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Bible Reading
Judges 13:8-14
8Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
9And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.
10And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.
11And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.
12And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?
13And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.
14She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.
Devotional
Samson was another one like Gideon to whom God entrusted the task of delivering His people from oppressors. Samson's parents were told by God that their son would have this special task. What was their response? They asked God to teach them what they should do to this child who would be born (13:8). Then again the father asked, 'How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?' (13:12).
Do we hope for a child? Do we await a child? Do we have a child? This is a prayer we should be praying every day: 'Lord, what shall we do to this child? Help us to train and teach him, to love and discipline him for You.' The child is from Him. Our child might not have a spectacular task to perform such as God gave to Samson. But every child is special in God's sight and has a certain sphere of influence where he alone may bear testimony for the Lord. We need to be taught by God's Word and Spirit how to train him.
Parents feel the pressure on every side from books on child-psychology and child-rearing. Some of them give helpful insights and may be read with profit. Many, however, are based upon a completely humanistic view of the nature of man and his needs. Unless we are extremely cautious we may be taken in by the logical-sounding advice they offer. We need ever to be reading critically and weighing what we read!
How grateful we may be to God that He has not left us without a Manual for Possessors of New Babies. We have His book of directions, based upon His knowledge of the nature of His creatures and their needs. When the Bible seems to run counter to contemporary views we need the humility and faith to accept it as our basis for training our children.
Furthermore, we need daily prayer for the wisdom and strength to apply divine principles, even when they may be challenged by educators, other parents and friends, and the children themselves.
O God, this is a frightening task You have given us. Show us the way.
We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."
Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.
Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.
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