This coming Lord’s Day we will open the inspired Word of the Lord once again to the Book of Judges chapter 13, and to verses 2-7, and also verses 24-25. We will be considering the very beginning of the intriguing story of one of the more famous men of the Old Testament, the man named “Samson.”

Of course, Samson was the twelfth and final deliverer for the Covenant people during that lengthy and tragic time in Israelite history called the ‘period of the judges.’ That season, as summarized by the final verse of the Book, was an awful period of sin and depravity when “there was no king in Israel,” and when “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (21:25).

We will discover that by the time of Samson’s arrival on the scene, Israel has declined to its lowest point ever. There is little hope for her recovery. The nation appears to be all but dead, a reality dramatically underscored by the sad note that the unnamed wife of Manoah—like several other most significant women in the Old Testament history of redemption—“was barren and had no children” (v. 2). Yet, as bleak as the situation appears to be, there are grace-filled rays of hope flashing all around!

On Sunday we will consider the unique circumstances surrounding Samson’s miraculous birth, his naming, and the fact that he was immediately endowed with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I hope that between now and Sunday morning you will have some time to read all of chapter 13. And as you read, please pray for the preaching of the Word of the Lord, and that we will have our hearts attuned to the message of grace and salvation that we find here.