March 17, 2014 - Monday

Start Time: 6:02 A.M.

End Time: 6:42 A.M.

Title: The Birth of Samson

Scripture: Judges 13:1 – 24

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

NOTES:

Ø God has predestined our purpose even before we are conceived in our mother’s womb!  Our Lord has set and planned everything for us before we are given to our parents on earth and each of us has a predestined purpose!  There is a reason why we are born on earth and this purpose is to ultimately give glory to God!

Ø God will turn nature around if necessary to deliver His people!  When the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord again and was conquered by the Philistines, God worked with nature (time, creation, life, etc) to provide a solution for His people’s predicament.  In short, God will do everything including the impossible (in our eyes) just to save His people.  When the Philistines took charge of the Israelites, Samson was born.  Samson was specifically created for the deliverance of the Israelites from the Philistines.  And we too are created for a specific purpose, it could be the deliverance of others, it could be leading the way for God to others, it could be sowing the good news of God to others, it could be reaping the harvest for God, etc.

→Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name. But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.’”Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.  The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me the other day!” Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?” “I am,” he said. So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?” The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.” Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you.”  The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of theLord.)

NOTES:

Ø God hears our cry for help, no matter how little or big our need is!  Manoah prayed asking for help to God about the message of the Lord that was given to his wife, his intentions to call God could be for confirmation or purely help on what to do, but whatever his intention, God heard Manoah’s cry and came again to them.  The same way with us, no matter how big or small our problems or concerns are, when we cry out to God, call upon Him, He is faithful to come and listen to us.

Ø God is patient to teach us in details what is needed to ensure the fulfillment of our purpose when we ask Him!  Manoah’s asked the angel of the Lord on how to govern the boy’s life (the gift that God gave them) for he knows that the boy has a purpose and want to help or support the fulfillment of the boy’s purpose.  So God, seeing the heart of Manoah, instructed him on what to do to ensure that the boy grew up as He should be.  And even if sometimes we ask too much from God, the Lord is still patient with us and even indulges our requests even when there’s really no need for it.  Like Manaoh when he asked the angel of God to stay.

→Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?”He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.^[a]” Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord.  “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!” But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.” The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

NOTES:

Ø Jesus is tolerant even with our unnecessary requests or questions!  Manoah, asked for the angel’s name when that is not of importance for again all of these things are all for the glory of the Lord and the angels are mere tools/instruments for such plan. When God gives us a gift, we are to return our tithes of it.  That’s why when Manoah offered a sacrifice, God did an amazing thing!  As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended as well – this is done in the presence of Manoah and his wife.  Instead of being honored for witnessing such magnificent incident, Manoah feared for their lives.  But his wife was given wisdom by God to understand the whole purpose of the said incident and she explained it to Manoah.  When times we do not understand the things around us, God will reveal it to us thru the closest people to us.  So the boy was born and named Samson and he was blessed by God and God’s Spirit is with Him. 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, the master planner of everything!  Lord God my Father and Creator…thank You because You have predestined everything about me!  You have planned my existence and You have set the directions of my life to fulfill my purpose.  Thank You Jesus because You do not do anything that is without a purpose.  Everything You do is in cooperation of the other things You planned for Your people.  Lord thank You because You move heaven and earth and everything natural (life, wind, sun, moon, earth, time, etc) just to set and create my existence in this world.  That’s why I will never devalue my life because You took everything impossible and made it possible just to create me!  Hallelujah!  Thank You Jesus because every time I have questions or concerns no matter how small or big it is, You find time to come and hear it.  Thank You because You are patient to discuss it with me even when most of my questions are unnecessary.  Thank You because when we listen and follow Your command and offer sacrifice of praise as thanksgiving for what You have done, You will do amazing thing in our presence.  Thank You Jesus.  Remind me Lord the lengths that You went thru to form my existence in this world every day that I may see the value of my life always in Your eyes.  Thank You for Your everlasting love, grace and favor upon me every day!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!