Judges 13:23
But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.
When looking at Samson’s life, one must wonder what would cause this young man to go so far away from God. Of course, Samson made his own choices, and his choices were not because of how his parents raised him; however, I am not going to say that his parent’s example didn't influence him.
Before Samson was born, an angel came and told his parents how to raise him. After the admonition from the angel on how to raise Samson, the parents offered a burnt offering to the LORD, and as they made the offering, the angel ascended in the flame of the altar. Manoah, Samson’s dad, thought they would die because they had seen God. However, the wife reminded her husband that if God was going to kill them, He would not have received their burnt offering.
When I look at this part of the narrative of Samson’s life, I see that the mother was the spiritual leader of the home. It was not that Manoah was not spiritual; he just didn't lead spiritually in the home. Maybe one reason that Samson turned out the way that he did is because he did not have a spiritual daddy.
My friend, it is critical in every home that the dad leads spiritually and in all matters of the home if we expect to turn out godly children. Mothers certainly have a great influence on their children because they are often the one who is at home with the children, but every father needs to be a spiritual leader if they expect their children to be spiritual. It is not enough that the father goes to church; it needs to be that the father is the most spiritual one in the home. The father needs to be the one who teaches God’s Word to the children. The father needs to be the prayer warrior in the home. The father needs to be the greatest person of faith that the children see. The father needs to be the spiritual hero of the children if they expect their children to turn out for God.
However, it cannot be just one parent leading spiritually as the other parent complains and gripes about the one always serving the LORD. I have watched in many homes where the dad tries to serve the LORD as he drags his wife and children along with them, only to get the children to hate Christianity and serving God. You have a much better chance of turning your children out for God as adults if both husband and wife are on the same page when it comes to serving the LORD. Both need to be involved in serving the LORD, and both need to have a great desire to do something for God. Children see when only one parent is dedicated to the LORD, and they will often gravitate to the weaker parent which causes them to stop serving the LORD when they become adults.
The best formula that gives the greatest chance for children to serve the LORD when they leave home is for the father to be the spiritual leader in the home and the mother following right beside him in action and dedication. No, this is not a guarantee that your children will turn out right, but it does give one voice in the home for the children to hear that serving the LORD is the best life, and that dad is the one who leads us to serve the LORD.
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