Gtcotr/ws121317
Judges 13 NKJV
1 ¶ 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.
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Can
you imagine, some people and families in Israel at that time had never known
freedom from oppression and the heavy hand of their enemies. Many were born,
lived and died in these trying times.
·
The
sins of a nation can throw a whole generation into bondage.
·
Achan,
the Bible says, did not perish alone in his iniquity … it costs his whole
nation. (Joshua 22:20; Jeremiah 2:25)
2 Now there was a certain man
from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his
wife was barren and had no children.
3 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
“Indeed now, you are barren
and have borne no children, but you
shall conceive and bear a son.
·
This
was no ordinary man or angel … this was the Angel of the Covenant, Jesus, the
Son and the Word of Almighty Jehovah God.
·
Don’t
be quick to decide that times of preparation or a season of waiting on the
Lord’s plan is a waste of time or a signal that you aren’t important or won’t
be used. Keep your heart right with the Lord and continue doing those things
necessary to life and service.
·
God
has a plan and He makes all things beautiful in its time. (E 3:11)
4 “Now therefore, please be careful not to drink
wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
·
This
admonition should be heard and embraced by all parents and leaders … please be
careful to not do anything you don’t want your children or followers to do. Be
the example first and they will follow.
5 “For behold, you shall
conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child
shall be a Nazirite to God from the
womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the
Philistines.”
·
The
womb and cradle should be the safest place on earth. It protects and gives a
child the best start in life, so they can begin their destiny.
6 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.
7 “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 Nazirite to God from
the womb to the day of his death.’ ”
8 ¶ 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.”
·
1250
years later the Angel Gabriel visited a priest named Zachariah in the Temple in
Jerusalem. Gabriel told Zachariah that he and his wife, Elizabeth, who had been
barren, would have a son. Zachariah questioned Gabriel’s word and the plan of
God from a heart of unbelief with reservations. Gabriel struck Zachariah dumb
for this unbelief so that he could not speak his doubt and unbelief again until
the birth of his son, John the Baptist. (Luke 1)
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Manoah
shows the right way to receive a message or a messenger of the Lord. Manoah
spoke with reverence and respect and with a humble heart to know what to do.
Even when we do not understand the what or how of God’s Word, it is important
that we humbly petition God to send someone to teach us what we should do.
·
God
resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)
9 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.
10 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!”
11 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.”
12 Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass!
What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?”
·
This
sounds familiar? Mary said almost the same thing when she was informed by
Gabriel that she would have the Son of God. (Lk 1:38)
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As
well, Jesus repeated, “Not My will but Thine be done.” (Lk 22:42)
13 So the Angel of the LORD
said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful.
14 “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.”
15 ¶ Then Manoah said to the
Angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat
for You.”
16 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.)
·
All
offerings, without respect as to whom they may be given, should be offered to
God who receives them in heaven. (Hebrews 7:8)
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You
never know who you may be talking to. Be kind, respectful and a good listener.
Sometimes we entertain angels unaware! (Heb 13:2)
17 Then Manoah said to the
Angel of the LORD, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to
pass we may honor You?”
18 And the Angel of the LORD
said to him, “Why do you ask My name,
seeing it is wonderful?”
·
No
mere created angel or any person sent from God ever imagined they were too
awesome to be named or understood. Only One ever made this claim … Jesus! (Rev
19:12; Exo 3:14; Rev 1:18; 22:13)
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Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a
Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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It’s
so beyond mortal man’s ability to comprehend or understand … it’s like a secret
too wonderful to be uttered. (Revelation 2:7; 19:12)
19 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 —
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The
same Hebrew word is used as the root for both “Wonderful” in the previous verse
and the doing of a “wondrous” thing here.
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God
does God things … Wonders are done by the Wonderful while others watch. All
eyes shall see and behold Him who is Wonderful! (Acts 3:16; Exodus 19:11;
Joshua 24:17; Revelation 1:7)
20 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.
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Moses
saw this same Angel of the Lord in a flame in a bush that was not consumed. It
moved Moses to a posture of worship …
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The
proper posture is one of respect when a Holy God chooses to commune with a mere
mortal. They bowed down to the ground.
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Jesus
said, “You did not choose Me, I chose you!” (John 15:16)
21 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.
22 And Manoah said to his
wife, “We shall surely die, because
we have seen God!”
·
It
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. (Heb 10:31)
·
Often,
after the moment, we catch a glimpse of how awesome God is and we see ourselves
in light of His majesty. It is sobering …
23 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.”
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Herein
is the Gospel and the plan of God … (Hebrews 1:1-2)
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If
God had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted the sacrifice of His
Son, nor would He have told us such wonderful things as those contained in His
Word, the Holy Bible. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
24 ¶ So the woman bore a son
and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
25 And the Spirit of the LORD
began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
My
birthday was 5 days ago. That day when I was thanking God for my parents I mentioned
to the Lord that I knew my parents did not plan my birth. I believe I heard this
word from God: “You were not a part of their plan, you were a part of mine.
Your birth was not planned by your parents … you were a gift to them from Me.” There
are at least 4 stages of a person’s
life if they are born on purpose … and we all fit into that category!
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Birth
o
The woman birthed him …
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Growth
o
He grew in the right way doing the right
things …
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Blessing
o
Jehovah blessed his life …
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Service
o
In time, the “Ruwach of Jehovah began to move
in, on and through him.
You
were born on purpose … You are a gift from God ... Grow and serve!
