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Speaker 1: Let us pray for lo thou shalt conceive and bear

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Speaker 1: a son, and no razor shall come upon his head,

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Speaker 1: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from

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Speaker 1: the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out

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Speaker 1: of the hand of the Philistines. Judge Is thirteen five,

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Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, just like Samson and Judges thirteen, I

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Speaker 1: know I too have been called to be set apart.

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Speaker 1: I will not treat myself as common, because you have

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Speaker 1: created me to be extraordinary, like extraordinary athletes that require

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Speaker 1: extraordinary training. I realize that my life is no exception. Therefore,

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Speaker 1: when my feet touched the ground, I will first connect

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Speaker 1: my heart and soul to your incredible power. I will

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Speaker 1: shift my mind and increase my faith, because as I

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Speaker 1: walk with You, all things become possible. I declare that

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Speaker 1: I have been marked for greatness. I declare that the

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Speaker 1: way I choose to live my life will be in

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Speaker 1: proportion to the anointing and calling I'm stepping into. I

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Speaker 1: will no longer compare myself to others, because what God

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Speaker 1: is doing in my life cannot be imitated. I am

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Speaker 1: one of a kind. I'm not afraid to be different

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Speaker 1: and do different if it means that I'll be able

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Speaker 1: to experience a life completely different from others. I have

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Speaker 1: been marked for greatness, and I accept that life in Jesus' name. Amen.

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Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.

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Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible

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Speaker 1: in a Year, brought to you by Bible in a

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Speaker 1: Year dot com The.

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Speaker 2: Birth of Samson. In our last story, we peered into

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Speaker 2: the life of the outcast Jephtha. He was a forgotten

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Speaker 2: bastard son who led Israel out of captivity from the Ammonites. However,

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Speaker 2: he made a promise to God that he would sacrifice

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Speaker 2: the first thing he saw after battle. Little did he

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Speaker 2: know it would be his daughter. So Jephtha mourned and

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Speaker 2: was remembered for his foolishness. In this story, we learn

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Speaker 2: of Israel's disobedience and need for another hero. This time,

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Speaker 2: God prepares the way for another hero, a hero that

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Speaker 2: would be stronger than all the others combined. Yet his

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Speaker 2: story would be a mixture of heroism and tragedy. Inspired

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Speaker 2: by the Book of Judges.

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Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we

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Speaker 3: heard the tragic story of Jephtha, a mighty warrior who

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Speaker 3: led Israel in victory against the Ammonites, but whose impulsive

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Speaker 3: and foolish promise cost him his daughter, his only child.

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Speaker 3: Though Jephtha is remembered as a hero of the faith

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Speaker 3: in Hebrews, he is also remembered for this crazy vow

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Speaker 3: and the high price that he paid and his family paid,

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Speaker 3: because he kept a vow that he should never have made.

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Speaker 3: Today we'll hear how Israel disobeyed God again and needed

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Speaker 3: a new hero to rescue them, a new deliverer, a

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Speaker 3: judge by the name of Samson. Samson doesn't come onto

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Speaker 3: the scene as a full grown man ready to be

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Speaker 3: the people's man, the people's hero. We'll get to see

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Speaker 3: his story from the beginning, from his birth and how

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Speaker 3: God chose him for a very special purpose. But more

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Speaker 3: than anything, today's story is one of grateful parents to

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Speaker 3: be who seek God's wise counsel for how to raise

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Speaker 3: the child they are about to bring into the world.

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Speaker 3: So let's listen now to today scripture.

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Speaker 2: Like moths to a flame, Israel drew close to their sin.

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Speaker 2: They had an insatiable appetite for idolatry. Their lewdness reflected

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Speaker 2: a sickness that plagued man since the Garden of Eden,

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Speaker 2: God would allow them to be held captive by the Philistines.

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Speaker 2: Their captivity to the Philistines reflected a greater captivity in

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Speaker 2: their hearts. Their own sin enslaved their souls, and the

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Speaker 2: Philistines enslaved their bodies. For forty years, they lived in misery.

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Speaker 2: During this time, there was a man of Zora named Manoah.

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Speaker 2: Manoah and his wife were childless, for his wife was barren.

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Speaker 2: Yet God had a plan for them. An angel of

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Speaker 2: God met Manoah's wife and said to her, you will

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Speaker 2: conceive a son in due time, and when you do,

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Speaker 2: he will live a life set apart for me. He

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Speaker 2: will have no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.

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Speaker 2: No razor shall come upon his head, for he shall

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Speaker 2: be a Nazarite of God. For I shall rise him

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Speaker 2: up to be a conquering hero, and he will do

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Speaker 2: great things to liberate Israel from the Philistines. The woman

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Speaker 2: ran to her husband and told him of the visitation

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Speaker 2: from a strange man. Manoah prayed to God for guidance

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Speaker 2: and wisdom, imploring that the angel visit again to give

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Speaker 2: them more insight. God answered, and the Angel appeared again

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Speaker 2: to the woman. She ran back to her husband, saying, look,

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Speaker 2: the man from before is here. So Manoah ran to

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Speaker 2: go greet him. Are you the one who spoke to

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Speaker 2: my wife before, Manoah asked. The Angel of God nodded

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Speaker 2: and said it was so. Manoah knelt before him and

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Speaker 2: begged him to stay longer. How shall we raise our child,

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Speaker 2: Manoah asked, for they had dreamed of being parents, and

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Speaker 2: if their son was to be a hero, they wanted

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Speaker 2: to be faithful. So God instruct Manoah as he did

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Speaker 2: to his wife previously. He would have no wine or

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Speaker 2: strong drink. He would eat clean foods and never cut

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Speaker 2: his hair or face. God wanted to groom a warrior

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Speaker 2: unlike any other before him. Please stay with us awhile,

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Speaker 2: Manoah asked, he will have a feast and make a

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Speaker 2: burnt offering to you, and the Angel of the Lord

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Speaker 2: refused the food, but remained for the sacrifice made to

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Speaker 2: the Lord. Manoah did not know he was speaking to

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Speaker 2: God himself, so he asked the Angel a simple question

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Speaker 2: with profound implications. What is your name? Manoah asked. God

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Speaker 2: looked upon Manoah as a father would a child. Why

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Speaker 2: do you ask me my name? God asked, It is wonderful.

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Speaker 2: He said the name Wonderful would be prophesied as the

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Speaker 2: name of the Messiah. Hundreds of years later, Manoah and

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Speaker 2: his wife laid an offering down at the altar of God.

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Speaker 2: They watched as the flames danced in front of them.

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Speaker 2: It was night, and the light of the fire drew

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Speaker 2: them in close. Then, in a rush, like the wind

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Speaker 2: was pushing the flames upwards, the Angel of the Lord

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Speaker 2: rose up with the smoke and disappeared into the sky.

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Speaker 2: Manoah and his wife fell on their faces, finally realizing

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Speaker 2: who it was they were speaking to. The Lord will

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Speaker 2: surely kill us, since we have seen him. Manoah trembled.

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Speaker 2: If he wanted to kill us, we would be dead.

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Speaker 2: His wife replied, God would not visit them in this

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Speaker 2: way again. The two conceived and bore a child. They

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Speaker 2: named him Samson. The young boy grew into a strong man.

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Speaker 2: God blessed Samson in everything, and his strength was unmatched

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Speaker 2: by any one in the land. Year by year God

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Speaker 2: groomed him. He abstained from drinks that would dwindle his wits,

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Speaker 2: and he abstained from foods that would weaken his body.

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Speaker 2: He did not shave and lived in the land under

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Speaker 2: the training in favor of God.

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Speaker 1: For one day he.

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Speaker 2: Would be called upon to save all of Israel.

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Speaker 3: We begin today's story with Israel once again in sinful

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Speaker 3: rebellion against God. They turned to other gods little gods

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Speaker 3: know gods at all idols, and they began to do

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Speaker 3: evil in the sight of the Lord. God gave them

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Speaker 3: over to the Philistines for forty years. But this time

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Speaker 3: we don't hear the people crying for the help of God.

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Speaker 3: So God begins preparing a mighty leader among them. And

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Speaker 3: it starts with a couple who are unable to have children,

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Speaker 3: and God chooses to bless them with a son. Manoah

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Speaker 3: and his wife were clearly God fearing, righteous people. They

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Speaker 3: were about to be chosen to raise a boy who

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Speaker 3: would become a great man in Israel. So when an

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Speaker 3: angel from God appeared to Manoah's wife, she listened carefully

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Speaker 3: to what he told her. It was joyous news. A

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Speaker 3: child come into their family and he wouldn't be just

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Speaker 3: any child. The Angel gave her strict instructions for how

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Speaker 3: she was to eat and drink while she carried the child,

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Speaker 3: as well as how he was to be raised to

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Speaker 3: be set apart as a Nazarite. Manoah's wife runs to

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Speaker 3: tell her husband the amazing news and the instructions that

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Speaker 3: she had received. His response is such a great example

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Speaker 3: for any expecting parent. We read it in Judges three

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Speaker 3: to eight. Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said,

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Speaker 3: O Lord, please let the man of God whom you

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Speaker 3: sent come again to us and teach us what we're

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Speaker 3: to do with the child who will be born. He

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Speaker 3: had just received the best news of his life. Not

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Speaker 3: only a child, but a son was coming. Manoah knew

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Speaker 3: that his child would fulfill a very special purpose. So

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Speaker 3: what does he do? He once again seeks God and

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Speaker 3: asks for direction and instruction. What a wonderful thing it

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Speaker 3: is for any parent to be to ask God for

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Speaker 3: guidance and to pray that he would enable us to

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Speaker 3: raise our children for a righteous purpose. That's exactly what

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Speaker 3: Manoah and his wife did, and God honored their request,

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Speaker 3: sending his angel once more to instruct them. Manoah invited

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Speaker 3: the angel to stay and eat with them, and the

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Speaker 3: angel told them that he would not eat, but would

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Speaker 3: stay while they made a sacrifice to the Lord. Manoa

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Speaker 3: then asked the angel his name, so that they could

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Speaker 3: honor this angel. And the angel's reply is prophetic, for

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Speaker 3: he says his name is wonderful. It is a title

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Speaker 3: that will be given one day to the Messiah, the

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Speaker 3: Wonderful counselor the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. So this

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Speaker 3: was no angel. This was a pre incarnate appearance of Jesus,

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Speaker 3: what we know in theology as a theophany, an appearance

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Speaker 3: of God in the Old Testament, when the flames of

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Speaker 3: the offering leap into the sky, and his wife watch

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Speaker 3: as the angel goes up into the heavens with the flames.

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Speaker 3: Realizing that they've seen God, they fall in adoration, the

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Speaker 3: only proper response to an encounter with God. The child

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Speaker 3: is born and his name is Samson. His parents follow

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Speaker 3: all the instructions, and he grows stronger and stronger and stronger.

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Speaker 3: He will become a superhero of sorts, a legend, a

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Speaker 3: strong man like no other. God will use Samson in

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Speaker 3: a mighty way despite his failings and weaknesses, and we're

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Speaker 3: going to hear more of his story the next time.

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Speaker 3: Dear God, we do thank you for the example of

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Speaker 3: Samson's parents, godly parents who sought You and your wisdom

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Speaker 3: and guidance for the raising of their child. Help us

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Speaker 3: to do the same, as we want to bring up

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Speaker 3: our children in the nurture and in the training of

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Speaker 3: the Lord. Give us wisdom, Lord to be faithful parents,

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Speaker 3: to set the right example, and to bring up our

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Speaker 3: children to love and serve You. You in Jesus' name, Amen,

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Speaker 3: Thank you once again for listening to today's Bible in

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Speaker 3: a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham, pastor of the Prestonwood

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Speaker 3: Baptist Church in the Dallas area here in Texas, and

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Speaker 3: I want to encourage you to download Theprey dot com

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Speaker 3: app and make this time together in God's Word a

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Speaker 3: priority in your life. Tell other people about it, encourage

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Speaker 3: your family and friends about this podcast. And by sharing

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Speaker 3: this podcast, you can make a difference in someone's life.

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Speaker 3: You might even be the one who leads that person

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Speaker 3: to a personal faith in Christ. Because Christ is in

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Speaker 3: the Bible, and the Bible is all about Jesus. If

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Speaker 3: you want to know more about the Lord, how to

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Speaker 3: know him, how to serve him and be his disciple,

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Speaker 3: then let me encourage you to visit my website, which

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Speaker 3: is Jack Graham dot org. We would love to assist

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Speaker 3: you in any way as you grow in your journey

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Speaker 3: of faith. Again, that's Jack Graham dot org. God bless

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Speaker 3: you