Cycle #7: Oppressed by Philistia – Delivered by Samson
Judges 13 – 16
Judges 13 – 16
Judges 13 – 16. This new section is different from the previous chapters in that previously Israel regressed and then was delivered and revived. In the case of Samson, Israel was delivered but not revived. Perhaps there was never a time when Israel was more afflicted than the setting of the life of Samson; oppressed by the Philistines, an enemy within the land.
O U T L I N E
Samson’s Birth
Judges 13
Judges 13
Samson. One of the most fascinating Old Testament believers to trace is Samson: the twelfth judge of Israel, of the tribe of Dan, and a Nazarite. He was a Nazarite from the womb, and ought to have lived a life of separation to Jehovah. His outward strength ought to have been mirrored by inward moral strength, but sadly it was paired with humbling weakness of spirit. Yet he was the deliverer that God raised up, and his character corresponded to the state of the people. Sadly, we see that though there were many instances of victory over the Philistines, Samson was unable to deliver them. Instead, Israel’s bondage seemed to increase, until the death of Samson. Samson pictures the church, which has no strength except in complete separation to God. Yet, in flirtation with the religious world, the church has defiled itself, and practically denied its nature as united to Christ the head in heaven. Like Samson, the church has become a blind prisoner. Like Samson in the house of Philistines or Sarah in the house of Pharoah, the consequence on the world, for alluring the object of Christ’s affection into its entrapments, will be at first chastening (Sarah) and then sudden and severe judgment (Samson), which will take place in the great tribulation (Rev. 17-18). Samson therefore represents the church, which refusing separation is at last given up to be prisoner in the world, where she can never be at peace, and in the end brings down the judgment of God.1
The Lord Visits Manoah’s Wife – Promise of a Nazarite Deliverer (13:1-7)
CHAPTER 13
1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. DARBY
v.1 Israel Regresses, Oppression by the Philistines. While we are not given too many details of Israel’s regression into evil, the seriousness of the consequence suggests a very low condition: “Jehovah gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years”. This was the longest of all seven periods of oppression (read more… https://www.realclearbible.com/judges/#oppression). We read of no cry of Israel to the Lord. In other deliverances, the people cried to Jehovah, and in response He raised up a deliverer. Here, the Lord works in spite of no apparent felt need on behalf of the people (Judges 15:11). This is sovereign grace. Many years had passed since “Shamgar the son of Anath… smote the Philistines” (Judges 3:31).
The Philistines. The various enemies of Israel represent the various enemies of the Christian in different aspects. The Philistines were the enemies of the people of God within the land of promise, and uninvited, as their name means “wanderers”. They had got there not by crossing the Red Sea, as the children of Israel had, but by a much easier way, which was along the coast of the sea, called “the way of the Philistines” (Exodus 13:17). God refused to take Israel that way, because they needed the training of the wilderness. The Philistines therefore represent religious flesh. Religious flesh is that which pretends to be for God, and yet has not accepted the sentence of death. The Red Sea and Jordan both speak of death. Philistinism is in each one of us, that tendency toward a form of godliness, which is pleasing the flesh, while denying the power thereof. Collectively too, because of the Church’s unfaithfulness, that which at the beginning was outside now is within the house of God, oppressing His people (2 Tim. 3:1-5). Judah (meaning “praise”) was especially vulnerable to the inroads of the Philistines. This corresponds to how religious flesh is destructive of true worship. Israel was unable to defeat the Philistines until David came on the scene, a picture of Christ who gives deliverance from this aspect of the flesh.
2 And there was a certain man of Zoreah, of the family of the Danites, and his name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and did not bear. DARBY
v.2 Manoah and His Wife. It is interesting to see who God uses. In His grace, God always preserves a remnant for Himself. It is to a faithful woman in a day of declension that the Lord appears. Manoah, whose name means “peace” was of the tribe of Dan, a tribe known for its unfaithfulness in the days of Joshua, and was is a moral state worse than the other tribes. Manoah’s wife was barren: a grievous affliction for any woman, but especially for those whose hopes are earthly.
3 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman, and said to her, Behold now, thou art barren and bearest not; but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. 4 And now beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. 5 For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son, and no razor shall come on his head; for the boy shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb; and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 6 And the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God, very terrible; but I did not ask him whence he was, neither did he tell me his name. 7 And he said to me, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son; and now drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not anything unclean; for the boy shall be a Nazarite of God from the womb to the day of his death. DARBY
vv.3-7 The Angel of the Lord to Manoah’s Wife. The Angel of Jehovah, I believe the pre-incarnate Son of God, appeared to Manoah’s wife, informing her of her conception of a son, though at that time she was barren. She was given instructions for her diet while expecting the child, and for raising him, specifically that no razor would come upon his head. What carefulness, that not only the child but his mother too, was to guard herself. This child would be the first of his kind, a Nazarite from the womb. This is God‘s resource in a day of ruin. He will use those who are fully and permanently devoted to Him. The messenger told her that Samson would “begin” to deliver Israel from the Philistines. It would be left to David to complete that work. Manoah’s wife told him that “a man of God” had appeared to her, with “the appearance of an angel”.
Nazariteship. The law of the Nazarite is given in Numbers 6, as one who would take a vow of separation to God; "When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto Jehovah …" (Num. 6:2). Nazariteship speaks of how the believer's strength is found in total separation to God and from the world. The usual case was a temporary vow of Nazariteship that would last only a short time, unless the vow was inadvertently broken, in which case the term would restart. In the case of Samson we get the first of a new kind of Nazarite: one who was designated by the Lord as "a Nazarite of God from the womb" (Judges 13:5). This was a new instrument of deliverance to Israel, suited to the desperate state of the people. We see the perpetual Nazarite in times of failure: Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist, and Christ Himself, though without the outward signs. The Nazarite's separation consisted of three prohibitions:
- No wine or strong drink (Num. 6:3-4). Numbers speaks of even dried grapes, and the kernels and husks. Anything that was connected with the fruit of the vine was to be avoided. Wine speaks of natural joy; that "cheers God and Man" (Judges 9:13). Because of sin, God is separated from man. The Nazarite was to deny himself those natural, social joys of life because he was completely devoted to the Lord. Perhaps an example of this gravity is seen at the marriage at Cana: Jesus said to his mother, "What have I to do with thee, woman? mine hour has not yet come" (John 2:6). Until the kingdom, natural joy was set aside. At the last Passover, a moment where natural joy would have been a great comfort to Him as a man, Christ would not drink of the fruit of the vine. But in the kingdom, when evil is put down; "until that day when I drink it [this fruit of the vine] new with you in the kingdom of my Father" (Matt. 26:29). So with the Nazarite when his vow was completed: "and afterwards the Nazarite may drink wine". There is another kind of joy that Christ did partake of; a divine joy which He called "my joy" (John 17:13). This surpasses human joy, because it is a joy that has God at its center.
- No razor upon the head (Num. 6:5). Long hair is a sign of subjection and dependence (1 Cor. 11:1-16). For a man to have long hair is a dishonor, because God has given man the place of headship. Long hair says, "I do not decide for myself, but defer to another". If the long hair pertains to a woman, for a man to adopt it is a personal dishonor to himself. Yet the Nazarite was to do this in self-denial and devotion to God. "The Nazarite proclaimed openly, that he had abandoned his dignity and personal rights as a man, in order to devote himself to the service of God."2 As we learn with Samson, what was outwardly a sign of weakness was really the key to his strength, for "when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).
- No defilement by a dead body (Num. 6:6-7). The Nazarite was not to be defiled by the dead, even in the case of father, mother, brother, or sister. Death is the consequence, or wages, of sin (Rom. 6:23). Physical death is a type of moral death: the spiritual condition of the unbeliever. Contact with the world is defiling, and the Nazarite was not to allow even the closest natural ties to hinder his separation to the Lord. The Lord Jesus could say, "Who is my mother and who are my brethren?" (Matt. 12:48). The Christian is to guard his natural relations (2 Cor. 5:16).
In Numbers 6 there are provisions for accidental contact with death, which required an atonement and a trespass offering. If he defiled himself, he was to shave his head: a public acknowledgment of his failure. To continue with the outward appearance of devotion to God when communion has been broken is a serious thing.
When a vow of separation was completed, a peace offering was made, and the hair was cut and put on the fire (Num. 6:18). It speaks of how, in a coming day, all our energy of devotion will be transferred into the energy of praise and communion! Our devotion to Christ can never be an object to admire; it is consumed. As a type of Christ, the true Nazarite, it speaks of Him returning to the Father having completed the path of obedience and devotion, sealed with the work of Calvary.
Separation to and From.
Separation is always looked at as to something and from something. We are to be separate unto the Lord first (Num. 6:2), and then from the world and defilement (Num. 6:3). The order is important. We can fall into a legal frame of mind if we forget that separation is first positive, then negative. In fact, the negative aspect will follow almost automatically when the heart is right. However, God still does speak extensively about the negative side of separation because our consciences need to be exercised.
Samson, the Nazarite. Samson, the first instance of a Nazarite from the womb, was a humiliating failure. We see him feasting, which likely involved drinking wine (Judges 14:10), touching a dead body (Judges 14:9), and finally having his hair cut (Judges 16:17). Though he long maintained the sign of a Nazarite (long hair), yet his continual and worsening failures in separation led him into a place where, at last, the physical sign was removed to align with his true moral state.
The Angel’s Second Visit, Manoah’ Offering (13:8-23)
8 Then Manoah prayed to Jehovah, and said, Ah Lord! let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, I pray thee, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. 9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the Angel of God came again to the woman whilst she sat in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 Then the woman hasted and ran, and informed her husband, and said to him, Behold, the man has appeared to me, that came to me that day. DARBY
vv.8-10 Manoah’s Prayer and Its Answer. Although the Angel appeared to his wife, Manoah seems to have wanted his own interaction with the messenger. It would seem that Manoah’s wife was more spiritually perceptive than her husband. God graciously listened to the prayer of Manoah; “and the Angel of God came again to the woman whilst she sat in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her.” Nevertheless, Manoah’s wife displays a gracious spirit in telling him what the Angel said, and that he had returned, following her husband’s lead.
11 And Manoah rose up and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said to him, Art thou the man that didst speak to the woman? And he said, I am. 12 And Manoah said, When thy words then come to pass, what shall be the child's manner and his doing? 13 And the Angel of Jehovah said to Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware: 14 she shall not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither shall she drink wine or strong drink, nor eat anything unclean: all that I commanded her shall she observe. DARBY
vv.11-14 Manoah’s Conversation with the Angel. Manoah asked the messenger how the child should be raised and he basically gave the same answer as before. No new information was added. Sometimes we want more light, when what the Lord wants is for us to be obedient to the light He has already given. What God wants from us before intelligence is obedience. Samson’s mother would share in the Nazariteship.
15 And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, I pray thee, let us detain thee, and we will make ready a kid of the goats for thee. 16 And the Angel of Jehovah said to Manoah, Though thou shouldest detain me, I will not eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt offer a burnt-offering, thou shalt offer it up to Jehovah. For Manoah knew not that he was the Angel of Jehovah. 17 And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, What is thy name, that when thy word cometh to pass we may do thee honour? 18 And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, How is it that thou askest after my name, seeing it is wonderful? 19 Then Manoah took the kid and the oblation, and offered it up to Jehovah upon the rock. And he did wondrously, and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 And it came to pass, as the flame went up from off the altar towards the heavens, that the Angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar; and Manoah and his wife looked on, and fell on their faces to the ground. 21 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that it was the Angel of Jehovah. DARBY
vv.15-21 Manoah’s Sacrifice. Manoah wanted to detain the angel, provide him a meal, and offer a sacrifice. However, the angel would not eat, and insisted that any sacrifice be directed to Jehovah. Perhaps Manoah’s wife had the sense not to ask the Angel his name, but Manoah was intent to find his identity. The Angel did show him that He was actually Jehovah in angelic form. However, at that time Manoah was convinced that this was a man of God, and therefore the Angel insisted the sacrifice be directed “to Jehovah”. For Manoah to worship what he believed was a mere man of God would’ve been idolatry. In v.17 Manoah asks his name, and the reply was, “How is it that thou askest after my name, seeing it is wonderful?” His name was wonderful in that it was Divine! We see that this was the Son, of Whom is was prophesied, “and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Further, when Manoah offered the sacrifice upon the rock, the angel “did wondrously”, before ascending in the flame of the altar and disappearing. This showed Manoah that the angel was “the Angel of Jehovah”. The revelation of the full truth of the Person of Christ awaited the completion of the sacrifice of Calvary. The Angel of Jehovah being separated from them may be a picture of how Christ has sanctified Himself in heaven, which by attracting our focus, helps us to be sanctified for Him down here; “For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth” (John 17:19).
22 And Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. 23 But his wife said to him, If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and an oblation at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would he at this time have told us such things as these. DARBY
vv.22-23 Manoah’s Reaction. Manoah’s reaction to seeing who he realized was the Lord was “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.” He was filled with fear, but his wife was more intelligent; “If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering, etc.” She demonstrated what it means to be a help-mete. In type, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the highest assurance of God’s love to us (Rom. 8:32).
The Birth of Samson (13:24-25)
24 And the woman bore a son, and called his name Samson. And the child grew, and Jehovah blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him at Mahaneh-Dan, between Zoreah and Eshtaol. DARBY
vv.24-25 The Birth and Childhood of Samson. Samson was born, and grew, and “Jehovah blessed him”. The birth of the Nazarite child follows the sacrifice. So, an appreciation for the work of Christ is the motive, the birth-place, if you will, of the believer’s devotion to God.3 The Spirit of Jehovah began to move him in the camp of Dan. This was a sign that the word of the Angel of the Lord would come to pass.
Places relevant to the life of Samson.
| Biblical Name | Modern Identification | Coordinates | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahaneh-dan | Region between Zorah and Eshtaol | 31.77, 34.97 | Camp of Dan |
| Zoreah (Zorah) | Zorah | 31.75, 34.95 | Place of wasps or hornet |
| Eshtaol | Eshtaol | 31.7833, 34.9833 | Entreaty or request |
| Timnah | Tel Batash | 31.75, 34.95 | Portion |
| Ashkelon | Ashkelon | 31.6693, 34.5715 | Weighing place or migration |
| Etam | Rock Etam region | 31.7, 35.0 | Lair of wild beasts |
| Lehi | Unknown site in Judah | 31.73, 34.96 | Jawbone |
| Ramath-lehi | Hill of Lehi | 31.73, 34.96 | Hill of the jawbone |
| En-hakkore | Spring near Lehi | 31.73, 34.96 | Spring of the caller |
| Gaza | Gaza City | 31.5, 34.4667 | Fortified |
| Valley of Sorek | Wadi es-Sarar / Sorek Valley | 31.8, 34.9 | Choice vine |
| Temple of Dagon | Philistine temple at Gaza | 31.5, 34.4667 | Dagon = grain/fish deity |
- “Nevertheless it is remarkable that, whenever the world draws away, by its allurements, that which God has separated from it unto Himself, this brings down the judgment of God upon the world, and leads to its ruin. Look at Sarah in the house of Pharaoh; and in this instance, Samson, blind and prisoner in the hands of the Philistines; and again also Sarah in the house of Abimelech, although God, on account of the integrity of his heart, did but chasten the latter.” – J.N. Darby. The Synopsis of the Books of the Bible.
- Rossier, H.L. Lectures on Judges.
- S. Ridout. Lectures on Judges.