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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Judges chapter 13. Judges chapter 13. We're spending some of these 
weeks in the summer away from the Gospel of Matthew. We're 
focusing on the two best known, or I suspect of the best known, 
judges in the book of Judges. We concluded our study with reference 
to Gideon a couple of weeks ago. After Gideon, there is Tola, 
Jer, Jephthah, Ibn, Elon, Abdon, and then Samson. Samson is the 
final judge, the final deliverer recorded in the largest part 
of the book of the Judges. Chapter 3 beginning in verse 
7 all the way to chapter 16 verse 31 indicates the human deliverers, 
the men that God raised up to save his people from their oppressors 
at the time of this particular book. So we're going to pick 
up reading in chapter 13. We'll read the chapter and then 
consider the birth of Samson. Again the children of Israel 
did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered 
them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. Now there was 
a certain man from Zorah, the family of the Danites, whose 
name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and had no children. 
And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 
Indeed now, you are barren and have born no children, but you 
shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful 
not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything 
unclean. For behold, you shall conceive 
and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for 
the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb. and he 
shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.' 
So the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God 
came to me, and his countenance was like the countenance of the 
angel of God, very awesome. But I did not ask him where he 
was from, and he did not tell me his name. And he said to me, 
Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine 
or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. For the child shall 
be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. 
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, O my Lord, please let 
the man of God whom you sent come to us again and teach us 
what we shall do for the child who will be born. And God listened 
to the voice of Manoah. And the angel of God came to 
the woman again as she was sitting in the field. But Manoah, her 
husband, was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and 
told her husband and said to him, look, the man who came to 
me the other day has just now appeared to me. So Manoah arose 
and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said 
to him, are you the man who spoke to this woman? And he said, I 
am. Manoah said, now let your words 
come to pass. What will be the boy's rule of 
life and his work? So the angel of the Lord said 
to Manoah, of all that I said to the woman, let her be careful. 
She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may 
she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All 
that I commanded her, let her observe. Then Manoah said to 
the angel of the Lord, please let us detain you, and we will 
prepare a young goat for you. And the angel of the Lord said 
to Manoah, Though you detain me, I will not eat your food. 
But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord. 
For Manoah did not know he was the angel of the Lord. Then Manoah 
said to the angel of the Lord, What is your name, that when 
your words come to pass, we may honor you? And the angel of the 
Lord said to him, Why do you ask my name? Seeing it is wonderful. So Manoah took the young goat 
with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the 
Lord. And he did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked 
on. It happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the 
altar. The angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the 
altar. When Manoah and his wife saw 
this, they fell on their faces to the ground. When the angel 
of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then 
Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. And Manoah said 
to his wife, we shall surely die, because we have seen God. But his wife said to him, if 
the Lord had desired to kill us, he would not have accepted 
a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor 
would he have shown us all these things, nor would he have told 
us such things as these at this time. So the woman bore a son 
and called his name Samson. And the child grew, and the Lord 
blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began 
to move upon him at Mahana Dan, between Zorah and Eshtoel. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Holy Father, we thank you for the scriptures. We thank you 
that the Spirit has given them to us. And even now we pray that 
he would be at work in our minds and in our hearts. We confess 
our sin and our transgression and our iniquity. We confess 
all these things and pray that you would cleanse us in the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that sin casts a darkening 
influence over our minds so that we do not receive your word as 
we ought. So please forgive us. Please 
wash us. Please cleanse us. And may the 
spirit take the truth of God's holy word and seal it upon our 
hearts and upon our minds. We ask that you would bless and 
encourage the people of God today. We pray that they would be sanctified 
and grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. May we see in even a passage 
like Judges 13 the glory of Christ set forth. And for those, God, 
who've come here this morning outside of Christ, we pray that 
today would be the day of salvation, that they would know a greater 
than Samson, one who doesn't just begin to deliver Israel 
from oppression, but saves his people from their sins. We ask 
almighty God that wherever the gospel is preached today, your 
word would run swiftly and be glorified. And we ask through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we consider this 
birth narrative, which is the only one in the book of Judges 
in terms of the men that God raised up. Samson gets more attention 
than the others. I think, I don't know why, I 
don't know why the author spends so much time on Samson, but certainly 
he is an endearing character. He's received a lot of bad press. 
I made a reference to a man that wrote an article on Judges 16, 
where Samson rather goes to Gaza. Many accept or many believe that 
he went into the harlot there at Gaza. This man argues very 
persuasively that that wasn't the case at all. I wrote an email 
to this man to thank him and I had referenced that often times 
it seems to me that Samson fared better in the hands of the Philistines 
than he did in some of the modern commentators that treat his life 
and story and the man basically agreed with that. While Samson 
was not a perfect man, Samson nevertheless was a God-called, 
God-equipped, and God-sent man to do a specific task. And I 
think, and I hope, as we move through this narrative, Judges 
13 to 16, we won't cover all that ground this morning, but 
I hope you'll have a newfound appreciation for this brother, 
and for the work that he did, and why he is indicated as a 
champion of faith in Hebrews chapter 11, specifically in verse 
32. Well, as I mentioned this morning, 
or as I mentioned just recently, judges 13. takes up the birth 
narrative. It's also a call narrative. It is God's call upon this particular 
man so that he could engage in the task that the Lord had, in 
fact, entrusted to him. Remember the way of the structure 
of the book. I hope as we remind you of this, 
it will get into your heads. In chapter 2, there is a thematic 
overview of the book. In other words, chapter 2 tells 
us what the rest of the book is going to look like. And in 
chapter 2 it essentially says this, that the children of Israel 
sin against God. When they sin against God, the 
Lord then sends an oppressor, a people, a group, in this instance 
the Philistines, to chastise Israel. Typically the people 
of Israel cry out after a period of oppression. They cry out not 
in repentance but in distress and then God answers by raising 
up a deliverer or a judge and sending him to save his people 
from that oppression. So the same pattern is involved 
in this particular instance with a couple of exceptions. So there's 
two broad categories we want to look at this morning in chapter 
13. First is the sin of Israel, verse 1, and then secondly, the 
agent of deliverance in verses 2 to 25. So if you're taking 
notes this morning, those are your two broad categories. We 
have some subheadings underneath each. First, note the sin of 
Israel. Chapter 13, verse 1. Again, the 
children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. This is 
precisely what we find in chapter 2. Those cycles, sin, oppression, 
distress, and then God sends relief. And so the children of 
Israel revert to probably Baalism. In chapter 2 verse 11 it tells 
us they turn to Baal, they forsake Yahweh. In other words, they 
leave the God they are indebted to, the God they are supposed 
to serve and love, the God they are supposed to worship, the 
God they are supposed to obey in the land of Canaan. They cast 
him aside, and they then bow down to Baal, and they bow down 
to Asherah, and they engage in idolatry and wickedness and evil. You need to appreciate this. 
It's not as if God is just arbitrarily mean to his people. Well, he 
sends the Philistines to oppress them. God sends the Philistines 
to oppress them because they have broken the covenant. This 
was the stipulation. This was the book of Deuteronomy. 
Do this and live. God promises when they go into 
the land. If they don't do that, they will 
not live. They will suffer the curses of 
God's covenant upon their own hands." So the children of Israel 
did evil in the sight of the Lord, and then notice the oppression 
of Israel, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines 
for forty years. Again, just a glancing reference 
to the absolute sovereignty of God. It is the Lord who brings 
peace to his people Israel. It is the Lord who brings oppression 
to his people Israel. It is the Lord God Most High 
who is in the heavens and he does whatever he pleases. So 
the Lord delivers them into the hand of the Philistines, a particularly 
nasty group of people, and notice the length of the oppression. 
It is 40 years. You see, as we proceed in the 
Samson narratives, we're gonna learn that what Samson does best 
is kill Philistines. And there are times and seasons, 
as New Covenant Christians, where we get a little bit offended 
by such a thing. But these Philistines are oppressing 
the people of God. These Philistines are making 
life miserable for the people of God. Now, I should just add, 
our task isn't to go out and kill Philistines. Please don't 
think that I said that. Do not believe for a moment that 
I'm advocating that you go out and buy every gun at dart and 
tackle and every round of ammunition and sit up on a hill and start 
picking off Philistines. That is not what I'm suggesting. 
There is the mandate for holy war in the Old Covenant. There 
is the instruction of God to the children of God to go in 
and dispossess the land of the Canaanites. We need to understand 
these people were oppressive. These people were vengeful. These 
people were unkind. These people made life miserable 
for Israel. So remember our cycles. There's 
sin. There's oppression. Now there's a difference here 
in this particular cycle. Notice what we find in verse 
2. Now there was a certain man from 
Zorah. If I were to ask you right now, in this probably 90 degree 
weather, and you're probably a little tired, what's missing? I hope that you'd be able to 
answer me. But because I'm not always absolutely positive that 
everyone could answer me, I'll answer it for you. Sin, oppression, 
a cry of distress, and then deliverance. Notice there's no cry of distress 
here. Israel doesn't cry out. Israel 
doesn't grumble before the Lord and say, we don't like this 40 
years of oppression. In each of the other cycles, 
you can read this in chapter 3 verse 19, chapter 3 verse 15, 
chapter 4 verse 3, chapter 6, the Gideon narrative, 
6 and 7, and then chapter 10 with reference to Jephthah. In 
each instance where the children of Israel sin, God raises up 
an oppressor. He brings this to bear upon them, 
and then they cry out to God. Again, not in repentance, but 
in distress. In other words, this cry goes 
something like this, We don't like Ammonite oppression. We 
don't like the problems that the Midianites have brought to 
us. We don't like the way that life is currently in Israel. 
And I'm getting to a point here because this is where we learn 
something about what life in the church today looks like. 
There is no cry of distress because the people of God have made peace 
with Philistine oppression. Think about this for a moment. 
They're not upset. They're not put out. They're 
not hindered. There is nothing in them that 
would suggest that they see the problem that they find themselves 
in. This is going to be evident as 
we move through the Samson narratives. What happens in chapter 14 when 
Samson goes down to Timnah? He wants a wife. He wants a wife 
from the daughters of the Philistines. His parents essentially say, 
Samson, couldn't you find a nice Jewish girl? Couldn't you find 
a nice girl among the daughters of your people? Why would you 
find a wife from the Philistines? What we learn in 14.4, this is 
the sovereign plan and purpose of God to bring trouble between 
Israel and the Philistines. When we get to chapter 15, after 
Samson renders a pretty good victory over the Philistines, 
Samson is essentially chilling, and then the Philistines come 
to Judah. You gotta pay attention here. 
I'm gonna go somewhere with this. I think that we're in Judges 
13 to 16. The Philistines come to Judah 
and they ask, what is your problem with us? And they said, we want 
Samson. It's interesting because Judah 
sends 3,000 delegates to go get Samson. Think about that. If I was out chilling and you 
wanted to get my attention, two or three of you could handle 
me. I hope, I think, one of you could. Just put my arm behind 
my back and I'll come wherever you say. They sent 3,000 men. They knew what Samson was about. 
They knew that this man was formidable. But when they come to Samson, 
They say to him, I want you to see this in chapter 15, and we'll 
cover it again when we get to chapter 15, because it's that 
important. Notice in verse 11, then 3,000 
men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Edom and 
said to Samson, do you not know that the Philistines rule over 
us? Are you trying to upset the status 
quo? Are you trying to ruin our particular 
arrangement? Are you trying to make life difficult 
for us? Samson, don't you understand 
if you make these Philistines angry, then they might take it 
out on us. Now note what Judah goes on to 
say in verse 11. Do you not know that the Philistines 
rule over us? What is this you have done to 
us? The people of Judah side with 
the Philistines. They are not burdened by, they 
are not bothered by, they are not crying out to God as a result 
of the oppression that the Philistines have brought upon them. In fact, 
they've embraced Philistine life, they've embraced Philistine gods, 
they've embraced Philistine culture, and now Samson is the troubler 
because he dares to try and break that oppression. You see something 
of the church in this? The church soft on the ethical 
demands of God's Holy Word? We don't want to speak out against 
homosexuality, and I'm not homophobic and always just picking on that 
set. I'm an equal opportunity employer. I think heterosexual 
fornication is as much an abomination to the living God. If you are 
doing that, cease and desist, because God says in Hebrews 13 
that fornicators and adulterers God will judge. But you see in 
our culture there's no penalty to speak out against heterosexual 
fornication. But homosexuality, the church 
doesn't want to rock the status quo. We dare not have our tax-exempt 
status removed from us. If they remove our tax-exempt 
status for preaching the word, praise be to God. But we can't dare cry out against 
the sorts of things that are epidemic in the nation today. 
Have we become like the Judahites, siding with the Philistines? 
You know, intriguingly as well, in Judges 1, verses 2-20, you 
know who the first tribe is presented as being good conquerors? It's 
the tribe of Judah. It's Judah who's gone out. It's 
Judah who's taken care of business. It's Judah who has dealt with 
the oppression of the land. And now they've gotten to this 
point of apathy. They've gotten to this point 
of lethargy. They've gotten to this point where they don't care. 
They've gotten to this point where they do not want to upset 
the apple cart. I think we learned three lessons 
from this particular section. First, the similarity with the 
wilderness generation in Numbers 13 and 14. Remember that? Twelve spies go out to recon 
the land. Twelve spies return. Two of them 
say, the land is good, let's go take it right now. Caleb and 
Joshua believe the promise of God and as a result they want 
to go in and take the land. Ten spies say, no we don't want 
to do that, there's giants in the land. There's hardship in 
the land. There's difficulties in the land. The congregation that cries and 
whines and complains to Moses, why did you take us out of Egypt? 
At least in Egypt we had garlic. At least in Egypt we had melons. 
At least in Egypt we had things that we like to eat. Doesn't 
matter that we were slaves. Doesn't matter that we couldn't 
freely worship our living and true God. We quite like the status 
quo. If there's a new covenant equivalent 
to this scenario, it's the church in Laodicea. What has Laodicea 
chided for? You're neither hot nor cold. 
What has Jesus threatened to do? Spew them from his mouth. 
The way the land would spit out the inhabitants in Old Covenant 
Israel, New Covenant Israel, the Lord Christ spits out faithless 
churches from his holy mouth. This assimilation of culture, 
this being like everyone else, this parroting the world, this 
not looking any different whatsoever. Secondly, we need to see here 
the danger of assimilating culture in such a manner as to no longer 
be concerned with the violation of God's law. You think Philistines 
had houses of worship constructed to Yahweh? You think Philistines 
treated their women properly? You think Philistines treated 
their children properly? It's very intriguing, throughout 
the book of Judges, women fare well in the covenant community. Outside of the covenant community, 
they're treated like property. They're treated like animals. 
In fact, when you get to the end of Judges, this is precisely 
what I think the author is depicting. It has happened in Israel that 
they're treating their women in like manner. You know, there's 
a danger of assimilating culture in such a manner as to no longer 
be concerned with the violation of God's law. It ought to bother 
us that there's abortion. It ought to bother us that there's 
same-sex marriage. It ought to bother us, not to 
the point of a holy war vis-a-vis Deuteronomy 7, 1 to 5. Don't 
strap on C4 and walk into the clinic and say, see you on the 
other side. That's not the mandate in the 
New Covenant era. But certainly the mandate in 
the New Covenant era is something akin to what we find in Ezekiel 
9, to sigh and cry over the abominations in the land. It must be akin 
to the psalmist's attitude in Psalm 119, 136. Rivers of waters 
run down from my eyes because men don't keep your law. He says 
indignation has taken hold of me because men don't keep your 
law. There ought to be something of Lot. We don't get this from 
the Genesis narrative, but that inspired Apostle Peter tells 
us something about Lot. When he was living there in Sodom, 
it wasn't as if he made truck with the people there. His righteous 
soul was vexed daily. He didn't like to see this stuff. 
He didn't like to see men lying with men. He didn't like to see 
the sorts of brutality that are rampant in a pagan culture. It 
vexed his soul. It was torment to him to live 
among a people that had so thrown away the very ethical standard 
of God Most High. And the third lesson that I think 
we learn here is the necessity of uncompromising allegiance 
to Christ in the midst of a compromised culture. This is why Samson's 
a hero. Sure, he does some things that 
perhaps you and I wouldn't do. There's a certain colorfulness 
about his character. As Davis explains him, Samson 
is such a rollicking, entertaining, break the mold fellow that we 
may be preoccupied with him. Who doesn't love Samson? If you 
dare to raise your hand, I'll ask you to leave. So we love 
Samson here. What's the difference between 
Samson and say the tribe of Judah? uncompromising allegiance to 
the Lord God Almighty. Even though there's some personal 
blemishes upon his character, even though there's some things 
that as Monday morning quarterbacks we can look upon and say, well 
Samson, maybe you should reconsider on how you do such and such a 
thing. Samson's job as he received it from the Lord God Most High 
was killing Philistines and Samson did it. He didn't complain, he 
didn't grumble, he didn't argue, he didn't whine, he didn't murmur. 
He simply engaged in uncompromising allegiance to the God of Israel. Can we learn that from this section 
in Judges 13.1? Sin, oppression, deliverer. No distress. no cry, no nothing! Again, it's never been repentance 
with the children of Israel, but there at least has been this 
expression of distress and how bad things are being subject 
to these foreign nations or these foreign oppressors. Now notice 
the agent raised up. Verses 2 to 25. We'll break it 
down into four sections, three sections rather. First, the promise 
of a deliverer. Second, the birth of the deliverer. 
Third, the empowerment of the deliverer. If you haven't seen 
the parallels yet to the birth narrative of Christ, may I encourage 
you to open your eyes? Are the parallels to Elizabeth 
and Zacharias? God comes to the woman who has 
no child. God promises that from her womb 
one will rise up to do a very specific task for the living 
and true God. I mean, verse 5 even reads exactly 
like Matthew 1.21. The angel instructs Joseph, you 
shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who will save his people 
from their sins. Isn't this precisely what the 
angel of the Lord instructs Mrs. Minoa? We don't know her name, 
so I'll call her Mrs. Minoa. Verse 5, For behold, you 
shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his 
head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb. 
And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the 
Philistines. Very similar. Each of these judges 
serves as a type for our Lord Jesus Christ and the deliverance 
that he ultimately brings through his life, death, and resurrection. But no, look at the parents, 
verses 2 to 5. As I mentioned, this is the only 
birth narrative recorded of any of the judges. We're introduced 
to the man, his name is Manoah. He's a Danite. We're told that 
his wife is barren. When the angel of the Lord comes, 
he reminds her that she is barren. You say, what is he doing? Adding 
insult to injury? Is he trying to heap upon her 
scorn and abuse? No, he's underscoring the power 
of God. The fact that she's barren, and the fact that the angel of 
Yahweh announces that she's barren, makes evident the glorious sovereign 
power of God Most High in bringing a child from that womb that would 
go out and destroy Philistine oppression. You see, this is 
a lesson that we learned in studying Gideon. Those 300 men were purposed 
to show us that God's power is made perfect through our weakness. 
He doesn't need 135,000 men to kill 135,000 men. He'll take 
300 men who go into the camp, and who make some noise, and 
who light some torches, and who blow some trumpets, and then 
he'll turn that army, the oppressive army, against themselves, and 
they'll take the sword to one another. You see, it's God's 
power that delivers His people. Very often, recurring theme in 
the scripture, Sarah brings forth Isaac, Rebecca brings forth Jacob, 
Rachel brings forth Joseph, Hannah brings forth Samuel, Elizabeth 
brings forth John the Baptist. Barren women! What's God saying? Psalm 113 is absolutely right. He is transcendent. He is imminent. 
He is sovereign over the womb. He can take a woman and bring 
from her that deliverer that will crush the head of the oppressors 
of his people. The woman is never mentioned 
by name in the narrative. It's interesting, isn't it? Of 
the two of them, between Manoah and Mises, she seems a bit more 
spiritually alert to me. She seems a bit brighter to me. 
I don't mean that intellectually. Isn't it interesting that she 
has contact with the angel of Yahweh. She tells her husband, 
Manoah. Manoah says to the Lord, please 
come back and visit us. God hears the prayer. God answers. The angel goes to Mrs. Mrs. comes again to tell Mr. the angel 
of the Lord is back and then Manoah has to run to find him. 
Just kind of intriguing the way the story plays out. Davis says 
this concerning the fact that the woman is not named. Here 
in Judges 13 the woman is both barren and anonymous. We don't 
even know her name. She is Manoah's wife and becomes 
Samson's mother, but her name is not given to us. To her sterility, 
the Bible has added obscurity. Yahweh often begins precisely 
here, in human obscurity and hopelessness, where there is 
no human energy or ability to serve as a starter. Samson's 
birth is another instance of God's way of prefacing an exceptional 
work with exceptional difficulties. Yahweh will bring salvation out 
of nothingness. It's almost as if God structures 
history, not almost as if. He has structured this period 
of the judges to demonstrate his power in doing amazing and 
glorious things through things which look otherwise undoable. She's promised a son, she's given 
specific instructions. Number six, verses one to eight 
is the Nazirite vow. this prohibition against eating 
grapes or drinking wine or anything from the vine, the additional 
specific item or detail where Samson's not to cut his hair, 
this Nazirite means that he's devoted to God, he's separated 
for God and for his service. And then the angel, as I've already 
mentioned in verse 5, highlights the very purpose for Samson. 
Verse 5 is key. Verse 5 is crucial. Verse 5 is 
what you need to get in the Samson narrative, because everything 
that follows with this big, rollicking man that goes about from place 
to place is in fulfillment of verse 5. He would begin to deliver 
Israel from this oppression. Ultimately, the Philistine oppression 
would be done away with by King David, but what Samson does is 
he begins. Bloch says, this is a call narrative, 
unconventional to be sure, but its purpose is to describe how 
God provides Israel with a deliverer to deal with the Philistines, 
whom he has himself sent as agents to punish them for their spiritual 
infidelity. Both the messenger and the narrator, 
however, recognize that he will provide only a partial solution 
for the crisis. The completion of the agenda 
will await another day and another man." So probably David, but 
I think beyond that, Christ. Samson begins to deliver Israel 
from her oppression. Matthew 1.21 announces the Savior 
who does deliver Israel from her oppression. So that's the 
first visit, the first meeting between the angel of Yahweh and 
Mrs. Manoah. Notice in verses 6 to 
9, Manoah prays. So the woman came and told her 
husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and his countenance 
was like the countenance of the angel of God. Note the trajectory 
here. Note what's happening here. There's 
a man of God, identified as the angel of Yahweh. After the sacrifice 
is accepted by the Lord, what does Manoah say? We've seen God! The angel of the Lord is God 
himself come to his people. I argue it's the second person 
of the triune God in his pre-incarnate state coming to encourage, coming 
to instruct, coming to equip, coming to bless, coming to fortify 
and strengthen his church in the Old Covenant. So then notice what happens. 
I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me 
his name. And he said to me, Behold, you 
shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar, 
drink nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazarite 
to God from the womb to the day of his death. Then Manoah prayed 
to the Lord and said, O my Lord, please let the man of God whom 
you sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for 
the child who will be born. And God listened to the voice 
of Manoah. Isn't that beautiful? God listened 
to the voice of Manoah. You'll hear me quote Dale Ralph 
Davis in the course of this message and probably subsequent ones. 
If you want a very helpful commentary on any of the former prophets, 
judges, or Joshua judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 
his are very helpful. He makes this observation concerning 
this clause in the Lord, that God listened to the voice of 
Manoah. He says, we have grown so accustomed to the flow of 
biblical narratives that we fail to see the little miracle here. 
The prayers Yahweh hears. and God heard the voice of Manoah. We have read such clauses so 
frequently that they no longer strike us, but the psalmists 
never take it for granted. We may have relegated God's hearing 
our prayers to our, of course, category, but biblical prayers 
do not regard it as so routine. Rather, Yahweh's hearing is the 
most crucial matter for all prayer. You need to stop and ponder and 
consider Matthew 6. Do not pray like the hypocrite 
who stands on the street corner. Doesn't Jesus paint this picture 
well? Can't you see this guy? I can. He's standing at five 
corners. And he's doing something like this. Thank you, Lord, that 
I'm not like others. Thank you, Lord, that I'm such 
a great guy. Thank you, Lord, that I'm such 
a splendid specimen of a Christian. Jesus says, don't be like hypocrites. But he also says, don't be like 
heathen, because heathen think they'll be heard for the multitude 
of words. This guy's out there treating 
God like he's Baal. If I say enough, if I manipulate 
enough, then Baal will spit out the answer and give me what I 
want. Jesus says, don't be like the 
hypocrite. Don't be like the heathen. He says, when you pray, 
go into your secret place. Go into your closet. Go into 
your room. And your father, who sees in 
secret, will reward you openly. Now, perhaps you're like me. 
Sometimes you go for private prayer and you don't have this 
mind-altering event. You don't have this experience 
where you can visualize fireworks because God is right there saying, 
I just love you and I want to fawn all over you and I want 
to just give you everything. Or you may come to a church prayer 
meeting, and we might read off some requests, and a few of the 
brothers might pray. And you might be tempted to think, 
well, that was pretty routine. The point isn't what we feel 
when we go into the closet. The point isn't what we feel 
when we enter into that room. The point is that your father, 
who sees, the implication, of course, is that he hears, will 
answer your prayers." This man, Manoah, minding his own business 
several thousand years ago, doing what he was doing, his wife comes 
and says, the angel of Yahweh has appeared. He's told me we're 
going to have a son. Manoah says, God, can I meet 
him too? And God hears him. God answers 
him. God sends the angel back. Of course the angel comes to 
the woman, we won't rehearse that. And then Manoah makes contact, 
the same instructions are given essentially, and then notice 
the response in verse 15. Verse 15, then Manoah said to 
the angel of the Lord, please let us detain you and we will 
prepare a young goat for you. This is good, isn't it? Yes, 
it's hospitality. Yes, it's reverence. Yes, it's 
all those things. But you know, something's going 
on here. He may not have a fully-orbed doctrine of God and of the second 
person of the triune God who has come to him in his pre-incarnate 
state, but this much he knows. This angel has brought word that 
his wife is going to have a son. There is something unique about 
this particular man. So he says, let us feed you. 
And of course the angel of the Lord deflects this and says, 
I'm not going to eat your goat, but what you ought to do is offer 
up a burnt sacrifice unto the Lord. And so this is what happens. Now notice verse 17, Manoah said 
to the angel of the Lord, what is your name? That when your 
words come to pass, we may honor you. That's good faith, isn't 
it? What's Gideon do when God says, 
I want you to do this? Well, I'm going to put this fleece 
out, Lord, and I want you to make it wet, but keep the ground 
dry. And God does it. Gideon says, don't get mad at 
me, God, but I want to do that one more time. Manoah affirms that what the 
messenger has spoken is going to come to pass. That's a good 
thing. We ought not to doubt the Word 
of God. We ought not to hold it in suspicion. We ought not 
to manipulate. We ought not to be like a child 
who, when they hear about snow possibly coming, say, well, it's 
not going to snow. What is that? I think it's an 
attempt to get it to snow. It's sort of that reverse psychology 
thing, right? There's a 30% chance, oh, it's 
not going to snow, because you really want it to snow. God's 
not gonna bless, it's almost as a way to test him, a way to 
put his arm behind his back. Manoah takes the word and he 
takes it seriously. He asks for the name and then 
the angel reveals in verse 18, and the angel said to him, why 
do you ask my name seeing it is wonderful? Psalm 139, verse 
6. Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6. His name will be called Wonderful, 
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Davis 
says his visitor is far more than Manoah can take in. That's 
the point. Why do you ask my name? I am 
wonderful. I am God, is what he's saying. 
So Manoah dutifully prepares the sacrifice, he offers it up, 
and then an amazing thing happens! The angel ascends with the smoke! Now, check this! Get this, because 
herein lies another lesson for the church today. How does Manoah 
respond to this particular happening? What does Manoah do? Does he 
run home in Facebook? Does he run home in Twitter? 
Does he run home in blog? Does he say, wow, that was neat? Does he text his wife? No, because 
she's standing right there. Does he text a friend? What does 
Manoah do when he is confronted with the very presence of God 
Most High? Look at the text. When Manoah 
and his wife saw this at the end of verse 20, They fell on 
their faces to the ground. It's a good response. This is 
a blessed response. They put their hands in their 
pocket and snap their gum and say, wow, wasn't that great? 
They fell as dead men at the feet or to their faces. Notice what goes on. when the 
angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, 
then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord." Again, 
the progression, the man of God to wonderful, to angel of the 
Lord, to God. And then note Manoah's response 
in verse 22, and Manoah said to his wife, we shall surely 
die because we have seen God. That's reverence before the Lord. That is seeing the wonderful 
One. That is seeing the awesome God. It has become commonplace today 
to trivialize God. To try and take Him and pull 
Him down and put jeans and a shirt on Him the way that we function 
and the way that we conduct ourselves. We interpret God according to 
our experience. Our hearts are broken, therefore 
God must have a broken heart. We're not supposed to operate 
that way. We're supposed to come and be 
informed by the revelation of God Most High. The answer is 
not to bring God down to our level and this is what Manoah 
recognizes. Look at his confession, we shall 
surely die because we have seen God. Again, Davis says being 
too near God was not cozy but fatal. It wasn't cozy. This is our perception of God 
today. He's just cozy. He's cuddly. I just put my head 
on His shoulder and He'll just do whatever it is I want. Now, 
there's a sense where we cast ourselves wholly and fully upon 
Him because He cares for us. But He's not cozy to you the 
way I hope your husbands or your wives are cozy to the other. 
Listen to what Davis says, being too near God was not cozy but 
fatal. Manoah apparently felt that they 
had seen too much, had been too close. Manoah may have been wrong 
in his inference, but he was right in his instinct. For where 
did we ever get the idea that the presence of God is not dangerous? What did C.S. Lewis say about 
Aslan? And I'm not endorsing the theology 
of that particular story, but it is intriguing the way Aslan 
is described. He's not tame, but he is good. That's our God. He's not tame. He's not in a box. We don't manipulate 
Him. We don't control Him. He's not 
a puppet on our strings performing at our will. He is in the heavens. He does what He pleases. Manoah 
understood something of this. Davis is right. His inference 
may have been wrong because he didn't die, but his instinct 
was right. It was spot on. When men come 
into the presence of the living God throughout Scripture, they 
don't do so with hands in pockets. They don't do so exchanging lattes. They do so with fear, with trembling, 
with paralysis, with the confession that I fell at his feet like 
a dead man. John, in chapter 1 of the book 
of Revelation. Davis says, where do we ever 
get the idea that the presence of God is not dangerous? Have 
we really bought Santa Claus theology? Has God somehow become 
safe because we live in AD? Were the disciples still too 
primitive to realize that the divine presence did not require 
human trembling? You see, and this is very appropriate 
for us in the here and in the now. Our God is to be treated 
with reverence and with respect. Our God has absolute sovereignty. Our God is majestic. Our God 
possesses dignity. Jeremiah the prophet and John 
in the book of Revelation both voice this particular question. Who would not fear thee, O king 
of the nations? For indeed, it is thy due. We might be able to say, well, 
the pagan and the heathen who are dead in their trespasses 
and sins, they certainly don't fear Yahweh as they ought. But 
what of the church? What of a people who have become 
so cozy with the living and true God? There's no reverence. There's 
no respect. There's no fear of sinning in 
His presence. The eyes of Yahweh are in every 
place, beholding the good and the evil." If, as Davis suggests, 
and I think he's right, commenting on this scene with reference 
to Manoah, that our God is dangerous, not in a sinful way, not in a 
godless way, not in a wicked way, then how ought we to approach 
Him on the Lord's Day Sabbath? I hope you pray, God help us 
to be reverent in our approach to you. I sometimes wonder if 
our prayers go like this, Lord bless me, help me, give me I'm 
not suggesting that's necessarily wrong. The order of the Lord's 
Prayer suggests that it's okay to ask for food. It's okay to 
ask for forgiveness. It's okay to ask for protection. 
After we pray, ''Hallowed be thy name!'' After we pray, ''Thy 
kingdom come!'' After we pray, ''Thy will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven!'' Do you start your Lord's Day off in the morning 
saying, ''God Most High!'' I pray that as we assemble together, 
you will be glorified. You will be feared. You will 
be honored. You will be adored. You will 
be loved and treated with the dignity that is deserving. You 
see, Manoah knew this instinctively. Manoah came into contact with 
the Holy One of Israel. And he says, we shall surely 
die because we have seen God. I suspect, as we continue in 
the narrative, that Manoa and Mrs. were kind of like my wife 
and me. There are times and instances 
when I get lost, and she tells me to go pull into the gas station 
and ask somebody for help. And I say, no, I'm not going 
to do that. I can find the road. My instincts are such. I mean, 
it's got, like, I got tracker in my blood. I can find this 
man. Just go ask. It's a blessing 
to have a wife that pushes us in the right direction. That 
blessing is easily crossed, though, if it becomes nagging, ladies. 
Or lady. Just kidding. I'm really going 
to get it when I get home now. What's Mrs. Manoah do? Mrs. Manoah speaks some reason into 
Manoah. Again, his inference was wrong, 
the instinct was right. He makes this confession, we 
have seen God, we shall surely die. What does she say? Wait 
a minute, Manoah, if the Lord wanted us dead, we'd be dead. If the Lord wanted us dead, He 
certainly wouldn't receive our burnt offering. If the Lord wanted 
us dead, we'd be gone. Mrs. Manoa understands something 
else that the church should appreciate. We come to the living and true 
God with trembling and joy. We come to the living and true 
God with fear and with comfort. We come to the living and true 
God, understanding who he is in his holy, awesome character, 
but we also understand him in his perfect, glorious attributes 
of being most loving, most gracious, most merciful, most kind, most 
long-suffering, one who forgives the iniquities of his people, 
one who is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. You 
see, Manoah and his wife teach the church something about worship 
and our approach to the living and true God. And then we end 
the narrative with the birth and the empowerment. Notice verse 
24. The emphasis in the entirety 
of the passage lies specifically on this interchange with Manoah 
and his wife. Verse 24, So the woman bore a 
son, and called his name Samson. And the child grew, and the Lord 
blessed him. That's his birth. Notice his 
empowerment. And the Spirit of the Lord began 
to move upon him at Mahanadan between Zorah and Eshtael. I 
mentioned earlier that sometimes Samson fared better in the hands 
of the Philistines than he does in the hands of some of his commentators. 
I suspect that he fared better in the hands of the Philistines 
than some in the church today." Again, we have been sold a false 
bill of goods, and Samson is just this big brute wandering 
around seeking to gratify his lusts. You know, me, Samson, 
give me meat. Me, Samson, give me woman. That's 
not the Samson portrayed in 13-16. He's a man of God. He's on a 
mission for God. He's empowered by the Spirit 
of God. It ought to cause us to fear, 
to speak ill of a servant of God. The Spirit came upon him. It's the Spirit who leads him 
to Timnah, chapters 14 and 15. It's the Spirit who sends him 
to Gaza in chapter 16. It is the Spirit who governs 
this man. It is the Spirit who overrules 
this man. It is the Spirit who uses this 
man in all of his formidable power to take care of the Philistine 
threat against the children of Israel. He's a hero. He's a man 
to be commended. He is a man to be applauded. 
He is a man that points us wonderfully to our great God and to that 
One that would come to deliver His people from their sins. So 
in conclusion, just a couple of reminders before we leave, 
Judges 13. First, and we've alluded to this, 
again it's a reminder, we need to beware of this lack of distress 
in the Church today. this lack of distress, this lack 
of concern, this lack of understanding, this making truck with all things 
evil, this being just like the world. I'm not saying that we 
as the church, the Free Grace Baptist Church, ought to sell 
the property, move up to Mount Cham and just, you know, do whatever 
we would do on the top of Mount Cham. We are in the world, but 
we're not supposed to be of it. Kids and young people, there 
are so many things vying for your attention. There are so 
many things soliciting your attention. That phone in your pocket presents 
so many temptations that were there when we were kids, but 
they weren't in our pockets quite like they are today. You have 
more power in the palm of your hand than was utilized to send 
men to the moon in the 60s. And with that power comes images. 
comes base things, comes carnal things, comes wicked things. You might say, well, I never 
look at those images, but what are you doing in terms of texting? 
Or what are you doing in terms of, you know, the other stuff 
that goes on out there? Yes, we're in the world. It's 
not wicked to have an iPhone. Tony says, that's right. It's 
not wicked to have an Android. It's wicked to use it the way 
the world does. to gratify lusts, to feed carnality, 
to sin against the thrice holy God. We are in the world. God doesn't call us somewhere 
between the earth and heaven to function in this particular 
place where we just sort of float around and do good things for 
one another. We are in the world. We're not 
supposed to be of it. Young people and children, draw 
some lines in the sand. It is not cool to do everything 
your friends do. It's just not. Ask your parents. We've all been there. You know, 
when I stand up and I say this kind of stuff to young people 
and children, what does he know? You want to talk for a few minutes? 
I know. Not only because I've got five, 
but because I was one. I wasn't brought up in a Christian 
home where everything was catechism and covenant and theology. You 
know, at three, my daddy gave me my first copy of Lewis Burkhoff. You know, I was diligent to read 
everything I could get my hands on. That's just not what it's 
about. When I stand up here and say, you need to guard against 
the world, it comes with some experience. You are in it. You're not going 
to float away, but you mustn't be with it or of it. Judah is 
disgusting in Judges 15. Judah is disgusting. They are 
taking the leader that God raised up to deliver them, and they 
hand him to the Philistines. Think about that for a moment. 
Samson says, I just want you to tell me that you're not going 
to kill me. Oh no, Samson, we're not gonna kill you. We're just 
gonna tie you up and hand you to your killers." As if that's 
somehow better? As if Judah's off the hook? They've 
become an accomplice to murder if in fact the Philistines are 
successful. But God has other plans. Samson's 
gonna find the jawbone of an ass and he's gonna clean house 
on Philistines. What do you think Judah thinks 
after that? You know, maybe we shouldn't have delivered him 
up. Maybe he's going to be angry with us. Maybe he's going to 
turn that jawbone on us. Don't get into that maybe we 
should have. Make solid lines in the sand 
and don't cross them. Pastor Kim just read 1 Thessalonians 
chapter 4. Young people often think, teenagers 
say, what's God's will for my life? Am I going to go to college? 
Am I going to make a lot of money? Am I going to end up under a 
bridge? What's my long life? I don't know all the particulars 
in terms of the secret things that belong to our God, but 1 
Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 is very clear. This is the 
will of God for you. Your sanctification that you 
abstain from sexual immorality. Make a line in the sand. Don't 
even begin to think to cross it. Don't get near it. Don't try to court it as close 
as possible without falling. If that's in your head, you've 
fallen. The devil is a deceiver. He doesn't come with these great 
big fangs and big paws and say, I'm going to rip you apart. How 
does he come to even the garden? The first is to subtly challenge 
the living and true God. Has God really said? You just hear it now with the 
young people. Oh, but you love her! Or you love him! It's so right! It's right in 
the covenantal context that the God of heaven and earth has ordained. 
But apart from that, it's wrong. And Hebrews 13.4 is applicable. Have no truck with the world. 
It's another big thing that is plaguing the youth today. Drugs! Drugs we want to tune out. We 
want to you know open ourselves up to all kinds of imaginable 
things This is bad Draw the line in the sand Don't cross it Don't 
say well everybody else is doing it when I was a kid if I said 
that my father would say if everybody else jumped off a cliff Would 
you too? I mean, I'm sure everybody has 
said that in their home. I Drugs pressed, pushed all over. There was a murder in Chilliwack, 
three murders, right on Noel. The other day, three people died 
because of drugs. This isn't South Central LA. This ain't The Hood. This is 
Chilliwack. And people are murdering others 
over drug deals. If you live on First Avenue, 
you aren't far from it. I'm just down on Woodbine. Who 
liked the thought of people shooting other people or killing other 
people that close over drugs? People's lives are ruined because 
of drugs? People wander the streets because 
of drugs? Is that the idol that you want 
for your life? Is that the one you want to bow 
to? You want to bow to the crack pipe? You want to bow to the 
bottle? You want to bow to whatever it is? God says, you shall have 
no other gods before me, whose blessed liberty in serving the 
living and true God. That's where freedom lies. Jesus 
says, whosoever commits sin is a slave of sin. Young people 
and children, draw the line. Don't get near it. Don't cross 
it. guard against it. Worldliness 
plagues the church of the living and true God in a whole host 
of ways, and we need to resist it. Secondly, we've already touched 
on the reality of worship. I think Manoah and his wife teach 
us, fear and joy. Psalm 2, verse 11, David hits 
on this particular when he says, serve the Lord with fear, and 
rejoice with trembling." You ever tell somebody, I'm a God-fearing 
Christian. We don't speak like that anymore, 
but if you happen to say that, they probably raise an eyebrow 
and say, how is there happiness in fearing God? There's only 
happiness in fearing God. That's where happiness is found 
in fearing God. Acts 9, often thought, that this 
is probably one of the most blessed and beautiful one statement, 
or one verse summary of church growth. Acts 9 verse 31, Luke 
gives us a progress report and he says, then the churches throughout 
all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified, and 
walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy 
Spirit they were multiplied. Maybe we're not multiplied because 
we're not walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort 
of the Spirit. I don't mean we specifically, 
we generally. Why is Islam growing and rapidly 
advancing and Christianity isn't seemingly making those strides, 
which actually those statistics I could care less. Jesus must 
reign till all of his enemies are made his footstool and one 
of them is Islam. He will lower his foot and crush 
that enemy. And the church will certainly 
be built. The church will certainly progress. 
The church was promised to succeed by our Lord Christ himself. But 
sometimes that infects the heart of God's people. Why is it? Maybe 
because we're playing games in church, or we're sipping lattes, 
or we're giving life principles instead of preaching the truth 
of God's Word. We've replaced the fear of the 
Lord with, bless me and everything I ever want, Lord. We've replaced 
the comfort of the Holy Spirit with my comfort in what is most 
important to me. Thirdly, sovereignty of God all 
over this particular passage. Again, Davis mentions this. Why 
would the writer single out Samson's nativity and make such a point 
of it? Why? Why do we get this birth 
narrative in chapter 13? He says, because he wants to 
show that at least in this case, God didn't merely raise up a 
deliverer who was, as it were, already available, such as Ophniel 
or Ehud. Rather, he grew one from scratch. Isn't that beautiful? He grew 
one from scratch. Israel needs a deliverer, and 
out comes Samson. I'm here to save my people. That's Samson. Davis says it 
is crucial that we see this lest we think God's salvation is always 
an ad hoc band-aid affair, a piece of divine crisis management instead 
of a plan that God has had in view far in advance. This is exactly what staggers 
and gladdens us about the greater than Samson who ransomed us at 
such cost. He was marked out before the 
world was made. and was revealed at the final 
point of time for your sake." First Peter chapter 1. Christ 
was grown to be the deliverer of His people. And then finally, 
you have to appreciate in Judges 13, you don't have to because 
I say you have to, you have to because the narrative forces 
you to. Verse 1, sin, oppression. Verse 2, deliverance. They don't 
ask for it, they don't cry out for it, they don't seek it, they 
are not looking, and God initiates the plan with Samson. It's Romans 
3, isn't it? There is none righteous, no, 
not one. There is none who seeks after 
God. There is no fear of God before 
their eyes. So what does God do? He sends 
the Son of His love to deliver His people from their sins. How 
many of us can testify? Probably everyone in here. I 
wasn't seeking God. God sought me. I wasn't looking 
for Him. God found me. Adam and Eve could 
say that. They were running from God. God 
came to them. Abraham could testify of this. 
After the Babel incident, God comes and calls Abram out of 
Ur of the Chaldeans, so that He can make of him a great nation. 
You see, this is always God's way. He initiates, He pursues, 
He finds, He conquers, and He blesses. And if you are not a 
believer in Christ Jesus today, may I say to you that is good 
news. That God has not left sinners 
to themselves. God has provided a way of salvation. I believe that God has purposed 
each and every one that will turn to Him. But not knowing 
who that each and every one is, I call all men everywhere to 
believe. I call everyone in here to repent. I say to each and everyone that 
if you come to the Lord Jesus Christ believing, He will in 
no wise cast you out. Because Christ not only begins 
to deliver Israel, but Christ actually saves to the uttermost 
all who draw nigh unto God through Him. Samson points us to a greater. Samson points us to Christ. Samson points us to the One. 
who finalizes what Samson began to do way back in the time of 
the judges. So please, think about the things 
that you've heard this morning. Think about Judges 13, not just, 
wow, that's kind of a neat story about Manoah and his wife and 
the things that they learned. Those few lessons that we drew 
out that are applicable to us today. And if you are not a believer, 
come. You know, kids, young people, 
the best way to draw that line in the sand is at Calvary. You need to be born again. You 
need to be saved. You need to be in Christ. You 
need to be a believer. That's the first. That's primary. That is what you need. Well, 
let us pray. Father, we thank you for your 
word. We thank you for this book of Judges and for the very practical 
lessons it holds forth for the church today. Grant us grace 
as your people not to be content with this world. Help us to cry 
out over the abominations that are done in the land. Help us, 
God, to say with the psalmist that rivers of waters run down 
from our eyes because men do not keep your law. May indignation 
and may a righteous anger fill our souls as we consider the 
lawlessness that goes on in the land. May these things fuel us 
in prayer. May we come to the just judge 
of all the earth who does what is right. Help us to be a prayerful 
people. Help us to be an informed people. 
Help us to be an evangelistic and a witnessing people. May 
we shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation. And 
may we hold forth that word of truth that you've given to us. 
And we pray this through Christ our Lord. Amen.