Scripture

“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied.” It is too wonderful for you to understand.”

Observation

The Israelites again do evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Philistines oppress them for 40 years.

A man named Manoah is married to a woman who is unable to have children. The angel of the Lord appears to his wife with the happy news that she will soon become pregnant. The child is to be set apart for the Lord, so she must not eat any unclean food. The child will rescue Israel from the Philistines.

She tells Manoah, who then prays for a second visitation so they can receive more instructions about how to raise the child. The angel of God appears again to Manoah’s wife while she is sitting in the field. She runs to bring Manoah. Manoah wants to kill a goat to feed the angel, but he will not eat it. Manoah offers it as a burnt offering to the Lord. When Manoah does this, the angel of the Lord rises to heaven in the flames.

When the baby is born they name him Samson.

Application

When Manoah asked the angel his name, he replied, “It is too wonderful for you to understand”

Many scholars believe that in the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord is a representation of Jesus, the Son of God yet to be born in human flesh.

This truly is a mystery that is too wonderful to understand.

Because God is infinite and unlimited, and we are finite and bound to physical bodies, there are many things about Him that we cannot understand. They remain mysteries to us.

It is natural to want to know as much about God as we can, but we must accept that our knowledge is limited. Some things about the Lord are simply too wonderful to explain, far beyond our thoughts and words.

Prayer

Lord God, you truly are too marvellous for words. I cannot entirely understand you, but I will worship you. Amen.