In the Bible we read of angels appearing to men. There are only four instances when angels appeared to women - Mary, the women at the tomb on Resurrection morning, Hagar, and Samson's mother. This puts her in pretty special company.
Verses: Judges 13:1-25, Judges 14:1-9
Verses: Judges 13:1-25, Judges 14:1-9
Background –
parents, husband, children, siblings
She was married to Manoah and they had one son, Samson.
What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?
She was married to Manoah and they had one son, Samson.
What is she most known for? Victories? Defeats? How can I be like her? How can I avoid being like her?
Judges 13:1 says, "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years." None of the commentaries spent much time on Samson's parents' background, but I believe there was something very special about them. They lived in a time when Israel did evil, but they seemed to remain dedicated to the ways of God. There was no priest or judge to guide them - Manoah's response to the angel's prophecy was to pray, "O my Lord, 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 reappeared, Manoah said, "How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?" They were very concerned with raising their child in the way of righteousness.
Samson's mother was given very specific directions, "And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. She may not eat of any thing 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." His parents weren't told how to raise Samson, but how his mother must behave. "There is need of a good deal both of caution and observation, for the right ordering both of ourselves and of our children." (Matthew Henry)
Manoah and his wife then tried to detain the angel and prepare a kid. The angel, of course, did not eat it, but the kid is consumed with fire from the Lord. Judges 13:22-23 has an interesting conversation with Manoah and his wife, "And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these." Manoah was fearful, but his wife had faith that God was with them. "In his wife's reflection upon it there is great faith. Here the weaker vessel was the stronger believer, which perhaps was the reason why the angel chose once and again to appear to her. Manoah's heart began to fail him, but his wife, as a help meet for him, encouraged him." (Matthew Henry) "Who was less fearful, and the strongest believer of the two, seeing her husband so very much intimidated, endeavoured to comfort and strengthen him." (John Gill)
Did she reach a place when she needed to reset? If so, did she? For good or evil?
Samson's parents did exactly what God commanded them. "And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him." Sadly, the rest of the story for Samson's mother is one of heartache. Samson could not stay away from Philistine women. One thing that I noticed was the unified front of Samson's parents. They both tried to change his mind about marrying the Philistine woman, "But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines."
We don't know when Samson's parents died. Judges 16:31 says, "Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father." I wonder if his mother was still living when Samson loved Delilah. Did she know about him losing his strength and his eye sight, and that the Lord was departed from him?
I've always had mixed feelings about Samson. I think he had such wasted potential. He judged Israel for 20 years, but he is most often thought of in terms of his failures. He is mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 in the same sentence as Samuel and David as one "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." She may have not seen it but I believe that Samson's mother's prayerful and careful influence remained with Samson all his life.
Samson's mother was given very specific directions, "And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. She may not eat of any thing 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." His parents weren't told how to raise Samson, but how his mother must behave. "There is need of a good deal both of caution and observation, for the right ordering both of ourselves and of our children." (Matthew Henry)
Manoah and his wife then tried to detain the angel and prepare a kid. The angel, of course, did not eat it, but the kid is consumed with fire from the Lord. Judges 13:22-23 has an interesting conversation with Manoah and his wife, "And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these." Manoah was fearful, but his wife had faith that God was with them. "In his wife's reflection upon it there is great faith. Here the weaker vessel was the stronger believer, which perhaps was the reason why the angel chose once and again to appear to her. Manoah's heart began to fail him, but his wife, as a help meet for him, encouraged him." (Matthew Henry) "Who was less fearful, and the strongest believer of the two, seeing her husband so very much intimidated, endeavoured to comfort and strengthen him." (John Gill)
Did she reach a place when she needed to reset? If so, did she? For good or evil?
Samson's parents did exactly what God commanded them. "And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him." Sadly, the rest of the story for Samson's mother is one of heartache. Samson could not stay away from Philistine women. One thing that I noticed was the unified front of Samson's parents. They both tried to change his mind about marrying the Philistine woman, "But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines."
We don't know when Samson's parents died. Judges 16:31 says, "Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father." I wonder if his mother was still living when Samson loved Delilah. Did she know about him losing his strength and his eye sight, and that the Lord was departed from him?
I've always had mixed feelings about Samson. I think he had such wasted potential. He judged Israel for 20 years, but he is most often thought of in terms of his failures. He is mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 in the same sentence as Samuel and David as one "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." She may have not seen it but I believe that Samson's mother's prayerful and careful influence remained with Samson all his life.
No comments:
Post a Comment