Being Holy
The angel of the Lord appeared to her* and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Judges 13:3-5
*Manoah’s wife, soon-to-be Samson’s mother.
Being Holy
What if Superman didn’t have Mr. and Mrs. Kent as his stepparents? What if Batman didn’t have Alfred and his counsel in every crisis? What if Luke Skywalker hadn’t taken the Jedi training of Obi-wan and Yoda? Not one of them would have become a hero. Training from trustworthy people is necessary in order to become someone great.
We see the same thing in Judges 13:3-5. God’s people were desperate for a deliverer, and God graciously gave them a hero in Samson. But a person isn’t born a hero. God teaches and trains that person through faith and the influence of godly people. So, the angel of the Lord told Manoah and his wife to raise Samson, their son, in a very special way devoted only to God.
Our situation isn’t much different than Samson’s day. It’s no secret that this world is in a desperate state. You see it in the lives of those around you. How many follow the world, the devil, and their own sinful flesh? How many times do you see people doing whatever they want? How often don’t we struggle the same way?
You know that at your baptism God saved you as he applied the work of Jesus Christ to you—his life of perfection in your place, his death on a cross for your sins, and his resurrection from the dead to give you a new life. But did you know that by his grace through the gift of faith, God also made you a hero for this world? Of course, to be an accomplished hero, it’ll take ongoing nourishment for your faith and protection in a holy life.
How’s the learning going? You’re training right now as you read and ponder God’s Word. Keep up the good work! Though salvation came by the grace of God, don’t think living a Christian life is easy. Reflecting the holiness you’ve been given by grace takes a lot of instruction and learning from early on, a lesson the up-and-coming hero of our text, Samson, would tragically forget.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for making me a hero for this world by applying Jesus’ work to me through Holy Baptism. Help me to always take comfort in my baptism—that you saved me there. Keep me also from thinking that my baptism is the end of the story. Cause me to see that baptism means living a heroic life daily by drowning my old self and living new for you, forgiven and righteous. Amen.