February 2024 – Deeperlook

WELCOMING ADDRESS

Welcome to the first part of this study series.

This is a story most of us that grew up attending Sunday school know.

There is a lot to learn from Samson, and this series will be showing you just that.

Let’s begin.

THE BEGINNING

She has expected she would be a mother as soon as she married, and although she was well loved by her husband, they did not have the one thing the long desired for; a child.

Their home was peaceful and they worked well together, and even though they longed to hear the laughter of a child in their home, they had come to accept their fate.

One day, while she was in the field she was approached by a man who looked different from anyone she had met and he spoke to her straightforwardly.

“You may be barren now without children but you are going to have a son and you are not to shave his head neither will he drink wine nor take any alcoholic beverage. He must stay away from anything that is contaminated. He will be a Nazarite from your womb. His divine purpose is to deliver Israel from the Philistines”

After saying this to her, the man vanished.

The wife (whose name was not mentioned) went to her husband quickly and told him everything that happened. She was quick to add that the man was a man of God and had a shiny countenance.

Manoah, the husband listened with rapt attention. The bond with his wife included his deep trust for her words. She wouldn’t joke with something as serious as their inability to have a child.

“God, let the man of God that came to my wife return and teach us what to do with the child you will give us” he prayed.

The wife returned back to the field and while she was there, the man returned. The moment she saw him, she ran to her husband and drew him to the field.

Manoah asked him “How are we to take care of the child?”

“Everything I told her, let her do”

Months after, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom they named “Samson”

Samson means distinguised, special, different, called out.

Story culled out from Judges 13 (fictionalized for the purpose of this study, read chapter for full context).

HAIR LOCS AND A PROMISE

The parents of Samson were unable to have children, however they were in a place of rest and contentment when God decided to bless them with a unique child.

They were dealing with infertility. A condition where a couple had difficulty bearing children after a year of intentionally trying. The Bible was not specific about how many years they were unable to have children but from the tone of the verse were their state was described, there is a sense that they had waited for a while.

Infertility is a great concern for couples that want to start a family, and it can come with a lot of mental and physical discomfort, sometimes affecting the relationship between spouses. This shows that Samson’s parents may have not been in their best place because a child also meant security in their old age plus a possibility of extending their genealogy.

Sometimes, God will answer our desires from a place of rest in Him. Whatever our heart is longing for, we should first be content in God.

If I don’t get this, will my heart feel dismayed? Will it affect my devotion to the LORD? Will He still be my desire? Will I still long to be in His presence?

These simple people who did not hold any prominent position still understood the importance of knowing who was passing the information. They asked God for confirmation, and God gave it to them.

Ask questions

They refused to grab just any opportunity out of desperation, they were watchful.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (KJV)

Now, there were conditions for this child and the details of a Nazerene was given in Numbers 6:1-21.

Even though, they had not seen the child, yet when they got confirmation that it was God who was speaking to them, they were willing to follow through with the instructions given.

Are you willing to obey?

Obedience is intentional.

Samson’s parents obeyed for in:

Judges 13: 24-25 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. (KJV)

In their obedience, God’s word about their son was fulfilled.

In our obedience, God’s word about our lives are fulfilled

SUMMARY

LIFE APPLICATION

It is easier to read about obedience than it is to practice it.

It was easy for these couple to disbelievr what they were told by an unknown man, however they were patient to confirm the source before believing.

They were concerned about the instructions more than the result (in the form of a son).

Our obedience to God is more important than the promise we hope to receive because God will always fulfill His promise.

but can we be obedient?

Once they were sure the child was a promise from God, their desire was to obey the instructions they were given.

Their dedication to God was shown in how God moved in the life of Samson. They understood their responsibility in nuturing Samson, and it showed as God fulfilled His promise about him.

The promise that he was a deliverer of his people

May we choose obedience on the platform of trust in who God is and not only in what He can give. Amen