13:1
We now come to what is probably the most famous story in Judges, the story of Samson. This begins with the all too often repeated statement “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord”. This time they are delivered into the hands of the Philistines, and this for forty years. It is crucial that it is the Lord who has delivered them over to their enemies. It is not the Philistines who have the ultimate power. In the same way sin, death and the devil do not have ultimate power over us. The Lord delivered man over to death and the devil because of our sin. The good news is that through the cross and resurrection we are delivered from sin, death and the devil.
13:2
There are a number of unique features about the story of Samson. This is the only one where there is a great emphasis on the foretelling of the birth of Samson. The husband, Zorah, is named, and his wife was barren. There are parallels with Abrham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, and Zechariah and Elizabeth. In fact God seems to delight in choosing the most difficult and unlikely route (in human eyes). While Zorah is named, his unnamed wife actually receives the greater attention.
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