EGW WritingsJudges 13

Conflict and Courage

Before the Baby Comes, May 4

CC 130.1

Teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. Judges 13:8.

CC 130.2

God Himself appeared to the wife of Manoah and told her that she should have a son, and that he should be a great man and should deliver Israel. Then He gave her special instructions regarding her diet.... Let us regard this as instruction given to every mother in our world. If you want your children to have well-balanced minds, you must be temperate yourselves. Keep your own heart and affections sound and healthful, that you may impart to your offspring a healthful mind and body.7 Manuscript 18, 1887.

CC 130.3

Every mother may understand her duty. She may know that the character of her children will depend vastly more upon her habits before their birth and her personal efforts after their birth, than upon external advantages or disadvantages.... The mother who is a fit teacher for her children must, before their birth, form habits of self-denial and self-control; for she transmits to them her own qualities, her own strong or weak traits of character.8Counsels on Diet and Foods, 218, 219.

CC 130.4

Unwise advisers will urge upon the mother the necessity of gratifying every wish and impulse, but such teaching is false and mischievous. The mother is by the command of God Himself placed under the most solemn obligation to exercise self-control. And fathers as well as mothers are involved in this responsibility. Both parents transmit their own characteristics, mental and physical, their dispositions and appetites, to their children.9Patriarchs and Prophets, 561.

CC 130.5

Many make the subject of temperance a matter of jest. They claim that the Lord does not concern Himself with such minor matters as our eating and drinking. But if the Lord had no care for these things, He would not have revealed Himself to the wife of Manoah, giving her definite instructions, and twice enjoining upon her to beware lest she disregard them.10Temperance, 233, 234.

CC 130.6

The effect of prenatal influences is by many parents looked upon as a matter of little moment; but heaven does not so regard it.... In the words spoken to the Hebrew mother, God speaks to all mothers in every age.11The Ministry of Healing, 372.

From Eternity Past

Chapter 54—Samson, the Strongest Yet Weakest Man

EP 403.1

Amid widespread apostasy, the faithful worshipers of God continued to plead with Him for the deliverance of Israel. Though there was apparently no response, in the early years of the Philistine oppression a child was born through whom God designed to humble the power of these mighty foes.

EP 403.2

To the childless wife of Manoah, “the Angel of Jehovah” appeared with the message that she should have a son through whom God would begin to deliver Israel. The Angel gave instruction concerning her own habits, and also for the treatment of her child: “Drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” The same prohibition was to be imposed upon the child, with the addition that his hair should not be cut, for he was to be consecrated to God as a Nazarite from his birth.

EP 403.3

Fearful that they should make some mistake, the husband prayed, “Let the Man of God which Thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.”

EP 403.4

When the Angel again appeared, Manoah’s inquiry was, “How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?” The previous instruction was repeated—“Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware... . All that I commanded her let her observe.”

EP 403.5

To secure for the promised child the qualifications necessary for his important work, the habits of both mother and child were to be carefully regulated. The child will be affected for good or evil by the habits of the mother. She must be controlled by principle and practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child. Unwise advisers will urge upon the mother the necessity of gratifying every wish and impulse; but the mother is by command of God placed under solemn obligation to exercise self-control.

EP 404.1

And fathers as well as mothers are involved in this responsibility. As the result of parental intemperance, children often lack physical strength and mental and moral power. Liquor drinkers and tobacco users may transmit their insatiable craving, inflamed blood, and irritable nerves to their children. The licentious often bequeath unholy desires, and even loathsome diseases, to their offspring. The tendency is for each generation to fall lower and lower. To a great degree, parents are responsible for the infirmities of the thousands born deaf, blind, diseased, or idiotic.

EP 404.2

The effect of prenatal influence has been by many lightly regarded, but the instruction sent from heaven to those Hebrew parents shows how this matter is looked upon by our Creator.

EP 404.3

A good legacy from the parents must be followed by careful training and the formation of right habits. God directed that the future judge and deliverer of Israel should be under a perpetual prohibition against the use of wine or strong drink. Lessons of temperance, self-denial, and self-control are to be taught even from babyhood.

EP 404.4

The distinction between articles of food as clean and unclean was based upon sanitary principles. To the observance of this distinction may be traced, in a great degree, the marvelous vitality which for thousands of years has distinguished the Jewish people. The use of stimulating and indigestible food is often injurious to health and in many cases sows the seeds of drunkenness. True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful. Few realize how much their habits of diet have to do with their health, their character, their usefulness in this world, and their eternal destiny. The body should be servant to the mind, not the mind to the body.

EP 405.1

The divine promise to Manoah was in due time fulfilled in the birth of Samson. As the boy grew, it became evident that he possessed extraordinary physical strength. This was not, as Samson and his parents well knew, dependent upon his well-knit sinews, but upon his condition as a Nazarite, of which his unshorn hair was a symbol. Had Samson obeyed the divine commands, his would have been a nobler and happier destiny. But association with idolaters corrupted him.

EP 405.2

The town of Zorah being near the country of the Philistines, Samson came to mingle with them on friendly terms. A young woman dwelling in the Philistine town of Timnath engaged Samson’s affections, and he determined to make her his wife. To his God-fearing parents, who endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, his only answer was, “She pleaseth me well.” At last the marriage took place.

EP 405.3

Just as he was entering on manhood, the time above all others when he should have been true to God, Samson connected himself with the enemies of Israel. He did not ask whether he could better glorify God when united with the object of his choice. To all who seek first to honor Him, God has promised wisdom. But there is no promise to those bent on self-pleasing.

EP 405.4

How often inclination governs in the selection of husband or wife! The parties do not ask counsel of God nor have His glory in view. Satan is constantly seeking to strengthen his power over the people of God by inducing them to enter into alliance with his subjects. In order to accomplish this he endeavors to arouse unsanctified passions.

EP 406.2

At his marriage feast, Samson was brought into familiar association with those who hated the God of Israel. The wife proved treacherous to her husband before the close of the marriage feast. Incensed at her perfidy, Samson forsook her for the time, and went alone to his home at Zorah. When, afterward relenting, he returned for his bride, he found her the wife of another. His revenge, in wasting all the fields and vineyards of the Philistines, provoked them to murder her, although their threats had driven her to the deceit with which the trouble began.

EP 406.3

Samson had already given evidence of his marvelous strength by slaying, singlehanded, a young lion, and by killing thirty of the men of Askelon. Now, moved to anger by the barbarous murder of his wife, he attacked the Philistines and smote them “with a great slaughter.” Wishing a safe retreat he withdrew to “the rock Etam,” in Judah.

EP 406.4

To this place he was pursued, and the inhabitants of Judah, in great alarm, basely agreed to deliver him to his enemies. Accordingly three thousand men of Judah went up to him. Samson permitted them to bind him with two new ropes, and he was led into the camp of his enemies amid demonstrations of great joy. But “the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him.” He burst asunder the strong new cords as if they had been flax burned in the fire. Then seizing the first weapon at hand, the jawbone of an ass, he smote the Philistines, leaving a thousand men dead upon the field.

EP 406.5

Had the Israelites been ready to unite with Samson and follow up the victory, they might have freed themselves from their oppressors. But they had become dispirited and had neglected the work God commanded them to perform in dispossessing the heathen. They had united with them in their degrading practices. They tamely submitted to degradation which they might have escaped had they only obeyed God. Even when the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, they would, not infrequently, desert him and unite with their enemies.

EP 407.1

After his victory the Israelites made Samson judge, and he ruled Israel for twenty years. But Samson had transgressed the command of God by taking a wife from the Philistines, and again he ventured among them—now his deadly enemies—in the indulgence of unlawful passion. Trusting to his great strength, he went to Gaza to visit a harlot. The inhabitants of the city learned of his presence and were eager for revenge. Their enemy was shut safely within the walls of the most strongly fortified of their cities. They felt sure of their prey, and only waited till morning to complete their triumph.

EP 407.2

At midnight the accusing voice of conscience filled Samson with remorse as he remembered that he had broken his vow as a Nazarite. But God’s mercy had not forsaken him. His prodigious strength again served to deliver him. Going to the city gate, he wrenched it from its place and carried it to the top of a hill on the way to Hebron.

EP 407.3

He did not again venture among the Philistines but continued to seek those sensuous pleasures that were luring him to ruin. “He loved a woman in the valley of Sorek,” not far from his birthplace. Her name was Delilah, “the consumer.” Sorek’s vineyards also had a temptation for the wavering Nazarite, who had already indulged in the use of wine, thus breaking another tie that bound him to purity and to God. The Philistines determined, through Delilah, to accomplish his ruin.

EP 408.1

They dared not attempt to seize him while in possession of his great strength, but it was their purpose to learn the secret of his power. They therefore bribed Delilah to discover and reveal it.

EP 408.2

As the betrayer plied Samson with her questions, he deceived her by declaring that the weakness of other men would come upon him if certain processes were tried. When she put the matter to the test, the cheat was discovered. Then she accused him of falsehood: “How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.” Three times Samson had the clearest evidence that the Philistines had leagued with his charmer to destroy him; but she treated the matter as a jest, and he blindly banished fear.

EP 408.3

Day by day a subtle power kept him by her side. Overcome at last, Samson made known the secret: “There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

EP 408.4

A messenger was immediately dispatched to the lords of the Philistines, urging them to come without delay. While the warrior slept, the heavy masses of his hair were severed from his head. Then she called, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!” Suddenly awaking, he thought to exert his strength as before, but his powerless arms refused to do his bidding. He knew that “Jehovah was departed from him.” Delilah began to annoy him and cause him pain, thus making a trial of his strength; for the Philistines dared not approach him till fully convinced that his power was gone. Then they seized him and, having put out both his eyes, took him to Gaza. Here he was bound with fetters in their prison house and confined to hard labor.

EP 409.1

What a change! Weak, blind, imprisoned, degraded to the most menial service! God had borne long with him. But when he had so yielded to sin as to betray his secret, the Lord departed from him. There was no virtue in his long hair, but it was a token of his loyalty to God. When the symbol was sacrificed in the indulgence of passion, the blessings of which it was a token were forfeited.

EP 409.2

In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before. His afflictions led him to repentance. As his hair grew, his power gradually returned. His enemies, regarding him as a fettered and helpless prisoner, felt no apprehensions.

EP 409.3

The Philistines, exulting, defied the God of Israel. A feast was appointed in honor of Dagon, the fish god. Throngs of Philistine worshipers filled the vast temple and crowded the galleries about the roof. It was a scene of festivity and rejoicing.

EP 409.4

Then, as the crowning trophy of Dagon’s power, Samson was brought in. People and rulers mocked his misery and adored the god who had overthrown “the destroyer of their country.” After a time, as if weary, Samson asked permission to rest against the two central pillars which supported the temple roof.

EP 409.5

Then he silently uttered the prayer, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines.” With these words he encircled the pillars with his mighty arms, and crying, “Let me die with the Philistines!” he bowed himself and the roof fell, destroying at one crash all that vast multitude. “So the dead which he slew at his death were more than all they which he slew in his life.”

EP 409.6

The idol and its worshipers, priest and peasant, warrior and noble, were buried together beneath the ruins of Dagon’s temple. And among them was the giant form of him whom God had chosen to be the deliverer of His people.

EP 410.1

Tidings were carried to the land of Israel, and Samson’s kinsmen, unopposed, rescued the body of the fallen hero. They “buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying place of Manoah his father.”

EP 410.2

How dark and terrible the record of that life which might have been a praise to God and a glory to the nation! Had Samson been true to his divine calling, the purpose of God could have been accomplished. But he yielded to temptation, and his mission was fulfilled in bondage and death.

EP 410.3

Physically, Samson was the strongest man upon the earth, but in self-control, integrity, and firmness, he was one of the weakest. He who is mastered by his passions is a weak man. Real greatness is measured by the power of the feelings that a man controls, not by those that control him.

EP 410.4

Those who in the way of duty are brought into trial may be sure that God will preserve them; but if men willfully place themselves under the power of temptation, they will fall, sooner or later. Satan attacks us at our weak points, working through defects in the character to gain control of the whole man. He knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed.

EP 410.5

But none need be overcome. Help will be given to every soul who really desires it. Angels of God that ascend and descend the ladder which Jacob saw in vision will help every soul who will, to climb even to the highest heaven.

From Eternity Past

Samson’s Strength Depends on Faithfulness to God

EP 406.1

But the Lord has instructed His people not to unite with those who have not His love abiding in them: “What concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” 2 Corinthians 6:15, 16.

Patriarchs and Prophets

Chapter 54—Samson

PP 560.1

Amid the widespread apostasy the faithful worshipers of God continued to plead with Him for the deliverance of Israel. Though there was apparently no response, though year after year the power of the oppressor continued to rest more heavily upon the land, God’s providence was preparing help for them. Even in the early years of the Philistine oppression a child was born through whom God designed to humble the power of these mighty foes.

PP 560.2

On the border of the hill country overlooking the Philistine plain was the little town of Zorah. Here dwelt the family of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan, one of the few households that amid the general defection had remained true to Jehovah. To the childless wife of Manoah “the Angel of Jehovah” appeared with the message that she should have a son, through whom God would begin to deliver Israel. In view of this the Angel gave her instruction concerning her own habits, and also for the treatment of her child: “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” And the same prohibition was to be imposed, from the first, upon the child, with the addition that his hair should not be cut; for he was to be consecrated to God as a Nazarite from his birth.

PP 560.3

The woman sought her husband, and, after describing the Angel, she repeated His message. Then, fearful that they should make some mistake in the important work committed to them, the husband prayed, “Let the Man of God which Thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.”

PP 560.4

When the Angel again appeared, Manoah’s anxious inquiry was, “How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?” The previous instruction was repeated—“Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.”

PP 561.1

God had an important work for the promised child of Manoah to do, and it was to secure for him the qualifications necessary for this work that the habits of both the mother and the child were to be carefully regulated. “Neither let her drink wine or strong drink,” was the Angel’s instruction for the wife of Manoah, “nor eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.” The child will be affected for good or for evil by the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled by principle and must practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child. Unwise advisers will urge upon the mother the necessity of gratifying every wish and impulse, but such teaching is false and mischievous. The mother is by the command of God Himself placed under the most solemn obligation to exercise self-control.

PP 561.2

And fathers as well as mothers are involved in this responsibility. Both parents transmit their own characteristics, mental and physical, their dispositions and appetites, to their children. As the result of parental intemperance children often lack physical strength and mental and moral power. Liquor drinkers and tobacco users may, and do, transmit their insatiable craving, their inflamed blood and irritable nerves, to their children. The licentious often bequeath their unholy desires, and even loathsome diseases, as a legacy to their offspring. And as the children have less power to resist temptation than had the parents, the tendency is for each generation to fall lower and lower. To a great degree parents are responsible not only for the violent passions and perverted appetites of their children but for the infirmities of the thousands born deaf, blind, diseased, or idiotic.

PP 561.3

The inquiry of every father and mother should be, “What shall we do unto the child that shall be born unto us?” The effect of prenatal influences has been by many lightly regarded; but the instruction sent from heaven to those Hebrew parents, and twice repeated in the most explicit and solemn manner, shows how this matter is looked upon by our Creator.

PP 561.4

And it was not enough that the promised child should receive a good legacy from the parents. This must be followed by careful training and the formation of right habits. God directed that the future judge and deliverer of Israel should be trained to strict temperance from infancy. He was to be a Nazarite from his birth, thus being placed under a perpetual prohibition against the use of wine or strong drink. The lessons of temperance, self-denial, and self-control are to be taught to children even from babyhood.

PP 562.1

The angel’s prohibition included “every unclean thing.” The distinction between articles of food as clean and unclean was not a merely ceremonial and arbitrary regulation, but was based upon sanitary principles. To the observance of this distinction may be traced, in a great degree, the marvelous vitality which for thousands of years has distinguished the Jewish people. The principles of temperance must be carried further than the mere use of spirituous liquors. The use of stimulating and indigestible food is often equally injurious to health, and in many cases sows the seeds of drunkenness. True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful. There are few who realize as they should how much their habits of diet have to do with their health, their character, their usefulness in this world, and their eternal destiny. The appetite should ever be in subjection to the moral and intellectual powers. The body should be servant to the mind, and not the mind to the body.

PP 562.2

The divine promise to Manoah was in due time fulfilled in the birth of a son, to whom the name of Samson was given. As the boy grew up it became evident that he possessed extraordinary physical strength. This was not, however, as Samson and his parents well knew, dependent upon his well-knit sinews, but upon his condition as a Nazarite, of which his unshorn hair was a symbol. Had Samson obeyed the divine commands as faithfully as his parents had done, his would have been a nobler and happier destiny. But association with idolaters corrupted him. The town of Zorah being near the country of the Philistines, Samson came to mingle with them on friendly terms. Thus in his youth intimacies sprang up, the influence of which darkened his whole life. A young woman dwelling in the Philistine town of Timnath engaged Samson’s affections, and he determined to make her his wife. To his God-fearing parents, who endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, his only answer was, “She pleaseth me well.” The parents at last yielded to his wishes, and the marriage took place.

PP 563.1

Just as he was entering upon manhood, the time when he must execute his divine mission—the time above all others when he should have been true to God—Samson connected himself with the enemies of Israel. He did not ask whether he could better glorify God when united with the object of his choice, or whether he was placing himself in a position where he could not fulfill the purpose to be accomplished by his life. To all who seek first to honor Him, God has promised wisdom; but there is no promise to those who are bent upon self-pleasing.

PP 563.2

How many are pursuing the same course as did Samson! How often marriages are formed between the godly and the ungodly, because inclination governs in the selection of husband or wife! The parties do not ask counsel of God, nor have His glory in view. Christianity ought to have a controlling influence upon the marriage relation, but it is too often the case that the motives which lead to this union are not in keeping with Christian principles. Satan is constantly seeking to strengthen his power over the people of God by inducing them to enter into alliance with his subjects; and in order to accomplish this he endeavors to arouse unsanctified passions in the heart. But the Lord has in His word plainly instructed His people not to unite themselves with those who have not His love abiding in them. “What concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” 2 Corinthians 6:15, 16.

PP 563.3

At his marriage feast Samson was brought into familiar association with those who hated the God of Israel. Whoever voluntarily enters into such relations will feel it necessary to conform, to some degree, to the habits and customs of his companions. The time thus spent is worse than wasted. Thoughts are entertained and words are spoken that tend to break down the strongholds of principle and to weaken the citadel of the soul.

PP 563.4

The wife, to obtain whom Samson had transgressed the command of God, proved treacherous to her husband before the close of the marriage feast. Incensed at her perfidy, Samson forsook her for the time, and went alone to his home at Zorah. When, afterward relenting, he returned for his bride, he found her the wife of another. His revenge, in the wasting of all the fields and vineyards of the Philistines, provoked them to murder her, although their threats had driven her to the deceit with which the trouble began. Samson had already given evidence of his marvelous strength by slaying, singlehanded, a young lion, and by killing thirty of the men of Askelon. Now, moved to anger by the barbarous murder of his wife, he attacked the Philistines and smote them “with a great slaughter.” Then, wishing a safe retreat from his enemies, he withdrew to “the rock Etam,” in the tribe of Judah.

PP 564.1

To this place he was pursued by a strong force, and the inhabitants of Judah, in great alarm, basely agreed to deliver him to his enemies. Accordingly three thousand men of Judah went up to him. But even at such odds they would not have dared approach him had they not felt assured that he would not harm his own countrymen. Samson consented to be bound and delivered to the Philistines, but first exacted from the men of Judah a promise not to attack him themselves, and thus compel him to destroy them. He permitted them to bind him with two new ropes, and he was led into the camp of his enemies amid demonstrations of great joy. But while their shouts were waking the echoes of the hills, “the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him.” He burst asunder the strong new cords as if they had been flax burned in the fire. Then seizing the first weapon at hand, which, though only the jawbone of an ass, was rendered more effective than sword or spear, he smote the Philistines until they fled in terror, leaving a thousand men dead upon the field.

PP 564.2

Had the Israelites been ready to unite with Samson and follow up the victory, they might at this time have freed themselves from the power of their oppressors. But they had become dispirited and cowardly. They had neglected the work which God commanded them to perform, in dispossessing the heathen, and had united with them in their degrading practices, tolerating their cruelty, and, so long as it was not directed against themselves, even countenancing their injustice. When themselves brought under the power of the oppressor, they tamely submitted to the degradation which they might have escaped, had they only obeyed God. Even when the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, they would, not infrequently, desert him and unite with their enemies.

PP 564.3

After his victory the Israelites made Samson judge, and he ruled Israel for twenty years. But one wrong step prepares the way for another. Samson had transgressed the command of God by taking a wife from the Philistines, and again he ventured among them—now his deadly enemies—in the indulgence of unlawful passion. Trusting to his great strength, which had inspired the Philistines with such terror, he went boldly to Gaza, to visit a harlot of that place. The inhabitants of the city learned of his presence, and they were eager for revenge. Their enemy was shut safely within the walls of the most strongly fortified of all their cities; they felt sure of their prey, and only waited till the morning to complete their triumph. At midnight Samson was aroused. The accusing voice of conscience filled him with remorse, as he remembered that he had broken his vow as a Nazarite. But notwithstanding his sin, God’s mercy had not forsaken him. His prodigious strength again served to deliver him. Going to the city gate, he wrenched it from its place and carried it, with its posts and bars, to the top of a hill on the way to Hebron.

PP 565.1

But even this narrow escape did not stay his evil course. He did not again venture among the Philistines, but he continued to seek those sensuous pleasures that were luring him to ruin. “He loved a woman in the valley of Sorek,” not far from his own birthplace. Her name was Delilah, “the consumer.” The vale of Sorek was celebrated for its vineyards; these also had a temptation for the wavering Nazarite, who had already indulged in the use of wine, thus breaking another tie that bound him to purity and to God. The Philistines kept a vigilant watch over the movements of their enemy, and when he degraded himself by this new attachment, they determined, through Delilah, to accomplish his ruin.

PP 565.2

A deputation consisting of one leading man from each of the Philistine provinces was sent to the vale of Sorek. They dared not attempt to seize him while in possession of his great strength, but it was their purpose to learn, if possible, the secret of his power. They therefore bribed Delilah to discover and reveal it.

PP 565.3

As the betrayer plied Samson with her questions, he deceived her by declaring that the weakness of other men would come upon him if certain processes were tried. When she put the matter to the test, the cheat was discovered. Then she accused him of falsehood, saying, “How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? Thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.” Three times Samson had the clearest evidence that the Philistines had leagued with his charmer to destroy him; but when her purpose failed, she treated the matter as a jest, and he blindly banished fear.

PP 566.1

Day by day Delilah urged him, until “his soul was vexed unto death;” yet a subtle power kept him by her side. Overcome at last, Samson made known the secret: “There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” A messenger was immediately dispatched to the lords of the Philistines, urging them to come to her without delay. While the warrior slept, the heavy masses of his hair were severed from his head. Then, as she had done three times before, she called, “The Philistines be upon thee, Samson!” Suddenly awaking, he thought to exert his strength as before and destroy them; but his powerless arms refused to do his bidding, and he knew that “Jehovah was departed from him.” When he had been shaven, Delilah began to annoy him and cause him pain, thus making a trial of his strength; for the Philistines dared not approach him till fully convinced that his power was gone. Then they seized him and, having put out both his eyes, they took him to Gaza. Here he was bound with fetters in their prison house and confined to hard labor.

PP 566.2

What a change to him who had been the judge and champion of Israel!—now weak, blind, imprisoned, degraded to the most menial service! Little by little he had violated the conditions of his sacred calling. God had borne long with him; but when he had so yielded himself to the power of sin as to betray his secret, the Lord departed from him. There was no virtue in his long hair merely, but it was a token of his loyalty to God; and when the symbol was sacrificed in the indulgence of passion, the blessings of which it was a token were also forfeited.

PP 566.3

In suffering and humiliation, a sport for the Philistines, Samson learned more of his own weakness than he had ever known before; and his afflictions led him to repentance. As his hair grew, his power gradually returned; but his enemies, regarding him as a fettered and helpless prisoner, felt no apprehensions.

PP 566.4

The Philistines ascribed their victory to their gods; and, exulting, they defied the God of Israel. A feast was appointed in honor of Dagon, the fish god, “the protector of the sea.” From town and country throughout the Philistine plain the people and their lords assembled. Throngs of worshipers filled the vast temple and crowded the galleries about the roof. It was a scene of festivity and rejoicing. There was the pomp of the sacrificial service, followed by music and feasting. Then, as the crowning trophy of Dagon’s power, Samson was brought in. Shouts of exultation greeted his appearance. People and rulers mocked his misery and adored the god who had overthrown “the destroyer of their country.” After a time, as if weary, Samson asked permission to rest against the two central pillars which supported the temple roof. Then he silently uttered the prayer, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines.” With these words he encircled the pillars with his mighty arms; and crying, “Let me die with the Philistines!” he bowed himself, and the roof fell, destroying at one crash all that vast multitude. “So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.”

PP 567.1

The idol and its worshipers, priest and peasant, warrior and noble, were buried together beneath the ruins of Dagon’s temple. And among them was the giant form of him whom God had chosen to be the deliverer of His people. Tidings of the terrible overthrow were carried to the land of Israel, and Samson’s kinsmen came down from their hills, and, unopposed, rescued the body of the fallen hero. And they “brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, in the burying place of Manoah his father.”

PP 567.2

God’s promise that through Samson He would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” was fulfilled; but how dark and terrible the record of that life which might have been a praise to God and a glory to the nation! Had Samson been true to his divine calling, the purpose of God could have been accomplished in his honor and exaltation. But he yielded to temptation and proved untrue to his trust, and his mission was fulfilled in defeat, bondage, and death.

PP 567.3

Physically, Samson was the strongest man upon the earth; but in self-control, integrity, and firmness, he was one of the weakest of men. Many mistake strong passions for a strong character, but the truth is that he who is mastered by his passions is a weak man. The real greatness of the man is measured by the power of the feelings that he controls, not by those that control him.

PP 568.1

God’s providential care had been over Samson, that he might be prepared to accomplish the work which he was called to do. At the very outset of life he was surrounded with favorable conditions for physical strength, intellectual vigor, and moral purity. But under the influence of wicked associates he let go that hold upon God which is man’s only safeguard, and he was swept away by the tide of evil. Those who in the way of duty are brought into trial may be sure that God will preserve them; but if men willfully place themselves under the power of temptation, they will fall, sooner or later.

PP 568.2

The very ones whom God purposes to use as His instruments for a special work, Satan employs his utmost power to lead astray. He attacks us at our weak points, working through defects in the character to gain control of the whole man; and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed. But none need be overcome. Man is not left alone to conquer the power of evil by his own feeble efforts. Help is at hand and will be given to every soul who really desires it. Angels of God, that ascend and descend the ladder which Jacob saw in vision, will help every soul who will, to climb even to the highest heaven.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 20 (1905)

Lt 191, 1905

20LtMs, Lt 191, 1905, par. 17

The record given in the thirteenth chapter of Judges shows how God employs angels to communicate with human beings. So also does the vision of Cornelius, recorded in the tenth chapter of Acts, and the experience of Peter, recorded in the twelfth of Acts. I could cite case after case where God has sent His angels to be the powerful helpers of His chosen messengers.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)

Ms 27, 1893

8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 26

The Lord would have the wife of Manoah adhere to strict habits of temperance. “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said to her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Now therefore beware I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” [Judges 13:3, 4.] The angel who appeared to Zacharias and Elisabeth said, “Thy prayer is heard and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” [Luke 1:13-15.] Here we have the child taken before his birth and after. You mothers should place value on these things. The appetites of the mother are transmitted to the children. Many who indulge in things to satisfy appetite are taking the underpinning right out of your house. There are men that might have had as clear a record as Daniel. Satan is playing his cards for your soul. We want to stand free and pure from the degradations of this world. “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” [Revelation 3:5.] Christ overcame in our behalf. And we may overcome through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)

Ms 187, 1898

13LtMs, Ms 187, 1898, par. 53

The Lord sent His angel to the wife of Manoah with the word that she was to have a son, and with instruction as to how the mother was to treat herself before the birth of her child. “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold, now, thou are barren, and barest not: but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Now therefore beware I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing. For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” [Judges 13:3-5.]

13LtMs, Ms 187, 1898, par. 54

In answer to her prayer the angel again came to her, and repeated to Manoah that which he had told his wife. “And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass, How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware, She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.” [Verses 12-14.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 13 (1898)

Ms 151, 1898

13LtMs, Ms 151, 1898, par. 47

The Lord sent His angel to the wife of Manoah with the word that she was to have a son, and with instruction as to how the mother was to treat herself before the birth of her child. “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold, now, thou art barren, and barest not: but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Now therefore beware I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing. For lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come upon his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” [Judges 13:3-5.]

13LtMs, Ms 151, 1898, par. 48

In answer to her prayer the angel again came to her, and repeated to Manoah that which he had told his wife. “And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass, How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware, She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.” [Verses 12-14.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 8 (1893)

Ms 9, 1893

8LtMs, Ms 9, 1893, par. 16

God sent an angel from heaven to the wife of Manoah. And the angel of the Lord said, “Now therefore beware I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” [Judges 13:4.] That which composes [the] blood of parents, goes to their posterity.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)

Ms 126, 1903

18LtMs, Ms 126, 1903, par. 15

When the temperance question is agitated, and the need of reformation urged, some refer to this miracle as an instance where Christ sanctioned the use of fermented wine. But the wine that was created by this miracle was not fermented wine. It was the pure juice of the grape. Christ never by word or act sanctioned the use of fermented wine. At the sacramental service, He used neither leavened bread nor fermented wine. He it was who instructed the wife of Manoah, “Drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” [Judges 13:4.]

Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene

Chapter 3—Effects of Stimulants

CTBH 38.1

The angel of God appeared to the wife of Manoah, and informed her that she should have a son; and in view of this he gave her the important directions: “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” [Judges 13:4, 14.]

Temperance

Chapter 1—Importance of Strictly Temperate Habits

Te 90.2

The angel of God appeared to the wife of Manoah, and informed her that she should have a son; and in view of this He gave her the important directions: “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” Judges 13:4, 14.

Conflict and Courage

Mighty Weakling, May 6

CC 132.1

He shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. Judges 13:5.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)

Ms 112, 1901

16LtMs, Ms 112, 1901, par. 6

This instruction was repeated to the mother of Sampson. An angel came to the wife of Manoah, saying, “Behold, thou shalt ... bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from his birth to the day of his death.” [Judges 13:7.] For the sake of her unborn child, lest her appetite should be transferred to him, the mother was restricted in her diet.

Temperance

Chapter 1—Prenatal Influence

Te 171.2

God’s Message to Every Mother—The carefulness with which the mother should guard her habits of life is taught in the Scriptures. When the Lord would raise up Samson as a deliverer for Israel, “the angel of Jehovah” appeared to the mother, with special instruction concerning her habits, and also for the treatment of her child. “Beware,” he said, “and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing.” Judges 13:13, 7.

The Ministry of Healing

Temperance and Self-Control

MH 372.2

The carefulness with which the mother should guard her habits of life is taught in the Scriptures. When the Lord would raise up Samson as a deliverer for Israel, “the angel of Jehovah” appeared to the mother, with special instruction concerning her habits, and also for the treatment of her child. “Beware,” he said, “and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing.” Judges 13:13, 7.

Homeward Bound

Like Parents, Like Children, September 11

HB 280.6

The effect of prenatal influences is by many parents looked upon as a matter of little moment; but heaven does not so regard it. The message sent by an angel of God, and twice given in the most solemn manner [see Judges 13:7, 13, 14], shows it to be deserving of our most careful thought.—The Ministry of Healing, 371, 372.

Christian Education

Chapter 25—Fragments

CE 215.1

What a reward was Hannah’s! and what an encouragement to faithfulness is her example! There are opportunities of inestimable worth, interests infinitely precious, committed to every mother. The humble round of duties which women have come to regard as a wearisome task, should be looked upon as a grand and noble work. It is the mother’s privilege to bless the world by her influence, and in doing this she will bring joy to her own heart. She may make straight paths for the feet of her children, through sunshine and shadow, to the glorious heights above. But it is only when she seeks, in her own life, to follow the teachings of Christ, that the mother can hope to form the character of her children after the divine Pattern. The world teems with corrupting influences. Fashion and custom exert a strong power over the young. If the mother fails in her duty to instruct, guide, and restrain, her children will naturally accept the evil and turn from the good. Let every mother go often to her Saviour with the prayer, “Teach us how we shall order the child, and how we shall do unto him.” [Judges 13:12.] Let her heed the instruction which God has given in his word, and wisdom will be given her as she shall have need.

CE 232.1

Pre-natal Influences.—God had an important work for the promised child of Manoah [Samson] to do, and it was to secure for him the qualifications necessary for this work, that the habits of both the mother and the child were to be carefully regulated. “Neither let her drink wine or strong drink,” was the angel’s instruction for the wife of Manoah, “nor eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.” [Judges 13:14.] The child will be affected for good or for evil by the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled by principle, and must practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child. Unwise advisers will urge upon the mother the necessity of gratifying every wish and impulse; but such teaching is false and mischievous. The mother is by the command of God himself placed under the most solemn obligation to exercise self-control.

CE 233.2

The inquiry of every father and mother should be, “What shall we do unto the child that shall be born unto us?” [Judges 13:8.] The effect of pre-natal influences has been by many lightly regarded; but the instruction sent from heaven to those Hebrew parents, and twice repeated in the most explicit and solemn manner, shows how this matter is looked upon by our Creator.

Education

Chapter 32—Preparation

Ed 276.2

This work of education the Infinite One has counted so important that messengers from His throne have been sent to a mother that was to be, to answer the question, “How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?” (Judges 13:12), and to instruct a father concerning the education of a promised son.

Our Father Cares

What Kind of Inheritance? March 21

OFC 92.1

And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? Judges 13:12.

The Faith I Live By

What Kind of Inheritance? September 13

FLB 262.1

And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? Judges 13:12.

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1

Chapter 76—The Cause in the East

1T 410.2

I was shown that when God sent His angels anciently to minister or communicate to individuals, and these persons learned that they had seen and talked with an angel, they were struck with awe and were afraid that they should die. They had so exalted views of the terrible majesty and power of God that they thought it would destroy them to be brought into close connection with one direct from His holy presence. I was referred to Judges 13:21, 22: “Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.” Judges 6:22, 23: “And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.” Joshua 5:13-15: “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” If angels were thus feared and honored because they came from the presence of God, with how much greater reverence should God Himself be regarded.

The Truth About Angels

Christ as the “Angel of the Lord”

TA 112.1

When God sent His angels anciently to minister or communicate to individuals, when they learned that it was an angel they had seen and talked with, they were struck with awe, and were afraid that they should die. They had such exalted views of the terrible majesty and power of God, they thought to be brought into such close connection with one direct from His holy presence, would destroy them.... Judges 6:22, 23; 13:21, 22; Joshua 5:13-15.—Spiritual Gifts 4b:152.

Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4b

The East

4bSG 152.2

I was shown that when God sent his angels anciently to minister or communicate to individuals, when they learned that it was an angel they had seen and talked with, they were struck with awe, and were afraid that they should die. They had such exalted views of the terrible majesty and power of God, they thought to be brought into such close connection with one direct from his holy presence, would destroy them. I was referred to Judges 6:22, 23; 13:21, 22; Joshua 5:13-15. If angels were thus feared and honored because they came from the presence of God, with how much greater reverence should God be regarded? Many of those who have been converted through the influence of the 1854 movement, need to be converted anew. This class must unlearn before they can learn aright, else the poisonous weeds of error will grow rank, and root out the precious seeds of truth.

Testimony for the Church — No. 10

The East

T10 20.1

I was shown that when God sent his angels anciently to minister or communicate to individuals, when they learned that it was an angel they had seen and talked with, they were struck with awe, and were afraid that they should die. They had such exalted views of the terrible majesty and power of God they thought to be brought into such close connection with one direct from his holy presence, would destroy them. I was referred to Judges 13:21, 22. “Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.” Judges 6:22, 23. “And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God; for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not, thou shalt not die.” Joshua 5:13-15. “And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” If angels were thus feared and honored because they came from the presence of God, with how much greater reverence should God be regarded. Many of those who have been converted through the influence of the 1854 movement, need to be converted anew. And it requires ten-fold the labor to correct their wrong, distracting views which they have received from their teachers, and to lead them to receive the truth unmixed with error, than to bring them out in the first place upon the third angel’s message. This class must unlearn before they can learn aright, else the poisonous weeds of error would grow rank and root out the precious seeds of truth. Error must first be rooted up, then the soil is prepared for the good seed to spring up and bear fruit to the glory of God.