Prolife Kitchen Table
Join us as we share information and answer your questions about life issues from fertilization to natural death.
All of the materials used in this podcast are the product of four decades of work and research by Presbyterians Protecting Life – www.ppl.org. This isn’t just a podcast for Presbyterians – all of our materials are useful for anyone with an interest in protecting human life at every stage from fertilization to natural death.
We’ll use both scientific and philosophical sources, and for our Christian listener, there will be plenty of grounding in Scripture and a Biblical worldview. The show notes in each episode contain links to articles and scripture references. With the average 15 minute podcast length, and the addition of the list of scriptures and articles, each episode can be used for older student and adult Sunday Schools, group studies and personal study.
Most of the weekly topics will be available in hard copy from the PPL.ORG website and will cover a variety of subjects. We’ll talk about what it means to be human and how everyone is human from the moment of fertilization, and that our time in the womb is only a stage of development like being an infant, a toddler, a child, an adolescent, a mature adult and, if we are blessed with a long life, becoming elderly and how all those categories are categories of personhood and deserving of life and human rights.
Prolife Kitchen Table
Episode 35 - Sink or Swim - Baby Chris Week 35
In this episode, we're continuing to follow Marie Bowen's excellent book, Pregnant with Promise, by examining the life of Manoah's wife, the mother of the famous superhero, Samson. Like every human being, God had a destiny for Samson planned out before his conception. Are there things that God is doing in your own life that make you aware that God wants to do something extraordinary through you or your children?
For more focus on respiration and the function on the placenta inside the womb, see Episodes for Week 24 "Breath of Heaven" and Week 30 "Life Support"
Scripture references in this episode include:
Judges 13-16 Exodus 33:20 Psalm 139:16
Proverbs 11:14, 20:18 Isaiah 55:8-9
2 Corinthians 12:10; 13:9 Acts 20:35
Matthew 23:11 Romans 6:18 Philippians 3:7-8
Mark 9:35 I Samuel 2:8 Ezekiel 21:26
James 4:10 Luke 17:33 John 12:24
Romans 8:13 Galatians 5:24 Matthew 10:39
James 1:2 Mark 4:34-41 Acts 27
John 3:16 I Thessalonians 5:23-24
Romans 11:33
https://www.ppl.org/baby-chris
Abortion is never medically necessary
Abortion Pill Reversal https://abortionpillreversal.com 24/7 Helpline at 877.558.0333 Email: help@apr.life or Chat at the weblink above
Post abortion recovery for both women and men at https://www.rachelsvineyard.org
Life Training Institute https://www.prolifetraining.com
Charlotte Lozier Institute https://lozierinstitute.org
Guttmacher Institute https://guttmacher.org
Compelled by the gospel, PPL equips Presbyterians to champion human life at every stage. PPL.org
We're glad to have you back at the ProLife Kitchen Table, the weekly podcast of Presbyterians Protecting Life. I'm Deborah Hollifield, and I'll be sitting with you this week to guide us through a study of the character of God who cherishes human life. We're continuing to use Marie Bowen's great book, Pregnant with Promise, and this week we are going to hear about Samson's parents.
HOST:Even if you aren't a Christian, you have probably heard of Samson, who served as a judge, one of the last leaders of ancient Israel, before the age of the kings. He's the hero whose superhuman strength was sourced in his uncut long hair. I love the story of Samson's life, his destiny from the womb, his strength, his weakness, and his restoration.
HOST:All of that is contained in chapters thirteen through sixteen of the Old Testament Book of Judges. The time of the Judges takes place between the fourteenth and eleventh centuries BC. The Judges themselves were twelve leaders of ancient Israel who came after Moses and Joshua, and I think it would be a great read after you listen to this podcast, because there is a lot of the book of Judges that will remind you of the times that we are living in today. The theme of the book is the disintegrating spiritual and national life of the nation of Israel, and they repeatedly rebel against God and violate his covenant. The whole nation of Israel was apostate, meaning that its people had abandoned their faith in God and quit listening to and following God, and although God called them time and again to repentance, they were repeatedly unfaithful. One of the purposes of the book of Judges is to show how Israel rejected God as their king, and the counter theme in the book is the faithfulness of God towards his people as he continually has compassion on them.
HOST:The story of Samson's birth begins in Judges chapter thirteen. We read that Samson's father is named Manoah, but his mother remains unnamed even though she is the focus of the beginning of the story, and we learn that like a lot of the women we have read about so far, she is another barren woman without a child. When she learns she is pregnant, the news is brought to her by an angel of God.
HOST:God seems to delight in bringing his leaders through barren women. We are taught again that with God nothing is impossible, that life comes from nothingness, joy springs from sorrow, and blessing removes disgrace. And like the stories we have already read about Hagar, Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, God's people are being prepared to receive the impossible birth of the coming Messiah, who will be born to a virgin who has never known a man.
HOST:After the angel tells Manoah's wife that she will conceive and bear a son, she's given instructions about what she is to eat and drink. She's told to drink no wine or strong drink, and to eat nothing unclean. The child is to be a Nazarite even in his mother's womb. Now I know that even today pregnant women are told not to drink alcohol or eat things that are potentially contaminated like raw oysters. So it's interesting that this good advice was given to women five thousand years ago. But in this case the instructions are not about maternal health, they are about the Nazarite vow. A Nazarite vow is a promise to God that involves three provisions no cutting of the hair, abstinence from anything associated with alcohol, and no contact with the dead. Usually this was a short term voluntary vow, but in this case, Samson's vow was not voluntary because it was imposed on him by God while Samson was still in the womb. And it was not limited in time because it was to be in effect until his death.
HOST:The last part of the angel's message to Samson's mother was that her son's destiny would be as a tool used by God to save Israel from the oppressive hand of their pagan enemies, the Philistines.
HOST:This is another theme that we have seen over and over again in these stories, and it's something that will continue throughout the Bible in the lives of other prophets of God, that their destinies are set by God before they are born. They are who they are in the womb. They are human persons before they are born just like every human being. When abortion advocates try to assert that unborn children are just clumps of cells along the lines of any other disposable tissue, we are able to read in Scripture the repeated accounts of the individuality, destiny, and purpose of every human being. And this is not just for the prophets, but also for all of us. Who we would become was already considered by God before we were even conceived, and we were each equipped for our particular purpose as we developed in the womb. After we are born each person continues to develop into the person God wants them to be, for tasks that He has set in place before time everlasting, from before our beginnings, for us to accomplish.
HOST:But back to Manoah and his wife. After the angel leaves her, Manoah's wife returns to her husband and tells him verbatim what the angel said to her. Beginning in verse eight, we read of Manoah's response to his wife's account of the visit from the angel, when he prays about his conscientious desire to raise the child properly. He's taking fatherhood seriously, but he's concerned about whether he and his wife will have the ability to do what the job requires. He prays that the angel will return to them and give them more details. God answers Manoah's prayer, and the angel does return and confirms his first message directly to Manoah this time. But in the end, he refers Manoah back to his wife and tells him that his wife is the one who is to observe the commands of God. God placed the responsibility for how she will care for herself and her child during this pregnancy in the hands of Samson's mother.
HOST:In response to the angel's confirmation, the couple sacrifices a burnt offering to God. Now it seems that during both of these exchanges with the angel, that Manoah and his wife thought they were talking with a human prophet of God or some kind of lesser angel. But this time, when the angel leaves, they see the angel dis ascend into heaven in flames, and realize that it was neither a human being, nor was it some ordinary spirit, but rather was the angel of God himself. Manoah then exclaims to his wife, "We shall surely die for we have seen God!"
HOST:If his panic sounds strange to you, you should understand that earlier, in the book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible after Genesis, God has said that no man shall look upon me and live. So all the Hebrews knew that it was impossible to survive after looking upon the face of God, both because of God's holiness and also because of God's burning radiance. But Manoah's wife was more sensible, and answered her husband that, "... if the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted our burnt offering, or shown us everything, or announced to us such things as these."
HOST:So after a normal pregnancy, Samson is born. His parents have no way of knowing all that he will do to fulfill God's purposes. He will be incredibly strong and perform amazing feats in battle against the Philistines. But he will also have a weakness for women, that will be his downfall, and his liaisons will bring sorrow to his parents. But for now, it's enough that Manoah and his wife know that God has given them a son.
HOST:They have had a life-changing encounter with an angel in their lives, will never be the same, and they can be assured that they are part of God's plan and that their son has a special mission.
HOST:The account of Samson's birth gives us something to think about when it comes to considering what is a word from God and what is not. We read that Manoah's wife told him everything the angel had told her at first, but that he wanted to hear it for himself from the angel and not just from her. I don't get the sense that it's because he didn't trust her, but because the news was so huge that he wanted to be sure that he understood everything for himself.
HOST:When it comes to us, sometimes people tell us what they say that God prompted them to tell us, and it's important then for us to check what they say against Scripture.
HOST:If someone comes to us and says God told me to tell you to do thus and such, we should check their words against Scripture, and if what they have to say contradicts the explicit words of Scripture, or what we know about the attributes and character of God, we have good reason to reject what they say.
HOST:But we should also be cautious about always rejecting out of hand what people have to say to us because sometimes God does send messages to us through others, and we shouldn't allow our personal prejudices against the messenger to cause us to dismiss the message.
HOST:In an example from my own life, when I was praying about discerning my call to ministry, a number of people in my church confirmed that they too believed I was called to ministry. But during my years in seminary, I met with a lot of opposition on various fronts. Not a word from God exactly, but things like challenges in my academics, physical exhaustion and sickness, and some unexpected and difficult financial straits.
HOST:When I was home on school break, I commented to my church board and pastor that these oppositional challenges were concerning to me because they didn't seem random, but rather somehow purposeful. One of the elders commented that he thought God must have an extraordinary ministry in place for me because, in his view, the hindrances I was experiencing were signs that the Enemy was working feverishly to keep me from fulfilling God's call. I responded that I was equally concerned that God was discouraging me from continuing and that perhaps I was mistaken in my call.
HOST:It was only after more study and discernment with friends and the scripture that we came to the conclusion that if the opposition was from the Enemy, then it made sense that I should persevere. And if instead the hindrances were from God, they were more likely to be tests of my willingness to continue to obey in the face of the anticipated challenges of ministry, and in that case, perseverance was again the way f orward. There is a lot of benefit in seeking many counselors, as the book of Proverbs says, when we read that where there is no guidance people fail, but in an abundance of counselors they succeed. That's Proverbs 11:14. And it also says that in the abundance of counselors there is victory, and that plans are established by wise guidance. That's Proverbs 20:18.
HOST:Manoah and his wife are ordinary people chosen by God to bring an extraordinary child into the world who would be instrumental in rescuing Israel from their enemies. Are there things that God is doing in your life that make you aware that God wants you to do something extraordinary through you? If you are part of a Christian church or have a group of close Christian friends, share with them and seek their guidance and pray for one another that your eyes will be open to see what God is doing around you and that your ears will be ready to hear his message for you.
HOST:And now we've come up on our break with a lot to think about. Most of us are leading pretty ordinary lives. And if you are a young mother whose world is small and you are caught up at home in the lives of babies and toddlers, or if like me your nest is empty and your world has shrunk to your home, a few friends, and your church, it can be easy to believe that God is carrying out his plans through other people, and it's harder to believe that God is not finished with the plans for your life.
HOST:Psalm 139:16 has the psalmist addressing God, saying, "Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book all the days of my life were written before one of them came to be."
HOST:Like Samson, God indeed had plans for us before we were born, and none of us will die one day before God has decreed, because those plans will require our lifetimes. And it may be, like Manoah and his wife, those plans include being in charge of the health and well-being of children put in our care, who will carry out God's plans through them after us.
ANNOUNCER:All of the materials and information presented in this podcast are sourced from the four decades of information and resources created by Presbyterians Protecting Life and accessible to you at its website. PPL is compelled by the gospel to equip reformed Christians of all denominations to champion human life from fertilization to natural death. Train yourself and others to become a lifeline for women and children and join us as a life support prayer partner at PPL.org.
HOST:This week 35 Baby Chris Devotional is titled Sink or Swim.
HOST:Hear the word of the Lord. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. For as teh heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9. Thanks be to G od.
HOST:At thirty-five weeks, Baby Chris's mouth is practicing sucking movements to be ready to eat once born. His pupils now dilate when the sun or bright light filter into the uterus. The primary focus of his development is now fat accumulation. His lungs are currently filled with fluid, which will be eliminated when he takes his first breath.
HOST:There are a few things we know about human beings and water. They either sink or swim. Fat helps people float, and if lungs are filled with water, humans drown and die. Fat is less dense than water, so people who have more fat are more likely to float on the water with little effort, while a leaner, more muscular person will probably have to make more of an effort to float because of negative buoyancy. When a swimmer's lungs are full of air, they act like balloons to aid buoyancy. But if the swimmer exhales, he will begin to sink and possibly drown, dying by suffocation from a lack of air caused by fluid in the lungs, usually water.
HOST:But in the indoor pool of the womb, things are quite literally inside out. Even though a baby's lungs are full of amniotic fluid, the baby doesn't drown because oxygen is being delivered from the placenta versus via the umbilical cord.
HOST:This week we have a human being submerged in fluid, but who doesn't need to float inside the womb, effortlessly lying on the fat that will help him float in water outside the womb, and whose lungs are filled with fluid but who isn't drowning.
HOST:This is a paradox, a seemingly self-contradictory set of facts or circumstances that are all true at the same time. Or a seemingly self-contradictory declaration that is in fact true. Scripture contains the very thoughts of God whose thoughts have lots of paradoxes. Believers are strongest when they are weak. We receive the most when we give the most. We are the most free through servitude. We gain through losing. The first must be last. God exalts the humble and humbles the exalted. We gain life through dying, and find through losing. James says that we should count it all joy when we fall into various trials. It was a paradox when Jesus spoke God's peace to his disciples, despite their reasonable expectation that the strong storm would swamp the small boat and the impossible idea that any man could control the weather with a word. It was a paradox when Paul was confident enough to prepare a meal to strengthen the flagging crew, even though their impending shipwreck was a certainty. None of these truths or experiences make sense to the natural mind of one living in the natural world. But all of these truths come from the mind of God and are the guides for the daily lives of believers who desire to live in Christ.
HOST:The most precious paradox of all is that God gave his only Son to die so that we might live, that our faith in God is itself a gift from God, and that we will be found faithful and blameless at the coming of Christ because He is blameless and faithful, and He will surely do it. Following the example of Baby Chris, we only need to rest, float, and breathe, regardless of the trial, until we are delivered.
HOST:Hear the word of the Lord: "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and how unfathomable his ways!" Romans 11:33. Thanks be to God!
ANNOUNCER:We hope you enjoyed this week's reflection. We encourage you to share it and join us next time on Pro Life Kitchen Table. May God bless you.
