“Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman (Samson’s mother), and said to her, ‘Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children.’” (Judges 3:3a)
And of course the story goes on from here, but I wanted to stop right there. Because right there in the verse and in the midst of the conversation that takes place, I couldn’t help but have the thought come to me: “Why might Samson’s mother not interrupt the angel and shake her fist in his face and say to, ‘Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children,’ why might she not say?, ‘Yeah, that’s right! I haven’t been able to have kids. And it’s all your fault, God. It’s all your fault!’” (Feel the emotion?)
And when life’s been unfair to you, it isn’t hard to become bitter over it.
And I’ve had this conversation with my daughter before. She’ll say, “But that isn’t fair.” Can you remember having that kind of a conversation with your daughter or son in the past? “But that isnt fair,” my daughter’ll say. And then I’ll answer in my most wisest and adult-like tone of voice I can muster: “Life isn’t fair.” Right?
And it isn’t, is it? Life isn’t fair. It’s true. I don’t know where we got it into our heads that somehow life was different than that. In a fallen world, things happen ~ for example, good people die while bad people go on living. So what’s up with that? It isn’t fair.
Yeah! Life isn’t fair.
And people get bitter over it. And then they go on, some of them, living in bitterness for years.
And you may even happen to find out what certain ones are bitter over. And you say, “So that’s what’s had you mad all these years.” And these may even have made themselves sick over it. Who knows? Bitterness does that, you know. It can even make you physically sick.
But the point I really wanted to make here (based on the first part of Judges 13:3) is Samson’s mother doesn’t give in to bitterness.
She could have been the most bitterest pill over her barrenness. She could have been.
And as she’s seen everyone else of her friends in her neighborhood with kids. And they’re out pushing their strollers around with their little ones. And then there’s the new mom’s group at Samson’s mother’s church that meets every Tuesday morning at 10, but she can never go.
“Life isn’t fair” ~ she could have been thinking it when the angel showed up. And she could have been shaking her fist in his face. But she doesn’t.
And I just feel so strongly about this point.
Do you know somebody like this? Life’s been unfair to them like only life can be and they’re bitter over it and they’re away from God and unless a miracle takes place they’ll never be free?
And the application for us is: Don’t allow life’s unfairness to become an excuse to be angry with God. (You see how it’s applicable beyond mothers?)
And Samson will never be born if his mom is bitter and angry with God. And so it makes a difference ~ a huge and significant one ~ when it comes to Samson and it has an impact on his life. He won’t be born ~ and it’s likely the angel never visits his mother? ~ if she’s bitter.
And what won’t be given birth of God’s purpose in our own life and it’s because we won’t let go of bitterness?
“Let all bitterness … be put away from you.” (Ephesians 4:31ac)
(Picture above in the public domain: click here. PD-US)
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