In our narrative we see that a special circumstance confronted Manoah and his wife – her womb was barren. This dear man and wife were obviously true believers in the LORD God and walked righteously before Him, but their hearts were broken, for they had no child. To die childless was a tragedy because the Israelites considered children to be a very special gift from God; if a couple was barren, they felt they were not pleasing God and were not favored by Him. But the LORD stepped into the situation to meet their need and gave them a very special promise. The angel of the LORD promised that Manoah’s wife was to miraculously bear a son. “The angel of the LORD” was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, a preincarnate appearance of Him. Some very special instructions were given by the LORD, to the pregnant mother – she was to drink no alcoholic beverage nor eat any unclean food; after the child was born, she was never to use a razor on his head. The reason for these instructions was that the child was being sent on a special mission for the LORD. He was to be a Nazirite, that is, totally set apart to God from his birth; and then once grown, he was to begin to deliver Israel.
