Judges 13:3-5 and 25 – The angel of the LORD appeared
to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are
going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other
fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive
and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on
his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God
from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the
hands of the Philistines."
…. and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir
him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
It’s not the first time God sent an angel to tell a barren
woman she is going to bear a child. This child is going to be so special the
woman must start to dedicate her own body to a special diet…to ensure that the
child growing inside is kept pure and holy.
The child is to be a son…who will never cut his hair…and become a
Nazarite…a special child…born to begin the process of deliverance… from the
great oppression of the Philistines.
His parents dedicate themselves to follow the angels’s
orders… they offer God a special
sacrifice and watch the angel ascend amidst the flames of the burning sacrifice
back to the God who sent him. And they
raise young Samuel with all the special instructions they have been given…obedient
parents…acting completely in faith and reverence for God. It must have been a
wonderful time for them….for it said that God blessed this childhood time with
their son. Perhaps his parents told him
the story of how he came to be more than once….and reminded him of the special
reason God brought him into the world.
My favorite part of the story though happens when he has
grown a bit. We are not told his age…but
at some point…while just visiting Mahaneh Dan …the main camp of his tribe of
Dan….the Spirit of the Lord began to stir his heart. Just what the spirit stirred is left up to
our hearts to figure out. Perhaps he saw
some horrible affliction of his tribal relatives….perhaps he saw some military exercise….
but somehow God placed a passion for battle deep in his heart…to begin to use
him.
I believe with all my heart that God has set each of each of
us aside for some purpose…he may not have sent an angel to our parents and
given us the details before our birth…but he has a plan for all of us. And some day…when we are close to the job he
created us to do….he sends his spirit to ignite a fire in our soul. He stirs our hearts just as he stirred Samson’s…and
we are left with the choice to fuel the fire and ask him for details…or allow
satan to confuse us…or completely convince us the spirit never came at all.
The fire doesn’t burn by itself. When the
spirit descended on Jesus…he spent 40 days and nights in strict fast mode….listening
to his father….praying…meditating on the scriptures he had studied as a boy. Then
God continued to fan the fires of Jesus’ ministry through preaching…healing the
sick…and walking slowly toward the death he would endure on the cross. If we are to follow in his footsteps…and
realize the purpose God placed us here for….we must patiently wait on God to
signal our passion with his spirit…..then we must study….and pray….and drink in
all the special instructions he sends through the Christian family he placed
around us.
Father…help me to recognize your holy Spirit when he tries
to signal the purpose you placed me here on your wonderful earth to complete for
you. Let it burn a passion deep in my
soul to study and pray…and listen to you tell me how to be a bold servant of
your word. And father…if you have
already sent your spirit…and I missed it…because I was too wrapped up in the
world…too self-centered to notice your angel…then remove the part of the world
that distracted me…and allow me to relive that moment when you tried to speak
to me. Make it clear it my heart what you need me to do….so I can begin to
serve you with all my heart…and all my soul…and my entire mind. Amen.
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