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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Judges Chapter 13

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Samuel 
Date Penned: (550 BC)
Overview: A Record of Israel's Compromise in the Promised Land (c 1-21)
Theme: The Rescue of Israel by the Judges (c 3-16)
Message: Samson (v 1-25)

Judges 13 Commentary

(13-1) The Sixth Period of Judges - The Philistines lived on the west side of Canaan, along the Mediterranean seacoast. From Samson's day until the time of David they were the major enemy force in the land and a constant threat to the Israelites. The Philistines were fierce warriors; they had the advantage over Israel in numbers, tactical expertise, and technology. They knew the secret of making weapons out of iron (1 Samuel 13:19-22), while at that point in history, the Israelites were using bronze weapons. But none of that mattered when God was fighting for Israel.


(13:2-4) A Repeated Cycle - Once again the cycle of sin, judgment, and repentance began (see 3:8-9, 14-15; 4:1-4; 6:1-14; 10:6-11:11). The Israelites refused to turn to God until they had been stunned by suffering, oppression, and death. This suffering was not caused by God but resulted from the fact that the people had ignored God, their Judge and Ruler. What will need to happen for you to consistently follow God? The warnings in Scripture are clear: If we continue to harden our hearts against God, we can expect the same fate as Israel. 13:5 Samson was to be a Nazarite-a person who took a vow to be set apart for God's service (see Numbers 6:1-21). Samson's parents made the vow for him. A Nazarite vow was sometimes temporary, but in Samson's case, it was for life. As a Nazarite, Samson could not cut his hair, touch a dead body, or drink anything containing alcohol. Although Samson often used poor judgment and sinned terribly, he accomplished a lot when he surrendered to being set apart for God. In this way he was like the nation of Israel. As long as the Israelites remained set apart for God, the nation thrived. But when they ignored God, they fell into terrible sin.


(13:18) A Mystery - Why did the angel keep his name a secret? It may partly have been because his name was a mystery beyond understanding and too wonderful to imagine. Manoah asked the angel for an answer that he wouldn't have understood. Sometimes we ask God questions and then receive no answer. This may not be because God is saying no. We may have asked for knowledge beyond our ability to understand or accept.


(13:19) Manoah Makes an Offering - Manoah sacrificed a meat offering--that is, a food or grain offering -to the Lord. A grain offering consisted of crushed grain (or flour mixed with olive oil and shaped into a cake and then burned on the altar along with the burnt offering (a young goat). The grain offering, described in Leviticus 2, was offered to God as a sign of honor, respect, and worship. It was an acknowledgment that because the people's food came from God, they owed their lives to him. With this grain offering, Mano showed his desire to serve God and demonstrated his respect.


(13:25) God's Spirit Prepares Samson - Samson's tribe, Dan, continued to wander in their inherited land (18:1), which was yet unconquered (Joshua 19:47-48). Samson must have grown up with his wandering tribe's yearning for a permanent and settled territory. Thus, his visits to the tribal army camp stirred his heart, and God's Spirit began preparing him for his role as a judge and leader against the Philistines. Things that stir your heart may indicate areas where God wants to use you to serve and help others. God uses a variety of means to develop and prepare us: hereditary traits, environmental influences, personal experiences, and special callings. As it did with Samson, this preparation often begins long before adulthood. Work at being sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and the tasks God has prepared for you. Your past may be more useful to you than you imagine.

 

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application

The Lord Will Meet Your Needs

 

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of Judges with Chapter 13 and we see the Sixth Period of the rescue of the Judges of Israel with the birth of Samson. Again Israel fell into cycle of sinning and turning from God to have God announce the birth of the deliverer Samson by an angel much like the Messiah, Jesus-Christ, who would be in future days. In making application we see the Lord sending a deliver for mans sin to be forgiven and meet their needs. When we come to the end of ourselves we see that only God can forgive our sins and meet our needs. In my own life I wonder why I fail to remember this truth. I find myself focusing on my needs verses the one who provides my needs, the Lord Jesus-Christ. How about you? Do you see the Lord is the one who provides out needs. Let us learn from today's text and this book of Judges remembering that the Lord provides our needs. 

 

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Judges 13

Judges 13

 1And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

 2And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

 3And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

 4Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

 5For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

 6Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:

 7But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

 8Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

 9And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

 10And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

 11And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

 12And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

 13And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.

 14She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

 15And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

 16And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

 17And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

 18And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

 19So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

 20For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

 21But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.

 22And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

 23But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

 24And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

 25And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.