The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Samuel 1:10-11, Hannah, “…greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
11 She made a vow and said, ‘O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.’”

Judges 13:3-5, “Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.
4 ‘Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.
5 ‘For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.’”

Desperate situations call for serious commitments. Such commitments often extend to family members and/or close friends. With respect to the two vows of the women above, however, they are exceedingly serious, human comitments to the LORD.

“In the circumstances of an ordinary vow, men consecrated some material
possession, but the Nazirite consecrated himself…, and took a vow of separation
and self-imposed discipline for the purpose of some special service; and the fact
of the vow was indicated by special signs of abstinence” (BW Dictionary).

Hannah’s commitment regarded her son, Samuel. How much she knew about the Nazarite vow is not known. Samson’s mother, however, was given clear instructions as to his care before and after his birth. She was also permitted to know that Israel would be delivered from the Philistines, and by the hand of her son.

Our most important commitment to the LORD is to give Him total control of our lives. There is no greater purpose in life than that which He has to us. Yet, we must be committed to Him before He makes known our responsibility. That is what faith and trust are all about.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make
your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

Memorize those two verses. They will serve to keep you faithful to the LORD and to the task which He has assigned to you. May God bless you abundantly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom