He is Able

 DEVOTION

JUDGES

HE IS ABLE

Judges 13:2-5

2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

NIV

This is the most wonderful story about the mother of Samson and her encounter with Jesus. Although the narrative does not give us this truth in the beginning, we know from later in this story that when the angel of the LORD appears to him, he asks him what his name is. In Hebrew, the name given is “wonderful,” and we know that is one of the names of Jesus. In the prophetic words of Isaiah, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, “and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”. Therefore, we have a woman who is not just barren, but sterile, as the Hebrew is obvious in the distinction between sterile and not bearing young, or barren. This means it would be absolutely impossible for this woman to ever conceive. There is so much within the whole narrative. We want to bring it all into this truth about Jesus appearing to first this wife of Manoah and then to both of them in order to see this wonderful fact the it is Jesus who heals not just her womb, but her entire reproductive system, so that she is no longer sterile, or that Jesus caused a child within her miraculously, just as he would be conceived in Mary. Yet, this is the narrative about Samson, his birth, and that he would begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Interestingly, as Samson was to be set apart to God from birth, Jesus was set apart to God, but then Jesus is God. Once again, we are faced with God doing what is impossible with man and only what is possible for Him. Yet, we suffer from ailments, or hurts within our bodies, and it would seem our Lord is silent, although he told us to ask the Father in his name and He would heal us. Is our healing to come from the hands of man, or from the hand of the Lord, or is the medical man a hand from the Lord? Has the Lord given this knowledge, wisdom, and skills to be able to heal many infirmities in our bodies? Yet, all throughout the scripture, in many cases, Jesus just spoke a healing, or a miracle, without lifting a hand, yet in some cases he just touched them, but he always healed them completely, and instantly. They had no need for some time to recover or therapy. Yet, we must always submit to his will, whatever that means in our lives. Yes, we want, but what does He want? Unless he appears and makes it clear, we live by faith, and that is enough to follow our Lord, whatever comes our way. This woman lived with no hope of bearing a child, yet she did because of the hand of God. We are not hopeless, for we know our Lord is able, he is able, He is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through, He has healed the broken hearted, he has set the captive free, he made the lame to walk again, caused the blind to see, he is able, I know he is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through.