参孙——软弱的强人
士师记十三章1至13节，24节
1以色列人又行耶和华眼中看为恶的事，耶和华将他们交在非利士人手中四十年。
2那时有一个琐拉人，是属但族的，名叫玛挪亚。他的妻不怀孕，不生育。
3耶和华的使者向那妇人显现，对她说：“向来你不怀孕，不生育，如今你必怀孕，生一个儿子。
4所以你当谨慎，清酒浓酒都不可喝，一切不洁之物也不可吃。
5你必怀孕，生一个儿子，不可用剃头刀剃他的头，因为这孩子一出胎就归神作拿细耳人。他必起首拯救以色列人脱离非利士人的手。”
6妇人就回去对丈夫说：“有一个神人到我面前来，他的相貌如神使者的相貌，甚是可畏。我没有问他从哪里来，他也没有将他的名告诉我，
7却对我说：‘你要怀孕，生一个儿子，所以清酒浓酒都不可喝，一切不洁之物也不可吃，因为这孩子从出胎一直到死，必归神作拿细耳人。’”
8玛挪亚就祈求耶和华说：“主啊，求你再差遣那神人到我们这里来，好指教我们怎样待这将要生的孩子。”
9神应允玛挪亚的话。妇人正坐在田间的时候，神的使者又到她那里，她丈夫玛挪亚却没有同她在一处。
10妇人急忙跑去告诉丈夫说：“那日到我面前来的人，又向我显现。”
11玛挪亚起来跟随他的妻来到那人面前，对他说：“与这妇人说话的就是你吗？”他说：“是我。”
12玛挪亚说：“愿你的话应验。我们当怎样待这孩子，他后来当怎样呢？”
13耶和华的使者对玛挪亚说：“我告诉妇人的一切事，她都当谨慎。
24后来妇人生了一个儿子，给他起名叫参孙。孩子长大，耶和华赐福与他。
信息分享
圣经中最令人惊讶的事之一，就是那位经常任意而行、软弱犯罪的大力士参孙，竟然名列希伯来书第十一章的「信心伟人榜」中。这个事实不是很令人鼓舞吗？它再次证明神的恩典浩大。
故事是怎样开始的呢？你也许常常听到这样的话：「我在一个基督徒家庭长大。」参孙也在一个信神的家庭中出生；他还未出生之前，他的父母已将他奉献给神。著名的历史学家约瑟夫指出，参孙的父亲玛挪亚是一个非常敬虔的人，参孙的母亲也是一个蒙神拣选的女子。
神早已命定参孙要作「拿细耳人」。他一生不可喝酒，也不可吃任何葡萄制成的食物；同时，他一生不可剪发，要任由头发生长。他要成为一个与众不同的人（参民六章）。
然而，在童年阶段，参孙已显出他是一个性格倔强的人。我们不知道他的父母如何管教他。平心而论，当一对夫妇是在某种不寻常或「神迹性」的情况下获得儿女，通常都会比较难以认真管教。
但神给予参孙一个美好的童年和特殊的祝福。请再读第24节。那么，他为何会变坏呢？我们只能说，他滥用了神的恩典，恃宠生骄而变坏。
最后，我们应该为神在我们每天生活中所显的慈爱和恩典，衷心地感谢神。
SAMSON -- THE WEAK STRONG MAN
Judges 13:1-13 and 24
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.”
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.
24 So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
Message
One of the amazing facts of Scripture is that Samson, the weak and willful man with all his sins and failures, is listed in the Who's Who of Faith in Hebrews 11. Isn't that encouraging? It shows again the grace of God.
How did his story begin? You have often heard the phrase, “I was brought up in a Christian home.” Samson could have said he was a child of a believing home. Even before his birth he was dedicated to God. Josephus, the Jewish historian, also mentions Manaoh as a most godly man and his wife as an exceptional woman.
He also was a Nazarite. God had said he must be. He must refrain from eating and drinking anything which came from grapes. He must let his hair grow and never have it cut. He was to be different (Numbers 6).
However, he seems to have shown the seeds and signs of a strong-willed child at a very early stage. We do not know how his parents disciplined him. Carefully speaking, we have to say that when a child comes into a home in an unusual or special way, it is often hard for the parents to really discipline that child.
God gave Samson a wonderful beginning and many remarkable blessings. Read verse 24 again. Why did he go wrong? We can only say what has been often said, 'There, but for the grace of God…...”
Thank God again today for the kindness and grace in our lives.