Judges Birth Announcement
God has plans to save Israel from the Philistines. His birth announcement is the first step in that process. Meet Sampson’s parents. Manoah and his wife, who I will call Tamara.
Between Jephthah and Sampson there were three other judges that God raised up in Israel. They are: Ibzan of Bethlehem, who judged Israel for seven years; Elon the Zebulunite, who judged Israel for ten years; and Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite, who judged Israel for eight years. We are given very little information about their time as judges for Israel. Two of the three had a LARGE number of children (Ibzan and Abdon). We also know that the two with the children had great wealth, as they had donkeys for all of their sons. Ibzan did something that was unusual for Israel. He had his sons and daughters marry outside of his tribe; 30 of each. This introduced new blood into the family line. We know nothing more about Elon than his name and number of years he ruled. Even I can’t make a story out of their lives.
We turn our attention to one of Israel’s most famous judges; Sampson. Something I’m not sure of, is the timeline. We see that Israel sinned AGAIN, and God gave them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years. Then the Spirit turns our attention to the birth announcement of Sampson. My question is, that 40 years, did it include the time it took for Sampson to grow up? Or was it 40 years to the point of his birth announcement? We will see a little later that Sampson “judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.” (Judges 15:20) Did Sampson deliver Israel from the Philistines or just torment the Philistines a LOT. We see the damage Sampson does (later on) but not the liberation of the people. I am ever curious. These answers will probably not be given to me; certainly not in this part of our story. So, let’s jump into our story and see where the Spirit takes us today.
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Life is not easy for the tribe of Dan. They haven’t been able to take the territory that was allotted to them. They were living mainly in two towns; Zorah and Eshtaol. They were not a large or strong tribe. Nothing outwardly notable had happened with them.
There was an almost ordinary couple among this tribe who lived in the city of Zorah. Their names were Manoah and Tamara. The ‘remarkable’ thing about this couple was that they were barren. It was assumed that their barrenness was God’s judgement against them for some sin. They had done everything they knew to do to entice their bodies to produce a child. They had finally accepted the fact that they would remain childless, since every effort had failed.
One day, while the Tamara was busy feeding the chickens, a man appeared to her. She didn’t hear him approach; he simply was standing before her. She was startled enough that she jumped and let out a little scream.
He was beautiful. His skin nearly radiated light and his garments were as white as snow. The man smiled at her, then said the strangest thing. “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 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.” (Judges 13:3-5)
Tamara looked around to see if he could be speaking to someone else. There was no one else around her. When she looked back the man was gone! She knew in her heart that this was the work of the Lord. She gathered her skirt about her and ran to the field where her husband was working.
“Manoah, Manoah” she called as she ran. Her husband saw her approaching and was worried that something was wrong. He dropped his tools and hurried over to her.
“What is it Tamara” he asked with great concern in his voice.
With great excitement and hands flying, Tamara told her husband of her encounter. “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, 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.’” (Judges 13:6-7
Manoah believed the words of Tamara instantly. He grabbed he and pressed her to himself. They danced around together in the field for a few minutes. When they stopped, Manoah asked for more information.
“Did he tell you anything more? Maybe how we should care for him, discipline him, what he should eat? Anything else?”
“As soon as he delivered the message to me, he disappeared.”
“He vanished before your eyes?!”
“No. I looked away for a moment, and when I looked back, he was gone.”
“We will have to ask the Lord for guidance then.
That night, Manoah prayed to the Lord. “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.” (Judges 13:8)
The next day, as Tamara was laying the fire for her weekly wash, the man stood before her again. She was so excited that she jumped up from where she was kneeling and ran to where Manoah was. He was preparing for his day too by sharpening his tools.
Tamara ran up to Manoah and took hold of his tunic sleeve. “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.”
Manoah jumped up from his stool. “Where is he?”
“Over there by the wash fire.”
The two of them came back to the man as fast as their feet could carry them. When they approached the man Manoah moved Tamara behind him in a protective stance before speaking to the man.
“Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” (Judges 13:11a) Manoah said while tipping his head in Tamara’s direction.
The man smiled and replied; “I am” (Judges 13:11b)
“Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?” (Judges 13:12) asked Manoah.
The man was very pleased with Manoah’s words. Not ‘if’, but ‘when’ the words come true. He gave Manoah as much instruction as he was allowed. “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 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.” (Judges 13:13-14)
Manoah was hoping for more. Maybe if the man stayed with them a while, he would tell them more. “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.” (Judges 13:15)
The man shook his head. “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (Judges 13:16)
Manoah was excited! Certainly, he would prepare a burnt offering to the Lord. He still hadn’t realized that he was speaking to an angel of the Lord. Before rushing off to get the goat, Manoah had another question for the man. “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” (Judges 13:17)
Instead of answering, the man asked Manoah a question of his own. “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” (Judges 13:18)
Manoah started to open his mouth but then stopped. “This is WONDERFUL news. What does it matter the name of the one who delivered it” he reasoned to himself. He gave a shy smile and a shrug. Then he hurried off to gather the pieces of the offering. He filled a jar with grain he was saving for seed and went and caught his best goat. Then he returned to the man.
The man watched as Manoah prepared the goat for sacrifice. Manoah took the goat to a large stone that he would use for an altar. He laid the wood for his offering on the stone, then quickly slit the goat’s throat and drained the blood from the animal before cutting it and putting it on the wood. He put his clay jar with the grain in it in a hollow space in the wood. Finally, Manoah touched a torch to the wood and his offering began to burn. As the fire fully caught and began to rise towards heaven, the man seemed to be drawn forward into the fire and ascended towards heaven with the flames.
Manoah and Tamara fell on their faces in fear when they saw this. They both knew for certain that this man was indeed and angel of the Lord.
From his place on the ground Manoah groaned and cried out. “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” (Judges 13:22)
Tamara knew that this was not the case. She was able to calm Manoah’s fears. “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.” (Judges 13:23)
Manoah saw that there was truth is Tamara’s reasoning. The two of them rose from the ground and continued to watch the sacrifice until it was fully consumed. Afterwards, the two of them rose and went about their regular lives.
They did not see the man again. Tamara also did not see another barren month. She and Manoah rejoiced greatly that they didn’t have to wait like Abraham and Sarah did for the Lord’s promise.
Tamara made certain to observe ALL the restrictions the angel of the. Manoah observed them too, so that Tamara would not be tempted by his actions.
When the baby was finally born they were overjoyed. He was PERFECT! Ten little fingers and ten little toes. He didn’t look any different than any other baby, but they knew he was special. They would train him in the ways of the Lord and start him off on the path with circumcision on his eighth day.
As the Levite completes the rite of circumcision, he turns to Manoah and Tamara for the baby’s name.
“His name is Sampson” announces Tamara.
Sampson grew strong in the Lord and in physical strength. His mother NEVER cut his hair; as the angel had instructed her. They shared the angel’s purpose with Sampson regarding his life and his strength. And they ensured that he never drank wine or strong drink.
(to be continued)
I am impressed by Manaoh’s words regarding the prophecy his wife received. NOT ONCE did he voice doubt about what she was told. Each time he referenced the words of the prophecy, he said “when”, not “if”. He was not like Sarah or Abraham who laughed when given the prophecy of Isaac. He was READY for this kind of word in his life. He didn’t even know that the man was an angel of the Lord before believing. It was an answer to his heart’s cry.
I checked out the ‘requirements’ for a Nazarite. Google says they are: 1) no cutting your hair, 2) no strong drink, and 3) no touching anything dead. Later on in Sampson’s life, he not only touches the corps of a lion and EATS HONEY FROM IT, but he uses the jawbone of a donkey as a weapon against the Philistines. I find it interesting that the Lord didn’t say something about it. Just me thinking ‘out loud’ with my fingers.
Father God, I didn’t remember this portion of Sampson’s story. Thank You for reminding me of it and bring it to life for me. I’m amazed how many times You show me something new each time I come to Your word. Even in places that I KNOW I have to have visited before. You breather new life into it for me to find. Keep me coming Lord. And keep stretching my imagination to take in the wonders contained in Your word.
