Shall we turn together tonight to Judges 13, Judges 13, as we read together the chapter, the text being verses 24 and 25, the last two verses of the chapter. This being the announcement of the birth of Samson, the introduction into the life and the work of Samson as judge of God's people. Judges 13, beginning at verse 1, as we hear now the Word of God. 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 sterile and remained childless. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head because the boy is to be a Nazarite set apart to God from birth and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. 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 conceive and give birth to a son. Now then drink no wine or other fermented drink, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazarite of God from birth until the day of his death. Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, O Lord, I beg you, 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 one who talked to my wife? I am, he said. So Manoah asked him, when your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for 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 the Lord. 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. 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 Mahanadan between Zorah and Eshtoal. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, as you recall when we began our study of the Judges, we said that the episodes that we find here in this book of the Bible contain the trappings for what the world considers to be great box office hit movies. And no doubt, most if not all of us would agree that this is especially true in the case of Samson, knowing what we know about Samson. We have here with Samson the kind of story and script and plot that Hollywood loves to get its hands on. In fact, if you're familiar with any of Hollywood's muscle men or kickboxing champions, you might even have an idea in your mind of who would be best to play the part of Samson. Although, Scripture never says anything about Samson looking strong. Boys and girls, did you know that? Scripture is silent about Samson looking strong. In fact, the truth is, the Philistines couldn't figure out why he was so strong. But be that as it may, what a movie this would make. The star is a woman chaser with rippling muscles able to carry off the gates of Gaza or to slay a thousand men with just a donkey jawbone. You see, it's interesting yet sad that all that the world sees or would see in this hero is a womanizing tough guy with shady ethics at best. But Scripture, especially Hebrews 11, sees him as a hero of faith. Samson, and all that we know about him, yet Scripture sees him as a hero of faith. And the question, therefore, we must ask is, well, how do we as God's people see Samson and these events? Now, it's true that in many respects, we want to frown at Him. We want to shake a finger at Him because of His despicable lifestyle. And we must see that to be sure. We cannot overlook that. But if that's all that we see, then we will see no more than what Hollywood wants us to see. And if that's all that we see, then this bit of history in these few chapters of Judges has no meaning for us. But again, the Bible sees Samson as a hero of faith. Well, how is that possible? Because of what God was doing here. If we look at Samson through the spectacles of what God was doing, then we too shall see him as a hero of faith. You see, beloved, we cannot and we will not understand the message of God through Samson unless we understand that God is at work. And although the story of Samson's life is indeed full of interesting details and adventures, the Bible reveals to us that it's not so much about muscles and gates and violence. It's about God bringing deliverance to His people. In Judges 13, we find that God again prepares deliverance for His people by His grace, with His blessing, and in His Spirit. This chapter of Scripture reveals to us that Samson had a good beginning. Verse 24 begins, The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. That information alone, you see, is a message of grace. If you remember the context, then it's clear that this took place only by God's grace. Verse 1 again says, Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years. Where have we heard that before? Again, again, again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. But then here after that, we read that the angel comes to Manoah's wife with God's announcement of a coming deliverer. But what's missing here? What's missing here? Remember that cycle? Remember that downward spiral we talked about? Sin, oppression, crying out, deliverance, and then rest? But then remember last week, as we said, we never again hear about rest in the land after Gideon. So we don't hear about that. But what else is missing? Notice the sons of Israel never cry out to God in distress. There's sin, there's oppression, there's announcement of deliverance, but they never cry out to God in distress. You see, at least before, even if they weren't really sorry for their wickedness, they at least gave lip service to Jehovah. but now nothing. They must have grown so used to bondage that they had no sense to cry out to God for help. But God, in His grace, comes to announce that He will begin to deliver those who don't even understand their need for it. And beloved, we must marvel at Israel's God, our God, who takes the initiative to save His people because left to ourselves, we would have no clue that we were headed for destruction. Left to ourselves, we would have no clue that we have a need to be delivered from our sin and misery. And therefore, we must rejoice in the Word of God through Paul, for while we were still helpless at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. God's people didn't deserve to be delivered. Yet in His grace, God came, and we read, The woman gave birth to a boy. Or as other versions say, she gave birth to a son. This is also amazing. Now we're not given any name for this woman. We know her as Manoah's wife. I know many of you wives wouldn't be crazy about being known as simply Bob's wife or Phil's wife or Dan's wife. There's nothing flattering necessarily about that. But that's all we know her by, as Manoah's wife or maybe even as Samson's mother. But the fact that she is nameless, you see, is not an insult to her. But rather, it's a compliment. Remember Genesis 3.15, the Lord says, And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. You see, beloved, the seed of the woman is yet to be born. Yet here in this text it says, The woman gave birth to a boy, to a son. This is a prophetic foreshadowing of the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Manoah's wife is given a special honor as she is lined up in a wonderful way with the line of Christ. But notice that she too, in another way, is a recipient of God's grace in a special way. The text says she was sterile and remained childless, or she was barren. And then to make sure that we understand that this was an act of God, the angel of the Lord reminds her of this very fact as if she didn't already know it. The angel says, You are sterile and childless. You see, barrenness was a sad thing in those days, as it is today too. But in those days, it was looked upon as a symbol of death. No children meant that the family line would die out, that the inheritance would not be passed on. But see here, God, in His grace, would bring life out of this dead womb. And a special life this would be so much so that there were special instructions given to her for both her and the child. Notice verses 4 and 5. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink, and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazarite set apart to God from birth, and He will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. You see, beloved, Samson had a good beginning. God in His grace determined to deliver His oppressed people, and a sterile or barren woman bore a son in a time of spiritual barrenness in Israel. And this child is set aside by God Himself already from conception. Samson's mother was told to abstain from wine and strong drink, from that which is unclean, not so that he would become a Nazarite, but because he would already be a Nazarite in the womb. Indeed, Samson had a good beginning. He had a gracious beginning. And for us here today, knowing what we know about Samson from Scripture, it would be easy for us to say that for all that Samson had going for him, he should have been an effective worker in God's kingdom. Or maybe more of an effective worker in God's kingdom knowing what we know. But what about us? How many of us have had a good beginning? How many of us were born and raised in a Christian family and taught faithfully the Word of God? How many of us were allowed to become quite familiar with the pages of Scripture. And even if you didn't grow up this way, how many of us have experienced the love of God and His amazing grace in a special way? You see, as we look back over our lives, many of us have had good beginnings with God's gracious hand governing and leading us. And therefore, shouldn't we be more effective? Shouldn't we be? Instead of coming up with all kinds of excuses? I'm too busy. I'm not equipped for that. I can't do it. What excuses do we have, beloved, for not being more effective workers in God's kingdom, willing to take the load on our shoulders, being ready to do whatever it takes to do God's kingdom work? You see, God has shown many of us Samson-like grace in bringing His church to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You see, we can never do enough or even anything to balance the scale of God's grace to us. But that's not the fear, is it? Because we know that we're saved by grace, not by works. The fear is not that we will ever outdo God's grace to us. The fear is to be, are we responding to that grace with the thankfulness and the love and the obedience that God's grace commands in the hearts of His children. Are we responding to the grace of God in our lives? As the Spirit of God brings His people to recognize the grace of God in their lives, then as with Samson, we must confess that God also prepares with His blessing. The text says in the second part of verse 24, He grew and the Lord blessed him. Now, we don't know anything about Samson's childhood except that he was different. How do we know that? Well, again, he was a Nazirite. We don't know if he had a lot of friends. We don't know if he got along well with the other boys. We do know that he wasn't allowed to drink a bottle of grape juice with the guys. He wasn't allowed to get his hair cut according to the style of his day. He wasn't allowed to go hunting. He wasn't allowed to attend any funerals. He was not an ordinary boy. We don't know if the other children picked on him because he was different. We don't know if he was teased. Yet we do know that he was blessed because he was set apart by God Himself. And he had faithful parents who taught him about God. Boys and girls, young people, you are blessed by the very virtue of your baptism. The sign of God's promise sets you apart from the children of the world. Sets you apart as those who have been blessed with a Christian family. Blessed with Christian parents who desire to teach you about the Lord Jesus Christ because they know beyond a doubt that He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. That there is no other way to the Father except through Him. We are blessed. As Christians who live in a world that is much like the world during the time of the judges, when everyone does what is right in their own eyes, we may suffer at the hands of God's enemies in many, many ways. They might laugh at us for, as they think, wasting our time on Sundays being in church when there is so much else to do. After all, this is Mother's Day, isn't it? No, it's not. it's the Lord's day they may think that we're crazy for giving our money to the church or paying for Christian tuition after all it's so expensive and so is the cost of living and there's free education right down the street they might poke fun of us for not trying to make all of our dreams come true by gambling and playing the lottery they may very well persecute the church for what we do or do not do. Yet as God's people, we are blessed. What does it mean to be blessed? We often think of it, don't we, in terms of material sorts of things. A good job, a roof over our heads, clothing on our backs, and indeed those are blessings. But first of all, what does it mean really to be blessed? To be blessed does not mean that everything goes our way, that we are always healthy, wealthy, and wise. to be blessed does not mean that we will never get picked on for following the ways of God to be blessed means to live in the ways of God to know the truth to have the knowledge and assurance of the Savior indeed we are blessed aren't we? to be blessed means that we have the opportunity to give our children a Christian education to raise them freely in this country in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. To be blessed by God means to have heard His call to faith and repentance by His grace and to live out of the Father's hand. To be blessed means to be chosen by God. Again, as a Nazarite, Samson was specifically chosen by God. Well, what was a Nazarite? We've already hinted at some of the stipulations. The idea behind taking the Nazarite vow was that of separation and consecration. One who took that vow was setting himself apart from the world and setting himself unto the Lord. Numbers 6 explains this vow. And there were basically three restrictions involved with it. Number one, again, drink no wine or any strong drink, neither any grape juice nor eat anything from the vine like grapes or raisins. The second restriction, no razor was to touch the head all of the days of the vow period, of the time of the vow. And then third, no contact with the dead. Abstaining from wine or strong drink represented total abstinence from sin and the lust of the world. Leaving the hair uncut was a symbol of unbroken strength devoted to the Lord. And of course, the dead symbolized the terrible effect of sin. These were the things that one who took the Nazarite vow stayed away from, which served then as symbols of total separateness to the Lord for his service. It's interesting, though, that this vow was normally voluntary, and it was normally only for a period of time, whether it be for a year or two years or whatever the set period would be. But in Samson's case, he didn't have a choice. God determined that he would be a Nazarite and it would be lifelong from womb to tomb. We know, of course, that Samuel and John the Baptist were also special cases when it came to this vow. But with regard to the other judges, Samson was different from every other one. God raised the others up when they were already adults, but He grew Samson from scratch. What a picture of the sovereignty of God. No, Samson didn't have a choice in the matter. And some may think that's not fair. God didn't even consult with him to find out if he was willing to be set aside. Samson was called and equipped for the Lord's work apart from anything in himself. He couldn't resist the call of the Lord. That's how it has been with many with a call to the ministry. Samson couldn't resist God's grace. That too is a blessing of God. You might say, wait a minute. He was such a sinner as we know, and you're making him sound like such a good guy. Yeah, Samson was a terrible sinner, aren't you? I am. And I'm so grateful that my sins haven't been made public in the newspapers or the history books like Samson's have been made public in Scripture. But Samson was a sinner saved by grace, and so am I. The text says, the Lord blessed him. And do you know what? Scripture never says anywhere that the wicked are blessed. But we also need to understand the function a Nazarite had among the people. You see, God's people as a whole were to be a people set apart under the Lord. They were to be separate from the world. And therefore, a Nazarite was a reminder to the people of their calling before God. In his very person and in his appearance, a Nazarite was to preach to the people of their calling. In other words, a Nazarite was a visible, physical sermon that was to preach by his life a total abstinence from the temptations of sin in the world. Samson was to be a reminder to Israel that her calling was to be consecrated to God. She was to be set apart to Him. He was to be a reminder of Israel's blessed position as those called by God. He was to be a reminder to Israel that her strength could only be found in her spiritual isolation from the world and separateness unto the Lord. He was to be a reminder to them of what they were to be before God by God's grace. A number of Scripture passages support God's blessing upon His people for their obedience. Turn with me to Leviticus chapter 26. Leviticus chapter 26 where we find these blessings for obedience. Recorded. Leviticus 26 verse 3 says, If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, And then the list begins, but move to verses 6-8. I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down, and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. But Scripture also clearly defines in the same chapter the results for a lack of obedience. verses 14 through 17 specifically. But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you. I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. Again, knowing the life of Samson, and we also know that Samson was also a reminder of what happened when one forsakes God. He was a true picture of the weakness that Israel had fallen into. He was an object lesson right before their very eyes of the truth that when Israel forsook her spiritual isolation and forsook the service of the Lord. Then they became weak and unable to fight against their enemies. Beloved, God calls His church together by the power of His irresistible grace. And He blesses His people in that they cannot resist it. God's people believe in Him by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. The church is really that body called to the life of a Nazarite in the sense of being set apart as holy unto the Lord. Jesus Christ has overcome the world so that now as His people we can live in the world but not be of the world. And the church as well as each individual believer is to be a sermon to the world of God's grace and blessing on those who believe in Jesus Christ by faith. What kind of sermon are you? What kind of sermon are we as a body of Christ? What message does your life preach to the world? What message do they hear from your life? You see, beloved, it's a blessing to be called. But it's also a blessing to be used. And finally, God prepares His Deliverer in His Spirit. Verse 25 says, And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahanadan. between Zorah and Eshterol. See, more often than any other judge, we read that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. It's clear that the deliverance of God's people could and would only be accomplished by the power and strength of the Lord. The Hebrew word for stir here is a strong word which means to push or to thrust. The Spirit of the Lord began to drive Samson. And we almost get the idea that even though Samson grew as a Nazarite, knowing what was expected of him, that he may have been resisting the call in some way. Maybe many of us went through the same sort of thing in our teenage years, whenever. They call it a time of rebellion in our lives. But Samson needed to be pushed or thrust into his office. And I, as well as I know, I think Pastor Kaminga, Reverend Hauerzile, and many others can relate a bit with that with the ministry. As I look back and see that while I resisted the call to the ministry, the Spirit of God overpowered and pushed me into it, preparing me and my wife for the life of the ministry. But as we consider the life of Samson, and what we hope to study, if the Lord will, is that we will see this constant struggle, Samson struggled between his desires on the one hand and his office or call on the other hand. Dear people of God, God has called His church to live separate and distinct from the world while at the same time testifying and witnessing of His amazing grace in our lives. God has a task for His church. That through our words and through our lifestyle that we point the world to the ultimate deliverer, Jesus Christ. And He equips His church to do just that with the strength of His Holy Spirit. Does the Spirit of God stir your heart tonight? Are you heeding His call? Or are you trying to resist His stirring? Have you become attached to the things of this world so attached that you have become numb to the things of the Lord? Young people, do you sense God working in your heart? Or are you working with the world so much that you are spiritually deaf to the things of God? See, Paul talks about those who turn away from the faith and give heed to deceiving doctrines. And because of their sin, he says, they have their own conscience seared with a hot iron. In other words, there's like a terrible burn from boiling water or from a hot iron. When that scar tissue forms, they have no feeling. What Paul is saying is there is spiritual numbness. And therefore, when the gospel is placed on their hearts, they don't feel anything. Does that describe you tonight? I pray that it doesn't. But if it does, unless you repent by the power of the Spirit, you will not be separated unto God, but you will be separated from God. You will not be delivered from eternal death, but to eternal death. But for those who look to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, there is deliverance, eternal deliverance, that begins already today. Beloved, Samson's Nazarite vow was to remind the Israelites and us about what we are meant to be. Separated unto the Lord. Set apart as holy to the Lord, having a good beginning by His grace. Being blessed by God through the stirring of His Spirit and consecrated to Him for life. Samson had a good beginning and the angel said that he would begin to deliver the Israelites. And indeed, as he grew, the Lord blessed him and the Spirit began to stir him. but Jesus Christ finished. He perfectly completed that which Samson only imperfectly began. Jesus Christ has led the captives free. He has accomplished divine deliverance for all of His people. And therefore, may the Spirit of God graciously stir our hearts to heed His call to begin and complete our lives in holiness, looking only to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, having the confidence that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. Beloved, like Samson, it is wonderful to have a good beginning. But it is even better to have our end with Jesus Christ. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, as we consider Samson's good beginning, we must confess, too, that You've given to us such a good beginning. And we know that the end will be marvelous. That we will never end as we will live forever in Your holy courts. And Father, we thank You and praise You that we were not able to resist Your grace, to resist your call, that you have called us effectively by the power of your Holy Spirit to be your people, those whom you have brought out of darkness into your marvelous light. It may it be, O Lord, that we would live as a church and as individuals as the Nazarite was called to live, as those who are called to be visible sermons to the world that both preach with our lifestyle and express with our mouths the glory of our God and our King. Father, we confess that we are weak, but you are strong. Give to us the strength and the wisdom and the courage we need to stand up before the world for our Lord Jesus Christ. In His name alone we pray. Amen.