Judges 13:2-7

Judges 13:2-7

[2] And there was a certain  man  of Zorah,  of the family  of the Danites,  whose name  was Manoah;  and his wife  was barren,  and bare  [3] And the angel  of the LORD  appeared  unto the woman,  and said  unto her, Behold now, thou art barren,  and bearest  not: but thou shalt conceive,  and bear  a son.  [4] Now therefore beware,  I pray thee, and drink  not wine  nor strong drink,  and eat  not any unclean  [5] and bear  a son;  and no razor  shall come  on his head:  for the child  shall be a Nazarite  unto God  from the womb:  and he shall begin  to deliver  Israel  out of the hand  of the Philistines.  [6] Then the woman  came  and told  her husband,  saying,  A man  of God  came  unto me, and his countenance  of an angel  of God,  very  terrible:  but I asked  him not whence he was, neither told  he me his name:  [7] But he said  and bear  a son;  and now drink  no wine  nor strong drink,  neither eat  any unclean  thing: for the child  shall be a Nazarite  to God  from the womb  to the day  of his death. 

What does Judges 13:2-7 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Angel of the Lord again appeared (cf. Judges 6:11). This time He announced to a barren Danite woman that she would bear a son (cf. Genesis 16:11; Luke 1:26-38). Samson"s birth by a barren woman indicated God"s supernatural provision of him for a special purpose. The meaning of Samson"s name may derive from shemesh ("sun") and the diminutive ending on, meaning "little sun" or "sunny boy." Samson"s mother may have named him "little sun" in honor of a Canaanite god. [1] Another view is that Samson"s name connects with Beth-Shemesh, a nearby town. [2] Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth were all barren too. Mary the mother of Jesus also experienced a supernatural conception and birth. Each of these mothers produced a remarkable son.
"What does he [3] do when he has a people who refuse to forsake Baal and have no desire to forsake Philistia? A people grown so used to bondage they don"t even have sense to call out for relief? At least here the very God who judges them ( Judges 13:1 b) begins to work their deliverance-anyway ( Judges 13:2-5). That is grace-grace greater than all our sin, than all our stupidity, than all our density." [4]
The appearance of the Angel of the Lord always marked a very significant event in Israel"s history. The only other birth He announced was Isaac"s ( Genesis 18:1; Genesis 18:10). Samson would have an unusual opportunity to serve God.
Samson"s parents were to rear him as a Nazirite from his birth. Normally Israelites assumed the Nazirite vow voluntarily and temporarily. Three laws governed the person under a Nazirite vow in addition to the other Mosaic laws. He was to eat nothing that the grapevine produced, he was to let his hair grow without ever cutting it, and he was to refrain from contact with a dead body (cf. Numbers 6:1-21). This vow placed the Nazirite in a position of separation to God in a special sense ( Numbers 6:2). Abstinence from wine would have freed Samson from bondage to that drink so he could operate under the control of God"s Spirit consistently (cf. Ephesians 5:18). Long hair was important because it was a public testimony to the Nazirite"s separation to God. Contact with a corpse precluded worship at Israel"s central sanctuary temporarily, but no contact with dead bodies would enable the Nazirite to have unbroken fellowship with God.
Samson"s mother was to observe certain precautions during her pregnancy to safeguard her special child (cf. Hebrews 11:23 NIV). "Wine" came from grapes, but "strong drink" (Heb. shakar) was the product of other fermented fruits and grains. We know that the physical condition of a pregnant woman can affect her unborn child. For example, heroin addicts bear babies that need that drug. God did not want Samson under any other influence except Himself, even from his conception.
Samson was to live as a Nazirite because God would "begin" to deliver Israel from the Philistines through him ( Judges 13:5). Samuel and David would complete this task ( 1 Samuel 7:10-14; 2 Samuel 5:17-25). Samson proved unfaithful in his separation to God. John the Baptist, who was apparently another Nazirite from birth, was faithful. He shows us what Samson could have become if he had valued his opportunity to serve God and had preserved his dedication to God. Evidently Manoah"s wife assumed that the Angel was a prophet ( Judges 13:6).