You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant (Judges 15:18).

Samson was the strongest man alive. But Samson was not special. In fact, he was rather crude and rude with a penchant for women and poetry. He would have been an average Joe except for the gift of God. The LORD gave him his great strength in order to deliver Israel from the oppression of the Philistines. In the verse above, Samson rightly acknowledges that while God chose to use Samson, the "great deliverance" was from the LORD.

If Samson were alive today, he would certainly have garnered a lot of attention and noteriety. People would have envied him and tried to copy his great strength. On the other hand, he could have been seen as simply a freak of nature and ostracized from normal society. Paul writes,

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4:7).

In other words, if God gave us our abilties, our knowledge, our gifts, then how can we boast about it? John the Baptist declared,

A person can receive only what is given them from heaven (John 3:27).

He was not concerned that Jesus was gaining more disciples than he was. On the contrary, he rejoiced in it. This was from the LORD!

James warned against "selfish ambition" and "bitter envy" (James 3:14). He wrote that such attitudes constitute "earthly, unspiritual, demonic" wisdom. On the other hand, he wrote that heavenly wisdom recognizes that every good gift comes from God (James 1:17), and there is no place for human boasting or envy. 

Friends, as believers we are simply called to be faithful stewards of what God has given to us (1 Corinthians 4:2), nothing more, nothing less. The world goads us to strive for more, for better, for greater things, yet Scripture warns us against selfish ambition.

If we are poor, untalented, and unlucky, Scripture tells us to glory in our humble position, for from our low position we are moved to trust in God even more, which is better than being rich (James 1:9; 2:5). Scripture warns us against bitter envy. 

Therefore, whether we have a single talent or ten, let us simply strive to be faithful in what we have been given. Let the person with one not envy the person with ten. Let the person with ten not lord himself over the person with one. For we ought not to envy or boast over what God has freely given to us. Instead, let us all celebrate the grace, providence and wisdom of God.

After all, we do not strive for earthly talents and treasures, which pass away, but for heavenly rewards that last forever. So, my friends, whatever your lot, may you be found neither envious, nor boasting, simply faithful!

However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines (Judges 14:4).

Samson wants to marry a Philistine woman. This is forbidden by God, for the Philistines are among the Canannites, whom God prohibited Israel from intermarrying lest they lead Israel into their idolatry. Yet, here we learn that this arrangement was by God's design. This example shows that God can even use man's sinful intentions to achieve His divine purposes. 

God used the sinful intentions of Joseph's brothers to bring about a great deliverance of Israel from famine and to lead them into Egypt, where they would be kept ethnically pure for hundreds of years until they grew into a great people. 

God used sinful Pharoah to demonstrate His great power in the Exodus. He used Judas' treachery to bring about redemption for all mankind through the crucifixion of Christ.

Remember that it was the LORD who incited Satan to afflict Job so that we might better understand the extent of God's sovereignty. 

Whether we assign direct agency or indirect agency, God was clearly in control of every event under heaven, whether bad or good. 

Before the protests come that God does not and cannot cause sin, it would be wise for us to properly understand what is meant by sin. In Romans 3:23 we read, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". Sin is, thus, defined as "falling short of God's glory." What then is God's glory? Is God's glory not His person, His will and His works? In other words, God Himself defines what glory is. His deeds define what glory does.

It is not the other way around. Glory does not define God. There was not some abstract idea called "glory" that existed before God. Likewise, there was not some ideal of good that existed before God. Otherwise, God would not be the First Cause, the Uncaused Cause. He would not be God. Thus, the Psalmist declares, "The nearness of God is my good" (Psalm 73:28 NASB).

Let us then understand that the reason that God cannot cause anyone to sin has nothing to do with what is caused but Who is causing it. Normally, human sacrifice is sin, but Abraham was unswervingly willing to obey God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering to the LORD. When God commands it, it is not sin. Normally, killing babies is sin, but not when God commanded Saul to kill the Amalekite babies. Indeed, in that case, refusal to kill the babies would have been sin. 

So, when we read that Samson's interest in marrying the Philistine woman was "of the Lord," even if Samson harbored sinful intentions, for which he is responsible, the act itself cannot be considered sin, for nothing "of the Lord" is sinful. 

As difficult as this is to wrap our minds around, for it pertains to the joint truths of human responsibility and divine sovereignty, it is important for us to understand so that we do not misunderstand the character and work of God. Solomon tried to express it this way:

The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord (Proverbs 16:1,9,33).

To these proverbs I would simply add that what God does must not be confused with what man does. What might be sinful for man can never be sinful for God. It is the difference between the Creator and the created, between the Lawgiver and the ones for whom the laws were given (cf. James 4:11-12).

"The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily..." (Judges 14:6; cf. 13:25; 14:19; 15:14).

Repeatedly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson and gave him superhuman strength, so that he could easily tear a lion apart or kill a thousand Philistines with nothing but a jawbone. As amazing as Samson's power was, he was also repeatedly found powerless to resist the enticements of women. As Solomon, who was himself not immune, would write,

Many are the victims she has brought down;
    her slain are a mighty throng (Proverbs 7:26). 

So you have both the strongest man that ever lived and the wisest man that ever lived both found to be morally weak-kneed before the influence of women. But my comment today is not about the danger women may pose to men, which every man must recognize, but rather the realm of the Spirit's empowerment of believers. For the Spirit empowered Samson and gave wisdom to Solomon, yet both fell morally. The Spirit did not give Samson the strength to overcome the influence of Delilah or Solomon the wisdom to reject the influence of his Canaanite wives. They were both allowed to fall morally and spiritually.

Friends, do you think that the Spirit will keep you from making morally wrong decisions? Will the Spirit make the morally right decisions for you? I don't see this promised anywhere in Scripture. Yes, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control, but this does not mean that He will make these things happen in you, as He made Samson strong or made Solomon wise. Augustine, the famous theologian, desired this from God. He once prayed, "God, command what You and do what You command in me." 

Can God enforce righteousness in us? Certainly! He did this when He saved us by giving us the faith to believe in a Gospel that we would never have embraced on our own. Is He beholden to continue to override our wills to ensure that we always make morally right choices? No, and He doesn't. 

In fact, God has allowed a battlezone within us between the influence of the Spirit and the influence of our own sinful natures:

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please (Galatians 5:17).

Therefore, let us understand, while there is no effort, so to speak, in our salvation, for it is the gift of God, there is definitely effort required to follow the Spirit in obedience to God's Word. How much effort? Consider the words of Hebrews 12:4,

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

That much effort! It's like our marriage vow - "Till death do us part". I am reminded of Jesus' command to His followers: "Deny yourselves, take up your cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). 

Judge 13

¹² And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child's manner of life, and what is his mission?”

I like how Manoah interacted with the angel. To share the same illustration, let’s assume the angel is not shiny and glorious with wings, but is a manifestation that people easily confuse with a mortal man, smelly breath and all.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to examine all spirits carefully and fasten to what is good. But Manoah didn’t ‘test’ the angel’s words. He didn’t ask for a miracle, or a resume of his prophetic accuracy – 100% is required.

But Manoah, received this word from this man-like creature and seemingly accepted it, but I think there is an implicit test in Manoah’s actions.

The angel spoke to their inability to have children. This is not a miracle, just up with the gossip.

The angel gave a prediction that if it came true would be a great sign from God.

But Manoah did not reject the message, before it was tested, he listened; he was not contentious or needlessly argumentative – he was, if you will, “quick to listen, slow to anger slow to speak” (James 1:19), he was, silent and so appears wise (Proverbs 17: 28).

The tests were implicit in the word. If it comes true, it passes the tests of: very improbable to occur independently, foretold, and it was good so should be held fast.

He listened first, allowed for the tests to come later, but just in case it did come true asked for more directions.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 says to test and hold fast to the good.

1 Thessalonians 5:20 says to not despise prophetic utterances

Be quick to listen; and like Mary when she heard the words of the angel, treasure them, pondering them in your heart (Luke 2: 19)

Samson said to his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” ⁴ (His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)

I read again one of the famous Bible stories not only among believers but also among anyone in the world where the Gospel is preached.  I know Unmi and Tae already shared it with you and would like to say it again to make it perfect emphasis - God's sovereignty.  We face a situation where a decision has to be made for many things and sometimes would like the Lord to show up in a vision or our dream to say plainly which way to take.  I believe that's what every believer wishes let alone non-believers.  That is the reason for divination is one of the oldest line of business in human history.  Even in evangelical circles, a person who allegedly has gift of prophecy tends to have quite a bit of attention from many people.  Our dire desire to know the future is in fact based on our lack of faith in the Lord who holds everything in His mighty hand.  Our job is not to seek the knowledge of future but to be obedient and faithful regardless of what it holds for us.  We make decisions either with good intention or driven by our selfish heart but He intends for good just as we see in today's text.  Let us get drenched in His love letter so that the more we know, the deeper our awe of Him may become.

God's will in the life of Samson:

 ² A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. ³ The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. ⁴ Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. ⁵ You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:2-5)

This might be my own assertion but have always saw as part of the jew complaint in the NT that God would lower himself and limit himself to a human form. But it seems a couple times now people have seen an angel and said they were going to die, either because they saw an angel or in this case samson's parents mistook it for the Lord. So they seem to be willing to accept that God would come in human form.

Yujin replies... Jews would not take offense that God would take human form becauase this was often the case in the OT. Oftentimes the designation "the angel of the LORD" is a reference to God in human form. Many scholars have suggested that this is not God the Father but rather the pre-incarnate God the Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, Samson's parents were not mistaken about him, and neither was Abraham when the three visitors came to him to announce the birth of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.