Judges 13
Leaders Prep Section
Watch this video, read these notes, and send the pre-written email (below) to your group 2-3 days before you meet.
Notes
God’s plan is too wonderful for us to comprehend. We have to be okay not knowing the whole plan while still being willing to play our part in it. We are like pawns in a grand game of chess—the hand that moves us doesn’t have to let us in on the whole strategy.
Group Guide Starts Here
Context of scripture
A Nazarite is someone who voluntarily takes a vow, giving his life completely over to God. As part of this vow, he or she:
• Must not have wine, grape juice, grapes, dried grapes, grape seeds, or grape skins
• Cannot cut their hair, ever (except in the situation to be described in a moment)
• Cannot go near a dead body, even if it is a family member and it is their funeral.
Read Judges 13: 1-7
IF someone suddenly dies while next to a Nazarite, the Nazarite has to be cleansed…which means shaving their head, burning their hair, sacrificing two pigeons, a one-year old lamb, and a basket of bread. After the priest boils the lamb, it’s pulled it out of the water and put in the Nazarite’s hands. Then the Nazarite gets to drink wine. Conveniently for the Nazarite, he or she is allowed to vow anything additional to God…but they have to do it.1
The Guinness record for long hair is 18 ft, 5 in long (the height of a giraffe). It’s a woman in China and she started growing it when she was 13.
Famous, future Nazarites include Samuel and John the Baptist. There are no known Nazarites alive today.
What would you be willing to give up either cosmetically, or regarding food or drink, in order to follow God?
If your wife told you that, while shopping, an angel appeared to her and told her something that you had to comply with…would you believe her?
Read Judges 13: 8-18
Notice Manoah wants to know “what they are to do with the child?” But the angel never answers that question.
Manoah asks the angels “name. This does not mean what the angel was called…rather Manoah was asking about the angel’s identity or mission. The highest-ranking angels are Lucifer, Gabriel, and Michael and we know their names.
The angels answer is the word “wonderful,” which translates to “incomprehensible.” The only other time this adjective is used in the Old Testament it says, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.”2
If you could find out what your child was supposed to do on earth, would you want to?
Would you want your child or anyone else to know?
Read Judges 13: 19-25
In the Bible, when fire consumes a sacrifice, it always signals Gods acceptance of the offering.
Have you ever wished there was a very specific purpose for your life? What made you want that?