Judges 13:2-5 “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. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 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.”
Within our text, we have the details surrounding the birth of Samson; who was one of the judges of Israel previous to Israel’s cries for a king so that they might be as other nations. In addition to the details of Samson’s birth, we are made aware of an important truth that has evaded the majority of mankind; Samson was born with a purpose! The “angel of the LORD” said, “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.” All of mankind, like Samson are born with a purpose! While it can’t be proved, I believe that the majority of humanity live and die squandering the privilege of fulfilling the purpose they were born for!
Having an understanding that all men are born with a divine purpose in mind gives credibility to at least two major truths. Firstly, I can rejoice in knowing that I am not some freak accident of nature! A Sovereign God had a divine purpose for my life on earth. Secondly, every aborted child is not only the destruction of a life, but it is a defiant act of man to minimize and destroy God’s purposes!
Once that we are knowledgeable of the fact that we have a purpose, we must ask ourselves this question, “What is my purpose?” While there may be numerous answers to such a profound question, I want to try to magnify three.
Man’s Secular Purpose is to Work the Ground
In chapter one of the book of Genesis, we find the origin of man; “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27). Having created man, God gave man something to do; “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Man was given the responsibility to till and work the garden. He was to take heed and preserve the garden in which he was given the dominion. Man was not to live in some idle state in which he waited for someone else to provide his daily needs. In the book of Leviticus, God said, “Six days shall work be done” (23:3). God puts no premium on laziness; “this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (II Thessalonians 3:10). God’s secular purpose for man is that he may work and earn a living so that he might provide for his family. This is especially true for those that name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (I Timothy 5:8). If man is to fulfill his purpose he must work.
Man’s Spiritual Purpose is to Worship the Saviour
Jesus having been baptized of John the Baptist was “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). After fasting for forty days and forty nights, the tempter comes to Jesus in an attempt to cause Jesus to sin in this time of physical weakness. Satan having promised Jesus the kingdoms of this world if He would but bow in submission and worship him; Jesus responds with the truth from the Word of God; “for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10). There is not a plurality of gods, but there is but one “True and Living God.” Speaking to Jesus in Mark 12:32, a scribe of the law said, “thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he.” The psalmist said, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord” (Psalm 150:6). If a man is to fulfill his purpose he must worship.
Man’s Sovereign Purpose is to do the Will of God
When the angel of the LORD spoke to Samson’s mother, He was specific as to God’s purpose for Samson; “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.” While God’s secular and spiritual purpose is the same for all men; there is a specific individual sovereign will for each individual. When writing to the believers at Corinth, Paul spoke of this sovereign will of God; “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him” (I Corinthians 12:18). In Judges 13, there are three specific individual and each one has been born for a specific purpose and only they can fulfill that specific purpose for which they have been born! Each of us has been born with a sovereign purpose to fulfill! The quantity and quality of our rewards in the future will be determined by our willingness to achieve the purpose for which we were born! If man is to fulfill his purpose he must strive to do God’s will.
Life is a gift that has been given to man by God. It is a gift of purpose; there is no one just like you and there is no one that can achieve the purpose for which you were born. Is the life you are living a “Life With Purpose?”
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