Title: Wise Example Rejected / Topic: Singular Weakness

Today’s Reading: Judges 13; Judges 14; Judges 15; Judges 16; 2 Corinthians 2

Scripture: Judges 13:8-12, 14:6
Judges 13:8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born." 9 God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!" 11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?" "I am," he said. 12 So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?"
Judges 14:6 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.

Observation: I am so impressed with Manoah and his wife. Manoah has real faith and humility -- in verses 8 and 12 we see it clearly. His prayer to the Lord and his question of the angel reveal that he did not doubt the promise of God to his wife and his desire to seek and follow God's instruction regarding the fulfillment of this promise. Look at these expressions of faith (italicized) and humility (bold): "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."... "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?"

I am also impressed that even though Samson's parents have a true faith and humility, Samson did not pick it up. Though he has this amazing encounter with: 1) God (being filled with spiritual power and physical strength); 2) a lion (which attacked him); and 3) satan (who empowered the lion to kill him -- though Samson did not discern this), he doesn't mention it to his parents! This inclination not to open up to them -- to deal with his life privately and on his own -- persists throughout his life and is one of his downfalls. What might have happened, had he shared the lion encounter with them? Who knows? One thing is for certain -- had he shared his other private struggles with them, the horrible consequences of his life could have been avoided.

Application: For me the bottom line is that I must have people with whom I can share my private battles. This is something that I must intentionally make happen: finding others who know what I am going through and dealing with. I must have these comrades because this can help me from making truly disastrous choices in isolation.

Prayer: Lord, keep me connected to others that will speak your wisdom in my life. May never rely only on what I think and believe. And like Manoah, give me faith and humility that trusts in you without question and is open and teachable.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.