Jesus Promises to Send Samson
The story of Samson is one of the several stories in the Bible of God sending a son to a couple that have been barren and without a child. God Himself came to the wife of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, and promised to send a son and that this son would begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines who had been ruling over them for 40 years because of the evil that Israel had done against God (Judges 13:1-5).
It is always interesting to know that whenever Israel was in trouble it was because of the evil that they did against God, and that in all situations God was constantly trying to find ways to help them understand this principle and to learn how to come out of that evil. In His announcement to the wife of Manoah God was expressing how to change this evil. He focused on the fact that He was there and He personally was showing them how to cooperate with Him for Israel had already forgotten what He had taught them about health principles (Exodus 15:26), about eating unclean foods (Genesis 7:1-3; 8:20-21; Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14), about the effect of wine and strong drink on the growth of a baby in the womb, and about how serious He was about the Nazarite vow, a vow of commitment that one could make with God (Numbers 6:1-21). God wanted these principles to be re-established to help
Manoah and his wife thought deeply about these instructions, so similar to those instructions given to Zechariah in Luke 1:5-22 about the Nazarite John the Baptist. Manoah asked God to send “the man of God” back to them to be sure that they got all of the instructions correct that needed to be implemented to help this child be the son of God that he needed to be. God displayed His graciousness to this family, and by our connections to this family, He displayed His graciousness to us that we to can ask for special guidance through prayer. The Angel came back and in this interchange be begin to find out that this Angel was none other than the Son of God. When Manoah asked if He was the same man who talked to his wife before, the Angel answered “I AM”. (See Exodus 3:1-14; John 8:58). When Manoah asked the Angel His name He answered that His name was “Secret”, this is the same Angel that wrestled with Jacob in Genesis 32:29 and His Secret name can be translated as “Wonderful”. This name “Wonderful” is the name given to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6. This name is also a reference to the Saint in Daniel 8:13 that is identified as the “Wonderful Numberer”. These references are all to the Pre-incarnated Son of God for He is the Prince of Daniel 9:25, the Messiah. In Daniel 10:21 He is referred to as Michael your Prince/King. In Daniel 12:1 Michael is referred to as the Great Prince, the One who stands for the people of
Each person has to study these things out for themselves and draw the conclusions that their study and communion with God causes them to draw. But the most important factor of the story of Samson is not the fact that Samson was strong but that in all things God Himself was intimately involved with his birth, and it was God who strengthened and guided his steps all through his life. For it is not by might nor power that things get accomplished but by the power of the Lord Himself. (Zechariah 4:6; Jeremiah 9:23) It was a massive part of the story of Samson that God chose to reveal Himself so clearly so that we could see His involvement directly in the story of this man, and thus by faith in our lives. Praise God for His holy love and His holy grace.