The Rebellious Age…

Proverbs 22:6 NLT “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

‘And when they are older…this small line speaks loudly in volume. There are countless mothers, myself included, who raised their children as much as they could or knew how in the ways and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, only to have our child or children reach the rebellious age.

In Judges 13:2, we are introduced to a woman only known as Manoah’s wife and Sampson’s mother. We are informed she is a simple woman living a simple life in an age of spiritual darkness.

Judges 13:2-5 NIV “A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, ‘You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Isreal from the hands of the Philistines.”

Judges 17:6 NIV “In those days Isreal had no King; everyone did as they saw fit.”

No pressure here, Mom! As the story continues and Sampson becomes a young man, he goes off the charts in rebellion! Sampson was out of control!

Along Sampsons destructive path he broke many of God’s laws and fell profoundly and ignorantly into the trap of lust and sexual pleasures. We’ve all heard the tales of Delilah, right?

Can you imagine his mother’s heart and grief? God blessed her to receive a son, and not only that, a son set apart for God, and now he’s as wild as a donkey’s colt.

She did her best with what she had in a time such as hers but ultimately, the choices were Sampsons and his choices resulted in a death at an early age! But what about Gods plan for him!

Well, God did accomplish his task despite Sampson’s choices! Sampson ruled Isreal as a judge for twenty years and in the end Sampson did connect with God.

Judges 16:28-30 NIV “Then Sampson prayed to the Lord, ‘O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ Then Sampson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Sampson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus killing many more when he died than while he lived.”

Remember that Sampsons calling from birth was to deliver Isreal from the hands of the Philistines! Check Mate, God!

Sampson’s story could have been quite different had he made wiser choices. Had he possibly listened to the lessons of his youth and the voice of knowledge from his parents, his path could have been quite different. Many of ours could have been, I imagine.

However, as for God’s quest for Sampson, it came about anyway, so if you are a parent of a rebellious teen, keep the prayers of faith surrounding said child or children. Ask for the Lord to cover them constantly and continually put them in God’s hands. We, as parents, can only do so much, and that’s when we leave the rest to God.

I hope for blessings upon you today, and thank you for spending some time in Sunshine. ☀️❤️☺️