Read Judges 13

Teach Us!

How do you respond to the commands of God when you read them in the inspired record? We do not receive direct communication from Him as Manoah’s wife did in this instance, but the words which were given by inspiration are just as binding on us as were the words given directly to men in the Scriptures.

When his wife related to Manoah the things that she heard from the Angel of the Lord, he went to God in prayer. “O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born” (Judges 13:8). What a noble request made with a non-doubting, faithful heart! “Teach us!” Do we have that same attitude as we read the Scriptures?

God has told us to do certain things and to avoid other things. Do we pray that we might be taught how to obey more effectively? Jesus commanded His apostles, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). How? What is the most effective way to evangelize? Shall we knock on doors, write letters, purchase time on the television, livestream on Facebook?

All of these have varying levels of success, partly depending on the community in which one lives. What works in New York may not be effective in rural Kentucky, and vice versa. Thus we, must use the intelligence and common sense with which God blesses us to make some decisions based on our environment.

Maybe you are not to the point that you are ready to evangelize because there are things that would hinder your own personal influence. Are you willing to be taught to be better? Peter told the Jews on Pentecost, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Do you know what the words “repent” and “be baptized” mean? Have you looked them up in the dictionary, read articles about these subjects, investigated the religious beliefs and practices of the congregation where you attend?

Whatever the topic may be—repentance, baptism, or evangelism—have the same attitude as the father of Samson, who prayed to God, “Teach us!”