Today's Devotion

From Mike MacIntosh

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. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to 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 Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."
Judges 13:3-5

Look at the message the Angel of the Lord gives to the woman. This barren woman will actually have a child, and this little guy will be consecrated as a Nazirite. A Nazirite was a person who was set aside, sanctified, and dedicated to God; they adhered to stringent rules. Even during the pregnancy, she wasn't to drink any alcohol or eat anything unclean; this was a way of showing her faithfulness to raise her son in purity. A Nazirite vow also meant that the boy wouldn't be able to cut his hair. This was an outward sign that he was a servant of God and that he feared the Lord. We'll see that this boy, Samson, had some real difficulties growing up because he didn't fear the Lord and wasn't fully committed to Him.

But notice something about how God sees your life. He sees the future. The Angel of the Lord says that this boy will "begin to deliver Israel." It doesn't say he will deliver; it says he'll begin to deliver Israel. I wonder if you have a reputation in your own life of starting things and never finishing them. You begin something with good intentions, but then distractions come, you lose interest, and you stop. This is the story of Samson. He'll begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines but he never finishes the job. Samson was consumed with feeling good about himself and giving in to his lustful pleasure; he actually felt that he was more important than the rest of society. He relied on his own strength. You see, he may have taken the Nazirite vow -- he may have had the long hair, looked very religious and prophetic, and demonstrated great strength when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him -- but he didn't care for anyone but himself.

Looking religious and being a faithful follower of the Lord are two completely different things. Jesussaid in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Unfortunately, Samson would lie down for a woman, but he never laid down his life for his friends! For him, it was all about self, what he felt like, what he could get out of life, and how he could manipulate people.

Paul said in Philippians 1:6 that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it right up to the end--the coming of Jesus Christ. Trust in the Lord's work that not only will He begin a good work in you, but he is faithful to complete it as well. Rely on His power, His strength, and His Holy Spirit to start and to finish that which He wants to do in and through you!