Old Dog I
The Perversion Of A True Anointing
Bob Neumann
One of the most difficult images we must force ourselves to acknowledge is the issue of a perversion of a Holy Anointing/Divine Calling. There are those who may be disturbed that anyone would even dare state that such a thing is possible. But they are in great need of being awakened and told to search the WORD. THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT has given us images, both good and bad, for us to learn and to understand. Such is this specific lesson out of the book of Judges…. We all know the concept of prophetic shadows that rise up in the OT and point forward to JESUS. This story is a “what could have been”, making it an “antitype” of what JESUS WAS NOT. And this character is a Judge named Samson. What is interesting is his story begins in chapter 13; not overly auspicious. And appears after Israel had suffered for 40 years at the hands of the Philistines. It all really begins with THE ANGEL OF THE LORD telling an unnamed barren woman that she would bear a son; but it was conditional.
4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
Strange isn’t it, that an angel would show up one day and things would happen. Of course the woman had to tell her husband.
6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
Interestingly this is one of the few “angelic visitations” recorded in the whole OT. Yet today such occurrences seem to be becoming quite common. But few of ‘our’ angels would be described as “very terrible” which makes you wonder.
7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
This was the original idea; and we had better remember this fact.
8 Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
9 And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.
10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.
11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.
Theoretically this could have been any old angel until HE stated those two WORDS I AM. And we have a stronger understanding of THE ANGEL OF THE LORD.
But the story continues.
12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?
13 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.
Let’s look at this line again and try to understand that GOD is really asking more of one person here than in any other story within the bible, Jeremiah, David, Daniel, Samuel, Moses, whoever. And it is a woman; hubby is just along for the ride.
14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.
15 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
16 And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?
18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
This makes us think of a certain white horse rider in Rev 19 whose name no one knows but is KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.
19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.
20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
Regrettably this is how man always reacts to HIS PRESENCE…. and usually a little late in the story. Now I end with vs. 22…..Ol’ Samson is born in vs. 24 where it simply states. “and the LORD BLESSED him”.
Chapters 14 and 15 cover 20 years of ministry, if you call war and mayhem as ministry. Which at that time was necessary. While chapters 14 and 15 describe his problems with pagan women it appears GOD used it to make war on the Philistines. This changes in chapter 16, and certain harlots/loose women.
Friend Samson has a lust problem, and we know sin makes you stupid. Ol’ Samson gets dumber as the story goes on. One has to wonder how “dead asleep” he was for lil’ Delilah to tie him up several times, braid his hair to a loom shuttle, and eventually shave his head. In spite of his adultery has our Nazarite broken his vow by drinking himself into a stupor? It seems the case. Either way the greatly blessed Samson has a rude awakening in Judges 16:20
20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.
Samson was later blinded and tied to the Philistine grist mill to serve the enemy of GOD. And this is our image for our antitype. A man/woman is anointed and serving GOD powerfully. Then one day sin enters in and the giftings of the anointing are taken for granted. And because the ‘person’ continues to be used in “signs and wonders” their sin is winked upon. They are often spiritually deaf to the words of warning that come repeatedly. So when the enemy strikes the spiritual eyes that are plucked out had been clouded long time earlier.
Today many once anointed people tread the saints of GOD in Satan’s grist mill working completely in the flesh…in their own strength because they stopped hearing GOD long ago. And they are equally blind to all that is of GOD. And I wished the story ended there but it does not. Although the end is dramatic it only proves GOD can use even unrepentant, degenerate, reprobate children…..
28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. Regrettably there is no repentance in this prayer, just fleshly vengeance.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
And GOD obliged him and he died avenging himself. Strange story in many ways but the fact that Samson never knew when GOD departed and assumed he had his strength when he did not. Likewise too many today are busily building their ministries unaware of where FATHER GOD is in their lives.
Were they anointed? Maybe, but they don’t have it any more.
Even after 20 years of good service, or even more. Just ask KING SAUL.
Selah
Bob in Miami