April 23, 2025 • 26 mins
# 134 - Samson Part I: The Prophecy - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, a miraculous birth sets the stage for Samson—a man called to greatness before he ever draws breath. But in Judges 13, we begin to see that unguarded strength can become a danger not just to our enemies, but to ourselves.
Episode 134 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Joshua.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/who-we-are?utm_source=pray
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
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Show Notes:
(0_:__) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(0_:__) Samson Part I: The Prophecy
(__:__) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Previously on the chosen people. Before the breaker of chains came,
the Lord would send lesser heroes, fractured and broken images
of the Deliverer to come. They would be imperfect vessels
in God's hands, crafted to lead Israel out of its
self inflicted destruction. Would make no mistake.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Brothers, we are all the Lord's men.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Have I not commended you?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
The strong?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Be courageous, for the Lord.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Is with me.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Rise you men of Israel, Up a.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Rise for the Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Edward Gideon.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
You have crowned this bramble, a king with no shade
to give, no refuge to offer. He will devour you.
He has devoured Gideon's sons.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
If the Lord grants me faith and I lead you
with the victory over the Ammonites, I will remain your
lea and chief.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
The judges of Israel grew darker and more twisted with
each passing generation. Heroes became villains, and villains left Israel
bound in sin. Yet the God of Israel would not
leave his people forever.
Speaker 6 (01:30):
Unguarded strength is like fire, a gift that can burn
as bright as the stars, or a curse that can
consume everything in its path. Shell, Oh, my friends, from
here in the holy Land of Israel. I'm l Exstein
with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to
the Chosen People, the kingless Kingdom, a nation without a leader,
(01:54):
drifting into chaos. We've seen violence and victory. We've witnessed
betrayal and loyalty in the stories of the Chosen People.
And now we have another child of promise in unlikely beginning,
a life set apart from birth. He's been called to
rescue Israel. But there's something dangerous within him, in unguarded strength,
(02:17):
a thirst that could make him Israel's defender or Israel's downfall.
This is Judges thirteen, the Story of Samson.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
The sun sank low over the fields of Zora, draping
the land in hues of molten gold. The tall barley
swayed in the evening breeze, a gentle rhythm that whispered
secrets of the coming night. Priya stood at the edge
of the field, her breath rising in small clouds in
(02:51):
the cool air. She gazed westward, where the horizon devoured
the sun. In slow, deliberate gulpss, calloused yet graceful, gripped
the handle of her basket with a sigh, she turned
back toward the narrow path that led home. Her steps
(03:11):
fell softly on the dirt, yet the sound seemed hollow.
In her ears, she imagined smaller steps beside hers, the
laughter of children weaving through the quiet, But the thought
stung more than it soothed. Her womb, as silent as
the path had borne her no fruit. Priya and her
(03:33):
husband Manoah had long since ceased their lamentations for grief
left unattended withers into a dull ache. Yet in her
heart she still carried the echo of that unfulfilled longing.
Priya's voice, soft and low, rose in song, a lullaby
(03:54):
from her own mother's lips. As her melody wove through
the stillness, a voice, clear, commanding and other worldly, spoke
from behind her.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Your barren womb shall from now on be cold blest.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
She turn'd sharply, her heart pounding against the fading sun.
Stood a figure shrouded in radiant light. His face was
hidden in the brilliance, but the air around him seemed alive,
trembling with his presence. As he stepped forward, the light
did not diminish, but followed him, wrapping him in a
(04:30):
halo of glory prayer. Fell to her knees, trembling, her
eyes shielded by her hands. The Angel of the Lord
knelt before her and gently drew her hands away, his
gaze piercing but kind.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Your barren womb shall from now on be called blest,
For this day you shall conceive and bear a son.
He is to be set apart for the Lord's purposes. Therefore,
be careful and drink no wine, a strong drink, and
eat nothing unclean. No razor shall come upon his head,
(05:06):
but the child shall be a Nazak guard from the womb.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Priya could not speak, nor could she look away. The
Angel smiled her glimmer of divine warmth in the fading light,
and helped her to her feet.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
Your Sun shall be a mighty warrior. He shall begin
to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.
Speaker 7 (05:28):
Who were you.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
But how when she looked again, he was gone. The
last rays of sunlight spilled over the hills, as if
they carried him away. Priya stood frozen, her basket forgotten. Then,
like a spring uncoiled, she ran home. She burst through
the door and into Manoah's arms, laughing and weeping in
(05:52):
the same breath. Manoah startled, held her tightly.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
What's the meaning of this? My love?
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I looked up at him, her love for him welling
in her chest.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
A man of God came to me. His appearance was
unlike any I have ever seen. His words.
Speaker 7 (06:12):
Oh man, they cut through me like a blade, and
healed me in the same breath.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Whomso what did you say?
Speaker 7 (06:21):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I didn't even think to ask his name. I was
so overcome. But he said, he said, we shall have
a sun.
Speaker 7 (06:33):
I do I suppose, I have no logical reason to,
but I know it in my bones.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
He told me that he would be a great warrior,
set apart by God. He told me to drink no
wine or strong drink, and to eat nothing unclean. He
is to be a Nazarite from the womb until the
day of his death.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Manoah's expression shifted from doubt to hope that she recounted
the words when she he fell to his knees, his
shoulders shaking. The two knelt together, their joy tempered with reverence.
That night, under the starlit canopy of heaven, they conceived
(07:15):
a child, as promised. The next morning, the fields of
Zora awoke beneath a tender dawn, Shafts of light pierced
through the boughs of ancient oaks, casting their golden hues
over the barley. The air was crisp, carrying the scent
(07:35):
of turned earth and distant rain. Praya lingered there, her
gaze drawn to the interplay of light and shadow among
the trees. Then she saw him. The figure stood beneath
the largest of the oaks. Light radiated around him, though
the sun had barely risen. Her breath caught, and without thought,
(07:58):
she raised her hand in greeting. The Angel of the
Lord inclined his head in acknowledgment. Priya turned and ran,
her heart pounding with urgency. She found Manoah in the stables,
his hands coated in straw and sweat.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
He's here, Manoa, the Man is here.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Manoah dropped his tools and followed her without a word.
Beneath the tree, the Lord sat in the shade, his
posture calm as he looked at the birds. His face
was serene, yet the air around him crackled, as if
the very world knew.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Who he was.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Manoah approached, his breath labored, but his voice steady.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Are you the man who spoke to my wife. I
am when your words come true. What is to be
the purpose of this child? What mission does the Lord
have for him?
Speaker 5 (08:52):
My purpose is my own. All that I have spoken
to your wife remains. She is to abstain from wine,
strong drink, and all that is unclean. Let her observe
these things, and all would be as it should.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Then she too was to live as a Nazareite.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And to the boy's board.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
The angel gave the faintest nod, and a sense of
peace settled over Manoah. Manoah hesitated, his heart full, but
his mind racing.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
If I have found favor in your sight, let us
honor you with the meal. We will prepare a young
gulp for you.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
I will not eat your food, however you may prepare
an offerer and offering.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
At these words, understanding began to dawn upon Manoah. He
glanced at his wife, and she nodded, her eyes wide
with wonder. They weren't speaking to a mere messenger. It
was him, the one who had blessed Abraham wrestled with Jacob,
given orders to Joshua, and reassured Gideon, what is your name?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
How why do you.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
Ask me my name. You know my name, You know
that it is glorious.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Manoah stood and went into the fields, selecting a young
goat and gathering grain. He brought them to a stone
altar beneath the oak, kindled the fire and placed the
offering atop the flames. The scent of roasted meat mingled
with the smoke. Rising to the heavens. The angel stepped forward.
(10:29):
Manoah and Priya gasped as he laid his herd upon
the flames, which fled brighter at his touch. The fire
did not burn him, but seemed to welcome him, dancing
up his arm as if it recognized its maker. Then,
to their utter astonishment, the angel stepped into the heart
of the flame. The fire enveloped him, and with a
(10:52):
burst of heat and light, he ascended heavenward. Carried aloft
by the smoke, Manoah and Praya fell to their faces, trembling.
The air around them was still, yet their hearts beat wildly.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Do you remember what the Lord said to Moses? If
anybody sees the face of God, they shall surely die?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Are we going to die?
Speaker 3 (11:16):
If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would have
accepted our offering would he, nor would he have promised
us a child.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Her voice softened as her hand moved to her belly.
She closed her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
He will live, He will be called Samson.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Sunlight Manoah placed his hand over hers, his expression filled
with reverence and love. They knelt together beneath the oak,
their hearts heavy with the weight of divine purpose and
the joy of what was to come. The stream wove
(11:57):
through the Philistine city of Timna like a silver thread,
cool and glistening under the sun's steady gaze. Yet Samson's
eyes were not drawn to the waters, but to a
figure that moved beside them. A Philistine woman descended to
the banks. Her clay jar balanced on her shoulder, she
(12:19):
set it down and seated herself on a stone. Her
hair caught the light as she tipped her face towards
the sun. And Samson's heart, fierce and untamed as a lion's,
stilled in his chest. He stood under the shade of
an olive tree, his breath heavy with desire. Though his
(12:41):
Nazarite vow bound him to God's service, Samson often found
himself in places he ought not be drawn as much
by temptation as by rebellion. His long, unshorn hair fell
over his broad shoulders, a mark of his divine call.
Yet his feet strayed into the Philistine cities with troubling ease. There,
(13:06):
the strong man who could slay entire packs of wolves
was rendered weak by a different kind of predator. Women.
This woman, in particular, unsettled him. Her beauty was sharp,
almost cruel, and Samson felt a madness stirring in his soul.
(13:27):
She saw him, her dark eyes locking onto his, and
she did not flinch. He stepped out from the shade
and waded into the stream, the water cooling his heated skin.
As they came closer, her gaze was unwavering, almost playful.
He stepped onto the bank and sat beside her, his
(13:50):
damp frame towering over her slight form. She smiled at him,
a flicker of mischief in her eyes.
Speaker 8 (13:58):
Tell me, Hebrew, what brings you to a Philistine stream?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Should you not fear for your life?
Speaker 5 (14:03):
Here?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Look at me? Does it seem I have anything to fear?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Her gaze traveled over him, lingering on the water that
clung to his muscles, glistening in the sunlight.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Then, what do you fear?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Nothing save an empty bed? At night?
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Her laughter rang like chimes on the wind, and they
spoke long into the afternoon, their voices mingling with the
babble of the stream. Samson led her to a grove
where wild flowers grew. They danced, kissed, and lingered beneath
the trees as the sun did low over the valley.
(14:46):
Samson's desire for her was not just lust. It was
an all consuming hunger, a fire that left him restless
and fevered. When the sun fell behind the hills, Samson
ran home, his strides devouring the miles between Timna and
his father's house. He burst through the door, his presence
(15:07):
a thunderclap that shattered the evening's quiet. His mother and father,
seated by the hearth over a pot of stew, turned
to him an alarm.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Oh, father, mother, I bring glorious news. What is it,
my son? I met a woman in Timna.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Timna, A philistine woman.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Philistine Hebrew, Moabid Egyptian. It doesn't matter. She's the most
stunning creature I've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Samson took another long drink from the ladle, ignoring his
mother's disapproving.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Glare I want her as my wife?
Speaker 4 (15:51):
Have you no thought for your people? The Philistines have
oppressed us for decades? Is there no woman among your
own kin you could take as your wife?
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Surely, my son, there are matches more worthy, more suited
to your calling as a man of God.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Ah le Pitia pleases my eyes, and that is enough.
I care not for these other things. Fetch her for me.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Father Manoah was exacerbated by his son's irreverence. He wondered
where he had gone wrong raising such an entitled and
self gratifying son, Samson.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Have you no sense of your purpose? You are set
apart by God for something greater?
Speaker 2 (16:34):
What purpose? My hair grows long, my lips are dry
of wine. Yet I see no wealth, no land, no calling.
Until the Lord speaks to me as he once spoke
to you and mother, I will do as I see fit.
Now get me that woman.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Manoah slumped in his chair, his head heavy with shame,
not for Samson, but for his own failure to shape
the wild out of his son. Samson was a force
of nature, untamed and dangerous. Yet perhaps it was that
very wildness the Lord would use the next morning, Manoah
(17:13):
journeyed to Timna to arrange the bride price. He met
with the woman's father, speaking in tones heavy with resignation.
None of them could see the hand of God at work,
moving in ways mysterious and strange. Samson's weakness, his reckless heart,
(17:33):
would be the instrument of deliverance for Israel. For all
his flaws, God was weaving a plan through the chaos.
Speaker 8 (17:47):
Incredible. What we've just heard isn't a simple tale of
a hero's birth, as a haunting promise wrapped in the
mystery of God's ways. And it begins, like stories we've
already studied, with a barren woman visited by a messenger
from God. The Bible tells us of an Israelite woman
who we know only as the wife of Manoah, a
(18:10):
woman who was childless, unable to give birth. In other words,
it was physically impossible for her to have a baby.
What a dark time it must have been for her,
trying year after year to conceive, while others around her
gave birth to baby after baby, until one day an
(18:30):
angel of God appeared and told her that she would
have a special baby dedicated to God. She was elated,
and she ran to tell her husband Manoah about the
angel's visit, but Manoah didn't believe it, and he asked
God to send the mysterious man once again. Well, the
angel reappeared and Manoah heard for himself all that his
(18:54):
wife had already been told, and now something strange happened.
Manoa invited the angel to stay for dinner, even though
he knew that angels don't eat. It was as if
Manoa still wasn't convinced that this man was a messenger
of God. Only when the angel disappeared into a fire
(19:15):
and ascended to heaven was Manoa finally convinced that the
angel was sent from God. But instead of rejoicing, Manoa
lamented because he believed that he and his wife would
die since they had seen such a holy sight with
their own eyes. Well, Manoa's wife reassured him that God
(19:38):
would not do such a thing, and when her healthy
baby boy was born, she named him Samson, which is
derived from the Hebrew word meaning sunshine. Isn't that fitting,
my friends? When we go through hard times for so long,
it's sometimes hard to believe that life will ever get better,
(20:00):
isn't it?
Speaker 3 (20:01):
But instead of being like.
Speaker 8 (20:02):
Manoah, who doubted even as things were getting better. Let's
try to be like his wife. Let's try to be
like Samson's mother, who believed that even after so many
years of hardships, that God was able to change it,
and that he was sending blessings and that the future
could look sunny and bright even after so many years
(20:26):
of darkness. From his first breath, Samson is consecrated, holy
and set apart. But under all that promise, there's already
something lurking at the heart of Samson's story. We have
the Nazarite vow, the vow that this child will carry
from the womb, setting him apart from his own people
(20:48):
and binding him to God in a life of discipline.
But here's the irony of it. Samson is set apart,
but he still is huge as anyone else. As we'll
soon see, Samson will wrestle not just with enemies, but
with his own heart. The Nazarite vow might bind his actions,
(21:12):
but his inner desires threatened to tear him apart. This
is a story of a man called to be the
chosen people's deliver, but he just might also be their undoing.
There's an expression in Hebrew yesh har besch luurim la macomb,
(21:34):
which means God has many messengers. What it really means
is that God has many kinds of messengers to help
and save his chosen people. His messengers of good and
blessings don't all look the same, and so from the
very start, when the Angel comes to Samson's parents to
(21:54):
tell of this special child's birth, he explains that their
son would be a Nazarite, a kind of man of
God who would not be permitted to drink wine or
to cut his hair. In other words, he would be
someone who would not be involved in the pleasures of
this world. And then, in the same breath, the angel
says that this child would begin to save Israel from
(22:16):
the hands of their mortal enemy, the Philistines. So even
before his birth, Samson was a contradiction from the womb,
already described as both being a religious figure removed from
the world, but also a military man and supreme fighter
who will save the nation. As we'll see, Samson was
(22:39):
a bundle of contradictions, even indulging in some very questionable actions.
But for reasons we may never fully understand, God chose
Samson even before he was born to be a judge
and a savior of the chosen people. And indeed God
has many messas will all look very different, and the
(23:04):
paradox that is Samson will hang over his entire story.
The divine strength given to a deeply flawed man. No
ritual or no vow can make a person righteous. Strength
without wisdom, power without restraint. That's a dangerous combination. In Samson,
(23:24):
we see that strength is a gift, but that it
demands a life of purpose, a heart of submission to God.
So where does that leave us?
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Well?
Speaker 8 (23:35):
In Samson's story, we're looking at something we're all guilty of,
of taking what God has given us and making it
our identity, using strength not to serve others, but to
serve ourselves. My friends, how easy is it to fall
into the same trap to think that our talents and
our blessings that are ours to do with as we lease.
(24:00):
Are our blessings and talents really ours? Or is it
a blessing from God that he expects us to use
for the masses or just for others, even if it's
not an entire nation. The truth is each gift we
carry is not our own. Our strengths, our influence, our
(24:21):
very lives. These are treasures that God has placed in
our hands to serve a purpose beyond just ourselves. Sometimes
it's our family, sometimes it's our friends, sometimes it's our community.
But we always have to ask the question, what will
we do with the strength that we've been given? So
(24:42):
it doesn't just begin and end with us. Will we
guard it with humility and use it for God's purposes?
Or will we let our talents and strength and blessings
lead us down a path of self gratification. My prayer
is that we remember that our blessings and our talents
(25:04):
are gifts from God. May we use them not for
our glory but for his.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
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Previously on the chosen people. Before the breaker of chains came,
the Lord would send lesser heroes, fractured and broken images
of the Deliverer to come. They would be imperfect vessels
in God's hands, crafted to lead Israel out of its
self inflicted destruction. Would make no mistake.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Brothers, we are all the Lord's men.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Have I not commended you?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
The strong?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Be courageous, for the Lord.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Is with me.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Rise you men of Israel, Up a.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Rise for the Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Edward Gideon.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
You have crowned this bramble, a king with no shade
to give, no refuge to offer. He will devour you.
He has devoured Gideon's sons.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
If the Lord grants me faith and I lead you
with the victory over the Ammonites, I will remain your
lea and chief.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
The judges of Israel grew darker and more twisted with
each passing generation. Heroes became villains, and villains left Israel
bound in sin. Yet the God of Israel would not
leave his people forever.
Speaker 6 (01:30):
Unguarded strength is like fire, a gift that can burn
as bright as the stars, or a curse that can
consume everything in its path. Shell, Oh, my friends, from
here in the holy Land of Israel. I'm l Exstein
with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to
the Chosen People, the kingless Kingdom, a nation without a leader,
(01:54):
drifting into chaos. We've seen violence and victory. We've witnessed
betrayal and loyalty in the stories of the Chosen People.
And now we have another child of promise in unlikely beginning,
a life set apart from birth. He's been called to
rescue Israel. But there's something dangerous within him, in unguarded strength,
(02:17):
a thirst that could make him Israel's defender or Israel's downfall.
This is Judges thirteen, the Story of Samson.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
The sun sank low over the fields of Zora, draping
the land in hues of molten gold. The tall barley
swayed in the evening breeze, a gentle rhythm that whispered
secrets of the coming night. Priya stood at the edge
of the field, her breath rising in small clouds in
(02:51):
the cool air. She gazed westward, where the horizon devoured
the sun. In slow, deliberate gulpss, calloused yet graceful, gripped
the handle of her basket with a sigh, she turned
back toward the narrow path that led home. Her steps
(03:11):
fell softly on the dirt, yet the sound seemed hollow.
In her ears, she imagined smaller steps beside hers, the
laughter of children weaving through the quiet, But the thought
stung more than it soothed. Her womb, as silent as
the path had borne her no fruit. Priya and her
(03:33):
husband Manoah had long since ceased their lamentations for grief
left unattended withers into a dull ache. Yet in her
heart she still carried the echo of that unfulfilled longing.
Priya's voice, soft and low, rose in song, a lullaby
(03:54):
from her own mother's lips. As her melody wove through
the stillness, a voice, clear, commanding and other worldly, spoke
from behind her.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Your barren womb shall from now on be cold blest.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
She turn'd sharply, her heart pounding against the fading sun.
Stood a figure shrouded in radiant light. His face was
hidden in the brilliance, but the air around him seemed alive,
trembling with his presence. As he stepped forward, the light
did not diminish, but followed him, wrapping him in a
(04:30):
halo of glory prayer. Fell to her knees, trembling, her
eyes shielded by her hands. The Angel of the Lord
knelt before her and gently drew her hands away, his
gaze piercing but kind.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
Your barren womb shall from now on be called blest,
For this day you shall conceive and bear a son.
He is to be set apart for the Lord's purposes. Therefore,
be careful and drink no wine, a strong drink, and
eat nothing unclean. No razor shall come upon his head,
(05:06):
but the child shall be a Nazak guard from the womb.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Priya could not speak, nor could she look away. The
Angel smiled her glimmer of divine warmth in the fading light,
and helped her to her feet.
Speaker 5 (05:20):
Your Sun shall be a mighty warrior. He shall begin
to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.
Speaker 7 (05:28):
Who were you.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
But how when she looked again, he was gone. The
last rays of sunlight spilled over the hills, as if
they carried him away. Priya stood frozen, her basket forgotten. Then,
like a spring uncoiled, she ran home. She burst through
the door and into Manoah's arms, laughing and weeping in
(05:52):
the same breath. Manoah startled, held her tightly.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
What's the meaning of this? My love?
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I looked up at him, her love for him welling
in her chest.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
A man of God came to me. His appearance was
unlike any I have ever seen. His words.
Speaker 7 (06:12):
Oh man, they cut through me like a blade, and
healed me in the same breath.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Whomso what did you say?
Speaker 7 (06:21):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
I didn't even think to ask his name. I was
so overcome. But he said, he said, we shall have
a sun.
Speaker 7 (06:33):
I do I suppose, I have no logical reason to,
but I know it in my bones.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
He told me that he would be a great warrior,
set apart by God. He told me to drink no
wine or strong drink, and to eat nothing unclean. He
is to be a Nazarite from the womb until the
day of his death.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Manoah's expression shifted from doubt to hope that she recounted
the words when she he fell to his knees, his
shoulders shaking. The two knelt together, their joy tempered with reverence.
That night, under the starlit canopy of heaven, they conceived
(07:15):
a child, as promised. The next morning, the fields of
Zora awoke beneath a tender dawn, Shafts of light pierced
through the boughs of ancient oaks, casting their golden hues
over the barley. The air was crisp, carrying the scent
(07:35):
of turned earth and distant rain. Praya lingered there, her
gaze drawn to the interplay of light and shadow among
the trees. Then she saw him. The figure stood beneath
the largest of the oaks. Light radiated around him, though
the sun had barely risen. Her breath caught, and without thought,
(07:58):
she raised her hand in greeting. The Angel of the
Lord inclined his head in acknowledgment. Priya turned and ran,
her heart pounding with urgency. She found Manoah in the stables,
his hands coated in straw and sweat.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
He's here, Manoa, the Man is here.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Manoah dropped his tools and followed her without a word.
Beneath the tree, the Lord sat in the shade, his
posture calm as he looked at the birds. His face
was serene, yet the air around him crackled, as if
the very world knew.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Who he was.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Manoah approached, his breath labored, but his voice steady.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Are you the man who spoke to my wife. I
am when your words come true. What is to be
the purpose of this child? What mission does the Lord
have for him?
Speaker 5 (08:52):
My purpose is my own. All that I have spoken
to your wife remains. She is to abstain from wine,
strong drink, and all that is unclean. Let her observe
these things, and all would be as it should.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Then she too was to live as a Nazareite.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And to the boy's board.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
The angel gave the faintest nod, and a sense of
peace settled over Manoah. Manoah hesitated, his heart full, but
his mind racing.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
If I have found favor in your sight, let us
honor you with the meal. We will prepare a young
gulp for you.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
I will not eat your food, however you may prepare
an offerer and offering.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
At these words, understanding began to dawn upon Manoah. He
glanced at his wife, and she nodded, her eyes wide
with wonder. They weren't speaking to a mere messenger. It
was him, the one who had blessed Abraham wrestled with Jacob,
given orders to Joshua, and reassured Gideon, what is your name?
Speaker 2 (10:01):
How why do you.
Speaker 5 (10:02):
Ask me my name. You know my name, You know
that it is glorious.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Manoah stood and went into the fields, selecting a young
goat and gathering grain. He brought them to a stone
altar beneath the oak, kindled the fire and placed the
offering atop the flames. The scent of roasted meat mingled
with the smoke. Rising to the heavens. The angel stepped forward.
(10:29):
Manoah and Priya gasped as he laid his herd upon
the flames, which fled brighter at his touch. The fire
did not burn him, but seemed to welcome him, dancing
up his arm as if it recognized its maker. Then,
to their utter astonishment, the angel stepped into the heart
of the flame. The fire enveloped him, and with a
(10:52):
burst of heat and light, he ascended heavenward. Carried aloft
by the smoke, Manoah and Praya fell to their faces, trembling.
The air around them was still, yet their hearts beat wildly.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Do you remember what the Lord said to Moses? If
anybody sees the face of God, they shall surely die?
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Are we going to die?
Speaker 3 (11:16):
If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would have
accepted our offering would he, nor would he have promised
us a child.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Her voice softened as her hand moved to her belly.
She closed her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
He will live, He will be called Samson.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Sunlight Manoah placed his hand over hers, his expression filled
with reverence and love. They knelt together beneath the oak,
their hearts heavy with the weight of divine purpose and
the joy of what was to come. The stream wove
(11:57):
through the Philistine city of Timna like a silver thread,
cool and glistening under the sun's steady gaze. Yet Samson's
eyes were not drawn to the waters, but to a
figure that moved beside them. A Philistine woman descended to
the banks. Her clay jar balanced on her shoulder, she
(12:19):
set it down and seated herself on a stone. Her
hair caught the light as she tipped her face towards
the sun. And Samson's heart, fierce and untamed as a lion's,
stilled in his chest. He stood under the shade of
an olive tree, his breath heavy with desire. Though his
(12:41):
Nazarite vow bound him to God's service, Samson often found
himself in places he ought not be drawn as much
by temptation as by rebellion. His long, unshorn hair fell
over his broad shoulders, a mark of his divine call.
Yet his feet strayed into the Philistine cities with troubling ease. There,
(13:06):
the strong man who could slay entire packs of wolves
was rendered weak by a different kind of predator. Women.
This woman, in particular, unsettled him. Her beauty was sharp,
almost cruel, and Samson felt a madness stirring in his soul.
(13:27):
She saw him, her dark eyes locking onto his, and
she did not flinch. He stepped out from the shade
and waded into the stream, the water cooling his heated skin.
As they came closer, her gaze was unwavering, almost playful.
He stepped onto the bank and sat beside her, his
(13:50):
damp frame towering over her slight form. She smiled at him,
a flicker of mischief in her eyes.
Speaker 8 (13:58):
Tell me, Hebrew, what brings you to a Philistine stream?
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Should you not fear for your life?
Speaker 5 (14:03):
Here?
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Look at me? Does it seem I have anything to fear?
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Her gaze traveled over him, lingering on the water that
clung to his muscles, glistening in the sunlight.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
Then, what do you fear?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Nothing save an empty bed? At night?
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Her laughter rang like chimes on the wind, and they
spoke long into the afternoon, their voices mingling with the
babble of the stream. Samson led her to a grove
where wild flowers grew. They danced, kissed, and lingered beneath
the trees as the sun did low over the valley.
(14:46):
Samson's desire for her was not just lust. It was
an all consuming hunger, a fire that left him restless
and fevered. When the sun fell behind the hills, Samson
ran home, his strides devouring the miles between Timna and
his father's house. He burst through the door, his presence
(15:07):
a thunderclap that shattered the evening's quiet. His mother and father,
seated by the hearth over a pot of stew, turned
to him an alarm.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Oh, father, mother, I bring glorious news. What is it,
my son? I met a woman in Timna.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
Timna, A philistine woman.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Philistine Hebrew, Moabid Egyptian. It doesn't matter. She's the most
stunning creature I've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Samson took another long drink from the ladle, ignoring his
mother's disapproving.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Glare I want her as my wife?
Speaker 4 (15:51):
Have you no thought for your people? The Philistines have
oppressed us for decades? Is there no woman among your
own kin you could take as your wife?
Speaker 3 (16:00):
Surely, my son, there are matches more worthy, more suited
to your calling as a man of God.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
Ah le Pitia pleases my eyes, and that is enough.
I care not for these other things. Fetch her for me.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Father Manoah was exacerbated by his son's irreverence. He wondered
where he had gone wrong raising such an entitled and
self gratifying son, Samson.
Speaker 4 (16:27):
Have you no sense of your purpose? You are set
apart by God for something greater?
Speaker 2 (16:34):
What purpose? My hair grows long, my lips are dry
of wine. Yet I see no wealth, no land, no calling.
Until the Lord speaks to me as he once spoke
to you and mother, I will do as I see fit.
Now get me that woman.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Manoah slumped in his chair, his head heavy with shame,
not for Samson, but for his own failure to shape
the wild out of his son. Samson was a force
of nature, untamed and dangerous. Yet perhaps it was that
very wildness the Lord would use the next morning, Manoah
(17:13):
journeyed to Timna to arrange the bride price. He met
with the woman's father, speaking in tones heavy with resignation.
None of them could see the hand of God at work,
moving in ways mysterious and strange. Samson's weakness, his reckless heart,
(17:33):
would be the instrument of deliverance for Israel. For all
his flaws, God was weaving a plan through the chaos.
Speaker 8 (17:47):
Incredible. What we've just heard isn't a simple tale of
a hero's birth, as a haunting promise wrapped in the
mystery of God's ways. And it begins, like stories we've
already studied, with a barren woman visited by a messenger
from God. The Bible tells us of an Israelite woman
who we know only as the wife of Manoah, a
(18:10):
woman who was childless, unable to give birth. In other words,
it was physically impossible for her to have a baby.
What a dark time it must have been for her,
trying year after year to conceive, while others around her
gave birth to baby after baby, until one day an
(18:30):
angel of God appeared and told her that she would
have a special baby dedicated to God. She was elated,
and she ran to tell her husband Manoah about the
angel's visit, but Manoah didn't believe it, and he asked
God to send the mysterious man once again. Well, the
angel reappeared and Manoah heard for himself all that his
(18:54):
wife had already been told, and now something strange happened.
Manoa invited the angel to stay for dinner, even though
he knew that angels don't eat. It was as if
Manoa still wasn't convinced that this man was a messenger
of God. Only when the angel disappeared into a fire
(19:15):
and ascended to heaven was Manoa finally convinced that the
angel was sent from God. But instead of rejoicing, Manoa
lamented because he believed that he and his wife would
die since they had seen such a holy sight with
their own eyes. Well, Manoa's wife reassured him that God
(19:38):
would not do such a thing, and when her healthy
baby boy was born, she named him Samson, which is
derived from the Hebrew word meaning sunshine. Isn't that fitting,
my friends? When we go through hard times for so long,
it's sometimes hard to believe that life will ever get better,
(20:00):
isn't it?
Speaker 3 (20:01):
But instead of being like.
Speaker 8 (20:02):
Manoah, who doubted even as things were getting better. Let's
try to be like his wife. Let's try to be
like Samson's mother, who believed that even after so many
years of hardships, that God was able to change it,
and that he was sending blessings and that the future
could look sunny and bright even after so many years
(20:26):
of darkness. From his first breath, Samson is consecrated, holy
and set apart. But under all that promise, there's already
something lurking at the heart of Samson's story. We have
the Nazarite vow, the vow that this child will carry
from the womb, setting him apart from his own people
(20:48):
and binding him to God in a life of discipline.
But here's the irony of it. Samson is set apart,
but he still is huge as anyone else. As we'll
soon see, Samson will wrestle not just with enemies, but
with his own heart. The Nazarite vow might bind his actions,
(21:12):
but his inner desires threatened to tear him apart. This
is a story of a man called to be the
chosen people's deliver, but he just might also be their undoing.
There's an expression in Hebrew yesh har besch luurim la macomb,
(21:34):
which means God has many messengers. What it really means
is that God has many kinds of messengers to help
and save his chosen people. His messengers of good and
blessings don't all look the same, and so from the
very start, when the Angel comes to Samson's parents to
(21:54):
tell of this special child's birth, he explains that their
son would be a Nazarite, a kind of man of
God who would not be permitted to drink wine or
to cut his hair. In other words, he would be
someone who would not be involved in the pleasures of
this world. And then, in the same breath, the angel
says that this child would begin to save Israel from
(22:16):
the hands of their mortal enemy, the Philistines. So even
before his birth, Samson was a contradiction from the womb,
already described as both being a religious figure removed from
the world, but also a military man and supreme fighter
who will save the nation. As we'll see, Samson was
(22:39):
a bundle of contradictions, even indulging in some very questionable actions.
But for reasons we may never fully understand, God chose
Samson even before he was born to be a judge
and a savior of the chosen people. And indeed God
has many messas will all look very different, and the
(23:04):
paradox that is Samson will hang over his entire story.
The divine strength given to a deeply flawed man. No
ritual or no vow can make a person righteous. Strength
without wisdom, power without restraint. That's a dangerous combination. In Samson,
(23:24):
we see that strength is a gift, but that it
demands a life of purpose, a heart of submission to God.
So where does that leave us?
Speaker 2 (23:34):
Well?
Speaker 8 (23:35):
In Samson's story, we're looking at something we're all guilty of,
of taking what God has given us and making it
our identity, using strength not to serve others, but to
serve ourselves. My friends, how easy is it to fall
into the same trap to think that our talents and
our blessings that are ours to do with as we lease.
(24:00):
Are our blessings and talents really ours? Or is it
a blessing from God that he expects us to use
for the masses or just for others, even if it's
not an entire nation. The truth is each gift we
carry is not our own. Our strengths, our influence, our
(24:21):
very lives. These are treasures that God has placed in
our hands to serve a purpose beyond just ourselves. Sometimes
it's our family, sometimes it's our friends, sometimes it's our community.
But we always have to ask the question, what will
we do with the strength that we've been given? So
(24:42):
it doesn't just begin and end with us. Will we
guard it with humility and use it for God's purposes?
Or will we let our talents and strength and blessings
lead us down a path of self gratification. My prayer
is that we remember that our blessings and our talents
(25:04):
are gifts from God. May we use them not for
our glory but for his.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey dot
Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made
possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gattina,
Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger, and Ben Gammon are the executive
producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, Edited by
(25:35):
Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by
Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald,
Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening
prayer is voiced by John Moore, music by Andrew Morgan Smith,
(25:55):
written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special
thanks to Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller,
and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the
Prey dot com app, available on the Apple App Store
and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People
(26:18):
with Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review,
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