Judges 13 : 02 - 25

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

Here is the haftarah portion for the Torah Reading Schedule for this week:

Nasso “Making an accounting”<br>
Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25

May the following be our prayer...

"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy ." - Psalms 119:18

Please share your thoughts with us.

Shalom chaverim (friends),

Reuel

[R' Y'hoshua Moshe]

Here is the opening passage for Judges chapter 13:

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of YHVH; and YHVH delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years."

Why many Christians in America think that this country will not be destroyed, and given to it's enemies for it's wicked actions is beyond me as scripture does not communicate this.

We see that the following verses in this chapter is the account of the birth of the Judge Samson. The Angel of YHVH in this passage is very interesting to say the least. Many believe that The Angel of YHVH found here, and in many other passages is indeed the pre-manifest Yeshua HaMashiach. One passage is particularly interesting to me...

"And Manoah said unto the angel of YHVH, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? And the angel of YHVH said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" - Judges 13:17-18

Why is this Angel's name secret as many other names of Angel's in scripture have been revealed? I wonder if the following passage found in the book of Revelation has anything to do with this...

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
- Revelation 2:17

Any thoughts?

Reuel

[alon]

Judges 13:2-25

This is the haftarah for Par’shah Naso (Num 4:21-7:89), which gives instructions for the Nazarite Vows.

Samson was different from the other Judges. His recorded feats were all miraculous, and he fought as an Individual, not as a military commander. It is notable that all his acts of heroism were the result of his involvement with Philistine women. He is not described as a giant or as looking physically powerful; at least not so powerful as his feats would suggest. Has connection to God was the result of his being set apart, a Nazarite, and through prayers.

Shim’shon (Samson) is to be a Nazarite from before his birth to his death; a lifelong vow imposed by Elohim. He is from the southwest near Philistia in the time of the seventh and greatest apostasy recorded in Judges. There is no record of national repentance, so their deliverance was only partial and imperfect, as was the career of Shim’shon.

The Philistines on the other hand were very religious, and celebrated their victories in house of their idols.

1 Samuel 31:9 (ESV) So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.

Judges 16:23 & 27 (ESV) The Death of Samson Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, “Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.” … Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.

They often carried their gods when they went into battle.

2 Samuel 5:21 (ESV) And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

The Philistines were a cruel, brutal people who practiced abominations such as frequent human sacrifices, including child sacrifices. A Nazarite, a separated one, was to be Israel’s deliverer, if only partially.

“Shim’shon” (Samson) means “sunny” or “little sun.” At first his sunny disposition did bring sunshine to his Israel in a very dark period in its history. But he used this gift to attract Philistine women, a clear violation of God’s commandments.

1 Kings 11:2 (ESV) from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.

Shim’shon, the sunny one ended his life in darkness because he did not fully obey the Lord. A Philistine woman was to be his undoing. He began the task of delivering Israel from the Philistines, but it would fall to Sh’muel and Dovid to finish the job.

The secret of his great strength was an enigma to Shim’shon’s contemporaries, as it is to most people even today. Christianity teaches that it was his hair that gave him his power. This is ludicrous. His strength came from his trust in El Elohe Yisro'el which opened his nature to the Ruach HaKodesh.

Hebrews 11:32-34 (ESV) And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Judges 14:6a (ESV) Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces

Faith however is always in direct proportion to consecration, and consecration to obedience. A man’s spirit cannot serve two masters; and if it draws upon the power of the Eternal God there must be strict discipline exercised on the gateways of our senses. This was the purpose of the Nazarine Vow.


The story of the angelic visit announcing his birth is similar to other annunciation stories:

Judges 13:1 (ESV) And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

Israel’s subjugation to Philistia for forty years is the longest recorded in Judges. The absence of any stage of the nation or its leadership crying out strengthens impression of Israel’s apostasy and distance from the Lord.


Judges 13:2-5 (ESV) There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe 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, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

This was to be miraculous birth. God was with him from his conception. Both he and his mother were Nazarites; him at least (and possibly her) for life. Although not stipulated in the narrative, a mother who prays can see her children through some very bad times, even when they fall away. This I know from experience.

Numbers 6:1-2 (ESV) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,

A “Nazirite” is a person separated, or consecrated to God.

The phrase “he shall begin” is prophetic, meaning he will not fully deliver Israel. Only partially. But how could a man fail when he had so much going for him? Born to godly parents, both of whom feared the Lord. They prayed for wisdom and obeyed the will of God. However a godly home is no guarantee of godly life when this spiritual influence is rejected by the child.


Judges 13:6-7 (ESV) Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”

The wife suspects this man of God, this messenger might be Elohim. She is told this child is to be special- a Nazarite from conception to death. However when she tells her husband, she does not repeat the messengers words exactly as he gave them to her. She focuses on prohibitions applied to her. At any rate, her story has gaps which cause Manoah to ask for another appearance of the angelic visitor.


Judges 13:8 (ESV) Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”

Us- Manoah wants to be full partner in raising the child. So it is possible both he and his wife took lifelong vows. This was at least the case for her as she carried Shim’shon. Regardless, as a result of this vision they trusted Elohim, and would have taught their son to trust as well.


Judges 13:9 (ESV) And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her.

Due to woman’s preferred status in birth stories the messenger reappears to the woman alone.


Judges 13:10-11 (ESV) So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.”

The Hebrew phrase “halak achar” has connotations of following after as one would a Rabbi or military commander. This is a role reversal; very unusual in the Bible. On the other hand, even though this is a birthing narrative we are not given the mother’s name, only his.


Judges 13:12-14 (ESV) And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?” And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.”

Manoah asks how to behave in raising the child, however the messenger’s answer ignores Manoah’s question and only relates to the instructions given to the mother.


Judges 13:15-16 (ESV) Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain you and prepare a young goat for you.” And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.)

Here see the first overt intimation that this is a Christophany; a preincarnate manifestation of Yeshua. The messenger refuses to eat, suggesting instead the offering be made to the Lord.


Judges 13:17-18 (ESV) And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” [JPS “unknowable”]

H6383 פּליא / פּלאי pil'ı̂y / pâlı̂y' BDB Definition: 1) wonderful, incomprehensible, extraordinary


Judges 13:19-20 (ESV) So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the Lord, to the one who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.

The messenger miraculously disappears in the flame and smoke when the sacrifice is offered. This must have reminded Manoah and his wife of the pillar of fire and smoke when their people were delivered from Egypt. Now their reaction is the first sign they fully realize this messenger was God Himself; the preincarnate Moshiach.


Judges 13:21 (ESV) The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord.

Manoah now realizes what his wife already intuited at the first encounter.


Judges 13:22 (ESV) And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen God.”

Knowing that seeing the Lord brings death causes Manoah to express fear, although he apparently did not realize that it would be instantaneous death. Some of the Rabbis thought Manoah was boorish and ignorant. I don’t see that necessarily, but he doesn’t appear to be as intelligent as his wife.

Judges 13:23 (ESV) But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.”

Manoah’s wife is logical in her response to his fears. She calms him, saying if God wished to kill them He would not have sent the messenger twice. She comforted her husband with commendable finesse. Her words should often come back to us as well. That God continues to bless and use us, answers our prayers, and gives us insights should be noted as reasons for believing He has not deserted us.

Judges 13:24-25 (ESV) And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

“Began to stir,” litterally “began to move.” The Ruach HaKodesh moved on the sould of this young boy. These two verses are a summary of the unique growth and development Shim’shon experienced under the protection of Elohim. Shim'shon, the sunshine of Yisro'el, ended his life in darkness. He began his life and ministry blessed by the Lord, but would close his life being mocked by a celebratory gathering of over 3000 pagans. While it is true that in death he killed many, how much better to have been a living sacrifice:

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Dan C

Resources: JPS Study Tnk, W Wiersby, F Meyer, Unger, Rav S, my parents and others

[garrett]

Dan, this is a good read. Thanks for posting.

[alon]

This is the haftara for this week.

Dan C