Mothers Chosen By God Text: Judges 13:1-6

 

Mothers Chosen By God
Text: Judges 13:1-6

Judges 13:24 the woman bare a son and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

A.    Introduction: You Know You're a Mom When:

1.    Your feet stick to the kitchen floor.....and you don't care.
2.    When the kids are fighting, you threaten to lock them in a room together and not let them out until someone's bleeding.
3.    Your favorite television show is a cartoon.
4.    Peanut butter and jelly is eaten at least one meal a day.
5.    You're willing to kiss your child's boo-boo, regardless of what body part it happens to be on.
6.    Your baby's pacifier falls on the floor and you give it back to her after you suck the dirt off of it because you're too busy to wash it off.
7.    Spit is your number one cleaning agent.  
8.    The closest you get to gourmet cooking is making Rice Krispie bars
9.    You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.
10.    You hide in the bathroom to be alone.
11.    You child throws up and you catch it.
12.    Someone else's kid throws up at a party and you keep eating.
13.    You mastered the art of placing food on a plate without anything touching.
14.    Your child insists that you read 'Once Upon a Potty' out loud in the lobby of the doctor office, and you do it.
15.    You hope ketchup is a vegetable because it's the only one your child eats.
16.    You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, 'Not in your good clothes.'
17.    You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.
18.    You say at least once a day, 'I'm not cut out for this job,' but you know you wouldn't trade it for anything.

B.    Mother’s Chosen by God In the Bible

1.    There are five mothers, as I would count them, who were directly chosen by God to raise up a child and that child would change the world around them for the glory of God, Sarah, the mother of Isaac, Samson’s mother, in our sermon today, Hannah, Samuel’s mother; Elizebeth, the mother of John the Baptist and of course Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Three of these children’s birth were announced by an angel, one by the Lord himself. Twice the angel named the child for the parents and three times the name was left to the parents. Samson was named by his parents and his in Hebrew would have been Shimshon and it meant sunlight. What a great name for a child. They probably called him, Sonny. Don’t you think?
2.    Even though these mothers were specially chosen by God at these unique times in history, the truth is that all mothers are chosen by God. Just as Father’s are also chosen by God. By looking at Samson’s mother today we can gain insight into one of the most important callings God can give, that of being a mother to your unique child.

II.    The Choice - Judges 13:2-3

Judges 13:1-3 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.  2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

A.    Samson’s Mother Is Chosen

1.    Once again Israel is being judged by God for her national sins. God uses the savage, child-sacrificing Philistines to oppress the nation for forty years, that is longer than any other oppression. 40 years in which the people of God who used to be slaves in Egypt are now treated like slaves in their own land. Interestingly enough, the Israelites this time around don’t seem to have any problem with their Philistine overloads. Its just the way it is, could be better, could be worse, but hey we’re just used to it. After all, being a slave is better than being dead.
2.    Toward the end of that 40-year time period our story begins with the wife of Manoah, of the tribe of Dan in the village of Zorah right next to the Philistine border.
3.    The Angel of the Lord appears unto this mother, before he appears to the father, both times in fact.
4.    I believe this angel was once again God the son in pre-incarnate state, appearing as He did to Joshua, Gideon and now Samson’s mother. This is Jesus, Yeshua, before He is named.  I think that is why here and in the story of Jacob wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, that both times, when a name is asked, the Angel refused to give it. That name is secret until His coming to earth in human flesh as the Messiah.
5.    Notice what it says in Judges 1:17-20 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? 18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? 19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
6.    The Angel tells them to make an offering and then steps into the flame of the sacrifice and ascends up to heaven. This must be a type or symbol of the offering that Jesus himself would one day be when he offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin and then ascending to heaven 40 days later.
7.    What we learn is that God himself chose this family, this mother to raise a child who would be a great man, a judge of Israel and a deliverer of his people.

B.     Mothers Are Chosen by God

1.    “When God’s time is right to change the world, He sends an angel with an announcement, a simple announcement of the birth of a child. When it was time to start His nation Israel, he spoke to Abraham and Sarah and then gave them Isaac. When He wanted to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage, He sent a baby, named Moses to Amram and Jochebed. When it was time to revive Israel and wake them from the drowsiness of enslavement, He spoke to the mother of Samson. Later he would give Hannah a baby named Samuel one of the greatest prophets of Israel, to finish the Philistines by anointing a boy named David to be King. When God’s timeline for His great plan of salvation was ready then a different angel spoke to Zacharias and told him his son would be the forerunner. And finally, an angel spoke to Mary and to Jospeh to tell them, their son would be name Jesus and would save all those who put their faith in Him as Lord and savior.
2.    Now, it’s not likely that any mothers here today have had such an announcement about your child. If you have, please, keep it to yourself, don’t tell me about it because my counseling skills don’t rise to that level. Not even close.
3.    Not your child is not going to be Samson or Samuel and certainly not John the Baptist or Jesus, but the principles of motherhood and God’s choosing are the same for you as they were for any of the specially called and chosen mothers in the Bible.
4.    Just like Samson’s mother you also have been chosen by God. Every mother is chosen by God and each one has the potential to raise up a child that can change the world they live in.
5.    Therefore, every mother, every parent should understand that they are responsible to God for the raising of their children and one day you will be rewarded or face the consequences of how you answered that call.
6.    Scripture:
a)    Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
b)    Psalms 113:9  He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.
7.    Mothers you do not need divine revelation from God to know that God has blessed you as only He can by making you a mother.

C.    Illustration: Why God Made Mothers

1.    Kids know that their Mothers are special and that they have a calling from God. Just listen to how some children answered the questions, “Why did God make Moms?” How did God make mothers? And What ingredients are mothers made of?
2.    Why did God make mothers?
a)    1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
b)    2. Mostly to clean the house.
c)    3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
3.    How did God make mothers?
a)    1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
b)    2. Magic plus superpowers and a lot of stirring.
c)    3. God made my Mom just the same like He made me. He just used bigger parts.
4.    What ingredients are mothers made of?
a)    1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
b)    2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
5.    Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?
a)    1. We're related.
b)    2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

III.        The Charge - Judges 13:4

Judges 13:4-5 4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

A.     God's Charge

1.    Samson’s mother was to guard and keep herself in God’s commandments and by doing this she would also keep her child.
a)    The commandments God have are interesting, First, she was not to drink wine nor strong drink. She was to keep herself from any unclean thing, certain foods and anything that was dead. Later in vs. 14, when the angel reappears to both the husband and wife, we see that this was the full Nazarite vow. Judges 13:14 She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing:
2.    The Nazarite Vow
a)    This is the first time the Nazarite vow is seen in practice, but it has been a part of the law since Moses. It was first given in Numbers 6 and was meant to show a total separation from the world and to God. The word means a consecrated, devoted on and comes from the idea of an untrimmed vine. The vow consisted of three things,
(1)     No drinking wine or any strong drink or even eating anything from the grape vine. (Those of you who don’t like raisins now can feel justified.)
(2)     The hair could not be cut during the time of the vow. That amount of time was left up to the man or woman when they undertook the vow.
(3)     And finally, they had to avoid any contact with the dead or any unclean thing.
(4)     Though the vow was to be kept for a time period left up to the person taking the vow, the Bible does record three lifelong Nazarites, Samon, Samuel and John the Baptist.
b)    Today, we know that this vow would be healthy for her child. God knew this as well but it was more symbolic than practical. The purpose was to establish Samson as a Nazarite, dedicated to God even before his birth.

B.    God Still Guiding

1.    We see several things in this passage from God’s viewpoint concerning an unborn child.
a)    First, we see that God recognizes a child in the womb as a child. He tells Samson’s mother, “Judges 13:7 for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.” God sees a child not after its born but before its born. Whatever the world might say about an the unborn God says, “It is a child.”
b)    Secondly, we also see that in God’s eyes a mother is responsible for what she does to her own body because it directly affects her unborn child. Doctors now know the intricate, intimate link between and mother and child, both physically and emotionally. But here God says there is another link, a spiritual link.
c)    Finally, we also see that a mother is expected by God to sacrifice her own rights for the good of her child. Samson’s mother was to discipline her life for the good of her child.
2.    I realize that among Christians these things are understood or at least they should be, but in a world where some churches consider abortion a right and even a blessing, we need to emphasize the truth of God’s word. In a society where some parents believe it is okay to leave young children alone at home that they can party and act like they are not parents we need to reiterate the truth of God’s word.

C.    Example - HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK)  

1.    April 23, 2024, A 29-year-old mother who is accused of leaving her two young children home alone while she went on a cruise has allegedly done it before, according to court records. Lakesha Woods Williams is charged with abandoning a child with intent to return and is being held on a $25,000 bond. The Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office was called out to her luxury high rise in the Memorial City area for a welfare check on April 9. Neighbors had expressed concerns about children being unattended. "Many of the residents were worried about the children and have said this is not the first time that something like this has occurred," Williams' charging document stated. There, they found her 6-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son alone in the apartment, which they noted was in a state of disarray. The children told deputies they had been alone since April 4 and that their mother was on a cruise. They said they did not know when she was coming home. – abc13 Houston internet
2.    Listen carefully, God holds mothers and fathers accountable for the welfare of their children before they are born and until they leave the home. Parents are charged by God, in the same way that Manoah and his wife were charged by God for caring and raising Samson.
3.    The Bible is filled with scripture that tell parents how to raise their children from the Torah, through the Proverbs, and into the Epistle of the New Testament, God tells parents, Ephesians 6:4 bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
4.    They are yours to care for, spiritually, emotionally and physically. Yes, it is hard, demanding and most times it is an unappreciated sacrifice, but it does not go unnoticed. The world may not see your sacrifice, love and care, but God sees, God knows and yes God rewards.

D.    Transition

1.    What can God do with a child raised by a God-fearing, God honoring mother? Well in this case God changed a nation from willing slaves to freedom fighters.

IV.     The Change - Judges 13:5

Judges 13:5 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

A.    Her Son The Catalyst

1.    The Angle of the Lord told Samson’s mother that this child would begin to deliver Israel.
a)    As we read this story, it is clear that the Israelite people were content to live under the oppression of a pagan nation. Philistia was their overlord and not God. God chose a mother to begin the task of delivering His people from 4 decades of submission to a pagan, child sacrificing nation. This job would be continued through Samuel, Saul and then finished by David but it had its beginning in Samson and as we have seen his mother.
2.    Imagine what this meant to Samson’s mother. She was raising a hero, a warrior for the God of Israel. A child who would become on the judges of Israel. This inspiration would keep her going through the difficulties. It would inspire her when times were the most dark. It would strengthen her when she was at her weakest and most vulnerable.
a)    This child was a gift from God and would change the world for the better by the will and grace of God. And God began that change through her.

B.    One Child Can Change The World

1.    It has been rightly said, that when God wants to do a great work, He begins that work through a mother’s love. Most of the worlds greatest changes have been brought about by just one man, who was brought into this world by the mother God chose. Yes, some men have brough evil changes but I believe when a mother understands her calling is of God and looks to God and His word, then their child bring change good.
a)    Examples: Abraham believed God and the nation of Israel was born.
b)    Joseph was faithful and his nation was saved from starvation.
c)    Moses trusted in the Lord and that nation was brought from slavery into the Promised Land.
d)    One man, the greatest of all men, came into this sinful world also with his birth prophesied in scripture and announced by an angels. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a life without sin, taught us what God was like and then by dying by a cross began to deliver all mankind from sin, death and hell. This one man changed not just the religious world, but history and even eternity itself. This one man, once just a child being raised by his loving mother, was named Jesus by the angel and one day will return and rule as the King of the all the Earth.
e)    How important are mothers to God? God sent His only begotten son to be born of a young, lowly, unknown mother. That is how much God values mothers.
2.    Mothers, grandmothers, do you wonder what things your children could do?
a)    They are like a pebble thrown into the pond of life and the ripples they send out affect thos around them for good or bad. And that depends on what you teach them, how you raise them, how much you will sacrifice for them.
b)    You know, the change your child makes may not be in a way that history will record but believe me they will change the world, it may be only a small part like their own family, or it may be a change that touches eternity though the Gospel, but for better or for worse they will change this world.
c)    And the change that they bring will depend upon what you believe about being a mother.
(1)    Is motherhood God’s blessing upon your life or an inconvenience to your lifestyle?
(2)     Is it the opportunity to raise up a servant and hero for God or an obstacle to your own dreams and ambitions?
(3)     So much depends on you but with God’s guidance and help you can do incredible things, things that only a Godly mother can do.

C.    Illustration: Suzane George Minefee

1.    My mother has been gone since 2020. One of the reasons I can say and preach these things about mothers is because of her. She married a weak man, who turned out to be an alcoholic. I love my Dad, but the world had him by the throat, but God had my mother by the heart.
2.    She sacrificed everything in order to care for us and raise us in God’s love. When the landlords kicked us out of our homes because Dad couldn’t find a job and pay the rent, Mom went looking for any house, some of them near derelicts and talked the landlord there into letting us live in them if we fixed them up. I remember one we lived in and paid the enormous sum of $50 a month in the 1970s. Yes it was barely worth even that.
3.    When Dad could no longer get a job, or hold a job, it was Mom who went from business to business walking down main street in two different towns asking if there was any job she could do.
4.    When the food had finally ran out and we had literally nothing in the house to eat, Mom had just gotten a job as a cook at the hospital and late that night before she could even get her first paycheck at the end of the week, she brought us home the leftovers so we wouldn’t go to bed hungry. First time I ever had Lasagna it was out of a gallon jar that night. She brought home cracker, salt, pepper and packets. Milk or any other food that had to be tossed that day. Mom brought it home every night until she got paid. All Mom’s are chosen by God, but my Mom brought us Lasagna in a jar and I never went to bed hungry as a child because God had chosen my Mom to be my Mom. Happy Mother’s Day Mom.

V.    Conclusion

A.    Where the Roses Never Fade
1.    It is not difficult, but it is different for me to preach on Mother’s day now that my and LeeOra’s moms are both gone. One thing that we both grew up with was a tradition associated with Mother’s day. You may know it, though its not done as much as it used to be. On Mother’s Day my Mom would walk out to some rose bushes that we usually had blooming in our yard. She would pick a red rose and pin it to her blouse. She would tell us that the color of the rose told a story about your mother. If the rose was red, then your mother was still with you, but if the rose was white then it showed that your mother was in heaven. Now, we didn’t have any white roses to wear this morning so instead I want to close with a song that was one of my Mom’s favorites, Its number 133 in the Heavenly Highway Hymal, “Where the Roses Never Fade.”