[One-Verse Meditation]

Judges 13:5 (NIV) “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 begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

[Meditation]

Once again, Israel does evil in the eyes of the LORD, serving other gods instead of Him. The Lord hands them over to the Philistines for forty years (v. 1). But there is a difference from before: Israel does not cry out to God in their suffering. They have become completely spiritually numb. Even so, God does not abandon them. He begins the work of salvation for them—not because of any human merit or request, but by His sovereign grace.

That salvation begins through a woman who was unable to have children. This shows that salvation is not possible through human ability, but only through God’s power. Her son, Samson, was a Nazirite dedicated to God from birth, and his purpose was clear: “He will begin the deliverance of Israel.”

We pause before this promise of God to Israel, because this way of salvation is our salvation story. God first sent His Son for us when we were His enemies, neither knowing nor seeking Him. The one who, as the true Nazirite, was set apart from the world from the beginning, was wholly offered up for us, and finally completed our salvation on the cross by declaring, ‘It is finished.’ Today’s text is, in the end, the story of the One who came for us: Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul confesses this amazing principle of salvation like this:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us… For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:6, 8, 10).

[Prayer]

Lord, I confess that it is not our condition, but Your character that has saved us. And so, enjoying the gift of salvation, I sing to You. May this song of thanks never cease, in any time or any place of my life. Amen.
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(Daily Reading)

Judges 13:1-14