Embrace Obscurity
In Judges, the Israelites are caught up in a cycle of sin. They turn from God and worship idols, and the Lord “delivers them in the hands” of oppressors. They remain slaves until they cry out to God. God in in complete control of the good times and the extremely difficult times. When the people cry out to God, He raises up a judge/prophet, very briefly describes the person in the text, and leads the people to peace out of slavery. This cycle happens over and over again.
However, in Judges 13, the Bible pauses and gets detailed. We are told the story of Samson and introduced to his parents, his dad, Manoah, and his mom. An angel of the Lord appears to his mom, who is “sterile and childless,” and says that she will have a son who will deliver Israel. This incredible woman of faith believes and runs to her husband. The prophecy comes to fruition, and Samson becomes a great leader.
The interesting part is that the Bible never mentions the name of Samson’s mom. Over and over, she is referred to as “the wife” or “the woman.” An incredible woman of faith remains nameless.
Why? Because this story is about God. I read this chapter today and immediately wanted to glorify Samson’s mom. What awesome faith she has! I searched for her name, so that I could refer back to her when I give examples of great faith. I wanted to glorify her instead of God.
And so it is with us. Inherently, we want to glorify other people, glorify ourselves for our great actions, our great faith. That is not who we are in Christ. We glorify the Creator, the Deliverer.
God is in control of the good times and the difficult times.