Judges 13.
VERSE 1: When those who are in relationship to Him are marked by ways of sin, God, who is holy as well as loving, and a “consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), allows them to suffer at the hands of their enemies. The divinely given history which we are reading has to say that “the children of Israel did evil again,” but their God is faithful; He had not given them up, though they had all but given Him up, as we have before noticed in this book of the Judges. How slow He is to turn away; how long put off is the day of judgment! And men are today, as of long time, scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” 2 Peter 3:3-15.
The Philistines here become the oppressors; they were not as the Moabites; the Canaanites under Sisera; the Midianites, Amalekites and children of Ammon, enemies from outside the borders of the land, but enemies inside the enclosure of Israel. The Philistines had already proved themselves enemies (chapter 10:7), and now were at the height of their power. From an enemy within, when the condition of God’s people is such that they cannot be led out against an enemy as in the preceding examples of this book, we are in this chapter pointed directly and at length to the resource provided of God for our own times: entire separation from the evil. (2 Timothy 2:21).
The name “Nazarite”, (found also in Numbers 6, Lamentations 4:7, 8, and Amos 2:11, 12,) means simply “separated”. The Nazarite might not touch, strong drink, or anything that came from the vine, —typical of turning away from sources of earthly energy, and joy; no razor must come upon his head,—suggestive of the giving up of self and of natural rights and proprieties as man (see 1 Corinthians 11:7, 14); he must not touch any dead body,—typical of avoiding contact with moral defilement, association with the world viewed as dead and separated from God because of sin. The one great example of true Nazariteship was the Lord Jesus in His spotless, God-glorifying life on earth, when evil reigned among the people to whom He came; though one of the people, He was not of them, but apart, separate from the evil. And since His resurrection He is completely separate from sinners; the world sees Him no more except in judgment.
Separation to God as indicated in Samson’s case, and in its fulness in Jesus, is, under the circumstances, the only means of enjoying the strength of God.
Samson’s birth, like that of Isaac (Genesis 18:10, 11), of Samuel, (1 Samuel 1) and of John the Baptist (Luke 1:7, 13- 20), and above all of our Lord Jesus who was born into the world in a way peculiar to Himself alone (Luke 1:35), marked the power of God passing by man who is powerless through sin.