Samson: The Message To His Parents Series

Samson. He was one of the heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11:32), but he was a failure in other ways. He was a miracle baby, one of a few born to women who were not able to have children except by God’s direct intervention. Samson had the chance to do so much but he didn’t accomplish as much as he could have.

Samson was born in a time of trouble, and lived through his share of troubles. He loved at least three different women who clearly didn’t love him. He allowed two of these women to annoy him so much that he gave in to what they wanted to get from him. Even worse, he didn’t receive much of anything in return from these women, or anybody else for that matter. And to add insult to injury, some of his own nation captured him and handed him over to their enemies!

The best way to begin the story of Samson is to begin with the story of his birth. Samson’s parents, Manoah and his wife, are mentioned first, in Judges 13, as they had a couple of conversations with the Angel of the LORD! The text begins with verse 1:

I Information about Samson’s family

A His mother, verses 1-7

[Judges 13:1, KJV] 1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 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 not. 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 [thing]: 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, 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 [was] like the 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 unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, 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.

Samson’s mother was barren or not able to have children, which was a great concern to women (and most likely men) in those days. Note first the attitude of his mother, who according to the text had not said a word about her problem; at least there is no record of any complaint. She did not demand children, like Rachel did of Jacob (Genesis 30:1-2), nor did she suggest that her husband father a child by a different woman so that she and Manoah could raise the child as their own (compare this with Sarah, in Genesis 16; and Rachel and Leah in Genesis 30).

Another thing about Samson’s mother is that she apparently stayed true to the worship of Israel’s God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Already idolatry had plagued Israel—Joshua 24 has a command or plea to get rid of the foreign idols Israel still had in possession!—and it wouldn’t be long before the tribe of Dan established a priesthood for false gods (Judges 17-18). But this doesn’t seem to be the case for Manoah and his wife. When the Angel spoke, she listened.

B His father, verses 8-12

8 Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. 9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband [was] not with her. 10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the [other] day. 11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, [Art] thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I [am]. 12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and [how] shall we do unto him?