Parenting and Potential
Samson has always grabbed my attention. I remember as a child imagining in my head what it would have been like to be as strong as Samson. Samson is a well-known hero of the Bible, one that children are often familiar with. However, if we think of the story of Samson as simply a superhero story for kids, we will miss the many lessons this story has for people of all ages and in all walks of life. After all, the story of Samson is considered an ancient masterpiece. (Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. Broadman & Holman, 1999. p 391)
In this post, I will be looking at this story just like I look at all stories in the Bible, as a true story, inspired by God that we can learn eternal truths from.
So let us dive in!
Again?
Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
Judges 13:1 NKJV (bold mine)
The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that this is the 7th mention of Israel’s apostasy in the Book of Judges ( Judges 3:5–7, 12–14; 4:1–3; 6:1–2; 8:33–35; 10:6–9) (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Judges. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 403). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.) This is considered the climax of Israel’s rebellion against God and His will.
When you read through the book of Judges you notice a clear pattern of apostasy, oppression, appeals for relief, and deliverance. (Block, Daniel Isaac. Judges, Ruth. Broadman & Holman, 1999. p391) This pattern is easily seen in the stories of Othniel (Judges 3:7-11), Ehud (Judges 3:12-29), and Barak (Judges 4:1-5:31), and even in the story of Gideon (Judges 6:1-9:57). You would also notice that with each story the storyteller becomes more interested in the personality of the judge/deliverer and sticks less to just the cycle. In the story of Jephthah, the structure begins to miss some of the parts of the cycle and this trend only intensifies in the story of Samson.
In the story of Samson, the cycle of apostasy —> oppression —> cry —> deliverance is severely disturbed. Most noticeable is the lack of response of Israel, there is no crying out to the LORD. Could it be that Israel slowly became used to being oppressed by its enemies? Perhaps they figured life would be easier with a little bit of compromise, after all, nobody is perfect right? They knew they could cry out to God, but then they would also have to re-commit their lives to God, they would have to confess their sins and repent. Could they be trying to simply manage their sin instead of allowing God to remove it from their lives?
Do we ever settle for less than what life could be because we are hesitant to give up our sins and fully surrender our hearts to Jesus?
40 years!?
Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.
Judges 13:1 NKJV (bold mine)
Dates are tricky in the book of Judges. There are questions as to whether this period was before, or included, the days of Samson and perhaps extended beyond to the battle of Ebenezer in the days of Samuel (1 Sam. 7:13). Samson was likely born in the early years of the Philistine oppression and according to some authorities, this oppression was contemporaneous with the Ammonite oppression and judgeship of Jephthah. (Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1976). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 382). Review and Herald Publishing Association.)
This chapter is by no means in direct chronological sequence to the preceding one. What we know is that the scene has shifted to the tribe of Dan, and the Philistines on the west, but there is nothing to guide us as to the exact time when the things narrated occurred. But the end of the forty years probably coincided with the judgeship of Samuel; for there was no complete deliverance in the time of Samson, only occasional checks to the Philistine domination (see ver. 5). It was not till the days of Samuel that the Philistines were really smitten (see 1 Sam. 7:3–14). The birth of Samson probably took place somewhere in the first decade of the Philistine oppression. (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Judges (pp. 137–138). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
We need a Hero!
This is the portion of the story where usually we would have a description of how Israel cried out to the Lord (Judges 3:9, 15; 6:6; 10:10) and the Lord raised a deliverer. Except, as we mentioned earlier, the Samson narrative is different. In this story, the Israelites display little discomfort and there is barely any evidence that they want to be delivered. There is also no formal announcement that the Lord raised up a deliverer. (Judges 2:16-18; 3:9,15) (Block, Daniel Isaac. p396)
Barren
Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children.
- Judges 13:2 NKJV (bold mine)
Reading the Bible we realize that barrenness, to a Hebrew woman, was the greatest of calamities. Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel were likewise barren. So was Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. (Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1976). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 383). Review and Herald Publishing Association.)
What follows in the story is a call narrative, kinda… It is not explicit and direct, and the call does not come directly to the person called but rather to his mother.
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
- Judges 13:3 NKJV (bold mine)
Some of the greatest men of the Hebrew nation were born of women who had previously been barren. Children like these were in a special sense the gift of God, and the parents had the great responsibility of being fully devoted to the Lord and to rear their children in such a way as to enable them to be special instruments of the Lord on behalf of His people. (Nichol, F. D. p. 383).
The Mission
Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
- Judges 13:4-5 NKJV
The word Nazarite means “separated,” or, “devoted.” It is probably a shortened form of the full title, “devoted to God.” The Nazirite vow was a voluntary and temporary vow, carried out only for a specified period of time (see Numbers 6:2). Its significance consisted in the consecration of life to God. The outward manifestation of the vow consisted of three things:
(1) abstaining from all products of the grape, including the wine or the fruit, fresh or dried (Num. 6:3, 4);
(2) allowing the hair of the head to grow, untouched by a razor or cutting instrument (Num. 6:5);
(3) refraining from approaching a dead body under any circumstances lest defilement be incurred (Num. 6:6).
The Nazirite vow was highly regarded among the Hebrews (Amos 2:11; Lam. 4:7). Samuel was a Nazirite (1 Sam. 1:11), as was also John the Baptist (Luke 1:15). Some have thought that perhaps Joseph (see Gen. 49:26, where the word translated “separate” is the same word used of Samson here in this verse and of all the Nazirites) was a Nazirite. ( Nichol, F. D. p383)
The law of the Nazarites is contained in Numbers 6, and it is worth noting that it describes only Nazarites of days, in other words, Nazarites for a definite time. Whereas Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist were perpetual Nazarites, Nazarites of forever, as the Mishna classifies them. Paul took the vow of a Nazarite of days, and offered the prescribed sacrifices, together with “the hair of the head of his separation,” as we read in Acts 18:18; 21:23–26. (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Judges (p. 138). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company.)
Parenting and Potential
Talk to mom
So the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. And He said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”
- Judges 13:6-7 NKJV
There is an interesting debate that tends to take place at this point in the story. Is the mother a marginalized character?
The mother is never named, she is simply the woman. However, she is the one the angel talks to. I feel like it might be a bit early to have this discussion. Let’s read a bit more.
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.”
And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!”
- Judges 13:8-10 NKJV
Manoah, the husband, wants to talk to this “man” and asks God to send “the man” again to teach them what they shall do. I admire Manoah for not doubting, he believes the child will be born, if anything he wants to make sure he knows how to raise the child. This is a great question and all parents should inquire of God in this manner.
As you continue reading the story you realize that in reality, the nameless mother is portrayed as wise and capable. The angel talks to her, and she understands what is going on. Manoah, the husband, on the other hand, seems confused and unsure and blunders along. So it could be argued that although only Manoah is the only named parent of Samson, it is the nameless mother is the one who is depicted as being competent.
Parenting
You don’t have to be a mother to appreciate the importance of parenting. The parents/caregivers of children have incredible influence over the life of a child and this should not be taken lightly. The Angel of the Lord shows up to talk to the mother because God understands that the involvement of the parents, and especially the mother, is crucial to the success of the child.
It is worth noting that the Angel of the Lord gives guidance that involves the diet of the child. According to this portion of the story, what we eat impacts our spiritual health. Samson has an important mission, “he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” And to accomplish this, he is to avoid certain foods and drinks.
I love what the book Patriarchs and Prophets has to say regarding this.
True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful and to use judiciously that which is healthful. There are few who realize as they should how much their habits of diet have to do with their health, their character, their usefulness in this world, and their eternal destiny. The appetite should ever be in subjection to the moral and intellectual powers. The body should be servant to the mind, and not the mind to the body.
- Patriarchs and Prophets p562
What I take away from this is that the discipline it takes to eat a healthy diet and avoid unhealthy food and drink is beneficial since it develops character. From childhood, the person learns to control their appetite and cravings and this is also helpful in spiritual pursuits. God is interested in the whole person, mind, body, and soul. When one aspect suffers, the whole person suffers.
As a father of a boy and a girl, I do my very best to help my kids develop healthy habits. I want them to go to bed early, drink water, exercise, pray often, do their personal devotion, be kind and honest, etc. I believe it is important for me to model this behavior and to encourage my children to live their lives similarly. My kids are free to have their personal preferences, to a certain degree. They can choose what kind of exercise, so long as they exercise. They can choose how they want to eat their vegetables, as long as they eat them. They can even choose their desert, but not how much desert they can have.
I still have much to learn, but I strongly believe that actively removing things that I know to be harmful from my life and finding a balance among helpful things is a good way to go about figuring out not only life but also parenthood.
Children naturally have less power to resist temptation than their parents/guardians. If the adults in their life, especially their parents, do not set a good example, the next generation tends to fall even lower, and the cycle repeats itself with society continuing to decline generation after generation. All parents should echo the prayer of Manoah:
So Manoah asked him, “When your words come true, what kind of rules should govern the boy’s life and work?”
Judges 13:12 NLT
We ought to start teaching children about self-control and right and wrong from the time they are babies. That is the best time to help them develop healthy habits, eating fruits and vegetables, eating at the appropriate times, putting away their toys, telling the truth, sharing, etc. A child should not get to do whatever they want just because they’re a child.
Practical Application
God has a plan for our lives, and being in good physical health is conducive to God’s plan. Avoiding alcoholic drinks is not only beneficial to those undertaking the Nazirite vow in ancient Israel but also beneficial today. When we are careless about our physical health we miss out on blessings that God has in store for us. He can still bless us, but we limit our blessings when we disregard our health.
God has a plan for the children in our lives, our kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, and students, need good role models, good mentors who will help direct them on the right path. Let us not take lightly our influence over the lives of the younger ones. Parents especially should pray often asking God for guidance in this matter. God has a plan, maybe He is calling you simply to start something that someone else will continue, but God has a plan for you. You just need to ask Him what it is and He will guide you in your steps.
