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Speaker 1: For lo thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and

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Speaker 1: no razor shall come upon his head, for the child

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Speaker 1: shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb, and

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Speaker 1: he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand

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Speaker 1: of the Philistines. Judgest thirteen five. Dear Heavenly Father, just

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Speaker 1: like Samson and Judgest thirteen, I know I too have

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Speaker 1: been called to be set apart. I will not treat

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Speaker 1: myself as common, because you have created me to be extraordinary,

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Speaker 1: Like extraordinary athletes that require extraordinary training, I realize that

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Speaker 1: my life is no exception. Therefore, when my feet touched

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Speaker 1: the ground, I will first connect my heart and soul

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Speaker 1: to your incredible power. I will shift my mind and

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Speaker 1: increase my faith, because as I walk with You, all

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Speaker 1: things become possible. I declare that I have been marked

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Speaker 1: for greatness. I declare that the way I choose to

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Speaker 1: live my life will be in proportion to the anointing

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Speaker 1: and calling I'm stepping into. I will no longer compare

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Speaker 1: myself to others, because what God is doing in my

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Speaker 1: life cannot be imitated. I am one of a kind.

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Speaker 1: I am not afraid to be different and do different.

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Speaker 1: If it means that I'll be able to experience a

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Speaker 1: life completely different from others. I have been marked for greatness,

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Speaker 1: and I accept that life in Jesus name. Amen. Listening

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

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Speaker 1: hearing from the Lord by listening to to day'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 Birth of Samson. In our last story,

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Speaker 1: we peered into the life of the outcast Jephthah. He

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Speaker 1: was a forgotten bastard son who led Israel out of

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Speaker 1: captivity from the Ammonites. However, he made a promise to

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Speaker 1: God that he would sacrifice the first thing he saw

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Speaker 1: after battle. Little did he know it would be his daughter.

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Speaker 1: So Jephthah mourned and was remembered for his foolishness. In

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Speaker 1: this story, we learn of Israel's disobedience and need for

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Speaker 1: another hero. This time, God prepares the way for another hero,

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Speaker 1: a hero that would be stronger than all the others combined.

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Speaker 1: Yet his story would be a mixture of heroism and tragedy.

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Speaker 1: Inspired by the Book of Judges, Hello, this is Jack

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Speaker 1: Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a year podcast.

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Speaker 1: In our last episode, we heard the tragic story of Jephthah,

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Speaker 1: a mighty warrior who led Israel in victory against the Ammonites,

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Speaker 1: but whose impulsive and foolish promise cost him his daughter,

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Speaker 1: his only child. Though Jephthah is remembered as a hero

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Speaker 1: of the faith in Hebrews, he is also remembered for

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Speaker 1: this crazy vow and the high price that he paid

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Speaker 1: and his family paid, because he kept a vow that

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Speaker 1: he should never have made. Today we'll hear how Israel

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Speaker 1: disobeyed God again and needing a new hero to rescue them.

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Speaker 1: A new deliverer, a judge by the name of Samson.

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Speaker 1: Samson doesn't come onto the scene as a full grown

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Speaker 1: man ready to be the people's men, the people's hero.

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Speaker 1: We'll get to see his story from the beginning, from

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Speaker 1: his birth and how God chose him for a very

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Speaker 1: special purpose. But more than anything, today's story is one

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Speaker 1: of grateful parents to be who seek God's wise counsel

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Speaker 1: for how to raise the child they are about to

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Speaker 1: bring into the world. So let's listen now to today's scripture.

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Speaker 1: Like moths to a flame, Israel drew close to their sin.

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Speaker 1: They had an insatiable appetite for idolatry. Their lewdness reflected

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Speaker 1: a sickness that plagued man since the Garden of Eden,

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Speaker 1: God would allow them to be held captive by the Philistines.

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Speaker 1: Their captivity to the Philistines reflected a greater captivity in

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Speaker 1: their hearts. Their own sin enslaved their souls, and the

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Speaker 1: Philistines enslaved their bodies. For forty years, they lived in misery.

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Speaker 1: During this time, there was a man of Zorah named Manoah.

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Speaker 1: Minoah and his wife were childless, for his wife was barren.

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Speaker 1: Yet God had a plan for them. An angel of

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Speaker 1: God met Minoah's wife and said to her, you will

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Speaker 1: conceive a son in due time, and when you do,

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Speaker 1: he will live a life set apart for me. He

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Speaker 1: will have no wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.

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Speaker 1: No razor shall come upon his for he shall be

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Speaker 1: a Nazarite of God. For I shall rise him up

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Speaker 1: to be a conquering hero, and he will do great

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Speaker 1: things to liberate Israel from the Philistines. The woman ran

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Speaker 1: to her husband and told him of the visitation from

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Speaker 1: a strange man. Manoah prayed to God for guidance and wisdom,

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Speaker 1: imploring that the angel visit again to give them more insight.

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Speaker 1: God answered, and the angel appeared again to the woman.

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Speaker 1: She ran back to her husband, saying, look, the man

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Speaker 1: from before is here. So Manoah ran to go greet him.

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Speaker 1: Are you the one who spoke to my wife before?

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Speaker 1: Manoah asked. The Angel of God nodded and said it

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Speaker 1: was so. Manoah knelt before him and begged him to

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Speaker 1: stay longer. How shall we raise our child, Manoah asked,

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Speaker 1: for they had dreamed of being parents, and if their

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Speaker 1: son was to be a hero, they wanted to be faithful.

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Speaker 1: So God instructed Manoah as he did to his wife previously.

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Speaker 1: He would have no wine or strong drink. He would

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Speaker 1: eat clean foods and never cut his hair or face.

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Speaker 1: God wanted to groom a warrior unlike any other before him.

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Speaker 1: Please stay with us a while, Manoah asked, He will

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Speaker 1: have a feast and make a burnt offering to you,

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Speaker 1: and the Angel of the Lord refused the food, but

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Speaker 1: remained for the sacrifice made to the Lord. Manoah did

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Speaker 1: not know he was speaking to God himself, so he

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Speaker 1: asked the Angel a simple question with profound implications. What

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Speaker 1: is your name? Manoah asked. God looked upon Manoah as

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Speaker 1: a father would a child. Why do you ask me

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Speaker 1: my name? God asked, It is wonderful. He said the

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Speaker 1: name Wonderful would be prophesied as the name of the Messiah.

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Speaker 1: Hundreds of years later, Manoah and his wife laid an

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Speaker 1: offering down at the altar of God. They watched as

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Speaker 1: the flames danced in front of them. It was night,

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Speaker 1: and the light of the fire drew them in. Then,

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Speaker 1: in a rush, like the wind was pushing the flames upwards,

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Speaker 1: the Angel of the Lord rose up with the smoke

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Speaker 1: and disappeared into the sky. Manoah and his wife fell

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Speaker 1: on their faces, finally realizing who it was they were

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Speaker 1: speaking to. The Lord will surely kill us, since we

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Speaker 1: have seen him. Manoah trembled. If he wanted to kill us,

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Speaker 1: we would be dead. His wife replied, God would not

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Speaker 1: visit them in this way again. The two conceived and

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Speaker 1: bore a child, and named him Samson. The young boy

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Speaker 1: grew into a strong man. God blessed Samson in everything,

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Speaker 1: and his strength was unmatched by anyone in the land.

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Speaker 1: Year by year, God groomed him. He abstained from drinks

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Speaker 1: that would dwindle his wits, and he abstained from foods

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Speaker 1: that would weaken his body. He did not shave and

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Speaker 1: lived in the land under the training and favor of God.

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Speaker 1: For one day he would be called upon to save

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Speaker 1: all of Israel. We begin today's story with Israel once

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Speaker 1: again in sinful rebellion against God. They turned to other gods,

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Speaker 1: little gods, no gods at all, idols, and they began

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Speaker 1: to do evil in the sight of the Lord. God

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Speaker 1: gave them over to the Philistines for forty years. But

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Speaker 1: this time we don't hear the people crying for the

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Speaker 1: help of God. So God begins preparing a mighty leader

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Speaker 1: among them. And it starts with a couple who are

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Speaker 1: unable to have children, and God chooses to bless them

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Speaker 1: with a son. Manoah and his wife were clearly God fearing,

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Speaker 1: righteous people. They were about to be chosen to raise

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Speaker 1: a boy who would become a great man in Israel.

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Speaker 1: So when an angel from God appeared to Manoah's wife,

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Speaker 1: she listened carefully to what he told her. It was

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Speaker 1: joyous news a child would soon come into their family.

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Speaker 1: Wouldn't be just any child. The Angel gave her strict

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Speaker 1: instructions for how she was to eat and drink while

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Speaker 1: she carried the child, as well as how he was

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Speaker 1: to be raised to be set apart as a Nazarite.

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Speaker 1: Manoah's wife runs to tell her husband the amazing news

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Speaker 1: and the instructions that she had received. His response is

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Speaker 1: such a great example for any expecting parent. We read

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Speaker 1: it in Judges three eight. Then Manoah prayed to the

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Speaker 1: Lord and said, Oh Lord, please let the man of

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Speaker 1: God whom you sent come again to us and teach

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Speaker 1: us what we're to do with the child who will

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Speaker 1: be born. He had just received the best news of

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Speaker 1: his life. Not only a child, but a son was coming.

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Speaker 1: Manoah knew that his child would fulfill a very special purpose.

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Speaker 1: So what does he do? He once again seeks God

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Speaker 1: and ask for direction and instruction. What a wonderful thing

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Speaker 1: it is for any parent to be to ask God

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Speaker 1: for God and to pray that he would enable us

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Speaker 1: to raise our children for a righteous purpose. That's exactly

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Speaker 1: what Manoah and his wife did, and God honored their request,

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Speaker 1: sending his angel once more to instruct them Manoah invited

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Speaker 1: the angel to stay and eat with them, and the

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Speaker 1: angel told them that he would not eat, but would

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Speaker 1: stay while they made a sacrifice to the Lord. Manoah

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Speaker 1: then asked the angel his name so that they could

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Speaker 1: honor this angel. And the angel's reply is prophetic, for

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Speaker 1: he says his name is wonderful. It is a title

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Speaker 1: that will be given one day to the Messiah, the

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Speaker 1: Wonderful counselor the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. So this

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Speaker 1: was no angel. This was a pre incarnate appearance of Jesus,

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Speaker 1: what we know in theology as a theophany, an appearance

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Speaker 1: of God in the Old Testament. When the flames of

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Speaker 1: the offering leap into the sky, Manoah and his wife

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Speaker 1: watch as the angel goes up into the heavens with

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Speaker 1: the flames. Realizing that they've seen God, they fall in adoration,

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Speaker 1: the only proper response to an encounter with God. The

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Speaker 1: child is born and his name is Samson. His parents

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Speaker 1: follow all the instructions and he grows stronger and stronger

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Speaker 1: and stronger. He will become a superhero of sorts, a legend,

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Speaker 1: a strong man like no other. God will use Sampson

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Speaker 1: in a mighty way despite his failings and weaknesses, and

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Speaker 1: we're going to hear more of his story the next time.

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Speaker 1: Dear God, we do thank you for the example of

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Speaker 1: Samson's parents, godly parents who sought You and your wisdom

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Speaker 1: and guidance for the raising of their child. Help us

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Speaker 1: to do the same as we want to bring up

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Speaker 1: our children in the nurture and in the training of

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Speaker 1: the Lord. Give us wisdom, Lord to be faithful parents,

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Speaker 1: to set the right example, and to bring up our

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Speaker 1: children to love and serve You in Jesus name. Amen.

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Speaker 1: Thank you once again for listening to today's Bible in

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Speaker 1: a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham, pastor the Prestonwood Baptist

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Speaker 1: Church in the Dallas area here in Texas, and I

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Speaker 1: want to encourage you to download the Prey dot com

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Speaker 1: app and make this time together in God's Word a

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Speaker 1: priority in your life. Tell other people about it, encourage

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Speaker 1: your family and friends about this podcast. And by sharing

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Speaker 1: this podcast, you can make a difference in someone's life.

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Speaker 1: You might even be the one who leads that person

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Speaker 1: to a personal faith in Christ, because Christ is in

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Speaker 1: the Bible and the Bible is all about Jesus. If

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Speaker 1: you want to know more about the Lord, how to

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Speaker 1: know him, how to serve him and be his disciple,

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Speaker 1: then let me encourage you to visit my website, which

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Speaker 1: is Jack Graham dot org. We would love to assist

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Speaker 1: you in any way possible as you grow in your

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Speaker 1: journey of faith. Again, that's Jack Graham dot org. God

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Speaker 1: bless you. This episode is sponsored by Medician, an innovative

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Speaker 1: healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality