Verse of the day: Judges 13:23, But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have told us such things as these at this time.”
I see a very interesting reaction from both Manoah and his wife; the result of two different levels of faith. What I found curious is that the person with the stronger faith remained unnamed in Scripture. Although, God tells us that the woman is the weaker vessel (1 Peter 3:7), it does not mean that a woman cannot be stronger in faith, or stronger in some areas than men. It was Eve that was deceived by Satan (1 Timothy 2:14). It is obvious that a woman is more likely to make a decision based on emotion, more readily than a man will, but there are plenty of women who have come to faith and stood on their faith a lot steadier than many men. Sadly, that is evidenced by how many women readily step up to serve, or are forced to take on the role of spiritual leader in a home. Nonetheless, God did not design it this way, for He calls the woman to be subject to her husband (1 Peter 3:1). Before I go any further, men, this does not mean that our wives are to be mistreated or looked down upon as if they were our servants and slaves. God make it very clear that we are to know our wives, love them, be patient with them, be tender with them as the weaker vessel, as it tells us in 1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.” Note the “giving honor to the wife” part of that verse. Our wives are our helpmates (Genesis 2:20), and we are to give them due honor as they too are “heirs together of the grace of life” in Christ. Manoah, upon realizing that he was in the presence of the Lord, immediately believed that death would follow, for no one can see the face of God and live (Exodus 33:20). Yet, Manoah’s wife showed great faith and reminded him that God would not have accepted their offering if His desire was to kill them. This woman’s faith was actually evident from her first encounter with the Man of God, as she took Him at His word, when He told her, who was barren, that she would conceive and gave her instructions. Her response was to share the testimony with her husband and prepare herself to follow the Man of God’s instructions. It was Manoah who then sought confirmation and needed to inquire about things that were not his to know. With that said, men, we must, as Christian men, realize that our wives, who were given to us as our helpmates, can be a great help to us in leading our homes. Yes, we are called to lead our homes, but our wives can sometimes have a faith that is stronger than ours. They can be the vessel God uses to encourage us and help us in finding God’s direction for our lives and for our families. Manoah’s wife was an encouragement to him when he panicked, thinking that they were now facing death. We must, as godly husbands, realize that there are areas where our wives are stronger than we are, and be willing to give those areas over to her. Women, this is where it gets tricky. Far too many women have fallen for the devils’ lies that they must step up and take the lead when a husband seems to have lost his way. However, as one who is willing to be subject to, and honor, her husband, a woman can have great influence, for God’s glory, in getting that man back on track. When Manoah’s faith wavered, his wife’s faith help keep them strong. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 puts it this way, “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Far too often, we allow our fears to get the best of us. God showed Manoah great grace, yet, his reaction was to fear rather than to have faith. We too often fall into that same trap when we experience challenging times or sometimes even when things are going so well, because we are just waiting for the “other shoe to drop”. However, we must remember what was told to us in Romans 8:31-32, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Our wives, our wonderful helpmates, can be the ones who remind us of God’s great grace and favor, when we find ourselves in those moments of doubt. Being a weaker vessel does not mean having a weaker faith.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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