Rule of life
“So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, ‘Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?’ And He said, ‘I am’”. Manoah said, ‘Now let Your words come to pass! What will be the boy’s rule of life, and his work?’ So the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, ‘Of all that I have said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her, let her observe.”(NKJV) Judges 13:11-13
I read this portion of the Scripture, and I kept thinking about this question about ‘Rule of life’. I asked a few colleagues whether they knew their rule of life and their work on earth; a few that responded said they didn’t know, and that they were still searching for it. Quite interestingly, we’ve all been living and if we’re not sure what our rule of life is, could it be that we are deviating from it?
There’s often not much talk about the rule of life of people. In fact, until I read this portion again, I’d not been struck with the question of what my rule of life is, although most of us have learned and lived by some Christian principles. That’s good; but what’s your rule of life, and your work? I believe that each one of us has a rule of life. Daily Inspirer messages have shown that life is not without meaning, and the meaningfulness of life can be traced by the rules that govern it. Jesus Christ, our perfect example in any good thing, lived a meaningful life – in fact, he is the definition of the purpose of our lives. His mission was clearly set out (Luke 4:18-19) and fulfilled all prophecies about Him to the latter (Matt. 5:17-18). He knew about His death, and He walked straight up to it. No doubt, Jesus Christ knew His rule of life.
The incidence preceding Sampson’s birth shows how important it was for Manoah to know the rule of life of the baby who was to be born. The Angel of the Lord had promised his wife and left. Manoah prayed that God brings the man back (Judges 13:6-10). It appears his main reason for wanting to meet the Man was to ask “What will be the rule of life and … work” of Sampson? At this stage, the Man didn’t answer Manoah directly only to say that the woman should abstain from wine and unclean things and observe what she had been told. Earlier in verse 5, she had been told that “no razor shall come upon his head … and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines”. So here we are, Sampson’s rule of life clearly defined: something he must never do; and something he must do. Most of us are quite familiar with the story of Sampson … what happened when he lived by his rule of life, and what happened when he didn’t.
Beloved, this morning, I want to lead your thoughts on what your rule of life is – whether or not you know yours. If life is meaningful, it must certainly have a rule(s) that govern it. I believe that everyone has a rule of life. If we know it, we should be careful to live by it; if we don’t, then we should explore our lives and identify what our rule of life is. At this stage, I can broadly suggest that your rule of life must satisfy two aspects: something(s) you should do; and something(s) you shouldn’t do. May the God Lord guide us as we identify our rule of life, and strengthen us to obey all the time. Amen!