Village Schools of the Bible

RASCALS USED BY GOD
A Devotional Study of Judges
by Max Frazier, Jr.

A BOY WITH A GREAT FUTURE
Judges 13

Welcome, friends, to another study from the Word of God. We will be concluding our study in the lives of those unique individuals whom we know as the Old Testament judges. We have certainly met a strange cast of characters, haven't we? And yet each one has taught us something about ourselves and our relationship with God. And for that, we say a thank you to God for including their stories in His marvelous Word.

Of all the judges, Samson is the one with whom we are most familiar. Hollywood has glamorized his life, especially focusing upon his story with Delilah. We see portraits of his tearing a lion apart or of pulling the Philistine temple down upon himself in those closing moments of his life. The story of Samson is so similar to that of many today. It is the account of a man who begins life with a great future, yet, because of disobedience and self-will, never fully realizes that potential.

We begin our study of the life of Samson in Judges 13. There was a special family in the valley of Zoreh who had been childless for quite some time. Seemingly they had given up on ever having children of their own. Now to not have children in those days was the mark of God's hands being against you. Yet, if I read the text carefully, this couple must have covenanted with God concerning their children if God would send them some.

To this childless couple the preincarnate Christ appeared to announce the birth of a special son, a promised deliverer from the Philistines. They would name that son, Samson.

Now Samson joined the ranks of several other important people who were singled out by God for a special blessing even before they were born. Jacob was one of them, for we read in Genesis 25:23, And the Lord said to her (that is to Rebekah, Jacob's mother), "Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples shall be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger."

Also called by God prior to his birth was Jeremiah. God told him, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). The Apostle Paul understood that God's hand had been upon him before he was born, for he writes to the Galatians, But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15-16). And, of course, aside from the birth narrative of Jesus Christ, the most famous of all children whose birth was announced before hand, was that of John the Baptist (read Luke 1:13-17).

Now God does not always call us before our birth as He did these men, but the Bible teaches us that God cared about us before the foundation of the world was laid. We know that God has a special plan for each of our lives and that God is interested in us as people with a purpose. It is God's desire to bless the world through you. I am reminded of those words of a song which Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote many years ago. Why not join in singing or praying these words to God in the form of a prayer of thanksgiving for making you what you are.

I am something special, I am the only one of my kind,
God gave me a body, and a bright healthy mind.
He has a special purpose, that He wanted me to find,
So He made me something special, I am the only one of my kind.

A POWERFUL PARENTAL PRAYER
Judges 13:8

In our last study we noticed that Samson was to be someone very special, having been chosen by God for a specific task, that of delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Because Samson was to be someone special, his parents needed to be special as well.

Now we know that God asked that Samson be dedicated as a Nazirite from the moment of his birth. You will find the account of what it meant to be a Nazirite in Numbers 6, verses 2-8. This vow meant that a person was holy to the Lord. It was usually a voluntary vow taken for a certain period of time, but in the case of Samson, this vow was to be forever.

Because of this special vow which was to be upon Samson, notice the commands of God to his parents, found in verse 13. There we read, The angel of the Lord answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her." This time of separation from the normal routines of life which they had enjoyed for years, was to be a time of preparation for them before the birth of their special child.

I was thinking the other day how good it would be if all parents were to separate themselves to God before their children came. It might help them to recognize the fact that that child is a gift from God. And it might help them to ask the question of God which Manoah, Samson's father, asked: 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 (Judges 13:8). Through that prayer, Samson's parents sought guidance from the Lord.

The Bible tells us that children are a precious gift from God. Listen to these words from the Psalmist: Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (Psalm 127:3-5). What an awesome responsibility which God entrusts to us to nurture and to guide those precious lives. What a comfort to know that we, as parents, can ask God for guidance and for wisdom, knowing that He will supply those requests.

Because his parents were willing to separate themselves prior to his birth, God was able to bless Samson. We read in verse 24 that Samson grew and the Lord blessed him. God will bless each of us if we will separate ourselves unto Him. The Bible commands our separation from the world (read 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Now that does not mean that we are to live in a cave or become a hermit. It does not mean that we are to be penniless or destitute. But it does mean that we must put God first in our lives and that everything you and I do centers around His will for our lives. And when we give God everything, in return, we will receive the blessings of the Lord. What a precious thought.

Father, what a privilege to call You, Father. Thank You for making us special and for calling us with a purpose. Thank You for the heritage which many of us have had growing up in a godly home. Thank You for parents who showed us Your love through their actions. And, as many of us are parents and grandparents, may our lives display Your love to our children and grandchildren, that they might come to know how very special they are, not only to us, but to You. For we pray this in the name of the One who allowed the children to praise Him. Amen.

Judges 11 Return to the Table of Contents Judges 14