Dedicated

Superman’s Origin Story!

Today we have observe a baby dedication, one of the greatest in all the Bible. The setup is perfect, the call is clear, the baby is dedicated… and the stage is set for this baby to be a perfect human Savior.

This is one of those models of baby-dedication. Together with Samuel, the very best of models of a child dedicated from the very start, given to God.

This is the calling of a hero, the origin story of superman, the beginning of a Savior.

Let’s see how it goes..

This is one of those models of baby-dedication. Together with Samuel, the very best of models of a child dedicated from the very start, given to God.

Samson’s Baby Dedication

Judges 13:1 ESV

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.

Again? generation after generation. This isn’t the same people returning to their sin, but new generations not learning the lessons of the generation(s) before.

Judges 13:2 ESV

There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children.

Judges 13:2

Israel is in pain. This couple is in pain. How do you know that you are barren? There is no fertility doctor to tell you. You know because you try… and you hope… and you wait… and you try… and you hope… This is an experience of disappointed hope, unanswered prayers, presumably over a long time period.

Judges 13:3–5 ESV

And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

Judges 13:3

The very first instructions after telling her she will have a son, the very first thing, is instructions in the Nazirite vow. From the womb he shall be a Nazirite.

Nazirite?

“What is a Nazirite?” you may ask.

The word means dedicated, and the instructions are found in . For a limited time, a man may “dedicate” himself, kind of making of his own life a temporary sacrifice. He avoids grapes, not just wine but the fruit itself. He avoids becoming unclean through any contact with dead bodies. And he doesn’t cut his hair as an outward sign of this vow. For a season, a period of time, he does this. Then at the end, he brings a sacrifice of worship, and shaves his head, and brings his sacrifice before God… and then it’s done.

But Samson.... Samson shall “be a Nazirite to God from the womb” with no endpoint. He is “dedicated” entirely, predestined in this way, entirely given over into the service of God, for the mission of saving God’s people.

The woman is excited and ran to tell her husband, Manoah.

Judges 13:6–7 ESV

Then the woman came and told her husband, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name, but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’ ”

=7

Hear the repetition there? Underlining the vow as a Nazirite.

But Manoah isn’t taking the random stranger’s word, he asks God what His plan is.

Judges 13:8 ESV

Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”

God listened:

Judges 13:

Judges 13:9–12 ESV

And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, “Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.” And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” And he said, “I am.” And Manoah said, “Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?”

Judges 13:9

I love this question, as a parent. This is a good one to write down. What is the be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission? Manner and mission? Way and purpose? What is my child’s “why” and “how” is he going to walk in it? What is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?

And again, we hear the Nazirite vow:

Judges 13:13–14 ESV

And the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe.”

Judges 13:

Manoah invites the angel to dinner and, like the angel that approached Gideon, he says you could make an offering.

Manoah asks his name:

Judges 13:17–18 ESV

And Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?” And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?”

My name is wonderful (like I have a wonderful name). Or even, you want my name? You can’t handle my name! It would melt your face off.

Judges 13:1

Or my name is wonderful (cool name). Perhaps even, as in, “For unto us a child is given… and his name shall be Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God”.

And so they offered the goat and the grain on the rock…

Judges 13:20 ESV

And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.

Judges 13:2

And Manoah says “we’re going to die!”

And Manoah’s wife says “No dummy, he just told us we are going to have a kid, weren’t you listening?”

Judges 13:24–25 ESV

And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 13:

Samson, before he ever even had a choice, had this road set before him. Wholly dedicated to the Lord’s service. Predestined for great works. Blessed by God. Foretold and fore-ordained. Child of prophecy and great expectation.

We will talk in coming weeks about how successful that was.

We will talk about Samson as Savior-figure.

Dedicated Baby - A Little Much

Nazairite

But today, I want to zero in on what the text says over and over again. This child will be absolutely dedicated to the Lord’s ministry.

and that is what “Nazirite” means.

The word means dedicated, and the instructions are found in . For a limited time, a man may “dedicate” himself, kind of making of his own life a temporary sacrifice. He avoids grapes, not just wine but the fruit itself. He avoids becoming unclean through any contact with dead bodies. And he doesn’t cut his hair as an outward sign of this vow. For a season, a period of time, he does this. Then at the end, he brings a sacrifice of worship, and shaves his head, and brings his sacrifice before God… and then it’s done.

But Samson.... Samson shall “be a Nazirite to God from the womb” with no endpoint. He is “dedicated” entirely, predestined in this way, entirely given over into the service of God, for the mission of saving God’s people.

But Samson.... Samson shall “be a Nazirite to God from the womb” with no endpoint. He is “dedicated” entirely, predestined in this way, entirely given over into the service of God, for the mission of saving God’s people.

Or even, in the way that the vow of the Nazirite was a period of self-sacrifice, finally symbolized by shaving the hair (the outward sign of the Nazirite vow) and placing it “as a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD”

Or even, in the way that the vow of the Nazirite was a period of self-sacrifice, finally symbolized by shaving the hair (the outward sign of the Nazirite vow) and placing it “as a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD”

Numbers 6:18 ESV

And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.

Number 6:18

Making of himself a peace offering to the LORD, alongside a sin offering and a burnt offering and a drink offering… all the kinds of offering. The Nazirite is making of himself an offering, a sacrifice to God. And Samson is commanded to live his WHOLE life this way. Never is he supposed to shave and burn his hair, from birth to death, he is a living sacrifice.

Isn’t that a little much? That’s a lot to ask from a baby. That’s a lot to lay on a kid!

We meet these parents at baseball games, in the theater, people who dedicate their child to EXTREME measures to a sport or a life goal. And they live vicariously, perhaps because they never made it themselves. … and we often hear about the burnout of the kid, because it’s just too much!

They can’t sustain the dedication. Why, because it is based on their parent’s passion, not their own. Unless they catch the fire, catch the passion along the way, they are going to burnout. It is VERY rare for this kind of extreme child dedication to work out well.

We can leave it as a mystery how it works out for Samson. Samson is setup, dedicated, and the stage is set for him to be a perfect human savior.

And it seems extreme and crazy to ask of a child, but those words are familiar.

He is a living sacrifice. Dedicated to the Lord. A living sacrifice. Does that ring a bell?

A Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

The NIV says “In view of his mercies...”

What is it that motivates this level of dedication? Living sacrifices? The view of his mercies!

In view of those mercies, in light of this incredible gospel, everything changes. It is transformed.

It isn’t an act of will (though we do respond with our wills).

It isn’t just an act of disciple (though discipline is required). In view of his mercy, we dedicate ourselves as living sacrifices: dedicated in ministry and dedicated in love. In view of his mercy, we dedicate ourselves as living sacrifices: dedicated in ministry and dedicated in love.

In view of his mercy, we dedicate ourselves

This is

Dedicated in ministry:

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:

Dedicated in love:

Romans 12:9–21 ESV

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:9

In view of his mercy, we dedicate ourselves as living sacrifices: dedicated in ministry and dedicated in love.

In View of His Mercies

Let’s view His mercies together as we take communion.

Rod Henry. Dedicated in ministry. Dedicated in love.

His mercies: his body, broken for us.

His mercies: his blood, poured out for us.