July 20, 2023

God can come through in unexpected ways.

Judges 13

Jesus Ruiz Jr.
Thursday's Devo

July 20, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 20, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 20, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 20, 2023

Big Idea

Failure: Doing what's right in your own eyes.

Key Verse | Judges 13:7

"[B]ut 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

The Birth of Samson

1 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 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.” 6 Then the woman came and told her husband, “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, 7 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.’”

8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD and said, “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.” 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” 11 And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.” 12 And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?” 13 And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. 14 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.”

15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.” 16 And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.) 17 And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” 18 And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” 19 So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD, to the one who works 1 13:19 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew LORD, and working wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.

21 The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. 22 And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “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.” 24 And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the LORD blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Footnotes

[1] 13:19 Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew LORD, and working

S2:139 Judges 13

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Judges 13

The Israelites have been through so much. They have watched God deliver them from their enemies, and yet they think that they know better than God. But God allowed the Israelites to suffer the consequences of their bad decisions and to learn from their mistakes. There are five stages of sin that occur repeatedly in Judges:

  • Sin,
  • Oppression,
  • Repentance,
  • Deliverance, and
  • Peace.

When the Israelites reject God and choose their own way, they sin. Oppression would happen as a consequence for their decisions, just as a burn would happen if you touched a hot stove. Repentace looked like turning away from their selfish ways and choosing God once again. God would then appoint a judge to deliver His people. A period of peace would follow when the Israelites would trust the Lord. But the Israelites would ultimately fall back into their own sinful ways.

In Judges 13:1, the Israelites once again sin against God and do evil in the sight of the Lord. This led to them being oppressed by their enemy, the Philistines. Repentance hadn't taken place yet, but in Judges 13:5, we see God already working out a plan to deliver his people through a child born from a woman who could not conceive. Manoah and his wife trusted in the Lord and did not lean on their own understanding but kept the commands the angel of the Lord had given them.

This chapter starts with evil and barrenness, but ends with life and the Holy Spirit working in the midst of God's people. Soon we will see Samson, the new judge God will use to deliver His people and bring peace to the land. Will the Danites choose to follow God or their own way?

This month's memory verse

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

– James 3:17

Discussion Questions

1. We all have sin that we love to turn to. How are you fighting to live in the stage of obedience to God and His peace versus the stage of sin?

2. The Israelites would quickly forget what God had delivered them from and feel entitled to live their lives as they thought fit. What are ways you can fight what you feel entitled to and instead return to a dependence on the Lord?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

MS

Michael Sisson

Some noteworthy parallels between Samson and John the Baptist: - Both were born to a childless couple following an angelic annunciation. (Jdg 13:2-3; Lk 1:7, 13) - Samson (means “of the sun”) while John heralded the coming of “the morning star.” (2Pet 1:19) - Both were lifelong Nazirites (Jdg 13:7; Lk 1:15) - The Spirit was at work in both since their youth (Jdg 13:25; Lk 1:15) Re: Jdg 13:11 Jdg 13:11 (NIV) Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the one who talked to my wife?” >>>“I am,”<<< he said. A possible Christophany? (Jdg 13:22) Re: Jdg 13:15 Jdg 13:15 (NIV) Manoah said to >>>the angel of the LORD<<<, “We would like you to stay until >>>we prepare a young goat for you.”<<< As we’ve seen previously, typologically a goat can hint at the Despised Messiah and His rejection. In this instance, the goat prepared by Manoah and his wife may foreshadow the character of their own son. As a judge of Israel, Samson himself was a type of Messiah. However, for most of his life, his behavior fell short of his calling. Perhaps, in that sense, Samson is also a type of Israel itself. Unlike Hollywood’s portrayal of him, Scripture does NOT describe Samson as possessing a physique indicative of his great strength. Rather, “the secret” of His strength was a reflection of the Holy Spirit abiding with him. Likewise, the secret of Israel’s strength has not been in its size, but rather because G-d is with Israel…even dwelling in their midst. Typologically, a goat may reflect Samson (and Israel) being inconstant in his devotion to G-d and his calling. However, Samson (and Israel) ultimately fulfilled his calling as a paragon of faith. (Heb 11:32-34) Re: Jdg 13:23 Manoah’s unnamed wife seems to have been the wiser of the two.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Thanks, Jesus, for a thoughtful devo. I love this, “This chapter starts with evil and barrenness, but ends with life and the Holy Spirit working in the midst of God's people.” Q1. For me, fighting to live in the stage of obedience looks like high levels of structure to my day and evening. The constant temptations brought by technology team up with the relentless pings of email and call of the task list. The tyranny of the urgent tempts me to step away from God’s call to me and move toward the call of the world. I need planned down time to spend in reflection and prayer. Q2. A pastor friend brings faith down to a very simple level. Focus on what Jesus had done for me. Morning gratitude walks are a central way for me to stay focused on this truth. It’s way too easy for me to wander into wants and entitlements.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

2 Timothy 3:16- What does God want me to know, learn, and re-learn about Himself and me. About God Regardless of my sin and flaws God will use me for His purposes and to advance the kingdom. I can choose to fully engage or to disengage. Regardless of what I see as lack of provision or barrenness in my life he will still call me to His purpose and plan. And will provide every single thing I need to step into obedience and live it out. He will provide for me supernaturally. My response is to be one of thankfulness and gratitude. The grain offering is the model for the OT people and it should remind me to be thankful for God provision. https://www.gotquestions.org/grain-offering.html He has a specific purpose for everyone, (Genesis 1:26-28). He calls me into obedient partnership with Him. He will use me even if my life does not fully reflect His call. “Clearly, Samson was to be used by God against the Philistines (14:4), even if, in his own life, he did not follow God’s instructions.” About me It takes very little time for me to wander back into my little world of distraction and sin. “The writer recorded no Israelite cry for help from the Philistine oppressors.” In Samson I see this truth- “Yet his own life was a strange mixture of the strength and weakness that epitomized the tragic conditions within the tribe itself." The context of time and place will reflect my strengths and weaknesses. Samson’s parents represent a great example of faith and obedience.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

How does free will and choice play out on this passage? And surrendered obedience? ‘Our Lord never insists on having authority over us. He never says, “You will submit to me.” If our Lord insisted on our obedience, He would simply become a taskmaster and cease to have any real authority. He never insists on obedience, but when we truly see Him we will instantly obey Him. But once His life has been created in me through His redemption, I instantly recognize His right to absolute authority over me. Then He is easily Lord of our life, and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night.’ “The level of my growth in grace is revealed by the way I look at obedience. We should have a much higher view of the word obedience, rescuing it from the mire of the world. It is simply the unworthiness within me that refuses to bow down or to submit to one who is worthy.” https://utmost.org/the-submission-of-the-believer/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the notes- Samson was to exhibit to his age generally a picture on the one hand of the strength which the people of God might acquire to overcome their strongest foes through faithful submission to the Lord their God, and on the other hand of the weakness into which they had sunk through unfaithfulness to the covenant and intercourse with the heathen. And it is in this typical character of Samson and his deeds that we find the head and flower of the institution of judge in Israel. ... "But just as his strength depended upon the faithful observance of his vow, so his weakness became apparent in his natural character, particularly in his intrigues with the daughters of the Philistines; and in this weakness there was reflected the natural character of the nation generally, and of its constant disposition to fraternize with the heathen. ... The power of the Spirit of God, bestowed upon the judges for the deliverance of their people, was overpowered by the might of the flesh lusting against the spirit. "This special call received from God will explain the peculiarities observable in the acts which he performed,—not only the smallness of the outward results of his heroic acts, but the character of adventurous boldness by which they were distinguished."[444] https://www.gotquestions.org/angel-of-the-Lord.html https://www.gotquestions.org/burnt-offering.html A person could give a burnt offering at any time. It was a sacrifice of general atonement—an acknowledgement of the sin nature and a request for renewed relationship with God. https://www.gotquestions.org/Nazirite-vow.html https://www.gotquestions.org/life-Samson.html https://www.gotquestions.org/source-Samson-strength.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Samson-and-Delilah.html
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Jesus. (Well, THAT sure sounds familiar . . .!) When the Angel of the Lord instructs Mrs. Manoah not to drink any wine or strong drink while she was pregnant, so that Samson's Nazirite vow begins before he's even born, that makes a powerful statement for the personhood and value of the unborn. We see that same takeaway when the unborn John the Baptist (who was very much like Samson in his lifelong Nazirite vow) leaps for joy when the unborn Messiah comes into Baby John's mama's presence.
MS

Michael Scaman

Manoah (meaning rest) and his wife got a major confirmation when they saw "And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar." Maybe that's why they called his Samson (meaning sun and shield) Shock and awe. Would they be surprised their miracle baby wanted to marry a Philistine gal? No one is calling out for help but God sends help anyway for the people oppressed by the Phillistines. A picture of grace with God acting first. The tribe of Dan (meaning judge) is on the coast and next to where the Philistines lived . Ironically the Romans would name the land of Israel os Palestine (the land of the Philistines as an insult) Samson is a riddle and Samson has a riddle. Part of the riddle os Samson is that he will point to Jesus who did more with his death than his life saving us. Samson did a lot wrong but God used him. Samson was an enigma. Samson is a long story, one of the two longest with Gideon in Judges. Samson, the strong man of Dan, has his tribe fall into idolatry in two post scripts ending judges. Ironic the tribe of Samson would end up this way. The Bible says Gos will begin to delivery Israel through Samson, not that it will be a complete done deal. The tribe of Dan which is said to be a judge of the tribes fell into disrepute if idolatry despite being not far from the tabernacle and future temple?
AL

Amy Lowther

1. It is not a fight. God is patient, kind, and good. It takes a little bit everyday. Don’t fight. Be yourself and do your best. 2. It is not a fight. The Lord is good. Knowing the Lord created me and loves me no matter the good or bad I do, helps me stay to Him. I know He helps me receive things that I am “entitled.”