Samson Part 1

So that’s it. We’ve covered all the minor judges and I’ve introduced you to fifteen individuals in my life who have led, challenged and inspired me. It’s been a wonderful exercise for me and I hope it has been of some interest to you. Maybe it has made you think about the individuals who have walked alongside you on your life’s journey, leading, challenging and inspiring……

We’re now turning our attention to Samson for a few days. He is one of those special children in the Bible born to parents who are childless and barren – there are quite a few (Isaac and Samuel and John the Baptist for example). He is one of those special children who has been set aside from before his birth for a special role of deliverance (Jesus is the perfect example of this of course).

The Israelites have been delivered into the hands of the Philistines for forty years, because they ‘did evil in the eyes of the Lord’. That is, until childless, barren wife of Manoah receives this message from the angel of the Lord –

“You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”  Judges 13:3-5

I cannot begin to imagine how that feels – the joy at being told you will be having a child after all; the fear of what his future may hold; the anxiety of having the responsibility for a ‘chosen’ child…..

She goes to her husband and repeats the message from a man of God, who ‘looked like an angel of God, very awesome’ (v6  I love that – very awesome indeed!)

Manoah is feeling the fear and responsibility and pressure –

“Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to 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

So God sends an angel to Manoh’s wife again and she fetches her husband (which seems a roundabout way of doing things and begs the question – why not send the angel direct to Manoah?) and he asks –

“When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”  Judges 13:12

‘Exactly as I have already commanded’. It’s that simple. Just listen to, trust and obey what I have already said to you.

Manoah wants to feed the angel. This is not appropriate.

Manoah wants to know the angel’s name. This is not appropriate.

“Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.”  Judges 13:18

Manoah wants to put a label on the experience, limit it to words, reduce it to human understanding….this is not the way. God is always beyond, transcendent, limitless….we should always be struggling to find the words……..

When Manoah and his wife offer a goat and a grain offering (which is appropriate), God does an amazing thing. He himself appears in the flames. The couple fall face down, terrified for their lives.

Logic prevails. From the mouth of the woman.

“If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”  Judges 13:23

Exactly.

And so –

The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. Judges 13:24-25

Enter Samson.

Those of us who have held our newborn baby in our hands know what it is to feel overawed, overwhelmed by responsibility for this precious little one that God has entrusted to our care.

It took us quite a while to conceive first time round and so Luke felt extra special as we waited expectantly for his arrival. Then his birth was one of the worst kind and I was taken back into hospital with a haemorrhage and he would not ever stop crying…..and the disappointment was unbearable. We thought being parents would feel right and we would know naturally what to do……and yet it was downright scary!

And then Keir arrived by Caesarean section and was taken to Special Care for a week with a hole in his lung and we thought we would lose him….and then at three months, he had suspected meningitis and we thought we would lose him again….and we begged God to spare him and then when He did, we felt we had to take extra special care of him….

And then God handed us three extra children to bring up and care for as our own. What a responsibility that has always felt! As adoptive parents, we always felt we had a lot to prove – that we had to do the whole parenting thing even more right.

And we’ve really really struggled with that over the years. God entrusted all five precious souls to our safekeeping and care and often we have felt completely inadequate for the task. Because I have always been quick to ask for help, we have invited scrutiny from psychologists and social workers. Because we are open and honest about our struggles, we have invited comment from well-meaning individuals who want to fix us and our family. Because we want to be the very best parents we can be, we have held ourselves responsible for every decision a child of ours has made and we have beaten ourselves up about some of the paths they have chosen to take.

And yes, we’ve made mistakes. We have regrets. But we have always loved and been the very best that we could be with who we were and who they were at every stage. And I can find peace in that now. No one out there will agree with every parenting decision we have ever made. They don’t have to. What we have done is between us and God and our children. And I can live with that.

Courtney has chosen to wake up on her 17th birthday today with us in our home. That has blown me away. That she can still love us after all that she has said and done and after all that we have said and done…….That our door is still open to her and that she still feels welcomed and loved by us……That this is still her home…..That this is even possible after all the water that has gone under the bridge…..

This is grace and love and mercy and forgiveness and God at work right here.

And so parents, just do your best. You have nothing to prove to anyone else. Your little people are exactly that – their own little people with an amazing capacity to surprise and shock and disappoint and wow and melt your heart…….you only have a part in how they turn out. You can only do your bit. It is not all down to you.

Just remember to love. Never stop loving.

And maybe think about this question that spoke to me most out of today’s passage –

What is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?

It’s a variation on my dad’s persistent question – but what are you teaching your children?

What is the most important lesson your child will grow up with? What kind of adult are you nurturing? What matters most to you that you are passing on? What values are lived out in your home for your child to reflect?

Kindness……generosity……..integrity……..honesty……..justice……forgiveness…….there are a few of mine. And love of course, always love.