An Angelic Wonder

Their hearts filled with gratitude, Manoah and his wife offer to prepare a meal for the Angel of the Lord as a means of honoring Him for bringing them the promise of a son. Gideon did much the same (Judg. 6:18), but he clearly understood that the one with whom he was dealing was not a man such as himself. Manoah and his wife are not yet certain about this, but the Angel takes care of that. “ ‘I will not eat your food,’ ” He declares, suggesting that they should not honor the messenger but the sender of the message. Thus, a burnt offering to God would be appropriate. But the couple still desire to honor the Angel in some way, so they ask his name, much as Jacob did (Gen. 32:29), so that they might tell others by whom the promise of a son came to them. In this query they are no more successful than Jacob; the Angel refuses to give His name, but He gives a hint as to His identity by noting that the name is “ ‘wonderful.’ ” The King James Version translates this word “secret,” but a better understanding of it emerges from Psalm 139:6, where it carries the idea of “incomprehensible.”

Manoah follows the Angel’s suggestion and offers a goat upon a rock with a grain offering. We are not told whether the Angel brings fire from the rock to consume the offering, as He did in Gideon’s case (Judg. 6:21). But He does do something wondrous—stepping close to the rock, the Angel merges with the flame and so ascends to heaven. Now Manoah and his wife grasp the truth—this was no prophet, a human being like themselves, but a divine being, possibly even God the Father Himself in the form of a man. Appropriately, they both fall on their faces, but Manoah (like Gideon, Judg. 6:22) is filled with fear while his wife reacts in faith. “ ‘We shall surely die, because we have seen God!’ ” Manoah declares, no doubt remembering God’s words in Exodus 33:20. But his wife, thinking logically, reminds him that God accepted their offering and made promises that require them to live. Again, therefore, we see the devotion and faith of this godly couple.

In the proper time, God’s promise is fulfilled and Samson is born. As he grows, God blesses him in terms of strength and stature, preparing him for the work ahead. Still later, the Spirit of God begins “to move upon him,” directing his ways in the “the camp of Dan” along the tribe’s southern frontier.