Bible Commentaries
Judges 13

Verses 1-25

Chapter 13

[Now, again] The children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. There was a certain man from Zorah, he was of the tribe of Dan, and his name was Manoah; and his wife was barren ( Judges 13:1-2 ),

And one day she was out in the field and an angel of the Lord visited her there in the field. And told her that she was going to become pregnant, she was going to bare a son and through her son God was going to begin delivering the children of Israel from the Philistines.

Now the angel said, "The son is to be dedicated unto God. You're not to allow a razor to come to his head." A Nazarite vow, not cutting your hair. Also he was not to drink any wine, strong drink, anything that came from the vine for he was to be a Nazarite from his birth, dedicated his life. His life was to be dedicated unto God, a commitment of his life to God. Well, she was all excited. She ran and she told her husband about this man that met her in the field, told her that she was going to become pregnant and have a son and that she was not to shave his hair and not give him any wine or strong drink.

And he said, "What did he look like? And what did he tell you?" And he said, "Oh God, if it's really you that appeared, appear again so we can get some further instructions what we are to do with this child."

So she was out in the field again and the angel of the Lord appeared again. And she said, "Would you mind waiting here. My husband wants to meet you." So she ran and got her husband and said, "The man who appeared to me in the beginning is here again." So Manoah came running up and said, "I just, you know, I heard the story and I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to know, you know, a little bit more instructions. She was sort of excited and I wanna make sure I got the, you know, the instructions straight. How we're suppose to raise this kid and what we're supposed to do with him and all, and tell me again." So the angel repeated he said, "Just like I told her. Don't give him any wine, anything that comes from the vine, don't cut his hair. He is to be a Nazarite, dedicated unto God."

And so Manoah said, "Look, I want-" well he wanted to-

Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, [verse fifteen] I pray thee, let us detain you, until we have made ready a kid for thee. And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though you detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD. So Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is your name, so that when your sayings come to pass that we might honour you. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? ( Judges 13:15-18 )

That word secret, in the Hebrew, is actually wonderful. "Why you ask me my name seeing it is wonderful?"

So Manoah took the kid with a meal offering, and he offered it on a rock unto the LORD: and the angel of the LORD did wondrously; while Manoah and his wife looked on ( Judges 13:19 ).

For while the fire was coming up, the angel stepped into the fire and descended up to heaven And Manoah fell on his face and said "Oh, we're gonna be wiped out. We saw an angel of the Lord face to face."

And his wife said, "Hey, what do you mean? If God wanted to wipe us out why would he tell us we're gonna have a baby and all this and give us all these promises."

And so he said, "Well, I guess you're right." So the level head prevailed of Manoah's wife.

So she bare a son, called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him in times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol ( Judges 13:24-25 ).

And so, the valley of Zorah and Eshtaol are actually eight miles from Jerusalem towards Tel Aviv. And that it is a very beautiful fertile valley through there. It was part of the inheritance of the tribe of Dan. And so this is where he grew up and God's Spirit began to move on him at various times. "