SAMSON By delivering Israel into the hands of the Philistines for forty years, God intended to chastise them, but he was preparing Samson as a judge to save them. 1- The angel of the Lord and the wife of Manoah 1 - 7 2- The angel of the Lord and Manoah 8 – 25 1- THE ANGEL OF THE LORD AND THE WIFE OF MANOAH: “Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years” (1) The Philistines at that time, and up to the time of king David, had great weight. They were not Canaanites, but were called ‘Caphtorians’, after their origin ‘Caphtor’ (the Island of Crete). If, according to some, the forty years ended by what came in (1 Samuel 7: 13); ‘Eli’ the priest would have already died, and ‘Samson’ would have reached his full manhood. According to others, Samson judged during the days in which Elon judged in North of Philistine; and he probably started his work in the days of Jephthah………….. (The judges sometimes appeared at the same time in different locations; the Philistines and the people of Ammon enslaved Israel at the same time; the history of Jephtheh came to proclaim saving them from the https://coptic-treasures.com/ people of Ammon; and the history of Samson came to proclaim saving them from the Philistines). . “Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children” (2). The parents of Samson were in ‘Zorah’, a Hebrew word meaning (a strike or a bee), on the coast of Judah, then belonged to ‘Dan’ (Joshua 15: 33; 19: 41). Known nowadays as ‘Zorah’ or ‘Sorah’, 14 miles West of Jerusalem; and 23 miles South-east of Jaffa; on a hill above the Valley of ‘Sourok’. Samson’s life began by the appearance of the angel of the Lord, most probably a proclamation of the Second Person of the Word of God, to the wife of a godly man called ‘Manoah’; a Hebrew name meaning (repose) or (comfort), so called by his parents, with the hope that by his birth, they would have rest from their troubles ………Manoah, even though he did not have any apparent role in the salvation of his people, yet, by his, and his wife’s godliness, they produced ‘Samson’, the man of faith! We can say that, by their holy life and prayers, they presented to God and to the holy congregation, a blessed fruition in the Lord; although they did not pluck from it during their life on earth. “His wife was barren and had no children”; Her barrenness was probably considered by both the relatives and foreigners as a reproach and a sign of God’s displeasure. ……… How much we need to receive the fruition from the hand of God, and not through nature, even when delayed; which would distort our image in the eyes of other people. In the ‘Telmud’ it came that the name of Manoah’s wife was ‘Hasalphoty’, a Hebrew name meaning (gives shadow on me). If Manoah refers to the soul that https://coptic-treasures.com/ found her repose or rest in the Lord by the Holy Spirit, ‘Hasalphoty’, on the other hand, refers to the body which enjoys the shadow of the cross on it, so as not to stay barren, and not to bring fruition on its own according to nature, but, through the divine promise, an exalted spiritual fruition, namely the true ‘Samson’, or the true ‘Sun’, ………through the transfiguration of the Lord Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, in us. “And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son” (3). Even though the woman, in the sight of others was an object of reproach, but, in the sight of God, she was worthy of appearing to her in the form of an angel, as much as she could endure; and to give her, by Himself, the good news. While confirming to her that, according to nature, she would never give birth on her own, yet what she will get is a fruition of His love and divine promise. ““Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” (4 – 5) The angel of the Lord commanded her not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean ……as though the Lord was preparing for Samson a holy atmosphere, even while still a fetus in his mother’s womb. In the eyes of his https://coptic-treasures.com/ mother, that was not a deprivation, but a joyful fellowship of her fetus, who was called to work, and prepared for it, while still in his mother’s womb. “No razor shall come upon his head”; If the Nazirite, generally symbolizes the Lord Christ, anointed for our salvation, in whom the Father smells the fragrance of pleasure, on behalf of all believers, He would, therefore represent the Head, from which the believers in him would never be removed, as the hair of the head, by which they live and with whom they unite. 6 So the woman came and told her husband, saying,’“A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’” (6 – 7) In an amazing confidence, she told her husband the words of the angel of the Lord, which she did not doubt, as her mother ‘Sarah’ did. Her husband’s heart was so blazed with longing that; “Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.” (8) https://coptic-treasures.com/ The man sought that from God, not to confirm the divine promise his wife enjoyed; for his language shows his complete trust in it; but he sought to see him, to enjoy listening to him, and to get the blessing his wife had. “And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, ‘Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!” So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, ‘Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?’” And He said, “I am.” Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?” So the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, ‘Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.” Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.” ( 9 – 15) https://coptic-treasures.com/ It so seems that, because Manoah thought of the angel of the Lord as a man – probably a prophet – he therefore intended to offer him hospitality; for which, to correct his concept, the angel of the Lord said to him: “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the LORD.) (16) It is not to be understood that the One who talks here does not accept the offering; but because Manoah thought of Him as a man, it would be unfitting to offer him a burnt offering, unless his concept is corrected, and he comes to perceive His true identity. The same way, we read in the gospel, when the Lord Christ once said to a young man: “Why do you call Me good; no one is good but One, that is that is God” (Matthew 19: 17); Namely, it is not befitting of him to call Him good, unless he first confess His Divinity…….. The angel of the Lord confirmed to him that no worship should be offered except to God alone; Or, according to St. Athanasius the apostolic: [To God alone, we should offer worship; This we know from the angels themselves; For although the angels are more exalted in glory than the other creatures, yet they are still creation, to whom no worship should be offered] https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?” (17) As though he says to him: I want to recognize you by your name, that when your words to me and to my wife are fulfilled, we can pay you back according to what befits your person. 18 And the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” (18) In Isaiah, it came: “For unto us, a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder; and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace” (Isaiah 9: 6). And according to St. Gregory of Nyssa: [We may learn from this that there is one name for the divine Nature, namely “The Wonderful”, that reveals what emerges in the heart of man concerning it in an unutterable way]. In other words, His name is “Wonderful”, namely beyond perception and utterance, that brings the heart and mind into a state of amazement and awe.. Through that name “The Wonderful”, the One who talks revealed that He is a Divine Person; “ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife https://coptic-treasures.com/ looked on— it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. When the Angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the LORD” ( 19 – 21) WHAT IS THIS ROCK BUT THE LORD CHRIST, WHO, HIMSELF, CAME TO BE THE SACRIFICE OF OUR LOVE. IT IS A LIVING PORTRAIT OF THE SALVATIONWORK BY THE CROSS; .IN WHICH THE Lord Christ presents himself a sacrifice of love ablaze with fire, through which He wipes our sins off (the young goat); and through the flame of His love, He brings us, as members in His Holy Body, up to His heavens, so that we, ourselves would come to be flame of fire, by our unity with him. And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.” ( 22 – 23) Manoah learned from the prophet Moses that “No man shall fee (God) and live” *Exodus 33: 4); but his wife perceived that God, by His mercy, appeared to them, not to let them die, but to receive their burnt offering, to show them some of His secrets; and to grant them His promises. God showed Himself to them as much as they could https://coptic-treasures.com/ endure; to enjoy what is for their salvation and edification. As according to St. John Chrysostom, on the tongue of God Himself: [I do not proclaim My essence Itself; but condescend (in visions), because of the weakness of those who see Me] In that vision, Manoah’s wife saw three things: a- God received their burnt offering and grain offering, a sign of His pleasure in them b- God showed them all those secrets, a sign of His exalted and limitless might c- God let them hear His promise to grant them a son, a Nazirite to Him, a sign of His love for tem. “So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol” ( 24 – 25) . According to St. Jerome, the word ‘Samson’ is derived from ‘Sun’ and ‘On’ (namely power); His name is, therefore: (The power of the sun). Manoah and his wife enjoyed that child who came as a symbol of the ‘Sun of Righteousness’, the True Savior, Jesus Christ; as, according to the Holy Scripture: :The Spirit of the Lord began to move him” (25)
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