While growing up I never had to question what was asked of me, it was made crystal clear. Don’t fight with your brothers (and hurt them), don’t run in the house, don’t break stuff, eat what you’re given and be thankful for it, respect mom and dad no matter what, be good to others, don't take what's not yours, and be honest. Mom and Dad knew that rules must be made clear, repeated often and then enforced when they were broken. And break them I did. If you ever need proof that we’re born with a sin nature just give a kid a rule and then wait three minutes. In that short span you will see the definition of rebellion. We were made to break rules, we're good at it. I don’t think it was really intentional, but I did probably set the record in our house for rules broken. But as I would break one, I would get the standard correction that would always start with, “why did you do that?” “You know what’s right and you know what’s wrong.” “You know what to do!” And you know what’s funny? They were absolutely right. I knew it was wrong when I was doing it, but I did it anyway. Huh?
Regardless of what you’ve done with Jesus in your life, you know too. Even though you probably don’t have the Ten Commandments memorized, you know what’s right. Even though you probably can’t quote 25 verses out of Paul’s epistles, you still know what the right thing to do is. Even though you may have never even been through the doors of a church, you still get that weird gut feeling when you’re about to do something wrong. You see, we may credit our parents, our grandparents, or a mentor with teaching us right or wrong, but I think you need to go back a little farther in your life when giving credit. I stand firm in the belief that people inherently know what is right and what is wrong at birth, and that Almighty God taught it to them. God taught us. And as a result, we know what to do.
So, if we know what to do, all we have to do is do it, right? It sounds pretty simple in its philosophy, so what do you suppose seems to be the big problem? I believe all people know it’s wrong to murder someone, so why did we have 16,214 murders in the U.S. in 2018? I believe that all people know it’s wrong to damage someone else’s property and steal what doesn’t belong to us, yet during the riots we saw looters doing both freely and openly. I also believe that people know we should love others and be kind to all, yet we still see hate, intolerance, racism and bigotry reign throughout the world. So, if we know what is right, why don’t we do it? At least at this point we can agree that it’s not because we don’t know better. We know what to do, because we’ve been told.
Today we see a fascinating microcosm of this ideal as we are introduced to the most famous of all the judges, Samson. The story of Samson is legendary. It has made its way into countless children’s books, movies and plays and the general theme has even been duplicated into general secular culture. The guy with the superpowers that are tied to one single thing that the bad guys conveniently take away. Oh, but if the world would only read the power, glory and magnificence of the real story.
Samson’s beginning starts with none other than a miraculous birth. (miraculous birth not a miraculous conception) His parents couldn’t have children, so God stepped in. Pre-incarnate Christ visits the unnamed mom and informs her that she will indeed be having a child. He also informs her that the child is to be dedicated to the Lord’s work through the Nazarite vow. The Nazarite vow is described fully in Numbers 6:1-21 and is quite interesting as well as being a crucial key to our story. The vow required three things of the person. First, they could eat or drink anything from the grapevine. No wine, no juice, no grapes, no raisins, not even the skin of a grape could be touched. Why? Because in scripture wine is a symbol of Earthly joy and the Nazarite is to solely receive his joy from the Lord. Second, they could not go near any dead bodies including animals. Dead bodies were considered unclean and to touch one would make one unclean to the Lord. And lastly, the Nazarite was not to cut his hair. So why the mandated hippie look? Paul sheds some light on this for us:
“Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him” 1 Corinthians 11:14
You see, during this era, if a man allowed his hair to grow long, it was considered shameful. So why would God want the Nazarite to be shamed and disgraced within the society in which he lived? The answer lies within another verse, this time from Luke.
“Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Acts 5:41
You see we are all called to take up our cross and follow Jesus Christ. In doing so we will all suffer persecution just as He did. The same way the world hated Him, they will hate those that carry His message and image. The Nazarite was to wear his long hair and bear the shame that Jesus would also endure. For that reason, a razor was to never touch his head.
So as all of this info is dropped in her lap, she rushes off to tell her husband the great news. We’re going to be parents at last! But her husband must have been from Missouri because he doubted. He needed to see to believe. He prayed that the man would reappear and confirm what his wife had told him. And as it happens, we see a great exchange that drives home our study point.
“Manoah went with his wife and asked the man, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife?” “Yes, I am,” He answered. Manoah then asked, “When your promise comes true, what rules must he obey and what will be his work?” “Your wife must be careful to do everything I told her,” the Lord’s angel answered. “I told her exactly what to do.” Judges 13:11-14b CEV
Did you see it? Did you feel it? That gentle rebuke from the Lord there at the end? You see, Manoah knew what to do. His wife had clearly told him. In her message was the message from the Lord. He knew what to do, all he had to do was believe it and do it.
Today, you know what to do. Beyond just the normal do’s and don’ts and life, God has given you extra commands. If you have called upon the name of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins, you have been adopted into His family. And as a result, being in the family of God means you have family rules. And folks, these rules are not optional, they’re not occasional, and they’re not up for debate. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. All the time and in all conditions and situations. Love and treat everyone in your life exactly the way that you dream of being treated. That means with the same respect, dignity, honor, and politeness that you desire. Tell others about the glory, goodness and saving blood of Jesus Christ. How can others know the joy of Jesus if they’re not told about Him? You see, out of the abundant love for your neighbor you will want them to know about Heaven too, right?
Today, you know what to do. Just like Manoah, you’ve been told, now comes the execution. Today, study God’s Word, let it permeate your heart, and as a result don’t just be a hearer of God’s Word but be a doer. (James 1:22)
You know what to do…God has told you…now, as Nike says, Just Do It.
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