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The accusative and the dative in Koine Greek do very different jobs, even though in some verses they can feel close in English.

• The accusative usually marks the direct object — the person or thing receiving the action of the verb.
• The dative usually marks the indirect object or the idea of to, for, in, by, with, depending on context.

So, here are the main ideas in two nutshells: (1) Accusative answers: Whom? or What? (2) Dative answers things like: To whom? For whom? By whom? In what? With what?

Accusative = The Direct Object

If the verb acts directly on something, that noun is often in the accusative. For example, consider the following sentence: βλέπω τὸν ἄνθρωπον or “I see the man.”

• • βλέπω = I see
  • τὸν ἄνθρωπον = the man
  • “the man” is what is being seen, so it is accusative

Consider another example: ἔχει τὸ βιβλίον or “He has the book.” The book is the thing directly involved as the object of the action.

Dative = Recipient, Sphere, Means, Association, and More

The dative is broader. It often tells you the person affected indirectly or the means/location/relationship involved.

A. Indirect object

δίδωμι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ βιβλίον
“I give the book to the man.”

• • • τὸ βιβλίον = accusative, direct object
    • τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ = dative, indirect object

That sentence is a great illustration of the difference:

• • • What is given? the book → accusative
    • To whom is it given? the man → dative

B. Means or instrument

γράφει καλάμῳ
“He writes with a reed pen.”

The pen is not the direct object. It is the means by which the action happens, so Greek may use the dative.

C. Sphere or location

μένει τῷ οἴκῳ
“He remains in the house.”

The dative can sometimes indicate the sphere or location in which something happens.

D. Association

πορεύεται τοῖς μαθηταῖς
“He goes with the disciples.”

Again, not direct object, but association.

A very simple comparison

Take this idea:

Jesus teaches the disciples the word.

A Greek-style distinction might look like this:

• the word = what is being taught → accusative
• the disciples = those receiving it → dative

So the accusative is the thing, and the dative is often the recipient or relation.

A useful English shortcut

When reading Greek:

• If you can translate it naturally with “to” or “for”, there is a good chance you are looking at a dative.
• If it is the thing directly acted upon, it is often accusative.

But there is overlap in English translation, so the safest method is to ask:

What role is this noun playing in the sentence?

• Direct target of the action? → accusative
• Recipient, means, location, association, benefit? → dative

Example from a giving verb

ὁ πατὴρ δίδωσι τῷ υἱῷ ἄρτον

“The father gives bread to the son.”

• ὁ πατήρ = subject
• ἄρτον = bread, direct object, accusative
• τῷ υἱῷ = to the son, indirect object, dative

That is probably the cleanest way to remember it.

One caution

In Koine Greek, the dative case absorbed functions that older Greek sometimes kept more distinct. So the dative can cover ideas that in English might be translated with:

• to
• for
• with
• by
• in

That is why the dative can feel slippery. The accusative is usually easier: it is commonly the direct object, though it can also be used with prepositions and for extent/duration.

Memory hook

Think:

• Accusative = aimed at
• Dative = given to / related to

Or even shorter:

• Accusative = target
• Dative = recipient / reference

Tiny side-by-side chart

There are four women mentioned in the life of Samson. Three of the four are nameless. His mother is the first of the nameless in the story. She is, in a very literal way, called upon by God to help make the man (Jeremiah 1:5; Isaiah 49:1); in the matrix of her womb God fashions a judge for the special task of bringing deliverance to His people (Judges 13:5; 15:18). It was his mother, no doubt, that conveyed to him the special instructions given her by the Angel of the LORD (Judges 13:5, 7). Of great import was the part about no razor coming upon his head. I believe that it is to her that we should attribute Samson’s understanding of where his great strength lay. (My view is also based on the fact that the Angel of the Lord repeatedly appears to her… not her husband.) His mother’s words are quoted when he told his secret to the fourth woman of his story (Judges 16:17).

“…he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” (Judges 16:17, NKJV)

Why are three of the four women in Samson’s story kept nameless? Their purpose does not require their names and the use of a name, when the author does provide one, serves to move the reader from concept to a final concrete example of what ails Samson. They are featured as foils; the second and third woman are the means by which the author reveals Samson’s tragic character flaws. Through his interactions with them we become witness to the worst symptom of Samson Syndrome: unbelievable blindness.

The name of his wife is not necessary for what the writer would show the reader. Where she is involved the main points are these:

1. 1. She is not a woman of God (Judges 14:3).
   2. She pledges allegiance to her people and not her husband (Judges 14:16-17).
   3. She uses his feelings for her to gain information that will be used against him.

The name of the harlot is also not important. Without her name the writer is still able to convey these key facts:

1. 1. She is not a woman of God.
   2. She pledges allegiance to her countrymen and not her Hebrew customer. Who was it that told the Gazites that Samson was in their midst (Judges 16:2)? I submit that it was the harlot. Between the betrayals of his wife and Delilah this would be a consistent thread in the life of the judge.
   3. She uses his compromise against him.

Having shown the reader Samson’s tendency toward compromise and vulnerability through unsanctioned relations (Deuteronomy 7:3-4), the author is finally ready to reveal the judge’s end. It is not surprising that it is at the hands of a woman. By this time in the story we have been prepared for this. Now, having shown us where his great weakness lies, the woman that will destroy him is given a name – Delilah.

The attributes and subversive activities of the prior women (wife and harlot) are shown to be both proleptic and prophetic. With both his wife and the harlot the judge is unmade. By relentless repetition the reader is made to see that Samson cannot see. “Behold, oh reader, his blindness,” says the writer. “No matter how many times it happens, he cannot see it coming.” As we look upon him in the tragic violence of losing his eyes we have this lesson: his loss of eyesight was due to his lack of insight.

The relationship with Delilah is given more space in the narrative than any other relationship that Samson has had. All the previous material was leading up to this. It was leading up to the calamitous loss that would follow him loving a woman who does not love God. It was leading up to the sad end of a powerful man being in a relationship where the woman is never committed to him. It was leading up to the part where his mistress uses his feelings to pry information out of his heart (Judges 16:16). Through the constant pestering that we saw first in his wife Samson is made to give up his great secret (Judges 14:16-17). But couldn’t he see that every time he revealed something to Delilah that she tried it? Did he not notice that she tested each supposed truth to see if he could really be rendered as weak as any other man?

Questions for Community Discussion

1. Are you in relationships that compromise your ability to see clearly?
2. When you evaluate your close relations do they contribute to doing God’s will or get in the way?

Samson, c’mon man, if she has checked each of your lies to see if you can be brought down… didn’t you see that if you told her the truth that you were going to get a haircut? You had to see this coming. Right?

No! He didn’t. The scales of sin have so covered his eyes that he is spiritually blind (Acts 9:18). Samson is blind to the pattern in his life seen first with his wife and then the prostitute. He is blind to the problem of loving a woman that does not love God – his wife (Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 1 Kings 11:3-4). Blind to the problem of being led by his lust – his prostitute. Blind to the plan playing out before him through Delilah – his mistress. It is painful to watch him played. But through his folly we can be made wiser.

¹¹ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)

When a man is suffering with Samson Syndrome he is fundamentally incapable of seeing that his sin is killing him. In his own eyes he is too clever to get caught, too favored to fail, and too emotionally compromised to see that his lover is leading him to his end (Proverbs 7:26). He did not see it coming and neither will you. If you are in romantic and/or sexual relationships outside of God’s will your vision is being lost and with each decision to disobey God you are becoming blind.

What can we do if we find ourselves in this situation?

1. Be Accountable – Samson was always alone and refused to receive counsel. The decision to be unaccountable was unmaking him and is unmaking you. Confess your sin and become unconditionally accountable to a few godly men. Confess all of it; half-done confessions and inconsistent meetings with your accountability circle are signs that you are not really accountable. It is an indicator that you are more concerned with avoiding consequences of crimes against God than grieving His Spirit.
2. Be Broken – This means dispensing with the idea that you are indispensable, invincible, and inscrutable. Seeing yourself as desperately needing God’s grace is the opposite of what Samson Syndrome is telling you (Psalm 34:18). Beyond confession their must be contrition and a real willingness to be led by the Lord. Getting mad when people correct or criticize you? This is a sign that you are not broken. You claim a dignity that does not belong to you. Don’t just accept criticism – ask for it. Or, as Dr. Alex Mandes once told me, lean into it.
3. Be in Christ – Finding your significance in romantic relations is not going to work. You were made for Him not for her. Trying to fill your cup with that type of love will leave you empty and thirsty. Ultimately you must find meaning and happiness in Christ first. When you can be satisfied in Him you can at last be satisfied with her. And before she can be yours… she must be his. Do not make the mistake of loving a woman who does not love God. The results are tragic.

On Another Level (Judges 16:1–3, NKJV)

¹ Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. ² When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.” ³ And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

Samson is no longer getting into marriages with Philistine women. But he has not learned his lesson. In fact, things are worse. Now, the judge of Israel is picking up harlots. Why did he do that? It was for the same reason that he married the Timnite; he saw her and desired her (Judges 16:1).

Samson is a long way from home in multiple ways. First, Gaza is roughly 30 miles from his home in Zorah. He is as far in Philistine territory as you can get without getting wet. Second, he is living a debauched lifestyle. Fraternization and the development of family relationships with Philistines has given way to illicit sex with a Philistine harlot. The author wants us to also see how forward Samson has become. He is not just in the territory of the enemy he has the audacity to sleep with their women and then declare his superior martial might by taking the doors of the city.

On this point we do well to stop and think on these last two verses. Otherwise the import and impact of what the writer is saying will be lost. Regarding the situation, character and capabilities of the judge, and outcome, the following four things should be noticed. First, the adversaries were lying all night in wait at the gate of the city (Judges 16:2). Second, Samson goes to the place where they were waiting, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city, pulled them up, bar and all, and put them on his shoulder (Judges 16:3). Most commentaries find it perplexing that he is not caught. But I think that is the writer’s point. D. I. Block does a great job of pointing out the difficulties in explaining a quiet escape:

These elaborate gate houses were often two or three stories high with guard rooms flanking the tunnel-like opening. If the defensive gates of Gaza were like those of other cities of the time, to get to the gate of the city Samson would have had to get past four or six groups of guards stationed in the guard rooms. Did the men posted here assume Samson would stay with the prostitute all night, or did they simply doze off? Surely Samson would have created considerable noise unlocking the gate, lifting the doors, and pulling the hinge posts out of their sockets. Is one to assume that Yahweh put the night sentries into a sleep so deep they did not wake up even from this racket? (Block, 1999, p. 450)

Most commentaries assume he was trying to make a quiet escape. However, the writer is describing a man that has become acquainted with excess and is brazen enough to travel deep into enemy territory for a night of pleasure. Third, he carries the doors, likely in excess of 800 lbs each, from sea level to an elevation of 2,500 feet 37 miles away. Quietly? It is not likely that the operation was done in stealth. But it was done quickly. Let that sink in. Fourth, he did it without the benefit of daylight – it was midnight. It has been 20 years since the incident at Lehi. In that time the judge, now a man in his mid 40s, has not lost a step. In fact, based on this passage, he is significantly more capable than he was as a younger man. Remember that after his last show of strength he was depleted and near death (Judges 15:18). There is no record of our judge being winded or weary. The passage is silent on his physical state when he arrived at the top of the hill that faces Hebron (Judges 16:3) – 37 miles away. But if you read to the end you cannot help but wonder if his abilities have increased with the lengthening of his hair. Just sayin’.

Questions for Community Discussion

1. Do you think that Samson’s morality has increased, decreased, or remained the same?
2. Has your life trajectory changed for better or worse? Are you on a trajectory that leads to more holiness and more helpfulness to the people of God?

The Defeated Minister of Deliverance (Judges 16:23-24; Jeremiah 10:14; Isaiah 42:17; Romans 1:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:20)

²³ Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!” ²⁴ When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead.”  

From the perspective of the Philistines the proof of Dagon’s superiority to other deities is obvious and practical. As the Philistines see it, concerning the question of who is a greater god, the case is closed: the champion of Yahweh has been humiliated and delivered into their hands? In their view Dagon is to be credited with blinding, binding, and breaking Samson their enemy (Judges 16:23). They are gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, because their suffering has ended; their god has put a halt to the activities of an Israelite that was hitting them where it hurt.

Samson has earned the title destroyer of the land; the long-haired Hebrew had burned Philistine grain, olives groves, and vineyards (Judges 15:5). And that is not all. Samson had also earned the moniker one who multiplied the dead because he had single-handedly killed a thousand Philistine men using only the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:14-17). In him the talk of the Torah became a modest mention of how the hand of God could use a single man to put enemies to flight (Leviticus 26:8).

When the people saw Dagon (Judges 16:24), they praised their god. You should read this and imagine that Dagon has been brought into view. The carved image has been carted onto some type of stage and the place erupts in a roar of worship for the false God. It may have been a chanting of the false god’s name or a song. The reason for their breaking forth into praise is given:

for they said: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, the destroyer of our land, and the one who multiplied our dead.” (Judges 16:24, NKJV)

All of this rejoicing because of the blinding and binding of one man. Why? One man, used by the Spirit of God, was all that it took to bring Israel some real relief and begin (note the begin of Judges 13:5) breaking the hand of oppression. It was a deliverance ministry that the people of God were too dull to discern, too hard-hearted to have, and too acclimated to affliction to accept. Even though Samson was overpowering the oppressors his brethren were bothered and ready to betray him:

…three thousand men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam, and said to Samson, “Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us?” … (Judges 15:11, NKJV)

Can you hear their acceptance of forced servitude? Can you hear their surrender to subjugation. In the minds of the men of Judah the fight is over and the Philistines are in control. This hairy man is messing up the status quo. They were as blind as their judge. They have eyes but could could not see it happening (Isaiah 6:9; Jeremiah 5:21; Matthew 13:14). See what? a deliverance ministry. Nobody steps up to help Samson. Nobody steps in to encourage him in his calling to bring deliverance (Judges 13:5). Instead they cry out, “Stop it, Samson!” The irony is that, although Israel did not get it, their enemies did.

To be sure, Samson as a deliverance minister was seriously hindered by his sensual appetites. And he was hardly willing to rally his brethren to work against their yoke of oppression. But he was not more deplorable than any other man. He was like every other man in an unwillingness to be solemnly dedicated to God’s will – to a deliverance ministry. For Samson the heavenly mission of making freedom available to the men and women of Israel was not as important as his mission to be sexually satisfied. Just as bad as his failure to focus on delivering God’s people is the people’s don’t-give-a-flip attitude about getting help. Unlike previous cycles into disobedience and chastening, the people had not cried out for help. They didn’t want it. And now Israel’s deliverer is in a dungeon and a false god is being credited with defeating him. It looks bleak. But the grace of God is greater than our fallenness and His deliverance ministry Is. Not. Done.

I Was Blind But Now I See (Judges 16:25-27)

²⁵ So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. ²⁶ Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them.” ²⁷ Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there—about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed.

The scene is a party. And what secular party does not include copious amounts of alcohol. The phrase when their hearts were merry is used to indicate that the people have become intoxicated (Judges 9:27; Ruth 3:3, 7; Luke 12:19; 15:29, 32); it is in that light that we are to see their summons for Samson. Drunkenness has made the people less wary than usual. With their inhibitions suppressed they are not thinking things through and not likely to notice that the man-made-strong-by-hair has hair again (Judges 16:22). Their mistake of not noticing his mullet is made worse, for them, by his strategic positioning – between the pillars (Judges 16:25). Between the large supports for Dagon’s temple the judge of Israel is made to perform.

Samson never let on to his plan. In fact he played along in order that at last he might play his persecutors. Instead of asking to lean against just any pillars, Samson specifically requested the pillars which support the temple. The lad was likely not inebriated. However, lacking adult insight into the mindset of captors, he missed the red flags:

Red Flag 1: Bad Hair Day – An enemy whose super strength was found to be in his hair was shaved and then his eyes were put out. He should be bald but he has hair again.

Red Flag 2: Prisoner Positioned According to His Petition – The enemy is asking to be positioned so that he has access to the one place that can bring this whole building down on the people mocking him. Nobody has a problem with giving the prisoner what he wants.

The author takes a moment to help the reader understand the import of what has been said: the temple was full of men and women. Most importantly, in the crowd of sauced revelers were the people who had paid handsomely for Samson’s betrayal and by extension his blindness – the lords of the Philistines (Judges 16:5). Besides the people in the temple there were three thousand men and women on the roof enjoying the spectacle of a humiliated Hebrew enemy.

Despite his blindness Samson has gained perspective. “I was blind but now I see,” says Samson. What do you see, Samson? You lack eyesight. “But now I have insight.” His eyes are gouged out but his heart has unprecedented clarity. He sees a singular and costly opportunity to be used by God for deliverance ministry.

Questions for Community Discussion

1. Why might God have been disappointed or upset with his judge Judges 16:23-24; 2 Samuel 12:14)
2. Do you see in this passage any indicator that God is actually orchestrating events?
3. When things are at their worst Samson sees an opportunity. Are you inclined to look for ways to serve God when things are bleak?

The Weak Made Strong (Judges 16:28-30; Hebrews 11:34)

²⁸ Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” ²⁹ And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. ³⁰ Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.

Many are the commentaries that draw attention to the number of times that Samson says I in his prayer. None overlook the opportunity to draw attention to his apparently selfish reasons – vengeance… for my two eyes (Judges 16:28). Finally, and almost invariably, Bible scholars regard Samson’s request to die with the Philistines with derision (Judges 16:30). I do not share the perspective of erudition. Maybe that means you should stop reading now and stay with popular perspectives put forward by the learned.

Well, you kept reading. o, having been warned, let us look at these verses through the lens of the context and in the light of other Scriptures. That is, let us peer at this passage with interpretation help that comes from surrounding material and other biblical writings that mention Samson and this incident.

To impugn Samson’s prayers because of his repeated use of the personal pronoun I seems to miss the fact that it is a special affront to raise a hand against the Lord’s messenger or the Lord’s anointed (1 Samuel 24:6, 10; 19:21) – even when that person had behaved dishonorably. King David killed a man for as much (2 Samuel 1:14, 16). When David, an anointed king, writes during his flight from his own son he is profuse in his use of the words me/my (7 times) and I frequently (Psalm 3:1-4). There are other psalms where the psalmist asks for retribution and mentions rejoicing in vengeance (Psalm 13; 18:37-50; 58:10). But is Samson anointed? The works he had done were by the Spirit (Judges 13:25; 14:5-6; 14:19; 15:14). But you will say that the Lord had departed from him (Judges 16:20). The Lord would also depart from Israel’s first king, Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). However, once anointed that king was still regarded as anointed (2 Samuel 1:14, 16).

In his humiliation Samson has had time to think. The calling on his life and his callous casting away of the needs of his people are fresh on his heart. His newfound identification with Yahweh meant that the mockery aimed at him was also against the Lord, that the praising of Dagon was his fault, and that the gouging of his eyes was seen as a defeat of the one true God. Did he want vengeance for his lost eyesight. Certainly. Just be careful not to see Samson as lacking faith and an awareness of his mission. Why? Because the writer of Hebrews helps us to see that it was by faith that the weak became strong (Hebrews 11:32, 34). A man lacking commitment to the cause found the strength to (1) make the ultimate sacrifice and (2) be superhuman one more time. But for a better reason – a great work of deliverance. Some say that Samson’s prayer was bad and suicidal. Hardly! It was finally a crying out from complete commitment, a wayward man’s willingness to wage war and fight the good fight, and a determination to die doing what he was born to begin – deliverance ministry.

“Don’t let me die of natural causes. O God, don’t let me die apart from what you fashioned me to do. Let me die as your agent of angst against your enemies and the enemies of your people. Oh God, let me die on purpose.”

Conclusion (Judges 16:31)

31 And his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Israel’s judge is dead. And in the end he killed so many of the enemy that there is no one left to protest the claiming of his broken body; the five lords of the Philistines are among the dead. And so his family is able to come down and take him. They bury him in a place that has not been mentioned since Judges 13:2 – the beginning of the story. In this bookend of words the author indicates closure on the story of Samson. Between these markers there has been a strong message about Israel’s last great judge.

• The Calling — There was a great calling on his life to liberate his people from oppression. God equipped him to carry out the mission with supernatural gifts from the Spirit.
• The Compromises — Early on it is clear that his calling is undermined by his continuous compromises through the company he keeps.
• The Consequences — Finally the strong man is made weak by his decision to love a woman who does not love God.
• The Compassion — God graciously grants Samson strength so that he can use the last of his life for what he was born to do.

There is a great calling on our lives and God has equipped us to carry out that calling in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our calling is hindered or else helped by the company we keep. And our strength will be greatly reduced by the consequences of folly. However, the grace of God is greater than our sin. If we will turn your eyes upon Jesus we can find grace to help in our hour of need. In the power of His Spirit we can go back to doing what we were born again to do.

Questions for Community Discussion

1. What would it look like to become more accountable?
2. Do you know what calling is on your life and what abilities you have been given?
3. How could your gifts be used to bring help to those who are oppressed and in need of deliverance?

References

Block, D. I. (1999). Judges, Ruth (Vol. 6, p. 450). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Key Verses:

• Exodus 17:6-7 – per the command of the LORD, the rock is struck twice and water came out of it for the people to drink. The place was called Massah and Meribah because there the people tempted the Lord saying “Is the LORD among us or not?” and because it was a place of contention.
• Numbers 20:7-13 – against the command to speak to the rock Moses strikes the rock twice and monologues about the rebellion of the people and the onerous work of providing for their needs. (Striking twice was the direction given the last time this situation occurred.)
• Judges 15:18-20 – We are witness to a turn in the story: Samson’s supplication. In the strong man’s praying we are able to discern his perspective on the meaning of this event (great deliverance), his recognition of his role in God’s work (servant), his primary concern (I die of thirst), and fear (fall into the hand of the uncircumcised).

Samson Syndrome causes a man to see the world as an extension of himself. Family, friends, the household of faith, and even foes are nothing more than foils in theatre in which he is the main character. He says through his words and actions, “It is all about me! And, until you are needed or wanted, you are to wait until I call you.” (Judges 15:1)

In a world that operates in full cooperation with the self-centeredness of Samson Syndrome, no one has the right to move on with their own life. The man (or woman) gripped by Samson Syndrome views themself as entitled to your undivided devotion. Regarding the giftedness of such a person, that too is really for them. (Do not get lost is a smog of words about how they see the gift. Look closely and it becomes apparent whether the gift is for service or self service.) That is, the giftedness of a man with Samson Syndrome, is not willingly given to God for His glory or used for the good of others; it is used, if at all, for the man himself.

Although Samson’s gifts and talents could be leveraged to set at liberty those who are oppressed, the man will not engage. To use him to help others God has to factor in his narcissism. The community will benefit from the special abilities in the man with Samson Syndrome only when he is doing it for himself.

Burn, Baby, Burn (Judges 15:1-5)

15 After a while, in the time of wheat harvest, it happened that Samson visited his wife with a young goat. And he said, “Let me go in to my wife, into her room.” But her father would not permit him to go in. ² Her father said, “I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead.” ³ And Samson said to them, “This time I shall be blameless regarding the Philistines if I harm them!” ⁴ Then Samson went and caught three hundred foxes; and he took torches, turned the foxes tail to tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. ⁵ When he had set the torches on fire, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and the standing grain, as well as the vineyards and olive groves.

When Samson was last in Timnah at his own wedding feast there was much drama. Believing himself to be more clever than anyone else, he posed a riddle to the guests (Judges 14:12-14). If they were able to figure out his riddle he would give them 30 changes of clothing. If not, the guests would give him 30 changes of clothing. The men of the wedding feast cheated in order to get the answer; they threatened his wife and her family with death by burning if she did not wheedle the answer out of her husband (Judges 14:15).

When the time came to give an answer they used the information obtained through Samson’s wife. The Nazarite quickly ascertained what they had done. Samson left with sharp words for the cheaters, a word of aspersion for his wife (he referred to her as a heifer), and fulfilled the bargain by killing 30 of their Philistines countrymen and giving the clothing of the slain to the men who had figured out his riddle. Yes, the clothes of the dead men were given to the wedding guests who had answered his riddle. Then, instead of focusing on repairing relations with his wife, the angry Samson left. The only thing aroused was his anger.

Now he shows up after a while (Judges 15:1) expecting to enjoy conjugal relations with his wife. Because, from his point of view, what else was she to do but wait for her angry husband to return? It is all about him. But reality does not match his expectations. His wife’s father, surprised to see him, will not permit Samson to enter his daughter’s quarters. His wife’s father then explains why:

I really thought that you thoroughly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister better than she? Please, take her instead. (Judges 15:2, NKJV)

Oh snap! Samson did not see this coming. And he is not happy about what has been done. No man would be. Jealousy is depicted as fierce and resistant to appeasement. The father-in-law offered compensation. But gifts cannot heal betrayal (Judges 15:2).

³² Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding;
He who does so destroys his own soul.

³³ Wounds and dishonor he will get,
And his reproach will not be wiped away.
For jealousy is a husband’s fury;
Therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

³⁵ He will accept no recompense,
Nor will he be appeased though you give many gifts.
Proverbs 6:32–35 (NKJV)

And God was counting on it. The subjugation of His people, the moral relativism that corrupted everyone’s thinking, and the idol worship all needed to be stopped. Although Samson had no real interest in leading the people or liberating them from Philistine rule, he could be counted on to satisfy his own desires and protect his own interests. God was leveraging the covenant-breaking inclinations and jealous husband tendencies of Samson to start strife. The Lord factored in the faults of this judge in order to start a fight that would help His people. Remember what the writer said in the previous chapter:

¹ Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. ² So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” ³ Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” ⁴ But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord—that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.  (Judges 14:1-4, NKJV)

This is what God wanted – an occasion to move against the Philistines. Samson is planning to hurt the people on account of this latest offense. And, in his view, no one came blame him (Judges 15:3). What he does next was aimed at inflicting deep injuries in the Philistine oppressors. How? Economically. He burned up their crops – wheat, grapes, and olives. Using foxes or jackals (the word is the same in Hebrew) he burned their harvest, their vineyards, and their olive groves. The effects of his destructive activities will negatively affect the oppressors for a few harvesting seasons.

Note: Everyone knows that Samson is strong. However, implied in this passage are two other supernatural abilities of Samson. Foxes are solitary animals. Jackals live in packs. Catching three hundred of either would not be trivial. The foxes of that region have a top speed of just over 20 miles per hours. Jackals can move at over 35 miles per hour. If he caught them without snares Samson is fast! If snares were used it must be conceded that preparing enough traps to catch 300 foxes or jackals before the grain could be harvested required Samson to be exceptionally expeditious. And then there is the matter of how he kept the animals until it was time to use them. If snares and pens were used we must see that Samson is fast and smart! His strength is legendary. But, at least to this reader, something more is clearly suggested about his abilities. He seems to be a man of supernatural strength, speed, and intelligence. Unfortunately, with all of that giftedness, he is unmotivated to do anything except gratify himself. To get his help in liberating the people God has to leverage his faults (narcissism) and human tendencies (a husband’s jealousy). The latter is now in play. The father’s offer of the other daughter is irrelevant to Samson. He is hot over the fact that another man has his wife.

Questions for Community Discussion

1. What does it take to get Samson to use his abilities to help others? (Judges 14:1-4; 15:6-8)
2. Are you blessed with special abilities? (Judges 13:24-25; 14:5-6) What does it take to get you to use your abilities to help the oppressed?

Who Did This? (Judges 15:6-8)

The burning fields, vineyards, and olive groves caught the attention of the oppressors. It was obvious that what they were seeing was not the consequence of a natural causes. Therefore they did not ask What did this? The question was Who has done this? The answer comes without delay – Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite. The reason is also given: because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion. When it was heard who had done it and why, the Philistines did unto Samson’s Timnite wife and her father what they threatened to do earlier (Judges 14:15) – they burned her and her father with fire. The irony is that Samson’s wife is at last killed in the way that she sought to avoid by betraying her husband.

It is interesting that the Philistines seem to agree with Samson’s earlier statement. That is, they also regard the actions of the Timnite father-in-law as being wrong. In their description of Samson he is (present tense) the son-in-law of the Timnite. Samson had said he would be blameless in light of the father’s actions. Even the adversaries of Samson seem to agree.

This latest reaction by the Philistines comes to Samson’s attention. In response He promises to take revenge on those who murdered his wife. (Even though he did not seem to care for her until he wanted sex, no one is allowed to take what belongs to him.) Only then, he says, will his streak of harming them cease. But it is an outworking of Samson Syndrome that he believes himself to be the last word on every matter. He consistently underestimates his enemies and then does not anticipate that they will retaliate. Samson is lacking in empathy and concerns himself only with his own feelings; consequently he does not take time to consider the escalation that will follow. This shortsightedness will be used by God. In the meantime the son of Manoah is going to make the Philistines pay for what they did to his wife.

⁸ So he attacked them hip and thigh with a great slaughter; then he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.  (Judges 15:8, NKJV)

Questions for Community Discussion

1. Why does Samson think things will end with his actions of revenge?
2. Are you ever shortsighted in the way that you handle your anger? Do you work with God to help others or does he have to factor in your faults to get access to your abilities?

Who Asked You to Help Us? (Judges 15:9-13)

Samson does not talk with the leadership of Israel about his plans. Yes, they will be affected. But that does not matter; it is all about him. Thus the men of Judah are in the dark about why the Philistines encamped in Judah. And it was clear that the Philistines were not just camping out; they were deployed against Lehi. The men of Judah, unable to come up with a reason as to why their oppressors are preparing to fight them, asked, “Why have you come up against us?”

Samson had killed their men hip and thigh because of what they did to his wife. (Hip and thigh is a wrestling term indicating a sound defeat.) Now they intend to defeat him soundly. It is likely, especially in light of how the story ends, that they have torture and humiliation in mind (Judges 16:21). Three thousand men of Judah go to get the gadfly. They do not want to approach him without enough men to arrest him; word on the street is that he is quite the fighter.

When they arrive at the rock of Etam they verbally accost Samson with rhetorical questions:

1. Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us?
2. What is this you have done to us?

What you and I should notice is that (1) they are acclimated and accepting of oppression, (2) do not see any sense in Samson’s actions, and (3) are ready to hand over their brother to the enemy. After all, they did not ask to be liberated? And, to be fair, he did not offer to liberate them. That is, they did not want help and Samson is not offering. God is unilaterally causing all of this commotion in an attempt to deliver His people (Judges 14:1-4).

Samson, while not trying to lead his people into a better day, is not against them. He does not want to fight them and asks them to not attempt to kill him themselves. (He knows that he is a judge sent by God to help Israel.) They consent to this. Was it because they cared for their brother? It was likely because they knew that their Philistine adversaries wanted to inflict the injuries on Samson themselves. And with that word he surrenders to his brethren. They bind him with new ropes and bring him up from the rock.

Questions for Community Discussion

1. Why are the men of Judah angry with Samson? (Judges 15:11; John 5:1-16)
2. Why is Judah ready to hand over her judge?
3. Are you characterized by deep commitment, care, and courage for the people of God?

Out Like a Lion (Judges 15:14-17)

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines could not contain themselves and came shouting against Samson. Mistake! The last time we see anything come against Samson with a raised voice it does not go well for the one yelling (Judges 14:5). The writer fully intends to create in the mind of his reader a reminder of the lion that came roaring against Samson. Then and now the Spirit of the Lord comes mightily upon him (Judges 14:6; 15:14). Earlier in the story we are told that the effect of the Spirit through him was brutal – he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. This part of the story is no less brutal.

A thousand men die at Samson’s hands. The Spirit was at work through him dispatching the adversaries of God’s people. At last the judge is engaged. Notice, though, that he reaches out and grabs the jawbone of a donkey to use as a weapon. It was a fresh jawbone. That means it came from a dead animal and thus is off limits for him as a Nazirite. He is not concerned about this violation and will even brag about how it was used:

With the jawbone of a donkey,
Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men! (Judges 15:16, NKJV)

Picture him standing there with the bloodied mandible in his hand delivering his impromptu poem. After his speech he tosses the implement and names the spot Ramath Lehi – Jawbone Height or Jawbone Hill. No mention of God. No giving of thanks. Just braggadocio and a clever use of the words heap and donkey – they are very similar in Hebrew.

Questions for Community Discussion

1. Do you think Samson anticipated the outcome? (Judges 14:5,19; 15:8, 13)
2. Some people say that the end justified the means. Was Samson wrong for using the fresh jawbone? (See Judges 21:25.)
3. What are you inclined to say immediately after a victory?

This Is How You Remind Me (Judges 15:18-20)

After this great show of strength and military might he became thirsty (Judges 15:18). In this moment, after just bragging about what he had done, Samson is reminded of the truths that were omitted in his soliloquy. Spent and vulnerable he acknowledges each truth in what he says next:

What are the truths? First, it was God who had given the victory: You have given. Second, it was not a personal victory but a great deliverance. Third, it was not about his own deliverance but was accomplished through God’s servant for God’s people. Fourth, he is actually frail and can die of thirst. Fifth, the glory of God should be chief among his concerns; falling into the hand of the uncircumcised would give the false impression that Yahweh had been defeated. The usually self-absorbed Samson has mustered more than a modicum of good perspective and theology to put together a respectable prayer. Of course, God allowed his distress in order to remind him of these truths.

With this earnest request issuing out of a temporarily humbled heart, God is satisfied:

So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.  (Judges 15:19, NKJV)

The man is helped by God in a way that is reminiscent of God’s help for his wayward people in the wilderness. On a physical level he is given what he needs to revive and stay alive. But before this, in the crucible of his crisis, he is helped to see the truth about who he is and what God has done. Even now he is God’s man and heaven cares for him. Unfortunately, much more humbling will be required to get Samson to (1) embrace his calling and (2) utter another sincere supplication.

Questions for Community Discussion

1. Why was Samson allowed to become so thirsty?
2. Did the prayer of Samson have anything good in it?

3. Does crisis cause you to see the truth. Does it cause you to cry out to God?

A Character Committed to Corrupting Company (Judges 14:1-4; Deuteronomy 7:3-4; Nehemiah 13:23-27; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

Samson was gifted. Among all the judges that God used to bring relief to His rebellious people only the son of Manoah was singled out as blessed by God (Judges 13:24). When the young man with long locks of hair was moved by the Spirit he was invincible and would perform wonders that loosened the oppressive hand of the Philistines on the people of Yahweh (Judges 13:5). But for all his giftedness and the greatness that was upon him, Samson would not willingly be the help he should have been, the liberator he could have been, or the agent of salvation that was so desperately needed. He was gifted. But he was also ailing with defects that would destroy him. What defects? Glad you asked.

Although blessed and gifted by God to help Israel, we see Samson incessantly seeking close companionship anywhere but among his brethren (Judges 16:1, 4). Against the express command of God he will marry an idolator (Deuteronomy 7:3-6; Malachi 2:11). (His closest companion at the wedding was one of his people’s oppressors and a person that was not committed to Yahweh.) The Lord was very clear:

3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. (Deuteronomy 7:3-4, NKJV)

Samson Syndrome gives a man the false impression that he can handle himself in situations that God has said to avoid (Genesis 39:7-12; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5). His heart defect produces in him strong delusions: (1) He is deserving of what he desires, (2) he is able to escape the consequences of keeping bad company, and (3) that a man will not reap what he sows. “I will partake of forbidden pleasures but will not experience the promised problems! Because… I am me.”

No matter what anyone says, Samson will be married to the Philistine woman. Why? Because she was right in his eyes (Judges 14:3). Translation: She was fine! Samson is not just any man. He is every man that does what is right in his own eyes.

When his parents protested his goal of settling down with the woman from Timnah he tells his father what to do and why. Do not miss it, friend. The son sent the father to do what what the son wanted. Why? Because she looked good to him. She was cute to him. She was hot to him. And he had to have her. That was all the reason that was needed. In his rude command and fallen reasoning the final tragedy of our hero is glimpsed. Do you see it? Samson, in the end, will be undone by his determination to be in love with a person who does not love God. He is gifted and should be able to break the yoke of the Philistines on his people. But he himself will not stop getting yoked to people who undermine his mission.

Have you made a decision to trust Christ? If you have there is greatness on you, my friend. You are gifted as well (Ephesians 1:13). You have the same Spirit that was on Samson. And God would use you to bring relief to others, deliverance to the oppressed, and the message of pardon and abundant life through Christ (John 10:10). But keeping company with people who are not committed to Christ will compromise your mission and limit your effectiveness in your calling.

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33, NKJV)

Not liking how your life looks similar to Samson’s? Yeah, I don’t like that feeling either. What can we do? Keep good company. First with Christ and then with His people.

2026-02-28 Morning fellowship with Caleb, Mark, Victor, Tony, and others.

Small Group Questions

Our Company Reflects Our Mission

1. 1. What kinds of people are you keeping company with right now? Do they help you walk with Christ or hinder you?
      • Think about the statement: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1 Cor 15:33 referenced)
      • How does your closest company influence your spiritual priorities?
   2. Samson was gifted by God yet compromised by his choice of companions. In what ways have you seen gifts in your life be undercut by poor relational decisions?
      • Where might you be sabotaging your Kingdom effectiveness through ungodly company?

Doing What Is “Right in Our Own Eyes”

1. 3. Where are you currently doing “what is right in your own eyes” instead of obeying God’s clear commands?
      • Samson insisted on his own way even when God’s law said otherwise. Consider areas in your life where you’re similarly stubborn.(On Purpose)
   4. Why is it so easy to assume that “I can handle this” or “this is different for me” — especially in areas where Scripture warns us otherwise?
      • How have you rationalized choices that are contrary to God’s Word?

The Nature of Compromise

1. 5. What are some examples of “small compromises” in your life that might be quietly undermining your relationship with Christ?
      • Samson’s attraction to the Philistine woman was not immediately catastrophic — yet it set the stage for deeper entanglement.(On Purpose)
   6. When you compromise spiritually, what do you lose first — your witness, your strength, your discernment, or something else?
      • How do you guard against spiritual drift?(On Purpose)

God’s Grace and Our Response

1. 7. Even in Samson’s poor choices, God worked His purposes. How have you experienced God bringing good out of your mistakes?
      • What does this teach you about God’s hesed (steadfast love) and His sovereignty?(On Purpose)
   8. How can we maintain humility and gratitude when God uses flawed people — including ourselves — to accomplish His will?
      • What helps you stay aware that “God works through imperfect vessels”?(On Purpose)

Our Company and Our Calling

1. 9. What is God calling you to be — and is the company you keep helping you become that man?
      • In what specific ways might you need to realign your relationships this week?(On Purpose)
   10. Samson was meant to be a deliverer, yet he repeatedly chose pleasure over purpose early in life. How can you guard your heart so that your pleasure doesn’t derail your calling?
       • Reflect on practical actions you can take: accountability, prayer rhythms, discipleship, etc.(On Purpose)

Group or Prayer Time Prompts

• • Share one relationship that has helped you grow spiritually and one that has pulled you away from God. Pray for wisdom in both.
  • Ask the Lord to make you a man whose company invites others toward Christ, not away from Him.
  • Confess together the ways you’ve trusted your own judgment instead of God’s — and receive grace to walk in obedience.

In His grip by His grace,
Roderick L. Barnes, Sr.

P.S. Marriage Effectiveness Calculus – I have observed that the kingdom effectiveness of a marriage is approximately the average of the people married. If the wife is hot for God (10 points) and the husband is not (2 points) the marriage operates like a 6. If the wife is hot for God (10 points) and the husband is against God (-10 points) the marriage is a zero. When both the husband (10 points) and wife (10 points) are determined to honor God it makes it easier for their marriage (10 points) to be used for the glory of God and the good of His people. The derivation of this calculus goes beyond my personal observations and reflections and would be posted here but there are too many pages of heinously difficult integrals, operations with complex numbers, and shenanigans with matrices.

Figure 1: Zorah was assigned to the tribe of Dan and is the birthplace of Samson. It is located at the coordinates 31°46’10.9″N 35°03’19.6″E

Even When They did not Cry Out (Judges 13:1-5)

¹ Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. ² Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. ³ And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. ⁴ Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. ⁵ For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

The national downward spiral into depravity has been chronicled through the prior material of this book. In earlier chapters Israel repeatedly rebels against the commandments of God and discards the calling of God to be his own special people. Israel was supposed to cast out the wickedness of worshiping through sexual immorality, the hideous crime of offering children as sacrifices, and giving credit to false gods for the blessings that came upon the land. Israel was supposed to cut down the people sacrificing children to false gods. Israel was supposed to bring justice for the foreigner, relief for the widow, and help for the orphans. They were commissioned to cast out the evil of the Canaanites. Instead Israel has become canaanized.

And their evil is not a point of view – right for me wrong for you. Their works are wickedness without question because they are evil in the sight of the Lord. And not for the first time; the people are doing evil in God’s sight again (Take the time to see Judges 2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; and 13:1. Note that in this list of verses the term again is used in 4:1, 10:6, and here in 13:1.). It is a pattern. In each cycle of the pattern the children of Israel rebel and then they are rebuked by God. The rebuke is seen as the hand of harassment or oppression from their enemies. In this case the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years (Judges 13:1). Prior to this iteration the pattern has seen rebuke followed by repentance and then a measure of restoration. Not this time.

Noticeably absent from the pattern is the part where the people repent and request relief from the LORD. That is what they had done in former times (See 3:9, 15; 6:6; and 10:10.). The people do not cry out for relief. There is no groaning before God with their grief. No war is waged by the nation against their oppressors. They have become acclimated to oppression by the Philistines. It becomes obvious that Israel is no longer fighting the good fight when they state it as a fact and are perturbed when a God-sent deliverer begins to deliver them (Judges 15:11). Israel is content being under the control of a nation that opposes the program of God and prevents prosperity among His people. Why?

Fully canaanized communities don’t cry out to God for relief from oppression or oppressors. The soul of such communities, as seen in passive acceptance or active support, has become congruent with the evil personalities and policies used to hold them down.

Although the people do not cry out, God still comes to their aid through a unilateral act of grace. Apart from an appeal, Yahweh raises up another judge. This time the judge is from a barren woman.

As we consider this passage we do well to search for and enumerate important points. There are five things that should be noticed in these opening verses of a new cycle.

• The People’s Rebellion (Judges 13:1) – What was the evil being done by the people? It was the old habit of worshiping other gods (Judges 3:7). Israel was consecrated unto God Himself (Deuteronomy 6:4), commanded not to go after other gods (Deuteronomy 6:14), and brought in to rid the land of idolatry (Deuteronomy 9:4-5; 18:12; Joshua 3:10). Instead they became part of the problem that had polluted the land (Psalm 106:38; Jeremiah 2:23; 3:2). Israel is also worshiping the false gods of the people in the land.

Question: Am I part of the solution that God is bringing to the community. Or have I become part of the problem? The answer is found in prayerfully considering my desires and conduct in light of the calling that is on my life.

• The Period of Rebuke (Judges 13:1) – 40 years! This is the longest period of oppression in the book. Prior to this part of the narrative the longest period has been 20 years (Judges 4:1-3); it took that long for the people to cry out to the Lord (Judges 4:3). It has been twice that amount of time and there has been no mention of crying out. The length of time is especially noteworthy considering that a period of 40 years or days is generally what is presented as the amount of time required to bring about change or demonstrate a difference. After all this time nothing has changed; the people are stiff-necked (Exodus 32:9; 33:3; Deuteronomy 9:13; 2 Chronicles 30:8).

Figure 2: By the time of Judges 13 the nation will no longer cry out for deliverance. 40 years past without Israel asking her Husband for help.

• The Names, the Nameless, and Naming (Judges 13:2, 24) – The husband (Manoah), the homeland of the family (Zorah), and the son to be born (Samson) all have names. However, the mother remains nameless. This will be true of all but one woman is the story of Samson. The father’s name, Manoah, means rest or place of rest. And yet he is restless (Judges 13:22). It is also interesting that Manoah does not name his son. The name Samson is given to him by the nameless (Judges 13:24). In this time of serious decline and depravity the women of the story are foils. The men of the story are fools. This is not what is promoted by God but what is presented to be true.
• The Nazirite Vow (Judges 13:4-5; Numbers 6:1-21) – The son to be born would be consecrated or devoted to God. This is the essence of the Nazirite vow. The person taking this vow is exclusively separated to God for a period of time. Outwardly the consecration is seen in the uncut hair. The start of their son’s separation was in the womb. Why is Mrs. Manoah not allowed to drink wine or similar drink? The Nazirite, in order to be useful during the period of consecration, should not be under the influence of any other spirit. (Even now we refer to alcoholic beverages as spirits.) If the period of time under the vow is to be especially useful to God the use of wine, which can be the cause of dissipation when used in excess (Ephesians 5:18), will threaten the mission. The Holy Spirit will have enough work with the son’s wanton excess with women. The additional distraction of intoxicating drink is being expressly forbidden.

What is the meaning of the dietary restrictions given to the woman (Judges 13:4)? And why was the head of her child never to be shaved (Judges 13:5)? The answer can be summarized: the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb.

What She Said (Judges 13:6-14)

⁶ So the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. ⁷ And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ” ⁸ Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.” ⁹ And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. ¹⁰ Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!” ¹¹ So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, “Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?” And He said, “I am.” ¹² Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?” ¹³ So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. ¹⁴ She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.”

The woman came and told her husband about what had happened. If Manoah is going to learn about the message of hope and the regulations for their son, she has to tell him. The Angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah. Which is somewhat odd. When God intended to bring a special child to Zacharias and Elizabeth he appeared to the husband (Luke 1:5-17). When God began the work of bringing His Son into the word He sent an angel to explain the situation to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-21). Why did the Angel of the Lord appear to the nameless woman and not to Manoah?

Manoah believes his wife. But intends to get the message first hand. In his wife’s relating of the Angel’s message there may have been mistakes. Or what if, given the opportunity to talk to the man of the house, the Angel would have more to say. To his credit Manoah knows what to do. He prays. He cries out to God for answers. And God listened to the voice of Manoah (Judges 13:9). But he did not appear to Monoah. The Angel of God came to the woman again. What may have seemed incidental in the narrative is now revealed to be intentional – God has focused his communication on the wife. If Manoah wants to get this message firsthand, Mrs. Manoah must be present. But do not overlook the grace of God in this part of the story.

God is graciously giving Manoah an answer to his prayer. Although he is the epitome of what ails Israel, there is on God’s part a willingness to work with him. God’s grace is greater than the problems in their relationship.

The prayers are answered. And now the man is following his wife (Judges 13:11). That is the word picture that is being created in the narrative. Don’t miss it men; this matters. But when the opportunity for face-to-face conversation with the Angel of the Lord finally arrives, nothing further is added to what had already been said. In fact, based on the reading of verses 3 through 5, the Angel says less to Manoah than He says to Manoah’s wife. His wife said more to him than the Angel does. In the summary statement of the Angel it is indicated that she knows all that is needed and he can just help her with that. Based on three things in the text it seems that the Angel of the Lord does not want to communicate with Manoah. Here is what is clearly seen:

• First Appearance – The Angel of the Lord appears to the woman alone the first time. Was it not possible to speak to them together. Taken alone it seems like the Angel is indicating that talking with the mother is sufficient for the work that lies ahead.
• Second Appearance – God listened to Manoah. But the Angel still does not appear to him. Then prayer is heard; the text says that God listened to the voice of Manoah (v 9). But in the heeding of the request the angel appears to the woman again (v 9). Do not miss the fact that the Angel has answered the prayer in such a way as to make sure that the woman is present. While she is willing to go and get Manoah, we do not know for certain that Manoah would have gone to get his wife.
• Terse Response – The Angel has less to say to the woman than to her husband. In giving an answer He indicates that what was told her is what needed to be heeded. In this way the woman is given credibility by the Angel of the Lord as being able to understand and ably communicate what had been shared (v 14). At the opening and closing of the Angels address to Manoah reference is made to what was said to his wife or what was commanded his wife.

The Angel has already answered these questions with Mrs. Manoah. But, in accord with the husband’s requests, He has appeared again. He does not appear to Manoah; He appears to the wife again. Finally, in answering Manoah’s questions, it becomes obvious that her husband could have just believed what she said.

The Dullness on Display (Judges 13:15-25)

¹⁵ Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You.” ¹⁶ And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.) ¹⁷ Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?” ¹⁸ And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” ¹⁹ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—²⁰ it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. ²¹ When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord. ²² And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” ²³ But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.” ²⁴ So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. ²⁵ And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Manoah is eager to show his appreciation to the visitor. Perceiving him to be merely a human being he offers the Angel of the Lord a meal. Although the Angel consents to staying for the preparation of the meal He says that he will not eat their food (v 16. See also Luke 24:39). And if there is an offering, contrary to the thinking of that time (Deuteronomy 12:8; Judges 17:6; 21:25), it must be offered to the one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4, 13).

Manoah is a practical pagan; he wants to offer something to honor the visitor! In him we see the problem of the nation on full display: They will worship anything that seems to make life a little better.

Intending to give honor to the Angel the man asks for a name. It seems that his intent was to worship using the name. However, the Angel again redirects Manoah with a somewhat evasive response: Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful? Was the Angel being difficult? Hardly. It must be noticed that the wife of Manoah told him that the person who appeared to her seem to be the Angel of the Lord (v 6). With that description and now with his own eyes he has been given enough to realize that this is a theophany. But, although she perceived the special identity of the Angel in the first meeting, he still did not get it.

Manoah goes on to offer the young goat and the grain offering upon the rock to the Lord. As the flame and smoke of their offering is going up toward heaven the Angel did something that made His identity clear: he ascended in the flame of the altar! The Angel received the worship Himself. How could that be? It is as the nameless woman suspected. She said (v 6) that the appearance of the messenger was like the countenance of the Angel of God. But until now Manoah has not been able to receive it. Only as the messenger ascends in the flame does the truth become clear to him. We must not overlook what the passage clearly presents – the woman has greater spiritual insight than her husband.

Figure 3: Wisdom is something we can get from God. It comes to us freely if we will ask James 1:5; Proverbs 2:3-6; Matthew 7:7.

Only when the messenger disappears in the fire of the sacrifice does Manoah realize His divine identity (13:21); his wife had sensed it from the beginning (v 6). Her husband knows the tradition that one cannot look at the Almighty and live (Exodus 33:20; Judges 6:22–23; Genesis 16:13–14; Exodus 19:21; Genesis 32:30). It is too much. Faced with what seems to be certain death Manoah begins to have a breakdown.

He turns to his wife and says, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” Now, at last, we know why the Angel did not appear to Manoah first or alone. Given the information he not only is slow to understand… he also reaches the wrong conclusion. And now, at last, in the wife’s attempt to calm Manoah’s fears we see conclusive proof that talking with her first was both necessary and sufficient. Consider her statement.

²³ But his wife said to him, “If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.” (Judges 13:23, NKJV)

By three obvious truths she refutes the falsehood that they were about to suffer an immediate death. First, if the Lord had wanted to kill them it made no sense to (1) give them instructions on worship and (2) then to receive it from them. In the early history of Israel it clear that God will not receive worship that He has not commanded or approved (Leviticus 10:1-3). The desire to kill them would be inconsistent with relating to the husband and wife what He would accept (Judges 13:16); it would make God out to be capricious and untrustworthy. Second, if the Lord had desired to kill them He would not have shown them all these things. What things? Himself and His desire to see them experience deliverance from the Philistines. There is no point in showing them these things and then killing them for hearing and seeing His intention to help them. Killing them would be especially enigmatic since she is instrumental in the plan. It was illogical to think that they would be immediately killed in light of how they figured into the Lord’s plan to help God’s people. Manoah should have seen this. We must not overlook the fact that, although he did not, she did. Third, the desire to immediately dispatch them would not make sense in light of the instruction given to them for the child that had not yet been conceived. The Angel had said that she would both conceive and bear a son. If they were dead how would that happen. Further, Manoah was to let her observe all that she had been commanded. It was clearly implied that he was to be alive long enough to support his wife in bearing the child. She picked that up. But her husband missed it.

Meeting with Manoah without his wife would not have been fruitful. Again, even when he is given all the information, he does not put it together. He also is slow to perceive who he is dealing with. It becomes obvious to us as we go through the chapter that Mrs. Manoah is more perceptive.

Small Group Questions

Try not to impress anyone with your answer. The point of these questions is getting to and dealing with the truth. As we prayerfully consider the truth of who we are in light of God’s word there can be breakthroughs and deliverance.

1. Are you more like Manoah or his wife in the way you handle revelation from God (Judges 13:21-22)? What does Scripture say about getting wisdom and discernment (James 1:5; Proverbs 2:3-6; Matthew 7:7)?
2. Why does God want to bless the couple with a child (Judges 13:5)? What is your reason for wanting a blessing (James 4:1-4)?
3. Why does the Angel of the Lord keep appearing to Manoah’s wife and not Manoah? What indicator is in the passage about God’s willingness to hear and help Manoah (Judges 13:1-10)?

Excursus: Barrenness

In barrenness we are broken. Through our seemingly unending season of unanswered prayer for something (e.g., a baby, a spouse, a job) we are made to feel the unrelenting pain of some neediness. In the midst of our emptiness we entreat God for help in hope that He will hear and have mercy. But in the delay we become more than desperate and we are undone. In the silence of no answer we are made to regard our wretchedness and the reasons why the Almighty is not obligated to answer. In that time outside of “a long while” the barrenness breaks us. Let it, saint. Let the barrenness break you. Be broken.

In barrenness Hannah breaks through her competition with the other woman, through her rivalry (1 Samuel 1:1-6), and through her desire to have a son and she enters into the blessedness of wanting a son that can be devoted to the Lord all the days of his life (1 Samuel 1:11). The Lord closed her womb in order that He might at last raise up a priest with the right priorities (1 Samuel 1:5). In barrenness Elizabeth is made ready to receive Elijah, made fit for her role of raising the forerunner, and prepared for worship when the Holy Spirit comes on her and her son. She was a long time childless so that she could cherish the blessing of a boy that would belong to the Lord from the womb (Luke 1:15-17).

Out of barrenness is born Samson; from childlessness comes a churlish deliverer with supernatural strength. The Angel of the Lord did not appear to the apparent authority of the husband but to the nameless woman without child – to the barren (Judges 13:2-3). And the commands for the coming child were not given to the man of the house; they were given to the barren. It was to her that the Angel of the Lord said the deliverer shall be a Nazirite from the womb (Judges 13:5). It is out of barrenness that the Lord brings forward the better priest Samuel. A Nazirite as well. And it is out of barrenness that we get the baptist – John the Baptist. Also a Nazirite. All of these exceptional people came from persons who could not produce a child. It was God’s will that they would wait an unreasonable amount of time for what came so easily to others. Why? Listen closely: Because through their barrenness these women were broken and became mothers gladly committed to carrying and caring for a child God’s way.

Before either of these women suffered with the shame of having no child Sarai was barren. But in barrenness Sarai becomes Sarah, Abram becomes Abraham, and an elderly man learned to love God more than the lad on the altar. By the blessing of barrenness the natural tendency to own the gift gives way to the realization that we are but stewards and that the real blessing is in the opportunity to give what was given back to God… for His glory… and for the good of His people.

Your barrenness is not the cruelty of God or the outworking of His unwillingness to see you happy. It works in you, by His grace through your faith, to change you. In it you are being broken so that if the Lord grants your plea it will be received by someone made ready for the present and glad for a special charge in handling a special package. If you are willing to receive it, your barrenness is working to produce in you special worship. If you are willing to receive it, your barrenness is sanctifying you for the saint-work of surrendering the gift back to Him without a grudge and with gratitude. In that time outside of “a long while” the barrenness tries to break us. Let it, saint. Let the barrenness break you. Be broken. Listen to David!

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. (Psalm 34:18, NKJV)

Hear him again.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:17, NKJV)

The breakthrough is not in getting what you want from God. It is in wanting to honor Him with whatever you get… even with the gift of barrenness. It is in the determination to worship Him in whatever He decides to do (Job 1:19-20; 13:15).

The Scriptures Themselves Are About Christ

The Scriptures are not a collection of moral sayings, spiritual reflections, or religious history; they are His story. They are a unified testimony about a particular Person. David prophetically records the words of Christ:

“Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of Me.” (Psalm 40:7)

David tells his reader through prophecy that the books of the Bible are actually about the coming Messiah (2 Peter 1:20-21). The writer of Hebrews confirms that this was fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 10:7).

Christ is not merely in the Scriptures. The Scriptures are about Christ. He is the reality to which every type and figure gestures.

He is the substance to which every shadow points. He is the fulfillment of every foretelling about the promised Savior. This truth is not theoretical. It was demonstrated in His earthly ministry. Here are three ways we see that Christ reinforced and pointed to Himself as the subject of the Scriptures:

Astonishing Authority in Teaching (Matthew 7:28-29)

“And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matthew 7:28–29, NKJV)

The scribes quoted authorities. Christ was the authority; this is what came through when he was teaching. He did not merely interpret Scripture; He spoke as its Author. He is still doing this for those willing to acknowledge Him in the endeavor of studying.

Accessing the Meaning Requires Accepting the Messiah (John 5:39-40)

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39–40, NKJV)

This is one of the most sobering statements in Scripture. It is possible to study the Scriptures diligently and yet miss their meaning entirely if one refuses Christ.

Study without Christ produces pride. Study with Christ produces praise and proper alignment with the grace and gifts of God (John 3:16).

The failure was not intellectual but relational. They would not humble themselves and come to Him and therefor could not understand His book. He was able to teach but they were not teachable. The question is, am I?

Application in the Emmaus Encounter (Luke 24:27)

After His resurrection, Christ encountered two disciples walking to Emmaus. They knew the Scriptures but could not make sense of what had recently happened. High hopes were dashed when they saw their Rabbi arrested, beaten, ridiculed, and then crucified. Although Jesus had told them many times that he was going to be arrested, mistreated, and crucified, they still did not understand what had happened. But Jesus, steps in to help His disciples when they could not help themselves. Luke records:

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:27, NKJV)

Christ did not introduce a new message. He revealed the true meaning that had always been there. Later they reflected:

“Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32, NKJV)

This is the difference between reading the Scriptures and relying on my own abilities to get the message and reading the Scriptures but having Christ open them for me. The former may inform the mind but the heart is still unable to see the relevance of what is revealed. The latter informs the mind and opens the eyes of the heart to give true understanding.

Conclusion

The discipline of study is not primarily about getting information. It is about transformation (Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 12:1-2) as we are taught by Christ Himself through His Word. True study requires:

• Humility, because the truth is revealed, not invented.

• Submission, because the goal is obedience, not merely knowledge acquisition.

• Christ-centeredness, because He is the interpretive key to everything.

Without Christ, study produces pride. With Christ, spiritual discipline of study is a work that is blessed by God and that produces worship. Study becomes an act of seeing reality as it truly is: a universe created through Him, sustained by Him, revealed by Him, and returning to Him.

Getting the A’s In Study

I have for years mentored people into getting A’s when they study a book… any book.

In His grip by His grace,
Roderick L. Barnes, Sr.

The discipline of study does not begin with curiosity or academic rigor. It begins with acknowledging the rightful reign of God and the need for His leading in our learning; it begins with submission. When this happens, God gets involved in the studies of the believer to help them move forward in the subject:

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Any serious study begins with accepting that all things — life itself, the covenant of marriage, the meaning of humanity, and even the laws uncovered by science — exist for and find their coherence in Christ.

Paul expresses this profound truth with power and clarity:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! … For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33, 36)

What is the Pharisee-turned church apostle saying. Only these three things: All things are of Christ; He is their source. All things are through Christ; He is their sustainer. All things are to Christ; He is their goal.

Thus, there are no neutral subjects. Marriage is about Christ (Ephesians 5:31–32). Humanity is about Christ (Colossians 1:16). The natural order of the cosmos itself exists through Christ (John 1:3). To study anything rightly is to study something that exists because of Him, through Him, and for Him. Study, therefore, is not merely intellectual; it is devotional. It begins with trust and an acknowledgement of truth about the relationship between Creation and Christ.

In His grip by His grace,
Roderick L. Barnes, Sr.

¹⁵ [I]f your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. (Matthew 18:15)

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
— Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

There are moments in our relationships where tension arises. Not between inveterate enemies or sworn adversaries. Not between unbelievers; between men or women who both confess Christ. Between brothers. In such moments, our Lord gives clear guidance on what to do. (See the passage excerpt above.) I cannot help but notice that discretion is part of the prescription. The first attempt to deal with the offense, the fault, or the sin against me is not to be carried out in public. Jesus says go and tell my brother his fault between me and him alone. When I go to my brother he may receive what I am saying. In that case, I have gained my brother. I found the word gained curious. What does it mean to “gain” a brother?

First, let us say that it does not mean. It does not mean merely winning an argument or getting an acceptable apology. That is right, it does not mean securing an approved apology as a kind of emotional payment. Acceptable-apology based forgiveness is big in Western culture. The idea has even infiltrated the church. We make an acceptable apology an essential element of restored fellowship. However, the plain teaching of Scripture is that is is sufficient for the offender to (1) admit fault and (2) repent of the action. Somewhere along the line we have added the notion of getting an apology that makes us feel like the person is really sorry for their wrongdoing. The consistent emphasis of Scripture, though, is on repentance toward God and restoration of fellowship, not the satisfaction of the offended person’s emotional expectations. Forgiveness, in the modern approach to reconciliation, becomes a function of feelings in the offended. Jesus Himself says:

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
— Luke 17:3 (NKJV)

Notice the condition is repentance (metanoia — a change of mind resulting in changed direction), not the delivery of an emotionally satisfying apology.

Repentance is measured by turning, not by tone.

Similarly, James says:

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
— James 5:16 (NKJV)

The command is confession, not performance. Confession is coming into alignment with the truth about our actions – admitting fault and agreeing with God. This is key: it is agreement with God about the wrong. Scripture never specifies that the confession must be emotionally persuasive, eloquent, or satisfying to the offended party.

So then, if the offending brother hears you, what does it mean to say you have gained your brother. The gain is first and foremost toward God not myself. A few cross references will help us understand. James writes:

Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
— James 5:20 (NKJV)

The person is being saved. From what? My wrath? Broken fellowship with me? No. They are being saved from broken fellowship or relationship with God and committing more sins against God. We make ourselves more important than we are when we view the verse as being about gaining our brother back to ourselves. The goal is to gain them back toward the Father. (See Matthew 18:19 and get more of the context of this passage. It is really all about the Father and that broken fellowship. Their failure in our relationship is really the outworking of a failure to love God well in relationship with Him.) And there is more in support of seeing this as being about promoting repentance toward the Father. Peter writes:

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives.
— 1 Peter 3:1

In this passage the husband is being won to Christ… not to the wife. (See a parallel passage from Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:16.) Winning is about getting the person to Jesus. And so it is with gaining my brother.

The spiritual disciplines are not the focus; we cannot reduce Christianity to regular practices. Spiritual disciplines are aimed at getting the Jesus follower into Jesus’ presence. Through spiritual disciplines we are not trying to optimize our Christianity; we are abiding in His presence. Each discipline is a way of sitting at His feet like Mary (Luke 10:38-42); the discipline is merely a context for being with Christ and receiving desperately-needed grace.

The focus is not the discipline. When we are busy with the business of spiritual disciplines we are Martha — more concerned with performance than the Presence that makes it possible to serve well. Discipline-centered living will have us scurrying around Jesus but not enjoying His fellowship or hearing His words. Focus on the disciplines leads to pride over our regular praying, ritual fasting, meditation routines, and visible acts of submission. It leads to an attitude of disdain for the sad folk who ain’t doing what we do.

We need to focus on Christ through the discipline. Praying is pressing into the presence of Christ to acknowledge His worth, admit our need, and seek His help. When the goal is not God Himself, the discipline of praying becomes a practice that makes us smug.

He wants us to draw near. He has revealed how to do that in the Scriptures through the explanations and examples of Jesus and others; the means of drawing near as revealed in the Scriptures are spiritual disciplines.

When trying to deliver excellence in any endeavor, talent matters. But talent is rarely the deciding factor in whether or not people will achieve excellence in their field. What usually separates the competent from the truly capable is commitment to the right tools +  the right structure + repetition + application. With regard to structure, to time and a well-defined regimen. This is huge. Why? The people who become good at anything master and maintain a regular review of the basics:

• Musicians – A violinist, pianist, or horn player runs scales. Three different instruments. One common underlying routine. Scales are basic stuff. But they cannot be overlooked; a constant return to scales is required for the maintenance of skills and growth in a field where all of the art is built upon scales. The tools are the instrument and other supports for practice (tuner, metronome, piano/guitar/kazoo). The structure is in the scales, the time set aside to do them, and some way of gauging whether or not they are being performed correctly. The repetition is the routine practice of the scales. Finally, the application is seen in playing songs that use the scales. Eventually an earnest commitment to tools, structure, repetition, and application will yield the harvest of excellence

• Athletes – A basketball player runs drills. That is, an indispensable part of their growth and sustained excellence focuses on being able to do basic things with the ball – dribbling, passing, and simple shots. High-flying theatrics are cool to see. But the ability to get near the basket demands dribbling and passing. And height-challenged players cannot be anything short of extraordinary with the basics; what they lack in height has to be compensated for in a mastery of ball handling. (Think about John Stockton.) The tools are a basketball, a place to practice, and set of drills. The structure is in the set of drills, the time set aside to do them, and someone to provide feedback. The repetition is in the routine practice of the drills or the adherence to the scheduled practices and required drills.

• Hebrew Students – A student of Biblical Hebrew reviews paradigms: verb stems, strong verb forms, weak verb irregularities, pronominal suffixes. The alphabet was exciting at first and parsing felt like real progress. But real fluency is built in the daily return to charts that seem elementary. The qal perfect. The imperfect. The participle. Again and again. Not because the student has forgotten them. The student returns because Scripture is written on that scaffolding. A sermon insight, a theological nuance, a subtle wordplay in a Psalm — these all rest upon patterns internalized through repetition. The one who skips paradigms may read devotionally; the one who drills them reads with precision. What starts mechanical becomes musical. And the voice of God’s text becomes easier to unpack and explain with excellence.

• Software Architects – A seasoned architect revisits patterns and clean code principles like dependency inversion, separation of concerns, cohesion, testability, and naming conventions. (On naming conventions see Roderick Notation.) At first, writing code is about making it work. Later, it becomes about making it clear. Then about making it durable, secure, and scalable. The fundamentals—design patterns, refactoring discipline, thoughtful abstractions—feel basic. But systems decay when fundamentals are neglected. A brilliant new framework cannot compensate for poor boundaries. An elegant UI cannot redeem chaotic domain modeling. The architect who regularly returns to foundational principles builds systems that scale and teams that flourish. What looks like creativity on the surface is usually craftsmanship underneath. And craftsmanship is built on disciplined repetition of design truths that never change.

In different domains excellence demands the same dedication to the basics. The fundamentals are not “beginner stuff.” They are the well you will keep drawing from as you grow and perform. This aligns strongly with what Anders Ericsson (deliberate practice researcher) discovered. Mastery is not repetition. It is structured, feedback-driven repetition of fundamentals (Ericsson, et al, 2016).

How does this apply to ministry? Scripture subtly affirms what has been previously presented. Paul says to Timothy:

“Give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.” (1 Tim 4:15 NKJV)

When there is a dedication to the fundamentals of the faith the progress is observable. It comes from immersion and discipline. Even spiritual gifts require:

• Stirring up (2 Tim 1:6)

• Training (Hebrews 5:14; Ezra 7:10)

• Practice (Hebrews 12 imagery)

Talent is the seed given to us by God. By virtues of God-given talent some will find it easier to produce excellence when given the same amount of time and putting in the same effort. But time will still be required. Repetition is a non-negotiable. In the disciplined return to the basics and spending time doing reps is the cultivation of that seed. Excellence in application is the harvest.

References

Ericsson, A. K., & Pool, R. (2016). Peak: Secrets from the new science of expertise. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.