The priceless guidance of the Lord

Study on Judges 13, Part 2

As I continue reading and studying Judges 13, the Lord reminds me of things I must keep in mind in verses 4-14. For sake of space I will not type all these verses out here. But I do recommend you read through them in your Bible. I will highlight the key verses as I share these great reminders with you.

Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

Judges 13:4

God knows our weaknesses/temptations.

The angel of the Lord gave Manoah’s wife very specific instructions. Instructions about how to handle her pregnancy and the raising of her little boy. Jewish law was very important and specific concerning things to eat, not eat, how to pray, how to sacrifice, how to treat people, etc. I find it interesting that in verse 4 the angel of the Lord only reminds this woman she is not to drink wine nor strong drink, and not to eat any unclean thing. He didn’t remind her of the hundreds of other laws she was to be living by. Perhaps she had a problem with these two? Maybe this was an area of weakness for her. How many times does God have to remind me and rebuke me about the sins I get hung up on? I’m thankful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit which reminds us what NOT to do!

Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

Judges 13:8

Our first response, when we don’t know what to do, should be prayer.

When Manoah’s wife told him she was going to have a baby, the first thing he did was go to the Lord. He knew they would need God’s help in parenting! This verse also shows us he had a desire to be taught of God. Let us all be so minded, that when we don’t know what to do, or are uncertain about a situation, we call on the Lord first!

And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

Judges13:9

God hears the cries of his children, and will meet you right where you are!

God sent his angel to meet the woman again, and answered Manoah’s husband’s prayer. He will do the same for you. God doesn’t wait for us to “get right” before we can call upon him. He hears us wherever, whenever! No matter what you think you have done to cause “distance” between yourself and God, call out to him. Seek his face. Ask forgiveness, and he will lead you and restore fellowship with him again.

And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.
And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

Judges 13:10-11

There is nothing better than a husband and wife who desire to serve the Lord together.

The first thing Manoah’s wife did when she heard from God was run to tell her husband. Manoah immediately went. These two had a desire to live for God, and to please him. They were just told some very exciting news – think about it! She couldn’t have children, and all of a sudden she will be having a baby boy! They could have forgotten God, and ran to tell their family. They could have started preparing a “nursery”, and daydreaming about baby things. But they prayed, asked God for further instructions, and wanted to spend time in the presence of God.

And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

Judges 13:12

Mom and Dad must be united in how the children are raised!

Manoah prayed to the Lord and asked how WE should raise the child and what WE should do with him. Parenting works best when Mom and Dad AND GOD are united in the areas of discipline, religion, core values, etc. Parenting is already a battle in itself. You vs. the world, you vs. your child, you vs. the grandparents sometimes! The best time to discuss how you believe your children should be raised is before marriage. Yes, I said it. This is an important conversation to have early on. If a woman wants to stay at home and raise babies one day, but a man believes the wife should pitch in financially by working outside the home, this is a core issue when it comes to having children! If Dad believes in spanking the children, but Mom can’t fathom disciplining them, it will lead to chaos and arguments once children are in the home. Talk about it BEFORE.