July 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

udges 13:15-25

¹⁵And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.
¹⁶And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
¹⁷And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?
¹⁸And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
¹⁹So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.
²⁰For 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.
²¹But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.
²²And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
²³But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.
²⁴And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
²⁵And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Devotional

Psychologists have noted basic differences between men and women. God, in His plan for the home, designed it this way. Two right gloves do not make a pair. Man and woman were made similar in order that they might have a deep understanding and communion. But God made them with certain differences in order that they might form a strong union. This is the genius of communion and completion.

In today's reading we see an example of a gift frequently given to women. Men are observed often to become easily discouraged, but to women has been given the gift of a faith or optimism or vision which enables them to provide encouragement in time of need.

Manoah is terrified. He says, 'We shall surely die because we have seen God' (13:22). In calm faith his wife answers, 'If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received our burnt offering or told us all these things about our son.'

This reminds us of an incident in the life of Martin Luther and his wife. Luther was very much discouraged with the way he felt the Lord's work was declining. He sat at his desk, depressed and gloomy. Suddenly he became aware of someone at the door. It was his wife, Katy. He was startled to see her standing there, dressed in somber black. 'What is the matter,' he asked. 'Is someone dead?' 'Yes,' answered Katy seriously, 'God is dead.' With gentle humor Katy had preached a sermon on faith to her preacher-husband, a sermon he would never forget.

Woman, are you exercising this gift of encouragement when your husband needs it so desperately? Husband, have you thanked God for a wife whose faith shines clear in the face of illness and poverty, as well as the day-by-day discouragements?