Manoah's Parenting Manual: How to Raise a Wild Man

Just tell me what to do. Teach me the rule; show me the boundary. Make known to me the plan, the steps to take to get there--- then I feel safe. I can relate to Manoah, the father of Samson in Judges 13. Manoah’s wife, who had been barren, was told by the LORD that she would have a son who would deliver Israel from their enemies. What was Manoah’s response to this awesome news? In Judge 13:8 he responded by begging God “…teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” Again in verse 12 he says “…what is to be the rule for the boy’s life and work?” God almost seems to not answer the question, because His answer was simply that they were to dedicate him to the LORD. I can imagine them standing there wondering “But what do we do?”

I think God was saying “You won’t be able to prepare him by rules. Only I can empower him to do the work I’ve created him to do. Your job is to continually give him over to Me.”

As a parent I’ve often felt clueless when faced with decisions about rules for a child who will not obey. Fear rushes in as I envision the dangerous path my child is on, and a lie blasts in my ears that his safety and future depend on which rule I pick. Samson was a wild man. Had he lived today I think he probably would have spent many a school day in the principal’s office, and years in trouble with the law. He was not one to say “Just tell me what to do.” I think it was God’s mercy to tell Samson’s parents right from the start, “This is My child. You do the best you can to raise him according to My Word, but it will be My Spirit stirring him that will empower him and make him great.”

This week the words of Judges 13:25 have been cycling through my heart. “…the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him…” This is a gentle yet powerful phrase. The great Creator of the universe interacts intimately with us such that He can “stir” us… God interacting with one single human heart. No matter how successful and prosperous our children appear, no matter how good we may have done at parenting, the truth remains that their ultimate success depends solely on the Spirit of the LORD beginning to stir them.

 

“LORD, I give my children to You. Thank-you that You are holding them. In Jesus’ name I ask You to stir their hearts to know You. Stir their hearts to hunger for Your Word and hear Your voice. Stir their hearts to love You passionately and give their lives to follow You.”