Judges 13-16 (Manoah's True Deliverer)

God Brings Life Out of Death in the Old Testament

All throughout this Christmas series so far we've been talking about how God brings life out of death. How God brings life out of death and last week we saw that in Rahab's story. Which is a beautiful metaphor for the entire Christian life.

She's rescued from a life of being a pagan she spared from the fiery doom that is going to befall her people in her city and Yet she's adopted into God's family. She's given a new identity a new place a new home a new family and she's connected to Christ.

We realized a couple weeks ago that Rahab even though Her background is is very sinful like all of us. She was connected to Jesus Christ of being she was a part of his lineage just like you and I. Today are connected to Jesus Christ in our salvation.

It doesn't just say that we know him. It says that we're in him. Which is a beautiful reality that the New Testament shares and all of this is by faith alone in Christ alone. She had faith of who God was and she knew that if she protected these two spies that God was going to deliver her.

And that's exactly what happened. Her entire life is a picture of the gospel. God takes her out Of a dead and hopeless situation. He brings life and that is what God does in all of us as well. All the women that we've looked at in this series that's been true.

Think about Jochebed. Jochebed is Moses's mother and because of faith and who God is she defies her government. She decides that she's not going to let the people kill her baby. They're not gonna throw this child into the river.

She puts the child into the river. But in opposition to the government not an obedience and life comes to the entire nation because of her act of disobedience. Life comes to the people of God because of her faith.

God brings life out of dead situations. That's what we've been learning. You think about Sarah? Sarah originally laughed at the promises of God because she couldn't even believe that those things could come true and then she later Laughs because she knows that they're true.

She laughs in faith and We know that God brought life out of that situation a dead womb. She was she was two steps away from a Palestinian nursing home. She's like 90 years old surprised she was even getting around and Yet God brings life to her barren womb.

God fills it full of life and and it's not just her son Isaac. That was that was a miracle enough. Isaac is a child of the promise. He points forward Jesus Christ. Jesus is the one who's gonna bring blessing to the entire world.

Think about all the life that came out of Sarah's womb. It says in the New Testament if we're if we believe we're children of Abraham. Thinking about how many children that woman has in her laughter. All throughout this series.

We've seen God bringing life Out of things that are dead and it happens all throughout the Old Testament. Especially when we're talking about a dead womb like Sarah. And I was thinking about it this week.

There is no more fertile soil Than a barren womb when the power of God has been added to it. Things that we think are dead God can use and God can and God can take and he can bring life to like Sarah.

We've already talked about think about Rebecca, which is Sarah's daughter-in-law. She's barren as well. God brings life to her womb. You think about Rachel who is now Sarah's granddaughter-in-law.

God brings life to her womb. She in her barrenness. She cries out to God and she says give me children or I will die and Then God opens her womb and gives her children and she becomes a part of God's story and Who and in actually being critical informing this people called Israel?

You think about Hannah? Hannah is the mother of Samuel. Samuel is the greatest judge of all the judges and she is also barren and She's got this rival wife who's married to Alcana there, you know the Bible doesn't support polygamy, but it does describe when it happens and Hannah cries out and she says Lord visit me Open up my womb help me and I will give you this child.

He'll be yours all the days of his life and She becomes pregnant she conceives and she has a son named Samuel and Samuel becomes this great man who is gonna lead God's people as the final judge and You think about Elizabeth in the New Testament?

Elizabeth was was very old and barren just like Sarah and yet God opens up her womb and she has the child named John the Baptist who will usher in the Christ who will declare the coming of Jesus. The purpose of these miracle births is not just Because God wanted to make sure that that barren women could be pregnant because there's lots of barren women all over the earth.

God had also a Primary purpose in doing this which was the point forward to his son. To anticipate him to typify him to foreshadow him all of these births. Point forward to Jesus everything in the Bible is all about Jesus from the very first words of Genesis to the very final Praises of Revelation the entire Bible is about Jesus Christ.

So everything that happens within those two cow Hided Binded pages or the cover whatever happens in between that cover is about Jesus Christ every bit of it today. We're gonna look at what I think is probably the clearest picture of Jesus in all of the Old Testament clearer than Moses clearer than David.

Which is debatable, but I think it's true. Every aspect of this man Samson's life points forward to Jesus the way that he's born. Though his childhood the way that he grows up in the way that he dies.

Every aspect of this man's life is the most Concentrated typology what I mean by typology is an Old Testament picture of who Jesus is going to be. It is beautiful and breathtaking and it hits on so many different levels.

Samson as a Type of Christ

Now you may be asking yourself because we live in a very hyper feminized culture where where. Where strong men are demonized? How can a man like that Be a picture of Christ. How could a man who it says in the text that he slept with prostitute the Bible describes his sin.

How could a man like that? Be a picture of Jesus and the Bible is not saying that Samson is so righteous. He's not. Samson has faults he has flaws and they're pronounced and that is part of the point.

Samson is a deliverer who's gonna come and set his people free, but he's not enough. He's not big enough strong enough righteous enough. So his life points to Jesus because he's not enough and Every example in the Old Testament is not enough.

So we need Jesus. That's the point when we look at Moses and David and the sacrificial system and all of it. We realize coming out of it that this is not enough and we need Jesus. That's what the Old Testament is there for to point us to Christ.

So today we're gonna look at two things. We're gonna look at how is Samson a type of Christ how is Samson pointing to Jesus in every aspect of his life and Then we're gonna look at in closing. How knowing this about Jesus that he's the true and greater Samson the true deliverer of his people will set you free.

So with that, let's pray and then let's get started. Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the life of your Old Testament Saints as flawed and as broken as they are. Help us today to see that in every aspect of Samson's life.

We see a limited man a broken man. We see a man that cannot save his people who cannot gain the victory that he wants to gain who who will ultimately die and yet. Every aspect of his life points forward to the true and better Samson just as we sang earlier the true and better David the true and better Moses the true and better Samson.

Lord, let us see these things and let us see who Christ is and when we see who Christ is Lord. Let it let it cause us to be free. In Jesus name, amen. Let's begin with a little bit above of a biographical sketch of who Samson is.

Samson was born in the darkest era of Israel's history when you read the Old Testament. The book of Judges is the darkest. Just it's awful at times the book ends in such tragedy and depravity. And it says even at the end of it that the people don't know their left hand from the right hand.

They don't know up from down. They don't know how to even follow God at all. He's a judge the final judge. In fact the twelfth judge in the book. He's the final judge during this period of time. This period is after Moses leads his people to the edge of the promised land.

This is after Joshua takes them into the promised land and this is before The Kings Saul and David begin to reign. So this period is right in between. It's a transitional period where judges would be raised up to reign over the people.

Now the book of Judges you can imagine like a broken washing machine. If you want to imagine an example of what the book is. You go down to your basement and you imagine that after about an hour that your your washing machine is finished.

Like even if you have it on the the toughest setting, you know. It's done. It's finished. But you get down there and you see that it didn't actually finish the door is locked and you can't open it and it's went.

Back over into another cycle. So you come back in another hour and it's done it again and you come back in another hour. And it's done it again and you realize that your washing machine is broken. And the only thing that you can do to fix it is pull the plug.

That's the book of Judges. These people get stuck in cyclical sins. They can't get out of and eventually God pulls the plug on the entire era and allows them to have what their heart most desires. Which is a king?

The first cycle that they go through is that they serve the Lord. They love God they worship him and everything is going well in their lives when they do this. There's 11 cycles of this in the book of Judges.

11 times they call out to the Lord and God blesses them and cares for them. But the second cycle the spin cycle maybe Is when they turn away from God and they start worshiping idols where they forget who God is.

The third cycle is that the people become enslaved. God gives them over to the pagan nations because they're not worshiping him any longer. He removes his hand of protection from them. And the third cycle is that they become enslaved and conquered by the pagan nations.

The fourth cycle is every single time that happens Israel cries out to God and they repent and they say Lord help us and God the fifth cycle raises up a judge. He raises up a man who's going to lead them and in the case of Baruch and what's the what's the woman's judge's name?

I just blanked out on that Deborah. Thank you. In the case of Deborah, he raises up a woman judge in this season. But when they cry out to the Lord God raises up a judge and then it goes back into another cycle.

They begin to worship the Lord again, and then they fall into idolatry again. Then they're enslaved again and on and on and on this cycle goes until God pulls the plug. There's 11 cycles of this until we get to the man Who's named Samson and Samson is a very colorful character to say the least.

He's the kind of guy that myths and legends are told about. A couple examples is he rips a lion apart with his bare hands. That's pretty epic. He kills a thousand people with a donkey's jawbone. Like if you're gonna be a fly on a camel's back, that's the day that I want to be there.

He's. Does he keep the jawbone intact and he goes one-handed or does he tear the jawbone in half and he goes double-handed. That's crazy. Got a thousand people with a jawbone. It's a guy I want to hang out with or at least know.

He ties Fox's tails together, this is fascinating. He shoves torches in the in the knot of their tails and he burns down thousands of acres of enemy territory. Because they spited him. He gets mad one day because they tried to trap him and he tears the gate off of their city wall.

This is not a small gate. It's not like my little white gate in my picket fence. I mean, this is a massive gate in a stone wall he tears it off the hinges runs up the mountaintop holds it up and yells at the city like Hey, here I am.

He has a very colorful personality. Samson does but the book of Hebrews calls him one of the heroes of the faith. If you look in Hebrews 11 and it shows all of the faithful people from the Old Testament.

Samson's there and I think the reason is is because he points so beautifully to Christ. One of the things you may not have seen before is how Samson is a picture of Christ. And that's what I want us to do for the rest of our time is to see how every facet of his life is a picture of Jesus and It's actually kind of crazy how it all lines up like the comparisons between him and Jesus begin at his birth.

The Birth of Samson and Jesus

Just like Jesus. His birth was announced by angels. It's a pretty fascinating thing. Let's read from judges 13 1 through 7 and Let's see this first comparison how his birth was heralded by the angels just like Jesus the text says.

Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years. There was a certain man of Zorah of the family of the Danites whose name was Manoah and His wife was barren and had born no children.

The Bible says that someone's barren, you know, God's getting ready to work. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her behold now you are barren and you have born no children. But you shall conceive and give birth to a son.

Now therefore be careful not to drink strong wine or strong drink nor eat anything unclean. For behold you shall conceive and give birth to a son. Doesn't that sound like the the gospel narratives of Jesus's birth and No razor shall come upon his head for the boy shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb and he shall Begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

Then the woman came and told her husband saying a man of God came to me and his appearance was like the appearance of The angel of God very awesome. And I did not ask him and I did not ask him where he came from nor did he tell me his name.

But he said to me behold You shall conceive and give birth to a son and now you shall not drink wine or strong drink nor eat any unclean thing. For the boy shall be a Nazarite to God From the womb to the day of his death.

Samson's birth was announced by angelic witness where they said behold you shall conceive and bear a son. This is verse 3 behold now you who are barren you shall conceive and give birth to a son. These are almost direct quotes from what the angel says in Luke chapter 30 where he says to Mary the angel said to her do not Be afraid for you have found favor with God and you will bear a son.

Both of these men were announced by angelic witnesses. Only a few people in the Bible can actually claim that sort of reality and What's even more fascinating about it? Is that both of them were announced to their mothers first and not to their fathers first?

Both Jesus the announcement to Jesus was to Mary first and also to the wife of Manoah. It says the Lord appeared to the woman. That's verse 3. Verse 9 says the angel of God came again to the woman the second time and she was sitting in The field but Manoah her husband was not with her.

It's a strange thing in that time period for such Amazing and awesome news to be given to the mother and not the future father. But we know in the New Testament That's exactly what happened to Mary. Luke 1 26 through 27 says now It was the sixth month and the angel of Gabriel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth to a virgin Engaged to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendants of David and the Virgin's name was Mary.

So here you have both of them are announced by angelic witnesses and both angels go to the woman first again socially that was not expected at all and it tips our hand to the fact that God is up to something God is going to Do something and God delights to send his most important messages to these wonderful Women, which is a beautiful facet of the Bible.

We don't follow what culture says. We don't follow even what biblical culture did. The Bible describes that women at that time were of less value than men. We don't we don't prescribe that women are less valuable than men.

We described the fact that the biblical characters and the biblical societies believe that but look at what God does. God goes to the woman. God goes to someone who might have felt downcast and un even Unworthy to receive such a prominent message and yet God goes to her.

What does that teach us about us? There's no one too far gone. There's no one too low for God to come and reach down and grab you and save you and rescue you with this with his glorifying Gospel it's only later that the husbands are get involved when they're confused and God has to clear things up for them.

Both Manoah and Joseph are thoroughly confused scratching their head if they still have hair left. Joseph was probably in his 40s. Manoah is probably in his 60s. So who knows? But both men get an additional angelic message in order to help clarify their confusion.

This is what it says to Manoah verse 11. Then Manoah arose and he followed his wife and when he came to the man, that's the angel of God. He said to him. Are you the man who spoke to the woman? And he said I am.

That's fascinating. I wish we had time to get into that. This is a pre incarnate visitation of Christ, but I'll let you do some research on that because that we have to keep moving. Manoah said now when your words come to pass what shall be the boys mode of life in his vocation?

I love what the angel the Lord says. So the angel the Lord said to Manoah let the woman pay attention to all that I said. It's almost like he's not talking to Manoah. He's like, let me repeat what I said to your wife.

That is fascinating. That she would not eat anything that comes from the vine nor drink any wine or strong drink nor eat anything unclean. Let her observe all that I have commanded. Samson was a Nazarite which meant that he couldn't take anything from the vine not wine not grape juice not grapes.

He couldn't touch anything that was dead and he could not shave his head. Those were the three characteristics of what it meant to be a Nazarite. So even his mother couldn't drink grape juice or wine or have anything from the vine while she was pregnant because it would it would Be given to him through the placenta and through the umbilical cord and all of that.

So he's set apart. The point is he's being set apart as holy unto the Lord. The same is true for Joseph. Joseph is so bewildered that his wife is pregnant and he hasn't laid a hand on her that he's ready to divorce her.

Quietly and to him the angel had to come. Just to help him get his wits about him so that he could do what God called him to do. Says in Matthew 1 18 through 20. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Imagine trying to sell that story and Joseph her husband being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her plan to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying Joseph son of David.

Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife for the child who has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. So you don't even have Joseph involved until later. You don't have Manoah involved until later.

This is a similarity in their life. Now we've got three similarities that we've we've built upon just in their birth. Another one is that these two boys are called to be deliverers of the nation of Israel or that or the people of God?

Now this is not explicit in Samson's birth, but it's but it's explicit by his office. He's a judge. He was risen up to deliver the people from their strongholds and from pagan occupation. But it's true in his life all throughout Samson's life.

There's a God-giving purpose that ties all of his life together that he was there to free his people from Philistine slavery and Philistine Occupation. But this is explicitly stated of Jesus's life in Matthew 121.

The angel says to Joseph she will bear son. You shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. To Mary it said in Luke 1 32 through 33. He will be great and he will be called the son of the Most High God and the Lord God will give him the throne Of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end.

Samson comes and gives a very temporary a very limited kingdom a very limited deliverance. It lasts for about 20 years. Samson dies and then the whole nation spirals out of control and falls apart at the end of the book of Judges, but Jesus brings an eternal kingdom a forever kind of Deliverance because Jesus's kingdom is better.

That's the whole point. We compare these two side-by-side. Is that an unlimited way Samson is pointing to Jesus. But Jesus comes with a better deliverance a better kingdom a better freedom. Everything about Jesus is better.

But both of these children were born to reign. Again, Samson had a very temporary role. Jesus has an eternal role. Another similarity is that the angelic activity to their mothers ended after the first announcement.

You don't see any other angelic activity in the life of their mothers. We have recorded activity of Manoah and his wife. We have recorded activity of Mary all throughout the days of her life. She gets one message at the beginning and that's what she holds on to and Both of them that's a similarity.

Another similarity in their lives is that almost nothing is said of their childhood almost nothing. Samson gets one verse it says this. Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson and the child grew up in the Lord blessed him.

Skip forward to his adulthood. Jesus gets two verses in Luke and a couple in his teenage years. It says in Luke when they Mary and Joseph had performed everything according to the law of the Lord. They returned to Galilee to their own city.

The child continued to grow and become strong increasing in wisdom and the grace of God was upon him. Move forward. The reason is. The focus of their life is not their childhood. We as modern readers and and we have plenty of paper plenty of ink and plenty of binding we want to read the full story and get all of the secondary details and the tertiary details and Whatever the fourth level details are we want to get that and we want to see what was Jesus doing when he was three.

How did he play with his friends? Did he rebuke them? Did he cry when he fell down and skinned his knee like I think so because he's human. You know, what was changing Jesus's diapers? Like these are questions I ask.

I don't know. But the Bible doesn't care about those details. Because that's not the focus and the purpose of Jesus's life. Jesus didn't come to be a child. He came to be an adult who would die for the sins of his people and the same is true for Samson.

Samson didn't come to stay a child. He came to deliver his people from their slavery to Philistine. So we get a very very quick transition statement to their adulthood and in their adulthood the similarities do not end either.

The Spirit, the Lion, and the Gentile Bride

So we've seen in their childhood and their birth. There's all these similarities. The very first thing that both of them do is that they're both anointed by the Spirit on day one of their ministry. Which is fascinating of Samson.

It says the Spirit of Lord began to stir him. This is the very next verse in Mahana Dan between Zorah and s s tall. Which ironically is near the land of Judah, which is nearby where Jesus was when the Spirit fell on him.

Says that Samson is in this land. There's a river right by that land. It's another interesting little parallel. Jesus when the Spirit falls on him. He's at the Jordan River. It says in Luke 33 21 through 22 now when all the people were baptized Jesus was also baptized and while he was praying heaven was open and the Holy Spirit Descended upon him and bodily form like a dove and a voice came out of heaven.

You are my beloved son and you. I am well pleased. So their birth is the same. It's very similar the very first day of their ministry. They both have the Holy Spirit being poured out on them for their ministry.

Pretty fascinating parallels between these two men. The first thing that they do in their ministry after Jesus is baptized and after the Holy Spirit begins stirring up Samson is. They both fight a lion.

You know, I kind of remember that in Jesus's life. Hold on with me. We'll get there. Chapter 14 of Judges tells us Samson side of this then Samson went down to Timna with his father and his mother and came as far as the vineyards of Timna and Behold a young lion came roaring towards him and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily.

So that he tore him as one tears a young goat though. He had nothing in his hands so the first real thing that Samson does in his career is he's walking down to the city named Timna a lion attacks him and He eviscerates this lion with bare hands with nothing.

I Find that absolutely fascinating because this region that he's in is a wilderness region. This region that he's in very well could be the region where Jesus goes after his baptism in the wilderness for 40 days.

Where he's tempted by the devil who's also known as the roaring lion who prowls around this earth seeking who he may devour. The very first thing that Jesus does in his ministry is for 40 days. He is tempted of the devil and finally at the end of it.

He defeats and crushes the devil. Which no one before him had ever done. Both Samson and Jesus fight this roaring lion. Samson's has a limited lion. Jesus is a more menacing lion that he fights and he defeats and he puts down but both are doing very similar things.

Matthew 4 1 through 3 says Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness just like Samson was led by the Spirit towards this town to be tempted by the devil and after he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he then became hungry and the tempter came and After three back-to-back attacks by the devil that says this in verse 10 and 11 go Satan.

That's what Jesus says for it is written. You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him only then the devil left him Beaten and behold angels came and ministered to him. So we have the pre-birth Announcements are the same the births are the same his coming into ministry is the same his first battle is the same.

The similarities do not stop there and The purpose of Samson's ministry as well as the purpose of Jesus's ministry was to set his people free. But in so doing both of them take a Gentile bride. Which I think is fascinating as well Samson.

It's this verse 1 through 4 of chapter 14. Then Samson went down to Temna and saw a woman in Temna one of the daughters of the Philistines. So he came back and he told his father and his mother I saw a woman in Temna one of the daughters of the Philistines now therefore get her for me as a wife.

Then his father and his mother said to him. Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives or among all of your people? That you would go and take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines. But Samson said to his father get her for me for she looks good to me.

It's a man who knows what he wants. However, his father and his mother did not know that it was from the Lord. Not a fascinating line. They were prohibited from marrying foreigners except here where this is from the Lord.

It says in verse 10 and 11. Then his father and his mother went down to the woman and Samson made a feast. There a wedding feast for young men customarily did this and when they saw him they bought they brought 30 Companions to be with him now.

I don't want to press this too far. But Samson is doing physically what Jesus came to do spiritually. Samson is marrying a Gentile bride. What is the purpose of Jesus's ministry for when he came from heaven?

He came and sought her to be his only bride. That's us and You can imagine all of the people saying Jesus. Can't you find someone from among your people? Can't you find someone here who's worthy and Jesus says no my bride is the Gentile bride and she looks good to me.

Samson is reenacting what Jesus did for his people and he even throws a wedding feast for his people. Just like Samson there was a wedding feast for for his wife his new bride all throughout the Gospels.

We get this foreshadowing element that Jesus is going to put away Israel and put away Judah. Matthew 22. You've got this parable of the wedding feast where they're not worthy. Jesus determined that his people were not worthy.

So he came and he married a Gentile bride. That's you and I. One of the great metaphors of the New Testament is that we've been made the bride of Christ. That he didn't that he didn't leave us in our shame and in our misery and our brokenness.

He made us his bride and he dressed us in white and he cleansed us and he made his whole. Samson is reenacting what Jesus did spiritually and what Jesus did better. I think it's very interesting. We see that the limited nature of what Samson does in the full and infinite nature of what Jesus does.

Samson marries this woman. The Philistines get angry at him and eventually they burn her alive in her home along with her father. Samson could not protect his wife from the flames. Jesus Christ will eternally protect his bride from the flames.

Do you see the parallels? It's breathtaking we see new life coming out of death in both of these men's ministries we see Samson returning to the city and Then as he's returning He looks aside and he sees the corpse of the lion that he slayed.

And he sees new life buzzing out of the corpse of this lion. This this group of bees that don't normally make their nest inside the corpse of a dead animal. That's not normal. So we know that God is involved here that God is doing something and Then Samson takes the honey and he shares it with his family.

Look at what it says in Judges 14 7 through 9. So when he went down and he talked to the woman. She looked good to Samson again. He knows what he likes. When he returned later to take her. He turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion and behold a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.

So he scraped the honey with his hands and went on eating it as he went when he came to his father and his mother. He gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion.

What is so fascinating about this is how it points forward to Jesus. Because both men defeated their own their lions Samson scrapes this out of the body of a line. He shares it with the people that he loves.

Think about Christ. Who is the Lion of Judah who did go down into the grave and who feeds and nourishes his people with new life from here. On out Samson fed the sweetness of honey to his people for a very limited amount of time.