Samson in Judges 13: What’s Missing in Israel’s Cry for Help

The life of Samson is one of the most fascinating narratives in all of Scripture. His story begins in Judges 13 and continues through chapter 16, and along the way, we discover both the power of God and the weakness of man. There are so many lessons to be learned from Samson’s life—some encouraging, others sobering. This Samson Bible study helps us see those lessons with clarity.

As I was studying Judges 13, something caught my attention. There’s something missing in the opening verses of Samson’s story. It’s not a mistake, and it’s not an oversight. Rather, it’s intentional—purposeful. The author of Judges leaves something out in order to teach us something powerful, and once we see it, we’ll understand what it has to do with us and how it can help us in our spiritual growth.

This is the first lesson in a series where we’ll walk through the entire life of Samson. Each lesson will build on the previous one, so I encourage you to stay with me throughout the series.

Setting the Stage: Historical Context

To understand Samson in Judges 13, we need a little bit of historical background. Where does the book of Judges fit into the timeline of the Old Testament? Let’s trace it briefly.

1. The Patriarchal Period – The time of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
2. The Exodus Period – Israel’s 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the leadership of Moses, the miraculous exodus, and 40 years of wilderness wandering.
3. The Conquest under Joshua – After Moses, Joshua led the people into the promised land to take possession of it.
4. The Period of the Judges – This is where we find Samson. Israel has entered the land, but now they must learn how to live there according to God’s commands.
5. The United Monarchy – After the time of the judges, Saul, David, and Solomon ruled as kings of Israel.

Samson’s story unfolds squarely in the period of the Judges—a season marked by both God’s deliverance and Israel’s repeated failure.

The Key Verse for Understanding Judges

“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.” (Judges 2:10, ESV)

This verse describes what happened after the death of Joshua. The new generation didn’t know the Lord or what He had done for Israel. Why? Because the previous generation had failed to disciple them.

In our modern Christian terms, the Joshua generation didn’t pass on the faith to the next generation. They didn’t teach them who God is or remind them of what He had done. And because of that, the book of Judges is filled with chaos, idolatry, and brokenness. This verse is crucial for understanding why Samson’s generation lived the way they did.

A Familiar Pattern in Judges

As you read through the book of Judges, a consistent pattern emerges. Over and over, we see the same cycle play out:

1. Israel sins – They turn away from God, often into idolatry.
2. God hands them over to oppressors – Foreign nations dominate them.
3. Israel cries out to the Lord – They plead for deliverance.
4. God raises up a judge – A deliverer comes to rescue them.
5. Peace follows—then the cycle starts again.

This five-step cycle repeats again and again throughout the book. But when we arrive at Judges 13—the beginning of Samson’s story—one of those steps is missing.

What’s Missing in Judges 13?

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.” (Judges 13:1)

There’s the first two steps of the pattern: Israel sinned, and God gave them over to oppression. Next, we’d expect the third step: Israel cried out to the Lord. But it never happens.

Instead, verse 2 immediately begins the story of Samson’s parents:

“There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children…”

The cry for help is missing. Unlike every other major judge before Samson—Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah—where the text says, “Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord,” in Samson’s story, the people never call out for deliverance. That omission is significant for this Samson lesson.

Why Didn’t Israel Cry Out?

Why wouldn’t the people cry out for help, as they had in earlier times? We can’t know for certain, but the text gives us some clues.

• Forty years of oppression. Judges 13:1 says Israel was under Philistine control for 40 years—the longest period of oppression under any judge. That means entire generations grew up and lived their whole lives knowing nothing but Philistine rule. When oppression is all you’ve ever known, you may lose the hope that things could be different.
• Lack of discipleship. As Judges 2:10 reminds us, this generation hadn’t been taught about the Lord or His mighty works. If you don’t know who God is or what He’s done, you won’t know that you can cry out to Him for deliverance.

Put those together, and it makes sense: Israel didn’t cry out because they didn’t even know they could.

God’s Grace Breaks Through

And yet, here’s the beautiful part: even though Israel never cried out, God raised up a deliverer anyway.

“Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” (Judges 13:5)

That’s grace. Some people think grace begins in the New Testament, but here in Judges 13 we see God’s grace on full display. He steps in to deliver His people even though they didn’t ask for it.

Why? Because He loves them. Because He grieves over their suffering. Because He never intended for them to remain in bondage forever.

Lessons for Us Today

What does this mean for us? Several powerful truths emerge from this passage:

1. God’s grace is greater than our ignorance. Sometimes we don’t cry out to God—not because we’re stubborn, but because we don’t even realize we can. Yet God intervenes anyway.
2. Discipleship matters. One reason Israel didn’t cry out is because they hadn’t been taught who God is or what He had done. We must be intentional about discipling the next generation so they know the Lord and have faith to call on Him.
3. God doesn’t delight in our suffering. Even when our struggles are the result of our own sin, God’s heart is moved with compassion. His discipline is never meant to leave us hopeless—it’s meant to draw us back to Him.
4. Reflect on God’s unseen interventions. Think back over the past year, or even the past five years. Can you see moments when God intervened in your life—even though you never asked Him to? That’s grace at work.

Reflection Questions

• Where in your life might you need to cry out to God for help, but haven’t yet?
• Can you identify moments in your past when God intervened for your good even though you didn’t ask Him to?
• How can you be more intentional in discipling others—whether your children, your friends, or younger believers—so that they will know the Lord and trust Him?

Conclusion: God Responds in Grace

In Judges 13, the missing cry for help teaches us something profound. Israel didn’t cry out—but God delivered them anyway. That’s the kind of God we serve: a God who responds in grace, who intervenes even when we don’t know we can ask, who raises up a deliverer because He loves His people.

Samson’s story is just beginning here, and there’s so much more for us to learn as we follow his life. But already, from the opening verses, we see a God whose grace exceeds our silence and whose love overcomes our ignorance.

So take heart. Reflect on your own life. Notice the ways God has shown grace to you—even when you didn’t cry out. And let that encourage you to trust Him even more deeply.

Free Companion Study Guide

This blog post is based on Lesson 1 of my series on the life of Samson. I’ve prepared a companion study guide that goes along with this very lesson. Inside, you’ll find fill-in-the-blank notes, reflection questions, and prompts that will help you go deeper into Judges 13 and apply it to your life.

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👉 Download the free Samson Bible Study Guide here