September 20, 2011
Judges 13
"Then the woman came and told her husband….."
Judges 13:6a
If you didn't know already I love being married! With that being said, whenever I read about people who are married in the Bible it stands out to me. I feel like I'm kind of people watching, just observing. In Judges 13 we are introduced to Manoah and his wife, the soon-to-be parents of Samson. Like some women in the Bible, Manoah's wife was barren. An Angel of the Lord came and spoke to her telling her she was going to have a baby. It says then the woman went to her husband and told him all that had happened. There is no evidence of Manoah criticizing or making any kind of statement to ridicule her for seeing an angel. He listened and knew exactly what she was saying. He demonstrated the art of listening again in verse 11 by "following his wife" to see the angel. Norman Wright says, "One of the greatest gifts one person can give to another is the gift of listening. It can be an act of love and caring." Maybe a good question to ask myself is do I really listen to my spouse or am I thinking about what my response is going to be when he/she stops talking? Listening means that I am demonstrating a caring heart toward my spouse.
Father, please cause our hearts to develop an ear that truly listens.
Dave
Heb 4:16
