Bible Study Lesson — Judges 13:1-25
I’m sure you know most of the story of Samson, the strongest man in the world.
He lived, fought the Philistines, and of course lost his strength when Delilah cut his hair.
Today in the Book of Judges, we’ll take a look at the voice of the angel and how Samson is born, foretelling what he was to become.
And, there is a Christian message here for us to not ignore God as Israel did.
Philistines Take Control of Israel – Samson is Born
Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.
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.
Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.
Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.
For behold, you shall conceive 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 deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
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.
But he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink nor eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’” – Judges 13:1-7 NASB
Destiny of Samson the Nazirite
From the day he was born, the angel promised that Samson would be a “Nazirite to God“. This meant he had a special purpose in life to serve God and be a deliverer of Israel from the dreaded Philistines.
Who Were the Philistines?
These were people living on the Mediterranean on the west side of Canaan. They were hated enemies of Israel and had an army to be reckoned with.
The top weapons of the day were made of iron, and the Philistines were masters in creating them.
Was Israel at a disadvantage? You bet, except for one thing. With God on their side the iron weapons were of little consequence.
Using the Ultimate Weapon
As stated above, Israel could not lose with God on their side. The problem was in the asking.
All though the Old Testament, we see the people turning away from God until their situation became so intolerable that they could no longer bear the suffering.
Then things would brighten up and they no longer needed God in their minds.
Are We Like Israel?
I can’t speak for you but I know that I turn to God more when I’m in trouble than when everything is going fine.
As Israel found out in the times leading up to Sampson’s birth, ignoring God is not wise – especially during the good times.
God issues a warning to us that we are to stay in touch with Him, and depend on Him through the good times and bad.
[easyazon_image align=”left” height=”160″ identifier=”1414359810″ locale=”US” src=”https://makingchristknown.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/41r4WCbUeL.SL160.jpg” tag=”bobpardphot-20″ width=”105″]If we choose to ignore Him, we can easily end up with the same fate as Israel.
It shouldn’t take a catastrophe for us to follow God. He wants to be involved in our everyday lives. Have you spoken to God today?
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you would like to discover more about the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16 here.
Read Today’s Passage Here:
New American Standard Bible
New King James Version