Judges. Today begins the story of Samson. It is an account of tragedy and heroism. One note: the "angel of the Lord" was almost certainly God Himself taking on human form. Throughout Scripture, angels never accept worship from people because they, too, are created beings. This person accept the worship of Samson's parents.
I noticed the distinction between the faith of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist whose birth was announced by an angel. Zechariah said, "How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” (Luke 1:18 NLT) Manoah, the father of Samson, said, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?” (Judges 13:12 NLT)
At Stone Ridge, we just studied the Biblical concept of hope. The doubtful, "I hope so" doesn't fit with the Bible idea. Hope is what happens when we are waiting on something we are sure will happen; it just hasn't happened yet. Manoah had hope. Zechariah had doubt.
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