“In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant and they had no children. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared..”
Judges 13:2-3a
So often in the book of judges, we read of Israel’s rebellion and God’s faithfulness and mercy in providing them with a new ruler to rule over them. It seems every time the ruler passes away, they return to their rebellious ways and start worshiping idols and others gods again. So it was at the start of chapter 13. As soon as Abdon, son of Hillel dies, Israel rebel against God again and return to doing “evil” in the sight of the Lord.
It so often seems like a lifestyle pattern in our lives too. One day we enjoy the blessings of God and the next we forget them and live our lives far away from God’s best intentions for us. Yet although we are forgiven, there is often consequences to our rebellious behaviour, as proved in today’s passage. In verse 1 of chapter 13, we read that the Lord allowed the Philistines to capture Israel and hold them in captivity for 40 years.
Yet in spite of all their “evil” behaviour, God still showed His merciful nature when he saw the needs of a baron couple, Manoah and his wife. The Angel of the Lord, appeared to them on two separate occasions, prophesying that they would conceive a child and the requirements of keeping him holy (I.e not cutting his hair, not drinking wine or eating any forbidden food).
It is so interesting to note that this promise was at a time of the nations rebellion against God and their captivity by the Philistines. In spite of the whirlwind around them, God still showed He cared about the needs of this couple. No matter what is around us, our merciful and faithful Lord still wants to shower us with His blessings. If that is a child to the baron mother, or hope the hopeless father, then God will continue to provide. He is our provider despite of the circumstances that may be around us. Let us be faithful in our obedience and prayers towards God and wait to see His provision fulfilled.
A Daily Devotional - The Recipe of Life 