Preparation For Leadership

Judges 13:1,2,5

And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.


***Whenever the Israelites turned away from God, His punishment was to allow them to be defeated and ruled by their enemies for a period of time. This time He allowed the punishment to last longer, forty years.
During this time they suffered the consequences of their disobedience, even though, God was preparing  one to deliver them out of the hands of Philistines.

God used a barren woman who was looked down upon by society to give birth to a Nazarite son who would grow up and become a deliverer of the Israelites. During her time of pregnancy she could not eat any unclean thing. Only food suitable for her son, the nazarite.

***There are times in our live when we have sinned and turned from God. Our punishment may have not been as severe, but to us it seemed so.  All we have to remember is that there is no sin that God will not forgive other than blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  We all have sinned and come short of His Glory


God says,

11 Chronicles 7: 14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.


Lets remember that, in our time of distress, God has prepared our Saviour, Jesus Christ,  to deliver us from all the strong holds in our life.


Until we meet again - soon.