Many children become a disappointment for their parents when they do not follow the Lord. Obviously, no parent is perfect, but there is nothing in this passage that says anything bad about Manoah and his wife. They would have no reason to blame themselves for the actions of Samson.
Søren Kierkegaard put it this way- “A loving mother teaches her child to walk alone. She is far enough from him so that she cannot actually support him. She holds out her arms her face beckons him like a reward and encouragement. The young child constantly strides towards a refuge in her arms little suspecting that in the very same moment he is in emphasizing his need for her, he’s proving that he can do without her and so in this dilemma he learns to walk.”
There comes a time in each person’s life when those ropes and apron strings are gradually cut and the child is on his or her own. There’s a mixture of emotion because part of you as a parent wants to hang on and not see a loved one make mistakes. Another part realizes they will never face the responsibilities of the world until they go through some of those experiences. Parents seek to prepare children for responsible independence and faithfulness to the Lord, but each person cannot take the faith of their parents, they must trust God alone and follow His plan for their lives.
Judges picks up the story when Samson is a young adult. His character has something to be desired. Samson is filled with arrogance, rudeness, selfishness, and has a puffed-up ego. Samson‘s pride will ultimately become his downfall.
I know that we are taken by the psychology of the day that tells us the reasons we have problems is because of the environment, or home life, or parental being lenient or over-bearing, or lack of church, or too much church, or the undisciplined school system. It seems that everyone is quick to point the finger at everyone and everythingPrayer: Lord help me to teach my children that you are their are all sufficiency. except where the problem really lies- in the heart of the rebellious person. There are examples of people that have all the greatest potential and upbringing, but have chosen to go their own way and live a life filled with selfishness and immorality. There are other people who come out of a pitiful environment and the Lord raised them up to be a shining godly example. Why the difference? Because like it or not, most of the is responsibility for change falls right in the lap of each individual. Each person is responsible solely unto the Lord. We are accountable to Him alone. We cannot blame others.
