Judges 15:9

 Judges 15:9 says, Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.  The Philistines went up and camped outside Judah,  Verse ten says, And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.  The men of Judah asked the Philistines why they were ready to go to war with them, and they said they had come to bind Samson because of what he had done to them.  Even if all that we are doing is sharing the gospel, we may make the people of the world ready to go to war with us today, and other Christians may be attacked because of our actively serving God.  Verse eleven continues, Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.  Three thousand of the men of  Judah went up to the top of the rock Etam, and asked Samson what he had done to the Philistines and if he didn't know that the Philistines were rulers over Israel.  If we as followers of Christ begin to stand strongly against evil in the world today, some who call themselves Christians may oppose us and question why we are doing what we are doing.  They sent three thousand men to question Samson, so they must have known how strong he was.  Samson said he did to the Philistines as they had done unto him.  We as Christians should never treat those who have treated us badly the same way through,  because we are to follow the example of Jesus Christ.  Verse twelve states, And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.  They told Samson that they had come to bind him for the Philistines, and Samson simply asked that they not fight against him themselves.  I don't believe this was because Samson thought they could defeat him, but because he didn't want to destroy three thousand of his fellow Israelites.  We should never go to war with other Christians.  Verse thirteen adds, And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.  The Israelites told Samson that they would not kill him, only bind him and deliver him to the Philistines.  They may have feared Samson, but they feared the Philistines more, so instead of rallying around him, they wanted to bind him.  We need to pray that we never fear the people of the world more than we have faith in God to deliver us from them.  They bound Smson with two new cords and brought him down off the rock. Verse fourteen continues, And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.  When they got to Lehi, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson mightily, and the cords binding him became as useless as burned flax.  What we as followers of Christ need to realize is that the Holy Spirit indwells us today and is still as powerful as He was in Samson day, so we should never allow the world to bind our faith.  Verse fifteen declares, And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith.  Once set free, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Samson found the jawbone of an ass and killed a thousand Philistines.  He didn't need more powerful weapons or even more people to help him, because he was acting under the power of the Holy Spirit.  The power of the Holy Spirit under His leadership is still all we need today.  Verse sixteen adds, And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.  Of course, then instead of giving glory to God, Samson gave glory to himself.  Matthew Henry says that Samson had to give himself praise because the men of Judah didn't, but I still believe that he, like we ourselves, should never seek self glorification, but should always seek the glorification of God.  We should never brag about our victories as Christians today, but should always give the glory to God.  Verse seventeen says, And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.  After Samson finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone and called the place Ramathlehi.  He still did not acknowledge that the Spirit of God was responsible for his success.  Verse eighteen continues, And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?  Samson did finally give credit to God, but more to complain than to glorify Him.  He said God had given him a great deliverance, but then complained asking God if He did so only to allow Samson to then die of thirst.  God has already given us the greatest victory, the victory over the power of sin and death, but we still too often complain when we have even minor problems in life, while questioning God's concern for us.  Verse nineteen states, But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day.  God took the jawbone and brought water out of it.  The jawbone was not responsible for Samson’s victory over the Philistines, nor was it responsible for the water.  God was responsible in both cases.  Verse twenty adds, And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.  Samson then judged Israel, for twenty years.  Though they were still under the Philistines, they had a judge to rule over them.  We may be under the rule of earthly governments today, but we as Christians still have the Judge, God Himself, to rule over us.

Judges 15:1

Judges 15:1 says, But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.  After some time passed, during the time of the wheat harvest, Samson went to his wife, bringing her a gift of a young goat.  He was going o visit her in her chamber, but her father forbid for him to do so.  It would seem that Samson had forgiven her.  We need to forgive those who have hurt us, whether they forgive us or not.  Verse two adds, And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.  Samson's father-in-law said he thought Samson would never forgive her and return, so he had given Samson's wife to his companion.  It must have been very hard to be the woman, who had been married to a man she may not have chosen, Samson, then threatened if she didn't betray him, then married off to someone else.  Samson was then offered his wife's sister as his wife.  Marriage should never be viewed with the attitude that any woman or man is just as good or better then one's spouse.  Verse three states, And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.  Samson said that he was now more blameless then the Philistines, because of how they had treated him concerning his wife, even though he was now about to do something that would displease them.  We cannot have a comparative attitude towards how we treat others, but must treat them with the love  love and compassion that comes from our relationship withJesusChrist, no matter how they treat us.  Verse four adds, And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.  Samson caught three hundred foxes, which was no easy feat, and tied their tails together in pairs, and then put a firebrand between each two tails.  This definitely could not have been easy to do.   Still, we are not told that Samson really asked God for guidance in this situation, even though God may have worked through his actions to bring about the defeat of the Philistines.  Though God can still work through what we do as followers of Christ, it is always best if we seek His guidance beforehand.  Verse five continues, And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.  After lighting the firebrands, Samson turned the foxes loose in the wheat fields of the Philistines, completely destroying their corn and their vineyards and olive orchards as well.  Verse six says, Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.  The Philistines asked who had done this, and were told that Samson did it, because his father-in-law had given his wife to his companion.  Instead of going after Samson, they burned his wife and father-in-law to death.  Again, I am not sure that the woman really had a lot to do with all that happened, other than betraying Samson when she was threatened instead of going to him and telling him what had happened.  Verse seven adds, And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.  Samson told those who did this that he would be avenged for what they had done, and after that he would cease to bother them.  We today as Christians need to leave the avenging of things that have been done to hurt us up to God.  Verse eight continues, And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.  Samson killed many of the Philistines, then went and dwelt on the top of the rock at Etam.  Matthew Henry says Samson withdraw there to see how the Philistines would react.  We are still not told that Samson sought God's guidance while he was there.  In our encounters with evil in the world, even if we are victorious, we need to withdraw to the Rock of our salvation and seek God's guidance in what we are to do next. 

Judges 14:10

Judges 14:10 says, So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.  Samson's father arranged the marriage, and Samson threw a feast as was the custom of young men who were getting married.  He was still not acting much like a man of God.  Verse eleven adds, And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.  The Philistines, when they saw Samson, brought thirty young men to be his companions, or Matthew Henry says possibly to stand guard over him, since he was an impressive man in looks of strength.  We may have those people today who are supposed to be our friends, but who are secretly trying to destroy our faith in God.  Verse twelve continues, And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:  Verse thirteen concludes, But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.  Samson proposed a wager with these thirty companions, based on solving a riddle.  Samson said if they could solve the riddle within seven days, he would give them thirty sheets and thirty changes of clothes, and if they couldn't, they would give him the same.  Samson was actually risking more, since he would have to give up all thirty himself, and they would only have to give up one apiece.  Of course, I believe that if Samson had been listening to God that he would not have made the offer to begin with.  They accepted his wager.  We need to be careful that we do not allow the way that the world acts to become the way that we do.  Verse fourteen states, And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.  Samson presented the riddle, based on his killing the lion and then getting honey from it later on.  Though they had a week to solve the riddle, after not being able to do so in three days, they evidently became concerned that they wouldn't be able to solve it without help.  When people today are unable to defeat Christians fairly,  even though they outnumber us, they may look for an even greater advantage over us, which is what these thirty men did.  Verse fifteen adds, And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?  The men went to Samson’s wife, telling her to get the answer to the riddle and threatening to her father’s house and her if she didn't.  They then blamed her for their predicament, even though she had nothing to do with it.  When the people of the world today find themselves in a predicament, they often blame others and may even threaten them if they don't help them get out of their predicament.   Verse sixteen continues, And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?  Instead of telling Samson what the young men had threatened, she went to Samson crying and accusing him of hating her for proposing this riddle without telling her the answer.  Samson said he had told no one the answer, even his father and mother, and asked why he should tell her.  Of course, the relationship between a husband and wife should be closer than the relationship with anyone else, even parents.  Verse seventeen says, And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.  Matthew Henry points out that it was the four day of the feast which fell on the seventh day of the week that Samson’s wife began to implore him for the answer, and she kept it up for the rest of the seven days of the feast. Samson gave her the answer on the seventh day,and she told the young men.  This may have been the first time Samson was betrayed by a woman, but it wouldn't be the last.  Verse eighteen adds, And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.  Before the sun went down on the seventh day of the feast, the young men answered Samson’s riddle.  He knew that they had gotten the answer from his wife, or by cheating.  We should not be surprised if people of the world attempt to defeat us by cheating today, but hopefully our family will not help them do so.  Verse nineteen continues, And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.  We are told the Spirit of the LORD came up Samson and he went to Askelon, a Philistine city, killed thirty men there, took their garments and gave them to the thirty who had won the wager.  God was going to use Samson to deliver the people of Israel from the Philistines, and this was his first step in doing so.  We may not immediately claim victory over all our enemies as followers of Christ, but if we put our faith in Him and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us, we will daily claim small victories.  Verse twenty concludes, But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.  Samson’s wife was given to one of his companions, who Samson had thought was his friend.  It is always bad to be betrayed, but it is even worse when those we thought to be closest to us do so. 

Judges 14:1

 Judges 14:1 says, And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.  Verse two adds, And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.  We aren't told how old he was when this happened, but Samson had gone to Timnath, a Philistine city and saw a certain woman there, and he came to his father and mother and told them to get her for his wife.  He did not ask God about this, nor did he ask his parents to do so.  He had wandered away from the people of Israel, who were God's chosen people, and had seen someone he desired among the enemies of Israel, then he didn't ask for God's guidance in the matter.  As Christians, we need to be careful that we don't see things that we desire today and try to get them without seeking God's guidance in the matter.  Verse three continues, Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.  Samson's father and mother asked Samson if he could not find a woman among the Israelites that pleased him, and he told his father to get her for him.  Marriages were arranged by the parents back then, and his father could have simply told Samson that he wouldn't do it, but I guess he wanted to please Samson.  We as Christian parents should not do things to please our children if we know that it is against God's will.  Verse four states, But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.  Still, we are told that even though they had not consulted Him, God was behind Samson's desire, because it would lead to Samson having a quarrel with the Philistines.  God may be at work in our lives today in ways that we do not immediately understand, but we still need to ask for His guidance in everything that we do.  Verse five adds, Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.  While his parents and Samson were going to Timnath and got to the vineyards there, a young lion, which would have been strong and aggressive, came against Samson.  Verse six continues, And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.  The Spirit of the LORD came  mightily upon Samson, and he killed the lion as easily as he would have killed a young goat with his bare hands.  We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us as followers of Christ, so there should be no situation when we are spiritually overpowered by anything in the world.  Samson did not tell his parents about this.  We might be inclined to brag about big victories in our life, but if we should give God the credit instead.  Verse seven says, And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.  We are told that Samson talked with the woman, and are once again told that she pleased him well.  Though God may have been behind the situation, Samson still had not asked Him about it at least that we are told of.  We need to be actively pursuing God's guidance in life and not just relying on Him to be behind the decisions that we make without praying about them.  Verse eight adds, And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.  We are not told how much time passed between the time that his parents and Samson went to Timnath to arrange the marriage, but when Samson returned to take the woman as his wife, there was a swarm of honey bees in the carcase of the lion, so it must have been at least several days later.  Verse nine adds, And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.  Samson took some of the honey out and ate it, and he gave some to his parents, and they ate it as well.  He still did not tell them that the honey came from the carcase of a lion that he had killed.  Matthew Henry said Samson might not have told his parents the source of the honey for fear that they would quit eating it if they knew, but added that honey is honey.  The things of this world, in and of themselves, can be either good or bad based on how they affect our relationship with God. 

Judges 13:20

Judges 13:20 says, For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.  As the flame flame of the sacrifice on the altar went upward, the angel of the LORD ascended with it.  When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces on the ground.  We need to be in awe when God does something miraculous in our life today, and fall down and worship Him.  Verse twenty-one adds, But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.  When the angel no more appeared to Manoah and his wife, Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.  The angel had evidently looked like a man, and it wasn't until his miraculous departure that Manoah recognized that he was an angel.  Angels may have been at work in our life today and we never even realized it, because we didn't recognize them as angels.  Verse twenty-two states, And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.  Manoah then said that his wife and he would surely die, because they had seen God.  It having just been said that Manoah knew this was an angel, he now identified him as God.  Even if we recognize that an angel is or has been at work in our life, we should never elevate them to the status of being God.  They were, are, and always will be His servants, created by Him,  even though they were given freewill and a third rebelled.  Verse twenty-three adds, But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.  Manoah's wife, still unnamed, said that if God were going to kill them that He would not have received their sacrifice and told them these things at the same time.  We need to realize that when God is at work in our life that it is for our benefit and never just so He can get something from us before He kills us.  Verse twenty-four continues, And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.  Manoah's wife had a son as the angel had said she would, and she named him Samson.  One way to know if what we believe to be a promise from God is real or not is to see if it comes to pass.  Of course, while we are waiting, as we are for the return of Jesus Christ, we must be faithful in doing what we believe that God has revealed to us that He wants us to do.  We must act in faith and not just sit back and see if what God says will happen really does.  Verse twenty-three concludes, And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.  As Samson grew up, God began to move in his life at times in the camp of Dan.  God has a purpose for everyone, and He will be moving in our lives as we grow up, but it is up to each person individually to decide whether or not to follow Him.

Judges 13:8

Judges 13:8 says, 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.  Manoah asked God to send the man of God, the angel, to them again to teach them what they should do to the child that was to be born.  It is a good thing for parents today to ask God for guidance in how to raise their children in accordance with His will.  Verse nine adds, 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.  God answered Manoah's request, and sent the angel to the woman again while she was in the field, but Manoah was not with her.  God may not always answer our prayers exactly the way we ask, but He will always answer them.  Verse ten continues, 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.  The woman ran and got Manoah and told him the angel had appeared to her again.  As Christians, Jesus Christ has appeared to us spiritually and we need to make haste to share this good news with others, starting with our family.  Verse eleven states, 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.  Manoah then hurried to the angel and asked him if he were the one that had spoken to his wife, and the angel said yes.  We need to make sure that it is God or His messengers who are speaking to us today, even the Holy Spirit.  We can never afford to allow what we want to become the truth of God, but must always make sure that it is really God’s Voice that we are hearing.  Verse twelve adds, And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?  Manoah said to let what God said through the angel come to pass and asked what they needed to do to ensure this happened.  Children are a gift of God, and we as parents, especially Christian parents, need to seek His guidance how we raise our children.  Verse thirteen says, And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.  Verse fourteen adds, 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.  The angel repeated his instructions to the woman so that Manoah could hear them, and then asked that Manoah made sure that she followed them.  We need to support one another in doing what God has instructed us to do.  Verse fifteen states, 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.  Manoah asked the angel to stay with them until they had made a kid ready as an offering to him.  As followers of Christ, we should never attempt to keep those who are doing God's work from doing so.  Verse sixteen adds, 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.  The angel, whom Manoah still had not recognized as an angel, said even if they detained him, that he would not eat with them, and if they were offering a burnt offering, to offer it to the LORD and not to him. Some people today worship angels, but they should never be objects of worship.  They are God's messengers and warriors, doing what He sends them to do,  and we need to recognize this.  Verse seventeen states, 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?  Manoah then asked the angel his name, so that when his sayings came to pass that they might honor him.  Sometimes, we as Christians can begin to exalt preachers and teachers almost as much as we do God, and this should never happen.  Verse eighteen adds, And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?  The angel asked Manoah why he wanted to know his name,since it was a secret.  It is possible that this was the case so that Manoah would not begin to worship him.  When God is at work in our life, we don't need to know every detail about how He is doing this. Verse nineteen continues, So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.  Manoah then offered the kid to the LORD upon a rock, and the angel did wondrously as Manoah and his wife looked on.  We are not told what this wondrous thing was, nor does it really matter.  I believe that whatever it was, it was to allow Manoah to recognize that he was an angel and also to glorify God and not to bring glory to himself.

Judges 13:1'

Judges 13:1 says, 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.  Once again, the people of Israel did evil in God's sight, and once again He allowed them to be defeated by an enemy, this time the Philistines.  The Philistines ruled them for forty years.  If we turn away from God, we cannot expect Him to give us victory over our enemies for as long as we fail to follow Him.  Verse two adds, 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.  We are then told of a man named Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, whose wife was barren.  Verse three continues, 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.  An angel of the LORD appeared Manoah's wife, telling here that even though she was barren now, that she was going to have a son.  As long as she believed this, I am sure this was great news.  The gospel is great news today, but we must believe it for it to do us any good.  Of course, since God said this was going to happen, it did not depend on whether she believed it or not, just as salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is an accomplished fact, whether we believe it or not.  Verse four states, Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:  The woman was given specific instructions about some things she was to avoid while pregnant with this son she was going to have.  She was to avoid wine and strong drinks, and to not eat any unclean thing.  It is still good advice today for pregnant women to watch what they eat or drink from a physical perspective, but this was more of a spiritual perspective, though we really shouldn't attempt to separate the two.  Verse five adds, For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor 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.  She was told not to cut her son's hair, because he was to be a Nazarite to God from the time of his conception.  I believe that God has a purpose for everyone from the time they are conceived, and not just after they are are born and are grown, though we may not immediately know what that purpose is.  Her son's purpose was to deliver the people of Israel from the Philistines.  God did not choose a mighty warrior from Israel to be their delivere, but an unborn baby, just as an unborn Baby would one day be born to deliver all those who would put their faith in Him from the power and punishment of all sin.  Verse six continues, 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:  Manoah's wife came and told him what had happened, and said that the angel would not tell her where he came from nor what his name was.  If God sends an angel speak to us today, his name and where he is from is not the important thing.  The fact that we know he is from God and the message that he has for us is what is important.  Verse seven concludes, 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.  She then shared the message that the angel gave her with Manoah, except for the part about their son beginning to deliver them from the Philistines. still with no proof that it was actually true.  We likewise need to share the good news, the gospel of Christ, with the world today, even if we can offer no physical proof that it is real.