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Judges 13:7 "[B]ut he said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son; so then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from birth to the day of his death.'"

 

The child being announced here is Samson, and the prohibition against wine, strong drink, and unclean food is repeated several times in this story. The angel says it to Samson's mother when he first appears to her (Judges 13:3); she repeats it to her husband, Manoah, here; and the angel says it again to Manoah when he appears to him (Judges 13:13-14). It is clearly very important that Samson not be exposed to these things from conception in order to be the Nazirite God intends him to be. 

 

This reminded me of when I learned I was pregnant with my third child, my daughter. It was unexpected (although greatly hoped for!), and the weekend before I learned of it I had been away and had been drinking. I said so to the doctor in concern, but he told me not to worry, just not to drink going forward. It made me think about the things we do that we know are bad for us, but we do them anyway unless and until we are putting another at risk.

 

I didn't give a second thought to having one glass too many of wine until it seemed I might be hurting my unborn child, but drinking too much is not good for me either! When pregnant we are so careful about what we eat and drink, and rightly so, but why not be that careful all the time? I think some people are, and I give them a lot of credit, but I am not. I couldn't wait to have my first glass of wine after each of my children was born!

 

I certainly don't think God wants me to be as strict with my diet as I should be while pregnant ("Even Jesus drank wine!", as I saw grafitied in the grime on a truck in the city once:), but I do think it's a good idea for me to think about what, and how much, I am eating and drinking all the time. I am God's child, after all, and He would like to keep me safe as well.