Do You Love Secrets?
Today’s Verse
And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? ~Judges 13:18
Growing up as a kid, other kids who were friends would sometimes come to me on the side and say, “Do you want to hear a secret?” Of course, if it is a secret, they shouldn’t be telling me! However, there is something about the nature of a secret that captures our attention. It is being privy to information that supposedly only privileged people have access to. The government uses the term “classified information” and adults tell each other “privileged information.” In reality, many secrets wind up being gossip or hearsay. This morning, the angel of the Lord asked Manoah, “Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?” Do you love secrets?
We see the Messenger.
There is the revelation. The term “angel of the LORD” is referred to as a theophany. It was, in reality, a pre-incarnate appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Pre-incarnate” means before His actual entrance into this world as God manifest in the flesh. There is the reality. Our Lord came in Person to Manoah. The reality is that when we take the time to meet the Lord in His Word and in prayer, He meets with us.
We see the meaning.
“And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?” Manoah wanted to know the name of the heavenly Messenger. Our Lord asked him, “Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?” The word in Hebrew for secret also means “wonderful,” “extraordinary,” or “incomprehensible.” What a powerful description of the Lord’s name! The name of our Lord is wonderful to all of His people. It is the only name given among men under Heaven whereby we must be saved. It is a strong tower that the righteous run into and are safe. It’s the name at which every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.
We see the movement.
“So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.” There is the response. This meat offering was an act of worship on the part of Manoah and his wife. A meat offering was offered daily by every Jew in thankfulness for God’s daily provision. There is the representation. The meat offering pictures our Lord Jesus Christ in His deity and the anointing of the Holy Spirit on His life. It speaks of our fellowship with Him at the altar. Manoah demonstrated reverence and worship in the Lord’s presence. This speaks powerfully to us that we should never take the presence of God for granted. Notice, the Angel did wondrously in that He ascended in the flame of the altar. The Lord was pleased with the offering and worshipful response of Manoah.
The name of the Lord is wonderful! Through His name, we understand His attributes. Through His name, we have access to God, our Father, for our prayers. “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.” His name is wonderful! Do you love secrets? Love the name of the Lord!
Have a wonderful God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Numbers 28-30