Samson’s Birth: Part of the “scarlet cord” of the Old Testament pointing to our Lord Jesus as the Christ and Son of God.

Judges 13

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Children of Israel held captive for “forty years”.
• Childless woman told by Angel of God that she would give birth to a son.
• Child called a Nazirite whose purpose was to deliver Israel from their captivity.
• Childless woman relays to her husband what the Angel said to her.
• The Angel of God reveals the good news to the husband of the childless woman.
• The husband of the childless woman offers a sacrifice to the Lord.
• Childless woman gives birth to a son who grows in the Spirit of the Lord.

Children of Israel held captive for “forty years”.
“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.” Judges 13:1

The children of Israel did evil by turning away from the “Ten Commandments”, and every other practice that set them apart from the world around them. Practices such as the Ten Commandments made the Israelites a civil people compared to the ways of the culture around them that ritualistically lived in breach of the Ten Commandments. The Israelites rejected every practice that foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who would atone for sin [This is also why the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness]. The Lord delivered the Israelites to the ways of the world, at this time being in captivity to the Philistines. Philistia, the land of the Philistines, is of the modern-day Gaa Strip. They needed a deliverer, and that is where the birth of Samson comes in.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us from being held captive and ruled by inherited sin. Our freedom comes by living in the Spirit and being born-again into Jesus Christ and out of the wilderness of this world. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

Childless woman told by Angel of God that she would give birth to a son.
“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. 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.” Judges 13:2-3

The Danites refer to the people of the Tribe of Dan, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Bible often makes reference to barren women [childless women] who miraculously give birth after being infertile for many years. This childlessness and miraculous birth are part of the Old Testament “scarlet cord” pointing to the miraculous birth of Christianity and the new children of God born through faith in Jesus Christ, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

An Angel of God came to the woman to let her know that she would give birth to a son, and this son would be Samson, to deliver the Israelites from their captivity to the Philistines. This birth was by the semen of Menorah her husband, the miracle being that she was infertile and childless but now would have a son. This is also part of the Old Testament “scarlet cord” pointing to the time when the Angel of God [Gabriel]announced to the virgin Mary that she would give birth to a Son [not by human semen but by the Spirit of God], “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:18

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. Luke 1:26-31

Child called a Nazirite whose purpose was to deliver Israel from their captivity.
“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 Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Judges 13:4-5

Even way back in the Old Testament times, the Israelites [Hebrews or Jewish people] knew to protect their baby while the unborn was in the womb. They were told not to consume alcohol etc. nor to eat unhealthy foods. Samson’s mother followed those guidelines while Samson was in her womb. God would consider Samson to be a Nazarite from the womb, and he would deliver Israel from their captivity to the Philistines. “Nazarite” means “One Singled Out” or “Dedicated One”. A Nazarite is a person who lives by their vow and dedication to God who lives by specific restrictions and commitments. In the Old Testament, a Nazarite abstained from intoxicating substances, such as wine, did not cut their hair, and avoided contact with the dead.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Mary was indeed the temple of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, as she held in her womb the Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Spirit, not human seed, “…for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

Jesus Christ was known as a Nazarene, in that He was dedicated to God and vowed to carry out God’s will for Him to be the Lamb of God wo takes away the sin of the world, “And [Jesus] came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:23

Jesus came to deliver us from captivity to inherited sin and to give us eternal life, through the grace and mercy of God, by giving His life on the Cross to forgive sin, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:32-33

Childless woman relays to her husband what the Angel said to her.
“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 Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’” Judges 13:6-7

The infertile and childless woman relays to her husband what the Angel of God said to her. She described the awesome appearance of the Angel, but that she did not know his name or where he was from. The Angel’s message to her was that she would give birth to a son [Samson], and that she was not to drink alcohol or eat unhealthy food. The child would be dedicated to God as a Nazarite from the womb. Which is the “scarlet cord” of the Old Testament pointing to Jesus Christ, “…for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

The Angel of God reveals the good news to the husband of the childless woman.
“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!” Judges 13:8-10

Manoah, the husband of the infertile and childless woman, prayed to the Lord that he would send His Angel again to explain how him and his wife should care for the promised child. God sent the Angel, but only to the woman while her husband was not there with her. However, the woman ran quickly to her husband to show him the Angel that gave her the good news of their promised child.

“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.” Judges 13:11-14

Manoah, the infertile woman’s husband, wanted to know about the child that God would bless them with in a miraculous way. Manoah wanted to know what the child’s rule of life and work would be. The Angel replied that child’s rule of life and work would be everything he said to the woman, which has to do with her body being the home of a person dedicated to do the will of God to deliver the Israelites from captivity to the Philistines. An Angel came to Mary’s husband, Joseph, with a similar message, “But while [Joseph] thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

The husband of the childless woman offers a sacrifice to the Lord.
“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?” Judges 13:15-18

Manoah wanted to keep the Angel with them and sacrifice to him, but the Angel refused to let that happen and said sacrifices should only be offered to the Lord. As children of God born through Jesus Christ, we avoid serving Angels, angelic beings, the spiritual essence of angels of all types etc. “And [John] fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10 With the testimony of Jesus being the spirit of prophecy, all we have to do to know where the world is within prophecy is to look at where Jesus is within the world.

Through the Holy Spirit, Paul warns us against putting angelic attitudes above our born-again experience in Jesus Christ, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind…For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple…For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” . ” Colossians 2:18Romans 16:182 Corinthians 11:13-15

Manoah wanted to know the Angel’s name, but the Angel dismissed the importance of knowing his name because the wonderful message of life is what’s important. More important than knowing any angel’s name, or any other name on this earth, is the wonderful message of life brought through the gospel of Christ. Our born-again experience is the Gospel written on our heart. “... [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

The sacrifice we offer to God is made at the altar of the Cross where our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life to atone for our sin.

“So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And the Angel 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 it was the Angel of the Lord.” Judges 13:19-21

When we offer ourselves to God through Jesus Christ, we will be filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove,
Stay right here with us, filling us with Your love.
And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;
Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived,
When we shall leave this place.”
[Church Song

Childless woman gives birth to a son who grows in the Spirit 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 Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.” Judges 13:22-25

The Old Testament taught the Israelites that no one could see the face of God and live. That is why Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” [They saw the Angel of God], as quoted, “But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” Exodus 33:20 Even so, the Lord promised that there is a place by Him, as we stand on the Rock, in the cleft of the Rock, that He will pass by us instead of causing us to die, as quoted,  “And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Exodus 33:21-22That is why Manoah’s wife replied to him in this way, “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.”

God is Holy and cannot be in the presence of the inherited sin engrained within human nature. No one can stand in His presence. For that reason, God’s plan of Salvation is to send His Son Jesus Christ to this sin-plagued world to atone for sin. When God sees Jesus Christ in us, He passes over us, but we can only stand by God by our faith and belief in Jesus Christ. We are sinners saved by the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Rock, “He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows a dry, thirsty land he hideth my life in the depths of his love and covers me there with his hand…” [Church Song].

God would not have accepted our sacrifices of sin without faith in Jesus Christ, but because of Jesus, He allows us to live in the Spirit and gives us eternal life. That is why He has shown us in His word, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

The infertile and childless woman gave birth to a son, Samson, as God had promised. Samson grew in the blessings and Spirit of God in the camp of Dan, [among the people of the Tribe of Dan]. This is part of the “scarlet cord” pointing to Jesus Christ, as quoted, “And the Child grew and became strong in Spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him… And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.” Luke 2:40, 47 “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23

---

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1