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Judges 13:21-23 Thoughts on Samson's role in redemptive history - Day 211

Greetings friends,

All the judges have some strange stories, but Samson is probably the strangest.  

Blessings,

Jeff

Observations:

Samson's mother is not named.  She is just "Manoah's wife" or "the women"

She is the recipient of both angelic visitations and messages.  Manoah prays for a second visit, but the angel does not come to him directly.  He has to go to the angel.

She is the one who puts the pieces together to figure things out.  Manoah thinks that after appearing twice, giving specific instructions about how to raise their son, and accepting their offering, that God was going to kill them.  She pulls him in from the edge and lays out the logic of what has happened and that they won't die.  

Parallels between Jesus and Samson

Birth is announced to their mothers, neither of whom were seeking such a position.

God is the initiator of these events.

Neither exercised his office immediately.  Jesus was king of the Jews from birth but does not exercise that office until start of public ministry.  Samson was a judge from birth but does not exercise until grown.

These similarities help us see the shadow in the Old Testament and the light in the New Testament.  In order for Jesus to be a "better Samson" there had to be a "firs1 Samson".  Samson's story shows us the ways in which a person with a fallen human nature falls short even at his very best.  So that when the person with a sinless human nature comes, he does not fall short.


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