8. Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” 9. God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10. The woman hurried to tell her husband, “He’s here! The man who appeared to me the other day!” 11. Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, “Are you the man who talked to my wife?” “I am,” he said. 12. So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?” 13. The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her.”

Today we will have child dedication after worship service. So preparing this time I want to share with you 'how to bring up our children in biblical way. We just read about God's announcement to Samson's parents. Especially I want to focus on the verses 8 and 12. These two verses are questions to God about his coming son, Samson. First of all, let us read these verses together.

8. Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

12. So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”

Actually the meaning of these two verses are the same and are the questions we want to ask God for our children. By the way what did make Manoah ask these questions? It's very important for us to know the reasons to make Manoah ask to God. It's because Manoah heard that God would send him his coming son, Samson. If God didn't say anything about Samson, would his father ask to God like these questions? Maybe yes or not. If he was the man who believe in God sincerely, even though he did not hear from God, he would think that God sent his son.

Is the child God saying something about is the only child sent from God? Without hearing anything from God aren't they sent from God? According to the Bible God sent us all our children. In the book of Psalm 127 v.3 the Bible says like this...

"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him."

"...heritage from God, a reward from God..." this expression means that come from God. So children come from God. And In the book of Genesis 30 v.22 the Bible says like this...

"Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive."

God enabled Rachel to conceive. It also means God sent Rachel a child. According to these verses all children come from God. So like Samson's father we should ask to God for our children's future, for their education, how to teach, how to train... If God sent us our children, He will know all things about our children. God alone know why He sent us our children. God alone know what our children's characters are.

Any educationalist can not answer to Manoah's question. Educationalist teach about how we can bring up our children generally. But they don't know anything about our children. Even they don't know all things about their children though. I know many korean educationalist who failed to bring up their children. Even though they were teaching others about how to bring up their children, but they failed to bring up their children. So sometimes we joke like this. "Learn from the educationalist academically, but learn from the farmer's wives practically, if you want to learn how bring up your children.

We must be sure that all our children come from God, our heavenly Father. Even though we think that male and female married to each other and give birth to baby, But God only send us our children. So even unbelievers think the relationship between parents and their children come from God and they never give up it. Even is so in unbelievers... how can we as christian treat it easily? No way!

If God sent us our children God must have the purposes for our children. According to today's Bible verses the angel of God appeared to Samson's parents two times to give the news that they would give birth to a son named Samson and in v.5 told that He would take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines... saying what is the purpose of Samson's coming to his family. Thinking of our children's future let us read the book of Judges 13:5...

"You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

Like Samson many bible characters were predicted from God for their futures. Jacob, Samuel, John the baptist, and also is our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the prediction about Jesus for his future.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

This is what Gabriel appeared to Maria and said about Jesus's future. But we think that they were so special as to be predicted, but our children is normal. So these stories of the Bible characters are meaningless for our children. And from that point of view we prove that we don't believe in God about our children. Does God have purposes for only the great persons? Doesn't God have any purpose for normal persons? Nonsense! God have purpose for each one of our children. As God had purpose for Samson God has purpose for each one of us and of course for our children. And when we know God's purpose toward each one of us we can be happy.

therefore we can bring up our children when God help us. So please ask to God for our children. What Manoah, Samson's father asked to God for his son is exactly what we want to, and what we should ask to God for our children. Let's read v.12 together.

12. So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”

And what is the answer form God? There is the answer in the v.13. Let us read together.

"The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her."

Do all that I have told.... This was the answer to Manoah's question and Do all that I have told in the Bible.... will be the answer to our questions for our children if we ask to God. So to bring up our children well.... as their parents we have to pray and have to read Bible everyday.

So in conclusion.... if you want to bring up your children well..... ask to God what Manoah, Samson's father asked to God in your prayer. Then God will answer to your question like this... "Do all that I have told you in the Bible." And if you want to know what God have told... then you need to read the Bible carefully. And if you know all things God told you in the Bible... then you can bring up in God's way and God will help you for the future of your children. Let's us pray together.

[prayer]

Heavenly Father we thank you very much for today's message. As we bring up our children... may we remember to pray for our children and to read Bible everyday. Oh, Father help us bring up our children in biblical way. And when we bring up our children according to all that you have told us in the Bible.... bless our children and open their future widely. We thank you again for this wonderful day and all things that you have done through last week. I pray all these things in Jesus' name. A-men.