The Heaton File

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:11-13)

The Church Is A Combat Outpost In Enemy Terrain

When the war with Iraq began in 2003, few realized the outcome would result in the longest war in American history. The United States Special Operations Forces began fighting the war on terror in 2001 and would continue to be an integral part of the battle in the region. During the years between 2003 and 2006, insurgents used the city of Ramadi, Iraq as a stronghold 68 miles west of Baghdad to carry out their violence against coalition forces. One story that came out of the battle for Ramadi was in 2006 when Seal Team 3 went into the midst of the city to set up combat outposts. They were in the heart of the insurgency surrounded on every side by those who sought to kill them. Later, other combat outposts would be set up throughout the city. This was a bold tactic to draw the enemy out and to fight him on his own ground.

The church of Jesus Christ has been fighting a battle against forces greater than ISIS or any conventional army known to man. Arrayed before the bastions of truth are forces described as principalities and powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness. There is a war of unparalleled destruction going on every day for the souls of men. Satan has cast his long shadow of tyranny on the hearts of men destroying their hope and eternal salvation. Jesus declared that most people would fall to the wiles of the devil with only few survivors saved. It is a vicious war. The church is a combat outpost in the midst of enemy terrain seeking to save lives and destroy the enemy. Like Seal Team 3, Christians are at war with an aggressive enemy that must take courage, fidelity and teamwork to overcome the nearly impossible odds. The resolve of Seal Team 3 helped to establish other outposts in the war torn city. Each local congregation of God’s people is an outpost in the lair of the mighty lion who seeks to devour the saints of the Lord. Every child of God needs to accept the reality they are soldiers of Christ fighting an incredible battle. There is a war going on and it has cost millions of lives, destroyed homes, families, relationships and souls. It has the smell of death. Warring against the devil is very ugly and vile. He has no care for those he kills slaughtering with no regard.

John sees in the Revelation the final victory is assured by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Battles are fought every day with the outcome determined by the power of God. The local congregations of the Lord’s body are the special operations forces fighting against the insurgency of Satan’s warriors. Each church of Christ must realize their role in the community is to defend the truth, uphold the righteousness of Jesus Christ and save the lost. It is not the purpose of God’s church to maintain a presence by hanging out a sign. Every local congregation is at war. The members are soldiers who with the armor of God can defeat Satan. They must go out into the community to win the hearts of those oppressed by the rulers of darkness. When Seal Team 3 entered Ramadi, they did not go without their body armor, weapons, tactics or tools to defeat the enemy. Why should Christians think they could fight Satan without first putting on the armor of God? Many soldiers of Christ die without the protection of the Lord because they do not put the armor on.

War is real. It is harsh, tiring, and ugly and with an outcome that determines life or death. The spiritual war is the only war that matters. Saving the soul is the eternal consequence of serving the Lord as a good soldier of Christ. It requires fighting the fight, engaging the enemy, and never giving up until the final victory is given in the death of the saint. Piled high before the gates of heaven is the armor of all those who have given their lives to fight valiantly against Satan. They have put their armor off to enter the gates of redemption. The war is over. Victory is gained. Eternal life is granted. Rest awaits.

There are only war veterans in Heaven, who have fought the good fight for the Kingdom of God. (Fulton Sheen)

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest–when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (Deuteronomy 8:7-14)

Taking God For Granted

It is so easy to forget the many blessings God has given us as we seek our own desires and pleasures. Life has a way of channeling our hearts to dwell on our selfishness. The pride of life helps us see the carnal pleasures fulfilled to the enjoyment of self. Israel faced a monumental task as they prepared to enter the land promised for hundreds of years. The warnings of forgetting the Lord are just as relevant today as then. We live in a good land blessed with so many things and we lack very little. In the midst of the richness of this land, it is hard to remember all these blessings come from God. Our time is filled with the satisfaction of the ‘me’ person. He gives us so much and we return so little. The heart is lifted up and God is forgotten. Laid to forgotten memories are the times the Lord delivered us, protected us and guided us as we fill our lives with the carnal pleasures, lusts of the flesh and meaningless pursuits of a vapor called life.

Throughout the forty-year journey of Israel’s wanderings, God showed His power repeatedly testing the hearts of the people. As the new generation stood before Jordan, Moses admonishes them to enter the land of promise with a dedicated zeal to serve the Lord with all their hearts, minds and souls. He exhorted them to remember all the good things they were going to see came from the hand of God. His warning became their history as the nation prospered and forgot the Lord. The commandments, judgments and statues of the Lord were laid aside for the pleasures of life. Worship to God became a ritual to do for a while until they were able to return to their lives of fun, frolic and pleasures. The Lord was nowhere to be found and soon was forgotten totally. A warning lies here for the Christian.

Growing as a Christian is remembering all that God has done. His blessings are innumerable as both spiritual and physical. He gave His only begotten Son as the sacrifice of sin. What can we do to repay such a debt? There are so many physical blessings given by the hand of the Lord and how can we thank Him enough for all these things? Remembering the Lord is a daily reminder we serve Him with gratitude of heart and willingness to acknowledge that He reigns in our lives supreme. We cannot serve two masters. We will hate the one and love the other. Serving the Lord demands an allegiance that is single in its purpose. Allowing the distractions of life to dim our vision of God will only bring emptiness. Each day should be a day of praise to know that by the hand of God He has blessed us and protected us. He deserves every part of praise we can give Him because of all He continues to do for us – in spite of our rebellion. God is so good, so great, and so powerful. His mercy endures from time beginning and overwhelms all His people through His grace. Thank God today for all He has done. Count the many blessings His hand has wrought in our lives. Enjoy the rewards of His providential hand remembering all His love and praise Him. Do not take God for granted. He will be glorified.

For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. (Hebrews 13:11-13)

We Must Bear His Reproach

The Hebrew writer uses vivid language to describe the sacrifice of Jesus with comparisons of the Law of Moses. As He closes his appeal to the Hebrew Christians to maintain their faith in God, he reminds them of the great sacrifice of Jesus when He bore the sins of the world outside the city of Jerusalem. It was neither mistake nor a coincidence that Jesus was taken to Golgotha to die as a lamb to the slaughter. The location cannot be ascertained today but one thing we know is that it was outside the city. Under the Law of Moses, the sin offering was taken outside the camp and destroyed. Jesus would become the sin offering for all men accomplishing this by His sacrifice outside the gate of the city.

As a child of God, I am to bear the same reproach Jesus exemplified as He was taken outside the city as a sacrifice. Albert Barnes makes this observation of the text. “As if we were going forth with him when he was led away to be crucified. He was put to death as a malefactor. He was the object of contempt and scorn. He was held up to derision, and was taunted and reviled on his way to the place of death, and even on the cross. To be identified with him there; to follow him; to sympathize with him; to be regarded as his friend, would have subjected one to similar shame and reproach. The meaning here is, that we should be willing to regard ourselves as identified with the Lord Jesus, and to bear the same shame and reproaches which he did. When he was led away amidst scoffing and reviling to be put to death, would we, if we had been there, been willing to be regarded as his followers, and to have gone out with him as his avowed disciples and friends? Alas, how many are there who profess to love him when religion subjects them to no reproach, who would have shrunk from following him to Calvary!”

Jesus taught His followers that to be His disciple they would have to bear a cross. The language shows the severe test of discipleship likened to someone who is being crucified. Before a man is crucified, he is scourged. A heavy piece of wood is placed upon his shoulders as he bears his cross to the appointed place of death. Taken the condemned outside the city, death is final. The life of a Christian is a cross-bearing experience of sacrifice and devotion to the Father. We bear the reproach of Christ because we follow in His footsteps. His path leads to the cross. Our lives share in the reproach of the innocent one who died for us. As Barnes said previously, we are willing to identify with Jesus as the crucified one. Our life is forfeit for the cause of Christ. Bearing His reproach is the manner we show our life to the heavenly Father as one of absolute love and sacrifice. Let us go forth to Him – so we can receive the same glory He shares with His Father.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)

Blessed Are

Jesus was the manifestation of everything He taught. His teachings were the reflections of the image of the Father as the true light and perfect example of the salt of the earth. Teaching the multitudes on the mountain, Jesus began with the basic principles of character needed to mold the heart of a child of God. The simplicity of His introductory remarks becomes the foundation of what a Christian must become. It will bring a radical change to the spirit molding him or her into a person of holiness, truth and righteousness. What does it take to become a vibrant disciple of Christ in a world given over to darkness? Learning how to live a blessed life after the character of Jesus is the solution to sin.

New Testament Christians are spiritually impoverished people who have submitted their hearts to the will of God fully. To be poor in spirit is the contentment of the heart that trust in the will of God. Everything in life is according to the will of the Father and submission is necessary to be part of the kingdom of heaven. This will bring a sense of sadness, as understanding the price for sin is the death of God’s Son. Sin brought up the ultimate sacrifice and the sting of sin has been a scourge against man. Death came upon man both physically and spiritually. The Christian lives with the comforted knowledge that death has no dominion and eternal life is beyond the grave. Meekness is not weakness but the power of God’s love infused in the heart of man. The spirit of the meek heart comes from the beatitude of the poor in spirit who are comforted. Christians live in the peace of God knowing that He alone rules over all the affairs of men and His will is to be accomplished. Meekness allows the Lord to guide the concerns of life knowing He is a righteous judge. Hungering and thirsting after righteousness fills the deep cravings of those who seek God. A Christian is a person who has a deep desire to know all there is to know about the God that saved him and why. This desire is fed by the manna of God’s word. Filling the heart with the image of God is a daily blessing.

God has done so much to bless us. His mercy is everlasting and He desires His children to show this mercy to others. Through His love, He forgives us by His grace. This same character should be manifested toward others so they can see Christ living in me. Obtaining mercy comes from hearts that are filled with mercy toward others. How can we enjoy His blessings if we are unable to share those blessings with others? God desires for our actions to reflect the mercy He bestows upon our lives. Learning to be patient with others, forgiving, and kind and merciful is the true nature of the Christians walk. Becoming a peacemaker is the fruit of mercy. Too often, it is easier to stir trouble rather than solve disputes. Jealousy, anger and envy fuel the spirit of revenge against one another as grudges form and the heart becomes cold. A Christian is a maker of peace, forging a forgiving heart, and putting aside hurts and slights. The true character of a child of God is one who seeks peace not war.

It is impossible to live for God in a world living for self and not experience persecution. This does not suggest someone holds a sword to our throats demanding we deny Christ. To be persecuted means that we have taken a stand against unrighteousness in the meekness of Christ. The Christian refuses to dress like the world in immodesty, fall prey to the enticements of immorality and lets their life shine like a beacon of light to all that are in the world. If the Christian never has to say “no” they are always saying “yes.” Children of God will be persecuted because they cannot be God’s child without it. People may revile and say all manner of evil against our character but if we are children of God, we live for His glory.

Blessed are. Jesus began His sermon with the invitation to be what God desires His children to become. The character of those who follow the pattern of the Blessed will find the greatest joy and happiness in the kingdom of God. Jesus lived every part of the beatitudes and walking in His footsteps the child of God will experience the same cross of joy.

Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin. (Deuteronomy 24:16)

We Are Accountable For “I”

The ‘Me’ bubble that pervades our world is the idea that no one is responsible for what they have done. In a paradox of accountability, responsibility for individual actions can be blamed on anything but the self-choice of personal action. “I am what I am because nature made me this way” or society bears the burden for making me the person I am. Parents are blamed, failed education is ridiculed and God is vilified as the reason for the way we live our lives. Everyone is innocent it seems. No one is guilty of his or her sins. The margin of responsibility shifts to blame others so that actions can be justified and morality can be judged by what feels good. Children are taught from an early age the world owes them a great debt of gratitude and they grow up expecting it.

Buried deep in the Law of Moses is the reality of God’s view of accountability. There were many laws in the covenant with Israel calling for the death penalty. Measures were in place to judge according to righteousness. In the final analysis, a person put to death for disobedience was guilty of what they had done by personal choice. The will of God clearly defined personal responsibility and judgment would be meted out against all those who sinned. This adjudication would be according to what the individual had done. If a father sinned, they would be punished. The same judgment would be carried out against a son who sinned. The son would be punished, not the father. A person would be put to death for their own sin. This law has not changed.

The Law of Moses was not the first time the law of personal judgment was established. This law began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were each held accountable for their sins. Eve received the heavier judgment because she was deceived; not the man. Every story in the Bible is the retelling of the personal judgment inflicted upon the individual for their sin. As the day of judgment looms ahead of all men we face the same kind of judgment. Every man that dies will stand before the Lord and face God for the sins he or she has committed. There will be no appeal system to shift blame on parents, society, the church or the Lord Himself. All men stand before God bare and naked with the actions of life determining their innocence or guilt. If a person is lost and condemned to eternal torment, they will know the judgement is true and righteous. Parents will not be punished for the sins of their children. Unfaithful church members cannot blame the elders, the preacher, the Bible class teacher or fellow members for being lost. The unrighteous will not blame society, the government, or the passions of the flesh because they will know the responsibility of obedience was an individual choice. There will be no internet to blame. Nothing will be blamed but self.

A great surprise awaits the masses that live life blaming others for their misfortunes. There will be no arguments in the grave. Death will immediately seal the knowledge of truth that every person will bear his or her own sin. The joy of salvation is hearing the words of grace from the Father who says, “Well done good and faithful servant.” These people knew that life was about the choices they made in serving God. They did not blame others. They begged for mercy and walked in the paths of righteousness.

The sins that we should hate most are not those of our neighbor but our own. These are the only sins over which God has given us immediate power. (Raphael Simon, Hammer and Fire, 1959)

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)

They Devoted Themselves

The early church was filled with excitement and anticipation. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand people were baptized into Christ for the remission of sins. These were devout Jews from every nation. With the church in its early stages of development, new Christian’s were learning how salvation was through Christ and the keeping of the Law of Moses was vanishing away. This would become a radical departure from what they had known all their life. What set these first Christian’s apart was the spirit they accepted the new teaching of the apostles. Luke noted the Jews gathered in Jerusalem were devout Jews and when they learned that Jesus was the Christ, they did not diminish their love for truth. Three thousand souls embraced the remission of sins in baptism and they continued to devote themselves to the teaching of the apostles and fellowship.

Devotion is the idea of a steady persistence. To be devoted to something means it continues without stopping. A constant drives the spirit to not give up. The character of determination is the tenacious spirit that nothing will prevent them from doing what they desire to do. This is the kind of spirit the early Christians possessed as they continued with fervency to know as much about the new covenant as they could find. Their fresh approach drove them to ask questions, study the scriptures, fellowship with other people of God and seek clearer understanding of God’s will for them. They were driven to excel in their knowledge of this new doctrine. Within forty years, the church would spread to every creature under heaven. This could not be done if the first disciples had not devoted themselves to the work of the Lord.

Two thousand years removed from the first day does not dismiss the need of Christian’s having that same fervency and desire for truth. There is a cause that we fight for in the church of Christ and the devil is working hard to dismantle, disrupt and destroy the local congregation. He convinces new converts to be lax in their devotion drawing them back into the world. His methods to discourage and dissuade the hearts of God’s people with materialism, immorality and worry are dwindling the numbers of faithful saints. The church needs devoted people who are setting their hearts on the way, the truth and the life. Like the first Christians, we must devote ourselves to the cause. There is nothing of greater importance than building up the church for the glory of God. Hearts must be set firmly upon the purity of the church. Resolved spirits who are dedicating their lives to the will of God must fill the homes of this land showing the light of Jesus Christ to a world going dark.

Devotion is consecrating the heart to serve the Lord and the church is in desperate need of its members to rekindle the spirit of the first century. Those first members built their faith on what they learned from the teaching of Jesus from the Old Testament. What we have today is the fully revealed word of God as the Old Testament testifies to Jesus Christ and the New Testament glories Him. In so many ways, we have more information available readily available than the first Christians but we do not have their zeal. They did so much with so little and we do so little with so much. The need of devotion will bring the church alive and continue to steer the work of the Lord on the course of saving souls. Let us build like those who built the walls of Jerusalem in fifty-five days in the days of Nehemiah. Let us rise up and build and let us have a devotion to put our hands to the work. Devotion.

Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Proverbs 27:20)

Never Enough

The insatiable desires of men are never filled though centuries come and go. Of all the billions of souls that have walked on the face of the earth and the six billion that reside on the earth now, one constant remains and that is the never ending need of man to have enough. He never does. Someone suggested that enough is always more than what we have. Contentment is a hard pill to swallow when the desires of the eye draw the hearts of men to want more and more. If we gain wealth, we want more. When we achieve success, there is another mountain to climb. A new car turns old and we must have another. Our homes are never big enough, our stuff multiplies from a wanting eye of covetousness, reams are filled with how much more and how much higher can we pile our things so we can find happiness. And we never do because we never have enough. Our mistaken idea of contentment and joy is rooted in the uncertain accumulation of things that have no meaning. Death is the final separation of the things that matter and the things that do not. Naked we came into the world and it is in nakedness we leave this world.

There have been billions of souls who have died since the beginning of time yet the place of the dead is not full. Destruction or death is an everyday remembrance of the uncertainty of life and it is never satisfied. In a contrast of comparisons, death and hades are never full and the desires of man are never full and in death man is complete because there is nothing left. The grave is empty of the possessions we fill our lives with. All of the things we fret about in life are left to the counsel of the living. Crossing the river of death is in a tiny boat filled only with our soul. There is no covetousness beyond the grave or desire to have more. The passions of life have ended. Time is removed and eternity begins either with joy or with horror. The existence of man is no longer measured by his relentless desire to have more because there will be no more. All he has spent his whole life to attain is lost including his eternal reward.

The lesson of death and hades is to know the certainty of death and the uncertainty of riches. Enough is what we have and that is all. There is a period after gaining enough to find contentment, not a comma. The Christian has a heart attuned to the blessings of God that gives a spirit of happiness because enough is possessing the Lord. We can gain all the gold in this world and lose it all in death or we can gain the riches of Jesus Christ and gain all of glories of Heaven when we die. Godliness is a precious commodity to enjoy in this life and the life to come. The desires of the eye can never be satisfied but the joys of salvation will find peace in the heart of God.

Death and the realm of the dead will never be full and one day the Lord will destroy both. Heaven is a place for prepared people who have set aside the wealth of redemption in their hearts. God must be enough. He is the all in all and there can be no more. Immersing our lives in the word of God living with the hope of eternal life will give us a contentment that sees beyond the pale of this world. Learning to live with a gratified heart will let the eyes see the true glory of life. The Lord God is all we need to possess our soul and we will be satisfied beyond measure. Slow down, take time to be holy and find contentment in the presence of a loving God.

Covetousness makes a man miserable, because riches are not means to make a man happy. (Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living, 1650)

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

It Is All About Choice

C. Fields was an American comedian during the 1920’s and 30’s. An avowed atheist, the story is told when he was lying in a hospital bed shortly before his death; his good friend, actor Thomas Mitchell, visited him. When Mitchell entered Fields’ room, he was shocked to find the irreligious Fields paging through a Bible. When asked why he was reading the Bible, Fields replied, “I’m looking for loopholes.” From the beginning of time when God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, the will of the Lord has remained the same. Through the centuries as the plan of redemption was unfolded, the nature of the law changed until Christ came and cemented the salvation of man by His blood. One thing has remained constant throughout all the dealings of man and God: a choice to obey the word of God or be punished for disobedience. Adam and Eve could remain in the paradise of Eden as long as they chose to obey the word of the Lord. When they disobeyed His will, they were punished. The early world was destroyed by the flood because only eight souls chose to follow the plan of righteousness. Israel was a nation of holiness and contained in the Law of Moses was the often repeated blessings and cursing of obedience or disobedience. They eventually would choose to follow other gods and were punished for their disobedience.

There are no loopholes in the word of God. When men follow the commands of God they will be blessed beyond measure. If man refuses to follow the will of the Lord there will be consequences. The favorite tool of Satan is to convince man there will be no penalties to his actions. When the serpent came to Eve in the garden, the first thing he said was, “Has God indeed said?” Satan knew if he could get Eve to believe she had a choice to do as she desired he would have success. God’s law is simplistic at its core. Follow my commandments, statutes and ordinances and you will be blessed. If you refuse to obey the will of the Lord, judgment awaits. There is no third choice. This did not change when Christ died on the cross. The law of God is a matter of choosing whether a person follows the whole law of God.

Many religious people follow the philosophy of W. C. Fields. They look for loopholes to allow them to call themselves followers of Christ yet mold their lives after their own will. God’s law does not allow for manipulation of righteousness to fit the desires of men. He sets before all men a blessing and a curse. If we do the will of the Lord, we will be saved. If we do not obey the commandments of God, we will be lost. Simple. Direct. Eternal. It is all about choice.

We are always making an offering. If we do not give to God, we give to the devil. It is a continuous process going on all the time. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord, and said, “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born.” And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband was not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, “Look, the Man who came to me the other day has just now appeared to me!” So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, “Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?” And He said, “I am.” Manoah said, “Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?” (Judges 13:8-12)

Manoah’s Parenting Plan

The birth of a child is one of the most joyous occasions in life. Great preparation goes into making ready all the needs of the newborn as the excitement builds towards the day of birth. Clothes are sorted, rooms are prepared, plans are put in place for the delivery and families are waiting for the phone call that baby is on their way. For the parents, there is a certain fearful expectation of the unknown channeled through a conduit of intense joy to be able to hold the newborn child. The day arrives and through the miracle of God’s eternal design a little human enters the world fussing and crying and wanting to know why the room is so cold and who are all these people. It is then a sinking feeling hits the new parents that what they hold in their hand is a new life. In their arms is a precious bundle of moving, squirming, sound-making cute and adorable child that is now their own. What do we do now? Enter Manoah – a man who was father to one of the most amazing persons in the history of man.

Manoah was married to a woman who remains unnamed in scripture. They lived during a time of the tumultuous days of the Judges who ruled over Israel. The cycle of disobedience, oppression and deliverance was a constant record of Israel’s history during this time. Manoah’s wife was barren and had no children. The Angel of the Lord came telling her she would conceive and have a son but there were certain regulations this child would be required to follow. Samson would be the first mention of a Nazarite and his life story will remain as one of the most familiar and controversial stories in scripture. When Manoah heard of the angel’s visit, he implored God to have the angel return to learn what to do with the child. The angel returned and again Manoah seeks the counsel of God to know what the child’s rule of life should be and his work. There are four things that show the plan Manoah had for serving God.

When Manoah heard he was to be a father, he sought the counsel of the heavenly Father. Parenting begins with God. There are myriads of books written on how to be a parent and the important lessons to teach them. None can compare to beginning with the word of God. Every parent must realize that the art of parenting begins and ends with God and nothing else will suffice. Every child should be taught the glory of God and their purpose in life is for His glory alone. Parents must join their hearts together as one under the banner of God’s word to form the hearts of their children because if they seek to build the home without the Lord, they will fail as parents.

Secondly, Manoah knew he needed guidance to train his son. “What shall we do for the child who will be born” shows that Manoah understood the gravity of training and molding the life of their son to the image of God. Children left to themselves will themselves be left to their own vices. Parenting involves directing, training, admonishing, instructing and guiding. Manoah knew it would be up to him and his wife to mold the character of Samson in accordance to the will of God. They were the ones responsible for the training of their son. This training could only come by seeking the word of God.

Third, Manoah sought the wisdom of God to know what the boy’s rule of life will be. Children need structure and rules. Before Samson was born, Manoah was seeking answers to put into place a set of guidelines that would mold the heart of the young child. This means that parents are obligated to rule over the life of a child not allowing the child to be spoiled with the wants of their desires. Too often fathers and mothers cower to the wishes and wants of their children without setting boundaries of right and wrong. Establishing a rule of life for the child comes from the word of God. There are things that are acceptable because God said so and the child learns there are things that are displeasing because God’s word sets the pattern. Children need rules based on the goodness and severity of the Lord.

Finally, Samson was trained in the work of his life. He would judge Israel for twenty years. Manoah and his wife did not fail in their training of Samson. His story illustrates the challenges of parenting. So much of the focus of Samson’s life is built around his prideful actions of revenge and involvement with Delilah. These stories are given to show the conditions of the nation of Israel as they continued to disobey the Lord. For all that is said about Samson there is one important conclusion that speaks well to the parenting plan of Manoah and his wife. The Hebrew writer includes Samson in the great chapter of faith as one of God’s noble examples. Parents do not raise children who are perfect because they themselves are not perfect. What matters most about the story of Samson is where he is found in Hebrews 11. He was found in God. Manoah and his wife sought the wisdom of God to give Samson a rule of life and a work. They accomplished that task. Nothing matters in parenting more than to know your child is going to Heaven. This is not done by accident. There must be a plan. Manoah had one.

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. (Benjamin Franklin)

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.” So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. (Matthew 15:32-39)

He Has The Power To Provide

The feeding of the five thousand is one of the more popular stories in the ministry of Jesus. Not as well remembered is the occasion Jesus fed four thousand men, not counting the women and children. This story is like the feeding of the five thousand but with a few differences. The multitudes have been with Jesus three days without anything to eat. There were seven loaves of bread and a few fish to feed such a large multitude. After blessing the food, the disciples of Jesus dispersed the few loaves and fishes to the crowd and had seven large baskets full of the fragments left when everyone had been filled. How many times Jesus fed multitudes of people is unknown seeing that John reminds us there are many miracles that are not recorded. There are some important lessons to glean from these miracles important to our relationship with the Lord.

Jesus did not feed the people until the third day. It is imperative to see the mission of Jesus was not to fill the stomachs of the people but the hearts. After three days, the food supply was exhausted and there was a need to find food. He did not feed them because they were rioting over the lack of food. Great multitudes had come to Jesus to be healed witnessing the power of God and it was not until the third day the Lord considered feeding them. It was time for them to leave and the compassion of Jesus was to feed the multitude before He left. Seven loaves of bread and a few small fish were not enough to feed a large crowd much less a crowd of four thousand. The feeding of the five thousand would have taught the disciples to trust in the power of Jesus as He again fills the mouths of the multitudes with a scarce source of food.

God will always provide for the needs of man but in His own time. We often grumble against the plan of God because it does not suit our needs. He has the power to fill all our needs from small things. Considering there were four thousand men without counting the women and children would swell the number upwards to possibly six, seven or eight thousand people. Seven loaves of bread and a few small fish will hardly feed a family of six. The Lord fed four thousand plus and had so much left over. The blessings of God will fill all our needs and give us more than we had in the beginning. Again, the work of the Lord is not to fill the flesh but the spirit of man. Jesus wants us to fill our lives with the manna of His word. Like the feeding of the four thousand, the more we devour the word of God the more there is to feast upon. The hunger of the flesh will be temporary but the hungering for the truth will always fill us with the righteousness of the Lord.

There were many people whom Jesus healed and fed from His hands of compassion. The sad part of the multitudes is they could see His miracles and feel His power and enjoy the blessings of the hand of healing but the people would not heed the words of the Lord. His mission was not to come and feed the poor of the world. The work of God is to heal the hearts of men. Feeding the four thousand was temporary. Feeding on the truth of God would last an eternity. So much of religion today is focused on the temporary failing to take into consideration the claims of Jesus. The multitudes want the miracles of Jesus to give them health, wealth and physical prosperity all the while ignoring the words of Jesus. Remember the same people that Jesus fed will turn against Him and crucify Him. He stopped feeding their stomachs and they wanted more. When a man tries to come to God demanding bread, He will be refused. The words of the Lord are eternal life – not bread and fish.

In a day of tranquilizers, we are likely to make an aspirin pill of religion. The word of God is not a lullaby to put us to sleep but a reveille to wake us up. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)