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Here are my notes from Judges 13. I hope the study will help strengthen the doctrinal foundation and christian character of those who listened. Again, it was a humble privilege to share with your group.

Dennis F.

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Judges 13

1) Background (v.1)
a) Moral environment
i) Recurring theme in Judges:
(1) ‘Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD’ (3:7,12)(2) ‘Again’ (v.1)(3) ‘They forgot the LORD their God.’ (3:7)(4) ‘Everyone did as he saw fit.’ (17:6)
(5) Cycle of rebellion, retribution, repentance, revival
ii) Israel lost sight of her unique identity as God’s people (vs. Ps 33:12)
b) Political environment
i) Consequence of rebellion (1b): Philistine bondage (leading enemy of Israel from Samson to David; origin of “Palestine’)ii) No Israelite judge to rule over them (12:15)
c) Personal lives of Manoah & wife (v. 2)
i) Wife: childless (same condition as that of Sarai, Rebekah, Hannah & Elizabeth, until divine providence). Consequences of being childless?
(1) Children considered God’s blessing; conversely being childless was construed as not having God’s favor.
(2) Ridicule from society
(3) No heirs; no one to carry name
ii) From tribe of Dan:
(1) see 1:34
(2) In division of Promised Land, last to receive portion & smallest of 12 (Josh 19:48)
(3) Omitted from list of tribes which will receive seal of God in Rev 7:5-8 [speculation: i) tradition that antichrist would come from this tribe (cf. Jer 8:16), or ii) due to its early idolatry (Jud 18:30), or both]iii) Hopelessness & desperation
iv) Was there any indication they blamed God for their miseries? Appear to be morally upright in a land of reckless immoralityd) Why all these afflictions on the couple?
i) God, in His sovereignty & wisdom, determines all the circumstances in our life (divine sovereignty) – birthplace, sex, abilities, economic status, how long we live, where we will die, etc. – and we’re expected to work from what God has appointed for us (human responsibility).
ii) Eph. 1:11 – bedrock Christian foundation. God controls our destiny. He is leading all things, without qualification, to the determination of His eternal will. He overrules all sin & suffering. Because we live in the midst of history and because of our finite existence & wisdom, we do not see the ultimate victory & purposes of God, as He does.
iii) Some bases:
(1) Ecc. 3:1-8 (essentially all of life’s activities)
(2) 1 Sam 2:6,7 – life & death; poverty & wealth
(3) Dt. 32:39b; Job 12:10 – life & death
(4) Ps 139:16; Job 14:5 – days on earth
(5) Isa 45:7; Amos 3:6b – prosperity & disaster
(6) Lam 3:37-39 – calamities & good things
(7) Dt. 8:18 – ability to produce wealth
(8) Dan 5:23b – God holds in His hands our life & all our ways
(9) Ecc 7:13-14 – Man cannot change what God had determined.
iv) God determined all of couple’s circumstances. ‘God is the disposer of the destinies of men.’ (A. W. Tozer)v) These are difficult truths to absorb, but as Tozer again says: God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, “O Lord, Thou knowest.” Those things belong to the deep and mysterious Profound of God’s omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but will never make saints. [cf. Dt 29:29]
vi) Purpose: to assure us (that He is in control) and to sober us (that His control is mysterious).
2) Hope & Deliverance (vv. 3-5) – Divine Sovereignty: what God alone can do
a) Good news: child à personal deliveranceb) How did couple react to the Angel’s message?
i) Wife (6, 10) – excited to tell husband
ii) Manoah (8) – prayerfully & submissively
iii) No doubts expressed
iv) Both realized that child wouldn’t be their own from the beginning. How?
c) At what price? Human Responsibility: what man should do by the power of God
i) Consecration of the chosen human vessel (wife) [7b] and the child to God from conception (no wine, etc.)
ii) Setting apart of the child to God from birth (no razor – explains Samson’s long hair) – lifelong Nazirite.
(1) From Heb ‘nazir’ = ‘to separate, consecrate’
(2) Nazirite – one who separated himself from others by consecration to Yahweh with a special vow (Num 6)
iii) We should view all our children as consecrated to God since they are gifts from Him.
iv) N.B. Samuel & John the Baptist, whose moms were initially barren, were likewise (though not necessarily Nazirites)
d) God’s specific mission for this child – he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines [continued in time of Samuel (1 Sam 7:10-14) & completed under David (2 Sam 5:17-25; 8:1) à political deliverance. In its callousness to sin, Israel no longer asked for a deliverer, unlike in the past (cf. 10:15), but God in His mercy still provided one. This was God’s appointment for Samson – he could not have chosen otherwise (as Jeremiah’s – Jer 1:5).
e) Did God provide moral deliverance? Yes & Noi) Yes – He will provide a deliverer from Philistine oppression (oppression was consequence of Israel’s moral failures) – divine sovereigntyii) No – Israel has to obey God (responsibility as God’s chosen & as gratitude for His mercies in providing a deliverer) – human responsibility.iii) Ultimately Yes – Jn 16:33; Eph 1:9-10
3) Who was messenger?
a) ‘I Am’ (11b)
b) Will not eat human food, but will accept burnt offering (16) – important clue that messenger was Deity as burnt offerings are made to God alone (not angels)
c) At one point, Manoah asked the angel’s name (17). Answer – ‘beyond understanding’ (18)
i) Means WONDERFUL in Hebrew (Isa 9:6)
ii) Therefore, it was a theophany à Second Person of Trinity, the pre-incarnate Christ.
d) Finally, after the outcome of the burnt offering (20a), Manoah & wife realized they were standing on holy ground (20b) and that it was the Angel of the LORD (21b).
4) Manoah’s main concerns upon learning he would have a son:
a) How to raise the child (8)/rule for the boy’s life & work (12). Do we have the same desire & prayer concerning our children?
b) Manoah understood the concept of biblical stewardship. We are stewards (or managers), not owners, of everything that God entrusts to us (children money, abilities, etc.)
c) These indicate that couple was morally upright
d) They could have bargained with God on the child
5) Note the conviction of Manoah regarding the Angel’s words:
a) Upon receiving the revelation through wife (6-7), he prayed and asked how to bring up the boy (8).
b) Upon knowing that he was speaking to God’s messenger, he believed (‘When’, not ‘if’) v. 12. [Same case as royal official in Jn 5: 46-50 who took Jesus at His word.] When God speaks, we believe and obey; we don’t contest, bargain, or compromise.
c) WHEN your word comes true (17) = FAITH (Heb 11:1)
d) Let us have the same conviction when we read the word of God.
6) How did Manoah & wife react when they realized they were speaking to the Angel of the LORD (22-23)?
a) Manoah: Resigned to fate that they would die because they had seen God. Has a good grasp of the truths about God – no one can see God and live (Ex 33:20). But he actually saw a vision of the pre-incarnate Christ, just as Abraham (Gen 22:11); Jacob (Gen 32:30); and Gideon (6:22-23) did. DOGMATIC approach.
b) Wife: Being killed by God at this point didn’t make sense as He had accepted their burnt offerings and revealed to them His plan. If they die now, their promised child who will be Israel’s deliverer will not be born. PHILOSOPHICAL & EXPERIENTIAL approach. God’s plans do not contradict His character; i.e., God’s actions are consistent with who He is à more insightful approach. E.g., if we are suffering, doesn’t mean God is unfaithful or His promises have wavered.7) Their response (desire to honor & obey God) was the result of their encounter with God.
Truths & Applications:
a) We do not choose our circumstances in life, the sovereign & omniscient God does. We’re expected to trust Him to bring about deliverance from difficult and trying situations.
b) We don’t bargain with God. We believe Him at His word. In the bible, His words are always WHEN, never IF.
c) When we encounter God through His word, our only response should be to honor and obey Him. When we encounter Jesus through the Bible, it will change our destiny (cf. Jn 8:1-11 adulterous woman). Manoah & wife’s destiny did, as did Israel’s.
i) Jn 5:24; Rom 8:1
ii) 1 Cor 15:3-4
d) While we need to be doctrinal in all our beliefs, we need to balance these with the spirit of what God wants us to learn and experience. Balance between life and doctrine (1 Tim 4:16 ‘Watch your life and doctrine closely.’)

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