Judg 13:25 | KingComments | STEP | God’s promise is fulfilled. The promised son is born and his mother gives him the name Samson. His name is formed from the word for ‘sun’. Maybe this is an indication that God wants to let new light shine for Israel in this dark time, the light of hope for deliverance. What Samson did in his youth is not mentioned. What is mentioned, however, is the place where he started his service, in Mahaneh-dan, which is in his immediate vicinity. The service of anyone who wants to do something for the Lord always begins in the immediate surroundings: at home, in the neighborhood, at work, at school. It starts at home. Then the circle of service grows. Sunday schoolwork and being unruly at home do not match. It is impossible to ‘enter into mission work’ without first testifying at home, in the surroundings. Nor can a brother serve other local churches if he never makes himself heard in his own local church. The influence of the Spirit and its effects are first perceived in the domestic sphere. Samson grows up in the most ideal circumstances, very different from, for example, Jephthah. He has parents who fear God, the LORD blesses him, has taken him apart for Himself, and the Spirit of the LORD guides him already in his younger years. Despite all these great privileges, Samson’s life has a tragic course as we will see in the following chapters.

‏ Judges 13:25

Samson’s Birth and First Performance

God’s promise is fulfilled. The promised son is born and his mother gives him the name Samson. His name is formed from the word for ‘sun’. Maybe this is an indication that God wants to let new light shine for Israel in this dark time, the light of hope for deliverance. What Samson did in his youth is not mentioned. What is mentioned, however, is the place where he started his service, in Mahaneh-dan, which is in his immediate vicinity.

The service of anyone who wants to do something for the Lord always begins in the immediate surroundings: at home, in the neighborhood, at work, at school. It starts at home. Then the circle of service grows. Sunday schoolwork and being unruly at home do not match. It is impossible to ‘enter into mission work’ without first testifying at home, in the surroundings. Nor can a brother serve other local churches if he never makes himself heard in his own local church. The influence of the Spirit and its effects are first perceived in the domestic sphere.

Samson grows up in the most ideal circumstances, very different from, for example, Jephthah. He has parents who fear God, the LORD blesses him, has taken him apart for Himself, and the Spirit of the LORD guides him already in his younger years. Despite all these great privileges, Samson’s life has a tragic course as we will see in the following chapters.