Judges 13
The mother of Samson.
Unnamed.
Barren.
Yet chosen.
We know very little about her. The Lord chose to not be excessively detailed about her, except to tell us that she was barren, and that she was in a place where the Lord could meet with her.
She could’ve been bitter from her situation.
She could’ve been someone that the Lord could not have miraculously used.
But instead, she was available.
When the Angel of the Lord appeared, he immediately recognized the barrenness she was facing, and let her know that she was chosen.
Chosen, by one higher and holier than herself.
There was nothing special about her, not even her name, yet she was chosen because she was available, she was in a place where the Lord could meet with her.
And when the Lord met with her, she went home and told her husband. But she didn’t run home and talk down to him for the Lord not speaking to him.
As women, we are emotional creatures, and it’s easy for us to have a condescending attitude towards our husbands where spirituality is concerned. Men are not as emotional, and emotions do not equal spirituality.
Manoah’s spiritual state isn’t specified, but his wife stirred up a desire in him to meet with the Lord himself.
She drew him to the Lord.
A lot of women complain about their husbands. Yet, they do nothing to stir up any desire for the Lord in their families. Samson’s mother was meeting with the Lord, and because of that, it created a hunger in those around her to meet with him too.
Before you complain about the spirituality in your home, evaluate yours first.
Not only did Samson’s mother stir up spirituality in her home, but she lived a separated life for the baby she carried.
The Lord required Samson to take the Nazarite vow, which meant that his mother also had to live clean and separate.
She was raising children to be set apart, why would she not also live set apart herself?
There were things she couldn’t eat or drink, things she couldn’t touch, places she couldn’t go, if she was going to raise a Nazarite child.
If you’re going to raise set apart children, then there will be things you don’t partake of, places you don’t go, things you don’t wear and so on.
You will not raise extraordinary children being an ordinary mother.
There was nothing special about Samson’s mother, yet look at what she accomplished in her family. Look at what she accomplished IN HER HOME, her place, her calling.
She stirred a desire to walk with the Lord.
And raised extraordinary children, because she chose to live set apart.
Was Samson perfect?
No.
And your family won’t be either.
But while Samson wasn’t perfect, his mother set him up for success.
And you have that power.
Extraordinary families don’t have ordinary wives and mothers. You get to choose if you’re ordinary or not.
Commenti