Set Apart Before He Was Born

The Philistines have ruled Israel for forty years, longer than any earlier enemy. This time Israel does not even cry out. God chooses to act anyway. The angel of the LORD appears to Manoah's wife, who has not been able to have children. She often understands God's message better than her husband. Their son must be a Nazirite from birth. He must have no wine, no unclean food, and no haircut. Manoah asks the angel's name and is told it is 'secret,' or wonderful. When the offering burns, the angel rises in the flame.

• Israel does not cry out this time. God chooses to help people who have grown cold and no longer ask for help. That is pure grace.
• The angel speaks to Manoah's wife twice. She understands God's message better than Manoah does, and the Bible honors her wisdom.
• The Nazirite vow was normally voluntary and temporary (Numbers 6). Samson's is not chosen and lasted for life.
• The mother is placed under the vow's restrictions too. Consecration begins before the child can choose it.
• 'He shall BEGIN to deliver Israel' (v. 5). God announces the limitation of Samson's ministry in the birth announcement.
• The angel's name is 'secret' / 'wonderful' — the same word used of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6.

1. 01God moved when no one asked. Where have you seen God act in your life while you were spiritually silent, and what did you do with it?
2. 02Samson had every good start and used almost none of them. What advantages have you been given that you are not right now using well?
3. 03Manoah's wife had better theology than the head of the house. How do you receive correction or insight from your wife, or from someone you outrank?
4. 04'He shall begin to deliver.' Can you accept a calling that God says will be unfinished in your lifetime?
5. 05The Nazirite vow meant being set apart for God. What visible choices show that your life belongs to God?
6. 06Manoah wanted a name; God gave a category — wonderful. Where are you demanding specifics from God when He has given you His character?
7. 07If you were raising a child whose whole life belonged to God, what would need to change in your home this month?

• Numbers 6:1-21

  The full Nazirite law — read it to see exactly what Samson will violate, one clause at a time.

• Luke 1:13-17

  John the Baptist's birth announcement echoes this one; the difference is what each man did with it.

• Jeremiah 1:5

  'Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.' Calling that precedes capacity.

• Isaiah 9:6

  'His name shall be called Wonderful' — the same word the angel gives Manoah.

• Romans 12:1-2

  Consecration as the New Testament norm for every believer, not an elite few.

Being set apart for God is a daily choice. It is not a feeling or an escape from ordinary life. It means giving your whole life to God and keeping nothing back. Name one area you have never fully given Him. Give it to Him tonight.

Some of your men came from Christian homes and wasted the help they were given. Do not shame them or excuse them. Judges 13 warns us that a good start does not guarantee a faithful life.

Consecrate one specific area out loud. Thank God for grace given before you asked. Pray for the children in your men's families.