Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Judges 13-15
Judges 13:21
But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.
Within the story of Samson there are a few golden nuggets to dig out and consider. Here are a few.
One is the good prayer of a good father. In 13:12 Manoah, Samson’s father, asked the messenger of the Lord …How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? Samson was their first child, verse 2 tells us that his wife was barren, and Manoah had enough sense to know that he needed some divine instruction on how to raise his boy. He went to the right place, the messenger that gave him the word of God on the matter. All indications are that Manoah, and his wife obeyed the messenger’s instructions faithfully.
Another gem is that the angel delivered his message and appeared no more to Manoah and his wife. But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. (13:21) The angel told his message twice, once to Samson’s mother and once to his father. Within the pages of God’s Holy Word there are many commands, instructions, and teachings for God’s children to follow. Some are repeated often, some a few times, and probably there are some that are only given once. How many times does the Lord have to communicate things to us before those things are obeyed? In the life story of Samson’s parents, they heard the instructions for parenting their son twice. Evidently, they obeyed those instructions for a lifetime. May we be so obedient.
A third jewel in this story is one of contrasting viewpoints. Manoah responded to this interlude with God’s messenger with fear. We shall surely die, because we have seen God. (13:22) His wife responded with faith. 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. (13:23)
How about one more? There is a difference between duty and curiosity. Manoah asked about his duty and was given clear direction. He also asked the angel’s name out of curiosity. His name had nothing to do with the message the angel was to deliver. Therefore, and because it was a secret name, Manoah’s curiosity was not satisfied. This proves once again that there are some secret things of God. No matter how much we may desire to know some of these secrets, they are secret. One day, in eternity, we may learn the name of this angel. Was it Jesus? We cannot be sure for it is a secret. Our curiosity is not nearly as important as our responsibility to obey.
Enjoy reading about Samson, it is a story that captures the imagination, warns of superfluous living, encourages the soul, challenges the brain, and glorifies God.
Dr. William T. Howe
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