lord. This
was illustrated by Manoah’s prayer for wisdom to raise Samson, as well as his
wife’s vow of dedication. There must be a commitment not only to raise
children to be dedicated and useful for the Lord, the parents themselves must
be an example of what a dedicated life looks like. Some things are caught as
well as taught (Ep 6:4; Pr 31:29). B. The Presence of the Lord - A
repeated theme in Israel’s history was that the Lord was present with His
people. The appearances and interactions of the Angel of the Lord
demonstrated that God was continually with His people, guiding, providing,
and protecting them. Since Christ was the Angel of the Lord and He was with
His people, it should bring encouragement to believers today to know that
Christ will be “with us always, even to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20; Ac
18:9-10). C. God Makes the Son to Shine on Us -
In a time of darkness, God sent a deliverer to Israel, to bless them and
cause the “sun” (Samson) to shine on them. In a greater way, in man’s
darkness of sin, God sent the Deliverer to sinful man, to bless the believer
and cause His Son to shine on them. The phrase to “make His face shine on
you” (Nu 6:25) means that God blesses us with His grace and favor. Sinful man
can only find God’s grace and favor in Christ. He who has the Son, has God’s
grace and favor (Jn 1:17; Ro 3:24; Ep 2:5 cf. 2Ti 1:2; 2Jn 1:3). |
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