Judges 13 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Judges 13 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Most scholars place the period of the Judges between 1450 B.C. and 1000 B.C.

• The precise dates are still debated.

CHARACTERS:

• Manoah and His Wife – A married couple from the tribe of Dan.

• The Angel of the Lord – This angel (messenger) was God Himself. He appeared to Manoah and his wife and promised they would have a son.

• Samson – The baby boy born to Manoah and his wife. He was a Nazarite from the womb (Num 6).

WHERE:

• Manoah and his wife lived in Zorah, a city in the territory of Dan.

OUTLINE:

• THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO MANOAH’S WIFE (13:1-5):

  • The Israelites turned away from God and started doing evil things again.

  • God allowed the Philistines to oppress them for 40 years.

  • In the town of Zorah lived a man named Manoah and his wife.

  • His wife was barren and couldn’t have children.

  • The angel of the Lord appeared to her one day and told her she would have a son.

  • Her son was going to be special, he was to be a Nazarite (Num 6), and the woman was told to follow specific instructions during her pregnancy.

  • She was not allowed to drink wine or eat anything unclean.

  • When the child was born, she wasn’t allowed to cut his hair.  

  • The angel of the Lord promised Manoah’s wife that her son would save Israel from the Philistines.

• THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO MANOAH (13:6-23):

  • Manoah’s wife ran to her husband and told him everything the angel of the Lord said to her.

  • Manoah prayed to God and asked Him to send the angel again.

  • God answered Manoah’s prayer and the angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife in a field and repeated the instruction he had given in his first appearance.

  • The text tells us Manoah and his wife didn’t know the messenger was the angel of the Lord.

  • When Manoah asked the angel his name, he responded “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”

  • Manoah took a goat and offered it to the Lord with fire.

  • As the smoke of the offering went up to the sky, the angel of the Lord ascended to heaven in the smoke.

  • Manoah and his wife were stunned and fell on their faces to the ground.

  • Manoah was worried they would die because they had seen God, but his wife comforted by reminding him the Lord would not have promised them a son if He intended to kill them.

• THE BIRTH OF SAMSON (13:24-25):

  • In time, Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son. They named him Samson.

  • The “Spirit of the Lord began to stir him” as he grew older.

APPLICATION:

• God went to an obscure town in Israel to begin the process of saving Israel from the Philistines.

• Probably very few people knew about God’s meeting with Manaoh and his wife.

• Salvation wouldn’t come to Israel for several years after this obscure meeting (Samson had to grow up).

• Just because you aren’t aware of God working doesn’t mean He isn’t working.

• God may have put important building blocks of your life in place years ago.

• It may be the case that God set something in motion 15 years ago in an obscure town that will drastically altar the course of your life.

• God’s plans are extraordinarily complex. He is at work in the life of every human. He is manipulating billions of variables at every moment, through time and space, to bring people to Himself and to order the creation according to His will.