The Lord appears to the wife of Manoah and tells her that
she is to have a son, who will be a Nazarite and begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:4-6)
Israel was under bondage to an enemy from within, the
Philistines, who were never driven from the land under Joshua (Joshua 13:1-3)
The Philistines were allowed to remain in the land
to prove Israel's faithfulness to the commandments of the Lord through Moses (Judges 3:1-4)
Samson began to deliver Israel from the Philistines,
but it was David who finally subdued them (I Chronicles 18:1)
God required a separated Israelite, a Nazarite (Numbers 6:1-5), to defeat Israel's internal
foe
Israel's faithful tribulation remnant will need to
be separated from their brethren, "without the camp", in order to seek the city "to come" (Hebrews 13:13-15)
The Lord confirmed to Manoah the things He said to
his wife with emphasis upon the separated Nazarite vow (Judges 13:13-14)
The Lord commands Manoah to offer a burnt offering
to Him (Judges 13:16,20)
In response to Manoah's question concerning the identity
of his visitor, the Lord replies that His Name is "Remarkable", i.e. "Secret", "Wonderful"
(Judges 13:18)
A similar title is applied to Israel's future eternal
Divine Ruler (Isaiah 9:6-7)
It refers to His wisdom as the "Creator"
or "Father" of the ages, which He uses to accomplish His purposes (Hebrews 11:1-3); therefore, His Word can
be His people's confidence (II Peter 1:15-21)
The great "cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) recorded in Hebrews chapter
11 bear testimony that this is so
Manoah feared for the lives of his wife and himself,
because they had seen God, but his wife comforts him with the words of faith (Judges 13:22-23)
The Lord showed them things concerning their son, specifically
the separated Nazarite vow (Judges 13:5)
The Lord told them things concerning their son, specifically
that he will begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5)
Samson's life (hisrebellion and the sovereignty of God)
Samson was ordained by the Lord before birth to be a separated
Israelite, "a Nazarite unto God from the womb" (Judges 13:5), but he rebelled against that calling
He sought a wife among the Philistines (Judges 14:2)
He sought the love of yet another Philistine woman,
Delilah (Judges 16:4-5)
Samson was ordained by the Lord before birth to "begin
to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judges 13:5)
The Lord overruled Samson's proposed marriage for His
own purpose, which was something unknowable to Samson's parents (Judges 14:3-4)
Hence, the Name by which He revealed Himself to Samson's
father, "Wonderful" or "Secret" (Judges 13:18)
As the "Counsellor" and "Father of the
Ages" (Isaiah 9:6), His ways and thoughts are beyond the comprehension of His creation
(Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33-34)
Israel as a nation had accepted the rule of the Philistines
(Judges 15:11), so God used a private dispute
brought about by Samson's proposed marriage to accomplish His purpose (Judges 15:1-8)
Just as the lion had no power over Samson (Judges 14:5-6), so the Philistines in collusion
with rebellious Israel could not prevail against God's appointed servant (Judges 15:9-15)
So will it yet be with the faithful tribulation remnant
of Israel against false apostles (Revelation 2:2,9) and false brethren (Revelation 3:9)
Samson's death (his
faith and the power of God)
Three times (Judges 13:25) it is recorded that "the Spirit of the Lord" came upon Samson
The prayer of David under the Law was "take not
Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Psalms 51:11)
No such prayer for the saint under grace, "And
grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30)
Yet it is also recorded after the betrayal of Delilah,
"the Lord was departed from him" (Judges 16:20)
Samson had betrayed the evidence of his strength (Judges 16:17), which was also the sign
of his consecration to the Lord (Judges 13:5)
The Lord's absence became painfully real to Samson
through physical torture, imprisonment and ridicule by the enemy (Judges 16:21-25)
Samson's life of compromise brings him to ruin at the
hands of the idolatrous Philistines (Judges 16:21-25)
Israel' history of compromise will yet climax in their
ruin at the hands of "the Assyrian", the Antichrist (Isaiah 10:5-7)
Samson came to faith when he came to the end of himself
and the Lord responds by yielding to him the greatest of his victories over his enemies - the slaying of 3000 Philistines (Judges 16:26-30)
So will it be with the faithful remnant of Israel who
come to the Lord in faith during their affliction (Hosea 5:15 - 6:2)