“PARENTING IN PERILOUS TIMES”
Text: Judges 13:1-25
Intro: Illustration-Radio personality Paul Harvey tells the story of how Eskimo kill wolves.
First the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. Then he adds another layer of blood, and another, until the blade is completely concealed by frozen blood.
Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait he licks it, tasting the fresh-frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder the wolf licks the blade in the Arctic night. So great becomes his craving for blood that the would does not notice the razor sharp sting of the naked blade on his tongue nor does he recognize the instant at which his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his own warm blood. His carnivorous appetite just craves more-until the dawn finds him dead in the snow.
That’s a picture of what the world, the flesh, and the devil are out to accomplish with the family—they are seeking to get the family to cut it’s own throat. That’s what the Philistines were doing to the Israelites in Judges 13. Verse 1, “Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.” This is a common refrain in the book of the Judges—God’s people rebelling and falling into sin again and finding themselves under the domination of another nation.
Quote-Gary Inrig, in his book Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay comment-ing on this said: What makes the Philistines especially important is the method they used. They had great military strength because they had learned how to smelt iron. With their iron weapons, they could have overrun Israel by direct attack as the other nations had. They did not. Rather than marching as an obvious enemy, the two main weapons they used where trade and intermarriage. If the Israelites wanted a plow or an ax, they had to go to the Philistines to get one. If they wanted to marry their sons or daughters, the Philistines had no objection. In both those ways, the Philistines were gaining a strangle-hold on the Israelites, slowly choking them to death by compromise and assimilation. Israel was not being enslaved by military dominance but by spiritual and cultural seduction. (p.206)
To borrow from the Paul Harvey story-the Philistines didn’t come up and slit the Israelites throat. They coated the knife and let Israel cut their own throat. They coated the knife with commerce and trade; social and cultural brainwashing; and finally, with intermarriage. Israel lapped all of this up until they had spiritually cut their own throat. They were no longer their own nation but the Philistines where in charge. They were no longer a people committed to God but they were Philistines within Israelite bodies. You couldn’t tell the difference between them and the enemy.
It is against the backdrop of wholesale spiritual compromise that the Holy Spirit inspired the author of the book of Judges to introduce us to a simple couple. This couple is set in contrast to the culture. They weren’t like everyone else. Maybe people thought they were even a little weird. But the writer tells us that this couple was given a vital assignment from God. Their assignment was to raise a child; a child who would have a special place in the plan of God. They weren’t whisked away to some secluded location in order to perform this task. They were to raise their child in the context of the culture.
This is the same assignment that every Christian parent has today. According to Malachi 2:15 one of the purposes behind marriage is that God “seeks godly offspring.” God wants us to raise our children to follow him. According to 2 Timothy 3:1 we are to do this in the context of “perilous times.”
Illustration-A woman named Dawn McKnight wrote a letter to the editor of the Birmingham News. She said:
My 14 year old son and I were recently running an errand and saw a sight that made me sick to my stomach.
As we were going through a drive-through window at a bank, my son observed that in a pile of trash on the side of a neighboring building were two American flags-one still on a flagpole. When the management was questioned, one man appeared somewhat con-cerned and assisted with removing the flags in order for me to take them and have them treated with the respect that they deserved. The other man said he had “more important things to do.”
Fortunately, there have been others who felt that they had the “time” to fight, be wounded and die for this very flag.
I was proud that my son was as concerned as I was. Naively, I thought this was a single incident. But not long ago my husband rescued and brought home two brand new American flags, one still partially remained in the commercial wrapping.
He saw them in a dump-site behind a building where he was working. The persons who so irreverently discarded these flags will hopefully think about what the true cost of these flags are.
The America in which parents seek to raise children today is not the same America of years gone by. In some cases that is good but overall it is not. Values of patriotism; morality; Christian commitment-once held dear are now mocked and even through twisted logic declared to be unAmerican. It is in this context that Christian parents are called upon to raise their children. John 17:15 wasn’t spoken about parents but it might well have been. Jesus prays to the Heavenly Father and He says: “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
But the question is how are we going to do this? How are we going to be successful parents in perilous times? Here in Judges 13 in example of Manoah and his wife we find some answers. They were successful in the raising of their child and they show us four characteristics of parents who are successful. Successful parents are parents who recognize their privilege; responsibility; dependence; and limits.
1. SUCCESSFUL PARENTS RECOGNIZE THEIR PRIVILEGE
Verses 2-3, “Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.’”
We are introduced here to Manoah and his wife (her name is never mentioned). We are told that Mrs. Manoah was barren and had no children. For a Hebrew woman this was a shattering and shameful con-dition. But God sent his messenger to her to tell this barren woman that she would conceive and bear a son. In doing this God was sending a message to the nation of Israel. God was showing them that deliverance would only come through Him. He would do what only He could do and as a result bring national salvation. He has done the same thing for us in Jesus Christ. We were powerless to ever save ourselves but God sent His Son Jesus Christ to be born miraculously-through a virgin. He would come and bring salvation to mankind who could never save themselves.
For Mr. and Mrs. Manoah God’s message of a child was a message of tremendous privilege. Their child was a gift from God. God entrusted to this couple the privilege of parenthood. Psalm 127:3-5, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” Here is the first insight-successful parents are parents who see their task of raising children as a privilege from God.
Illustration-A friend said to Harry Truman’s mother, “You must be proud of your son in the White House.” “Yes, I am,” Mrs. Truman responded. “And I have a son down the street I’m proud of too.”
When he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, Harmon Killebrew said, “My father taught me and my brother to play ball in the front yard. One day my mother came out and told him we were ruining the lawn. My father told her, ‘We’re raising kids, not grass.’”
2. SUCCESSFUL PARENTS RECOGNIZE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY
Verses 4-5, “‘Now, therefore please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and do not eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.’”
According to the Angel this boy would have a unique lifestyle. He would be a Nazarite. What does that mean? It comes from a Heb. word that means “to set apart” or “to separate.” A Nazarite was a person who would make a special vow to God to set himself apart for a period that he might be radically and totally dedicated to God. The law of Nazarite is found in Numbers 6. Several observations about this vow are important.
1. It was as VOLUNTARY vow-This was not a required thing. A person would decide on his own if he wanted to set himself aside for a time of total dedication.
2. It was a PURPOSEFUL vow-The purpose was so that a person could give full attention to God.
3. It was a SYMBOLIC vow-There were restrictions on the Nazarite and these have symbolic nature. He was to stay away from wine or any product of the vine. These were signs of luxurious living; by contrast the Nazarite was living a life of simplicity. He was not to cut his hair. This was to identify him in a public way as a Nazarite. He was to stay away from any dead body (even if it was the dead body of a near and dear relative). This was a sign of the preeminence of God in his life. Nothing that interrupted fellowship with God was to be tolerated.
4. It was a TEMPORARY vow-It didn’t last forever, but for a set time.
Samson was going to be a little different. First, he didn’t seem to have a choice. Second, it would not be temporary but it would be lifelong. In fact, Samson’s mother would have to follow Nazarite restrictions as long as she carried him in her womb.
But the Angel also told her that her son would have a special calling. Verse 5, “he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” Begin is a key word. Samson would not completely deliver as other judges had done but he would begin a process that would be completed through others. Perhaps, Samuel, Saul, and David were meant to complete what Samson was supposed to start.
As successful parents Mr. and Mrs. Manoah were not only to enjoy the privilege of being parents but they were to undertake a great responsibility to guide and direct their child toward God’s intended life and calling. It is the same with us- Ephesians 6:4, “...bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” In order to do that we must communicate some important messages to our children. Let me mention four message our children need to hear from us-their parents.
There are some clear do’s and don’ts in life-2 Timothy 3:16
Sin has consequences-Romans 6:23
Illustration- Recently I heard a letter that was read over the radio. The subject of the letter was parental discipline. The woman who wrote the letter said that she had a number of children and that they all responded to different types of discipline. This is because her kids were different. She said that two of her children were very reliable and trustworthy while the other two were not very trustworthy at all. Part of the struggle of parenting for her was finding the punishment that would bring about the desired response in each child as well as making the punishment fit the crime.
She tells that one of her daughters (17 years old) was always late. Her curfew was midnight but she was constantly breaking it and coming in late. Her mother would routinely ground her--but this didn’t help. One night she came in late for a date and Mom was up. She couldn’t rest until everyone was home and so she was wait-ing. She informed her daughter that she was in no frame of mind to deal with the issue right then--they would talk about it in the morning.
The next morning they were face to face again. The daughter wanted to know what she was going to do. The mother said, “You know...I was going to do a lot of things today...mop the kitchen floor...do the laundry...clean all of the bathrooms (including the toilets)...but I am so tired from staying up late waiting on you last night. I just don’t have the energy to do any of those things. So...I am going to go back to bed and you are going to do all of the things I intended to do...along with your regular Saturday chores.”
Well-daughter’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe it. She begged to just be grounded-but mother just smiled and went to bed. Of course, Dad got plenty of sleep the night before and he would be there to make sure that all the things got done.
The mother closed the letter by saying that this wasn’t the end of all the troubles that this particular daughter had while growing up...but it was the last time she was ever home late from a date.
Ultimate living is found in living for God-John 10:10
Follow my example-Philippians 3:17, “...join in following my example...” 1 Corinthians 4:16, “Therefore I urge you, imitate me.”
1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” Every parent should be able to say that to their children.
Illustration-A family in Canada had ten children. Of these, six are serving on some foreign mission field. The other four are active in a local church-serving the Lord. Someone asked the children what it was about their parents that had such an influence on their lives. A number of things were said but the one thing that came out in each of their answers was that their parents “lived the way they talked.”
3. SUCCESSFUL PARENTS RECOGNIZE THEIR DEPENDENCE
Verses 6-14, “So the woman came and told her husband, saying, ‘A Man of God came to me, and His countenance was like the count-enance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name. And He said to me, Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Naz-arite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, ‘O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.’ And God listened to the voice of Manoah and the Angel of the God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, ‘Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!’ So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, ‘Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?’ And He said, ‘I am.’ Manoah said, ‘Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?’ So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, ‘Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe.’”
Illustration- The Department of Transportation has set aside $200 million for research and testing of an Automated Highway System. The system would purportedly relieve traffic woes with “super cruise control” in heavily congested cities.
Special magnets embedded in the asphalt ever four feet would transfer signals between vehicle and main computer system. Steering, acceleration, and braking would be controlled by sensors, computers navigation systems, and cameras along the side of the road. Control would be returned to the drive at their specified exit. This gives new meaning to “leave the driving to us.”
Researchers and government officials claim they have the technological capability to address any potential problem. But one challenge they have yet to address.
Says Mike Doble, Buick’s technology manager, “The one thing we can’t do yet is get people to comfortably trust the system. It’s not a technology issue. Would you drive, closely spaced, at high speeds, through San Diego?”
Trust is the question. (Leadership)
Mr. and Mrs. Manoah were willing to leave the driving to God when it came to the raising of this child. All they wanted to know is what God wanted them to do and they would do it. Successful parents recognize their dependence on God to raise their children as they ought to be raised. This dependence is demonstrated in prayer; study of God’s word; obedience. God can take your family and your children where they need to God in life but we must be willing to leave the driving to Him.
4. SUCCESSFUL PARENTS RECOGNIZE THEIR LIMITS
Verses 24-25, “So the woman bore 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 upon him.”
The name Samson means “sun” or “sunshine.” As the rising sun speaks of the hope of a new day the birth of Samson was one of hope-hope for the nation. But we know how the story ends and we know that he didn’t end up like he should have. Samson squandered precious and vital resources and opportunities. He did have some victories but not like he should have had. He never did reach his potential.
Unless I miss my guess I think Mrs. Manoah probably cried a lot of tears over this child; more tears of sorrow than tears of joy. But they could not live his life for him. They could treat him like a treasure; they could lead him in the truth of God; seek God’s direction for his raising-but there was a limit to what they could do. Samson ultimately had to choose to live for God or self.
Quote-Chuck Swindoll, “Being godly parents is no absolute guarantee you’ll have godly kids. Doing a good job of training children and teens provides no airtight promise that they’re going to turn our exactly right. You and your mate might walk very close to God today. You might have begun to walk with Him soon after your child was born. You may have had the highest hopes for your child, but you’re not experiencing the delight of your heart. At least, not yet. Nothing thrills us more than to know that our children are walking in the truth and nothing hurts us more than to realize they’re not.”
Illustration-Ravi Zacharias tells how one day his little boy was playing with a balloon. He was releasing it and letting it float up to the ceiling and then climbing the sofa and bringing it back down. He did this repeatedly and had a good time with it. He was having so much fun with it that he thought he would try this little game in the front lawn. But the balloon floats out of sight and the boy begins to cry until he saw his father and something dawned on him. He said, “I know daddy, next time you’re on the plane you can bring it back for me.” App-Parents limited to what they can do with and for their children.
Conclusion: Illustration-He is a hero to millions; the greatest basket-ball player to ever play the game-Michael Jordan. But who are his heroes? Talking with columnist Bob Greene Michael told:
My heroes are and were my parents...It wasn’t that the rest of the world would necessarily think that they were heroic. But they were the adults I saw constantly, and I admired what I saw.
If you’re lucky, you grow up in a house where you can learn what kind of person you should be from your parents. And on that count, I was very lucky. It may have been the luckiest thing that ever happened to me. App-He’s right-but it’s not luck it’s blessing from the hand of God.
