Our deliverer and Our sure hope - Judges 13

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years”.

If you have read Judges before, you will remember how repeated this verse is. Israel was continuously heading in a downward spiral as far as their standing with God was concerned. This was all because of their sin. As the recurring verse in Judges puts it: “The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”. However, the Lord in his great kindness continues to deliver the Israelites from their affliction and oppression brought by their rebellion. He redeems them through the judges he raises up - civil and military leaders to guide them to victory and back to faith in God. However, not all the hero-judges succeed in bringing the Israelites to a long-term restorative reconciliation with God. This downward keeps on repeating itself: The Israelites do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, God then allows the nation to be conquered and oppressed by neighbouring nations. The Israelites then cry out to the Lord God and God sends a judge to deliver the Israelites. This downward cycle  repeats after the Judge dies.

Judges chapter 13 somehow brings a twist into this cycle.  First it starts off with the birth of Samson. Second, the oppression of the Israelites has continued for forty years. Sin and oppression is rampant and yet the Israelites do not cry out for supplication to God to redeem them. Things have seemingly gone worse. To add to things, God is silent, perhaps leaving them to their devices: doing things they see fit in their own eyes. However he is also at work, in bringing up a deliverer to be born a Nazarite, set apart for the Lord.  

The silence speaks volumes, I mean this is the longest recorded enslavement in this book, the intensity and depth of sin and depravity as well as the steadfast patience of the Lord (in sending redemption to a dark situation by means of a baby, Samson) and the extent of the the grace of God. God does not wait for them to realise their need for deliverance before He sends a deliverer. God was still willing to work to save the Israelites from their sin and oppression even though they did not ask for it by calling out to him. God is Sovereign, steadfast and gracious in his salvation plan and it is all in his power to enact it. It is because it is who he is.  

In bringing salvation this time around to the Israelites, the Lord brings a deliverer, named Samson. How he comes to be (born) is distinct and clearly is evident that all this is the Lord’s doing:  he was born from a barren woman, an angel came to the parents of Samson to tell them they will have a child. God ordained that Samson will be a Nazarite - set apart for the Lord. He is not to break any of the Nazarite laws and his parents are to make sure of that. He is to be kept fit for the Lord’s use and purpose. He is the one the Lord has brought up to be the deliverer judge for Israel from the Philistine’s oppression. Samson succeeds but along the way he gets corrupted and he comes to a short end. He breaks all the Nazarite Laws and loses his strength as Delilah tricks him to reveal that cutting his hair makes him vulnerable to his enemies. Samson’s hero-judge role is only short lived. As mentioned before, the hero-judges only for a while do they redeem Israel from oppression and their sinfulness and the cycle repeats itself.

Samson is a glimpse of the deliverer and saviour who conquered death for us, who delivered us into salvation and restored our relationship with the Lord who now according to Hebrews 1:3b, “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs''. 

Prophesied from old, born of a virgin mother, an angel appeared to her that she will be with child and will be called ‘Emmanuel - God with us”. He was set apart by God to bring salvation to all mankind, even though they rejected him and preferred being in the darkness of their sin (Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:9-11). God’s spirit resides in him (Mark 1:10). This is Jesus Christ, who for years soon appeared to free us from slavery to our flesh, the world and from sin. Through him we have freedom, we have confident assurance because his work was finished on the cross and is sufficient to save the whole world. By his resurrection return we have a certain and sure hope.

Behold! Jesus Christ, our saviour. The mighty deliverer whom: 

“While we were still enemies of God. Christ was sent for us, while we were rebels, while we hated God, turned our backs on God, Christ was sent for us. You and me: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Praise be unto the one who has conquered death for us, freed us from slavery and redeemed us to be his children, his chosen and holy people. 

Let us give praise to our Saviour, Judge and deliverer as he is exalted and seated on the right hand of the father. Amen!