Year 1, Day 274: Judges 13

Wow, I have had an absolutely phenomenal day.  Of course, it means that the blog post is being written at 11:40 pm – while technically still the day I vowed to write it we all know it isn’t going to actually post until just after midnight.  So I apologize for that.  But let me tell you real quickly about my phenomenal day.

I got to hang out with a congregation member at Carrowinds (Amusement park in Charlotte, NC) all day.  There was a Christian music festival down there.  For a $20 ticket (and $15 for a highly overpriced lunch) I got to ride roller coasters for several hours and then sit through a Disciple concert, a Toby Mac concert, a Brandon Heath concert, and I also got to be introduced to The Almost as well as a neat Christian speaker in Tom Richter.  Well worth the cumulative $35.  We left at 8:30 this morning and I didn’t get back in town until 11:40. So I apologize for the post being late, but oh what a wonderfully spiritual day.

Onto Judges…

Samson

Judges 13 introduces us to the most famous judge in Samson – although I personally would consider the most famous judge as Samuel … but I doubt I am in much company there.  Today we hear of the birth account of a Nazirite boy.  [See Numbers 6:1-20 if you don’t recall what a Nazirite is.]

Why a Nazirite boy?  Were any of the other judges required to make special vows?  No, certainly not.  But is God a god of absolute tradition?  No!  What have I been saying all along about the judges?  God utilizes multiple avenues, multiple tactics, and multiple patterns of responses.  Just when people think they’ve figured out God, God comes along and does something new!

So the question shouldn’t be “why a Nazirite” but “why not a Nazirite?”  Can God use a Nazirite to save His people?  Absolutely!  I think part of God choosing this approach is to keep His people on their toes. 

But furthermore I think God also desires to remind His people that following God has a cost.  Being close to God’s people and receiving blessings from God requires something of the follower.  The recipient of the gift only gives a proper response to God’s blessing by following God, sacrificing of themselves, and allowing God to be the center of their life.  That is what the Nazirite vow is all about, really.  So indeed, “Why not a Nazirite?” 

Of course, we’ll soon realize that Samson is no model follower of God.  Even though he is under a Nazirite vow he is certainly not adept at putting God in the center of his life.  He gets the job done, but not in the way that he could get the job done.

Manoah and His Wife

Let’s turn our focus upon Manoah and his wife – whose name is actually never mentioned in spite of Manoah’s name being said 18 times.  What do we see Manoah and his wife doing here?

First, we see them believe the word of the Lord.  Manoah’s wife is given a promise and she believes it and passes it on to her husband.  In spite of the Hebrew people’s turning away from the Lord and their oppression under the Philistines – there are at least two righteous people in Israel!  There are likely more than that, honestly.  Believe God’s Word, and believe those who are sent to you to proclaim God’s Word to you.

Second, we see them seek out God and His advice.  They ask God to be trained in how to raise up a godly child!  Isn’t that fresh and inviting!  Here are parents who don’t assume they know all the answers.  Here are parents who actually assume that they will mess it up without some help.  They humble themselves before God and seek out His ways, His will, and His directive.  Whether we are parents-to-be or just people trying to follow God’s calling for us, it is important for us to stop and seek out God and His ways.

Third, when they receive godly advice they follow it.  This is shown two ways.  Verse 24 confirms that Manoah and his wife tried their best to raise Samson in a godly manner as the Lord blesses him – in spite of his obvious shortcomings, which we will see in the coming chapters.  But we also see this in a far less subtle way.  When Manoah desires to slaughter a goat and prepare it for God’s messenger, Manoah is directed to offer it to God instead.  Manoah listens!  They are willing to adhere to godly advice.

There is much we can learn from Manoah, and we are not yet done.  As we continue in the life of Samson over the next few days, let’s not forget that Manoah and his wife did their part.  Godly parents don’t always end up with godly children.  Parents can do what they can with their children, but everyone is responsible for their own choices.  Faith cannot be forced upon anyone.  As we see Samson’s many faults in the next few days, we must be careful to not let it be a slander upon Manoah and his wife.  They are godly people as this chapter attests.

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