Voice of Reason

"Now the angel of the Lord did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. So Manoah said to his wife, 'We will surely die, for we have seen God.' But his wife said to him, 'If the Lord had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time.'" -Judges 13.21-23

The wife of Manoah tells her husband what has happened, and Manoah prays that the God sent would come and again and teach them more about what they would need to know for the boy that has been promised. God answers the prayer and when the angel comes the second time the wife runs to get her husband. They speak with the angel and then are instructed to make a burnt offering to God, and the angel ascends in the flame. It is at this point that they realize they have been speaking to an angel.

Here Manoah has a freak out/panic moment. He belives that they have seen God and are about to die. Enter the voice of reason, and his wife, who is nameless in the Bible, points out that God is not going to kill them because of what He has shown them and that He accepted their offering. They have been promised a blessing from God, and death is not going to follow.

In relationships I believe that the role of the voice of reason can shift. When my wife and I first got married it was her. When I was frustrated she would be able to help we calm down. If I worried, she was able to help me trust. For a while our roles shifted as our life has changed, and I became the voice of unshakable faith and serenity. Now it's all situational. There are moments when she is the voice of reason, and there are moments when I am.

Men, God gave us wives for many reasons, one of which is to be the voice of reason at times. It shouldn't be her role all of the time, otherwise we are failing to lead. A leader has to be able to be calm, collected, and confident. But at the same time, there will be times when we don't know what to do. Enter the wife who takes up the needed role to support her husband and care for her children. God created us to be partners, each playing a vital role.

Let us be men who are willing to listen to our wives when we aren't thinking rationally. Let us focus on the voice of reason.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor