Walk in God’s Path

August 7, 2011


Background Scripture: Judges 13; 21:25
Lesson Passage: Judges 13:1 – 8, 24, 25

Today’s lesson chronicles the steps given to a couple from the tribe of Dan to prepare them to receive a blessing. This would be a blessing to them because it will take away the reproach that couples had to bear at that time for being childless. This would also be a blessing to Israel to take away the reproach of being oppressed for forty years at the hands of their enemy the Philistines. As is repetitious throughout the book of Judges, Israel had again found themselves without a leader and had backslidden and did evil in the sight of God. God had allowed the Philistines to oppress them for forty years as a result of their sin. What is different about this deliverance is that the bible does not say that the nation of Israel cried out to the Lord for deliverance from the oppression prior to God sending a deliverer. The focus of the text is the steps the woman had to take as prescribed by God. She was to keep herself from the fruit of the vine and all strong drinks and unclean food. She was to raise the child the Lord was going to bless her with under the vow of a Nazarite from his birth. These instructions were not given to the man but to the woman. She relayed it to her husband and he in turn sought directions from God in prayer relative to it. When the messenger of God returned to the woman the second time, she alerted her husband; he then asked counsel of the messenger. The messenger’s counsel was that the woman must follow the advice he had previously given her and so he repeated it for her husband that he might also know. The woman showed great respect towards her husband as well as confidence in him by sharing with him all that she had been told to do. Likewise, the husband showed great faith in accepting the words of God’s messenger as true and sought more clarity from God concerning the prophecy. When the messenger returned, the couple sought to make a sacrifice and prepare a meal for him. The messenger refused the offer of food and instructed the couple to only offer a sacrifice unto the Lord. At this point, the couple desired to know his name that they could honor him when the baby was born (perhaps by naming the child after him). When the offering was prepared and offered up by fire, the messenger ascended in the flame in the sight of the couple so that they were moved to bow down and worship for they recognized that this was no other than an epiphany or pre-incarnate Christ who had visited with them. This was the last time the couple was visited by the messenger but it was enough to fully persuade them that God was indeed with them. This must have been encouraging for them throughout the pregnancy and childhood of the promised baby. They would never be able to erase the memory of that visit. Whereas fear came upon them after learning the identity of the messenger, a spirit of wisdom was also on the woman in that she understood that this was further confirmation of God’s plans for them. When the boy was born, his mother called his name Samson and God’s favor was upon his life.

Robert C. Hudson
July 28, 2011