Chapter 54—Samson
This chapter is based on
Judges 13
to
16
.
Amid the widespread apostasy the faithful worshipers of God
continued to plead with Him for the deliverance of Israel. Though
there was apparently no response, though year after year the power
of the oppressor continued to rest more heavily upon the land, God’s
providence was preparing help for them. Even in the early years of the
Philistine oppression a child was born through whom God designed to
humble the power of these mighty foes.
On the border of the hill country overlooking the Philistine plain
was the little town of Zorah. Here dwelt the family of Manoah, of the
tribe of Dan, one of the few households that amid the general defection
had remained true to Jehovah. To the childless wife of Manoah “the
Angel of Jehovah” appeared with the message that she should have
a son, through whom God would begin to deliver Israel. In view of
this the Angel gave her instruction concerning her own habits, and
also for the treatment of her child: “Now therefore beware, I pray thee,
and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.”
And the same prohibition was to be imposed, from the first, upon the
child, with the addition that his hair should not be cut; for he was to
be consecrated to God as a Nazarite from his birth.
The woman sought her husband, and, after describing the Angel,
she repeated His message. Then, fearful that they should make some
mistake in the important work committed to them, the husband prayed,
“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.”
When the Angel again appeared, Manoah’s anxious inquiry was,
“How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?” The
previous instruction was repeated—“Of all that I said unto the woman
[561]
let her beware. She may not eat of anything 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.”
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