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Jueces 13

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1 Y los hijos de Israel volvieron a hacer lo malo en los ojos del SEÑOR; y el SEÑOR los entregó en mano de los filisteos, por cuarenta años.

2 Y había un hombre de Zora, de la tribu de Dan, el cual se llamaba Manoa; y su mujer era estéril, que nunca había tenido hijos.

3 A esta mujer apareció el ángel del SEÑOR, y le dijo: He aquí que tú eres estéril, y no has tenido hijos; mas concebirás y darás a luz un hijo.

4 Ahora, pues, mira que ahora no bebas vino, ni sidra, ni comas cosa inmunda.

5 Porque tú te concebirás, y darás a luz un hijo; y no subirá navaja sobre su cabeza, porque aquel niño nazareo será de Dios desde el vientre, y él comenzará a salvar a Israel de mano de los filisteos.

6 Y la mujer vino y lo contó a su marido, diciendo: Un varón de Dios vino a mí, cuyo aspecto era como el aspecto de un ángel de Dios, terrible en gran manera; y no le pregunté de dónde ni quién era , ni tampoco él me dijo su nombre.

7 Y me dijo: He aquí que tú concebirás, y darás a luz un hijo; por tanto, ahora no bebas vino, ni sidra, ni comas cosa inmunda; porque este niño desde el vientre será nazareo de Dios hasta el día de su muerte.

8 Y oró Manoa al SEÑOR, y dijo: SEÑOR mío, yo te ruego que aquel varón de Dios que enviaste, vuelva ahora a venir a nosotros, y nos enseñe lo que hayamos de hacer con el niño que ha de nacer.

9 Y el SEÑOR oyó la voz de Manoa; y el ángel de Dios volvió otra vez a la mujer, estando ella en el campo; mas su marido Manoa no estaba con ella.

10 Y la mujer corrió prontamente, y lo contó a su marido, diciéndole: Mira que se me ha aparecido aquel varón que vino hoy a mí.

11 Y se levantó Manoa, y siguió a su mujer; y así que llegó al varón, le dijo: ¿Eres tú aquel varón que hablaste a esta mujer? Y él dijo: Yo soy .

12 Entonces Manoa dijo: Cúmplase pues tu palabra. ¿Qué orden se tendrá con el niño, y qué ha de hacer?

13 Y el ángel del SEÑOR respondió a Manoa: La mujer se guardará de todas las cosas que yo le dije.

14 Ella no comerá cosa que proceda de vid que da vino; no beberá vino ni sidra, y no comerá cosa inmunda; ha de guardar todo lo que le mandé.

15 Entonces Manoa dijo al ángel del SEÑOR: Te ruego permitas que te detengamos, y aderezaremos un cabrito que poner delante de ti.

16 Y el ángel del SEÑOR respondió a Manoa: Aunque me detengas no comeré de tu pan; mas si quisieres hacer holocausto, sacrifícalo al SEÑOR. Y no sabía Manoa que aquél fuese ángel del SEÑOR.

17 Entonces dijo Manoa al ángel del SEÑOR: ¿Cómo es tu nombre, para que cuando se cumpliere tu palabra te honremos?

18 Y el ángel del SEÑOR respondió: ¿Por qué preguntas por mi nombre? No tengo licencia para decírtelo.

19 Y Manoa tomó un cabrito de las cabras y un presente, y lo sacrificó sobre una peña al SEÑOR; y el ángel hizo milagro a vista de Manoa y de su mujer.

20 Porque aconteció que cuando la llama subía del altar hacia el cielo, el ángel del SEÑOR subió en la llama del altar a vista de Manoa y de su mujer, los cuales se postraron en tierra sobre sus rostros.

21 Y el ángel del SEÑOR no volvió a aparecer a Manoa ni a su mujer. Entonces conoció Manoa que era el ángel del SEÑOR.

22 Y dijo Manoa a su mujer: Ciertamente moriremos, porque a Dios hemos visto.

23 Y su mujer le respondió: Si el SEÑOR nos quisiera matar, no tomaría de nuestras manos el holocausto y el presente, ni nos hubiera mostrado todas estas cosas, ni según el tiempo nos habría anunciado esto.

24 Y la mujer dio a luz un hijo, y le llamó por nombre Sansón. Y el niño creció, y el SEÑOR lo bendijo.

25 Y el Espíritu del SEÑOR comenzó a manifestarse por veces en él en los campamentos de Dan, entre Zora y Estaol.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 13

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Judges 13: The birth of Samson.

Chapters 13-16 of Judges tell the story of Samson, one of the greatest judges of Israel. At the time of Samson’s birth, Israel had been under Philistine oppression for forty years, because they had once again sinned against the Lord. As we have seen in previous chapters, the Lord appears to have punished them, but this is not the case; it is really our own waywardness that brings about these negative consequences.

This story begins with Samson’s parents, Manoah and his wife. Manoah’s wife was barren, but the angel of the Lord appeared to her, with news that she would have a son. The angel said that she was forbidden to drink alcohol or eat anything unclean, and that her son was never to have his hair cut, for he would be a Nazirite. And finally, the angel prophesied that her son would deliver Israel from the Philistines.

When Manoah’s wife told him what had happened, he prayed to the Lord for the man to return. The angel reappeared to Manoah’s wife, so she brought her husband to speak with the angel directly. Manoah asked what they should do for their child, but the angel only told Manoah that his wife must follow the instructions she had received.

Manoah offered a meal to the angel of the Lord, but the angel declined, saying that the burnt offering must be made to the Lord. Manoah brought out the meat of a young goat, placed it upon a rock, and gave it as a burnt offering to the Lord. The angel of the Lord ascended in the flames toward heaven, and the couple knew that they had seen God.

In time, Samson was born, and the Lord blessed him.

*****

Samson’s name literally means “sun-like”. He was a mighty warrior, a womaniser, and a powerful character prone to sudden outbursts and rage, but his intention was to defend Israel and defeat the Philistines. He was strong in his acknowledgement of his people and his God.

Samson represents the Lord in His divine human, and also the power of the Word in its literal sense. This is why Samson had strength in the abundance of his hair (see Swedenbrog’s works, Doctrine of Sacred Scripture 49[2], and Arcana Caelestia 9836[2]).

Spiritually, barrenness stands for a lack of personal doctrine or a spiritual path, representing how life can feel before regeneration begins. The angel of the Lord appeared to just the woman at first, because the purpose of regeneration is primarily to make us love what is good (represented by a woman). We do this by knowing and obeying truth (represented by a man).

The Nazarites, who vowed not to drink or cut their hair, represented the Lord as the Word in its ultimate and fullest sense (see Swedenborg’s work, Apocalypse Revealed 47). These customs are the marks of a natural and genuine life, as wine can lead us astray, and focusing on appearances can lead to vanity. Above all, Samson’s uncut hair represented this greatness of divine truths from the Word (see Swedenborg’s work, True Christian Religion 214).

The angel was reluctant to tell Manoah and his wife details about their son’s future, except that he would be a Nazarite, and would deliver Israel. He intentionally kept them from knowing what would take place, because if they knew the future, they would no longer be able to act in freedom. Divine Providence - the Lord’s plan for our world - cannot be disclosed to us, or we would no longer live in freedom to make our own decisions (Arcana Caelestia 2493).

Manoah asked the angel what his name was, so he could be honored. However, the angel declined to tell them, as his name was wonderful. A name describes a person’s spiritual qualities, and we are unable to fathom the extent of heavenly qualities because they are of God.

The spiritual meaning of Manoah’s sacrifice comes from the correspondence of a young goat (innocence within the human soul) and the rock (truth). The young goat, placed on the rock as a sacrifice, represents worshipping from our hearts in faith to the Lord. This is the Lord’s requirement of us (Doctrine of Sacred Scripture 18[3] and Arcana Caelestia 9393).

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Ezekiel 4

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1 You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem:

2 and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around.

3 Take for yourself an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

4 Moreover lie on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; [according to] the number of the days that you shall lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.

5 For I have appointed the years of their iniquity to be to you a number of days, even three hundred ninety days: so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

6 Again, when you have accomplished these, you shall lie on your right side, and shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah: forty days, each day for a year, have I appointed it to you.

7 You shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm uncovered; and you shall prophesy against it.

8 Behold, I lay bands on you, and you shall not turn you from one side to the other, until you have accomplished the days of your siege.

9 Take for yourself also wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it; [according to] the number of the days that you shall lie on your side, even three hundred ninety days, you shall eat of it.

10 Your food which you shall eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time you shall eat it.

11 You shall drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: from time to time you shall drink.

12 You shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it in their sight with dung that comes out of man.

13 Yahweh said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.

14 Then I said, Ah Lord Yahweh! behold, my soul has not been polluted; for from my youth up even until now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn of animals; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.

15 Then he said to me, Behold, I have given you cow's dung for man's dung, and you shall prepare your bread thereon.

16 Moreover he said to me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with fearfulness; and they shall drink water by measure, and in dismay:

17 that they may want bread and water, and be dismayed one with another, and pine away in their iniquity.