The Glory All Belongs To God

In Jephthah’s day, the Ammonite occupation affected the Israelites on the east side of Jordan, the Trans-Jordanian tribes far more than those on the west side, and the Philistine attacks were only minor annoyances.  As a result, Jephthah’s victory didn’t impact most of Israel very much, and they didn’t turn wholeheartedly to the Lord.  While Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon were able to keep them from turning away completely, they were not able to get them to commit fully either.  About twenty five years after Jephthah’s death, Israel turned completely away from the Lord, as Judges 13:1 tells us.  “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.”

Having grown used to the Philistine depredations and not walking close to the Lord, the Israelites put up with Philistine domination for forty years.  Finally, God sent a special person to free them.   Just as he had done with Isaac, and would later do with John the Baptist and Jesus, God sent an angel to tell his parents he was to be born, in Judges 13:2-5.  “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.  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.  Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 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.” 

This child, Samson, was to be a Nazarite from birth.  Numbers 6:2-describes the requirements for a Nazarite.  “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.  All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.  All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.  All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.  He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.  All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.”  

As a sign of his complete submission to God, there were several things the Nazarite was required to do.  He was to allow his hair to grow naturally without trimming it during the period of his vow.  During the period of his vow, he was not to drink any fermented beverage, or eat or drink anything from the grape vine, nor was he to touch any dead body.  He was forbidden to follow the customary rituals of mourning for a loved one who died, but to stay focused on his consecration to God.  He was to maintain all of the moral standards of the law because he was holy unto the Lord.  Any alcohol or drugs the mother consumes are absorbed into the baby’s blood stream as well, so Samson’s mother was forbidden to drink fermented beverages during her pregnancy.      

When Samson’s mother told his father what the angel had said, he prayed and asked the Lord to send the angel to come and explain exactly how they were to raise such a child.   When the angel came, he repeated what he had told the woman, in Judges 13:13-14.  “And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.  She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.”

When Manoah offered him some food, the angel refuse to eat it insisting that only god was to be worshipped, even refusing to let them know his name, in Judges 13:15-18.  “And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.

And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?”

Even the Holy Spirit directs our attention to God and Christ, rather than himself, according to John 16:13-14.  “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”  Any angel or preacher who focus attention on themselves or something else is not of God.   Colossians 2:18-19 warns, “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.”

Any thing that is accomplished here on earth is the result of God enabling the person to do it.  As a result, II Corinthians 10:17-18 commands, “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.  For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”