READ -- Judges 13:1-25

"A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless."

We are introduced to Manoah and his family in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Judges. Manoah, an Israelite, was a descendant from the tribe of Dan. In Judges 13:2 we read, "A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless."

The Bible does not mention Manoah's wife by name; however, her son grew to become one of Israel's most famous judges. Our story begins during the time when the Philistines ruled over Israel. In Judges 13:1 we read, "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years."

In Judges 13:3-5 we read about an angel of the Lord who appeared to Manoah's wife. The angel announced the couple would conceive and bear a son. In Judges 13:5 we read, "You will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." Even before birth, God had a plan for the child's life.

Very little is recorded or known of Manoah and his wife, yet we know they were chosen by God to bear a child who would serve as a judge over Israel for twenty years. Their son was to be, "set apart to God from birth." The child, much like John the Baptist, was to take the vow of a Nazirite from his birth until his death. (See Judges 13:7 and also Luke 1:15-17.)

The Nazirite vow according to Numbers 6:1-8 included three things. A Nazirite was to drink no alcoholic wine or other fermented drink, was not to cut his hair for a specified period of time, and was to avoid becoming unclean by coming in contact with a dead body. Much education has taken place recently regarding the importance of proper pre-natal care. However, this subject is anything but new news. Manoah's wife was to take care of herself during her pregnancy according to the angel of the Lord's instructions. In Judges 13:4 we read, "Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean." (See also Judges 13:7 and 13:14.)

In Judges 13:24 we read, "The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him." Yes, the famous son of Manoah and his wife was indeed the Israelite judge, Samson. In Judges 15:20 we read, "Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines."

Much can be written of Samson's adult years and ultimately his downfall regarding him seeking the affections of women of foreign gods. However, in this devotional we are dealing primarily with the events surrounding the promise of his birth. God had a plan for Samson's life even before he was born. In Judges 13:5(b) we are reminded, "The boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." God's plan for Samson was for him to be an instrument in the hand of God in setting His people free from the Philistines. God's plans do not change.

The angel of the Lord appeared twice to Manoah's wife. First as recorded in Judges 13:3 and again in Judges 13:9. The second visitation was a result of Manoah's prayer. In Judges 13:8-9 we read, "Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: 'O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.' God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her."

Samson's parents had a responsibility to raise and teach their child in the ways of the God of Israel. In Proverbs 22:6 we are reminded of God's promise, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." I believe, Samson's parents did a fairly good job of teaching Samson. We must remember they were living in the time when many of the children of Israel were doing evil in the sight of the Lord and as a result the Lord had delivered Israel into the hands of the Philistines. Despite this fact, Manoah and his wife prayed to God, prepared an offering of sacrifice to God, and raised Samson to be a Nazirite.

We truly serve an awesome and living God. I pray that we would learn to worship God in new and intimate ways. May we be encouraged by the lives of Samson's parents as we meditate upon the words found in Judges 13:19-20, "Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground." Amen.

GOD'S PLANS DO NOT CHANGE


Return to Home Page Devotions For Development
Send comments/feedback to author.