Manoah and the Angel of the Lord

Who is the Angel of the Lord in Judges 13?

The modern world has a god of this world 2 Corinthians 4.4 and in light of that verse it makes sense to me why the world would change the way we keep track of years used to be BC and AD. Now it is BCE and CE. I actually think this change helps clean up an important point about Jesus. He is eternal, He was present at creation and created everything (for more on that you can refer to in the beginning) the Bible is about Him Hebrews 10.7 and He is the only way to salvation. I feel that if we could see Jesus at work it helps us to put our trust in Him even more.

Let me tell you about a man named Manoah

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Manoah

MANOAH (Mȧ nōʹ ah) Personal name meaning “rest.” A member of the tribe of Dan and the father of Samson (

It is the Man of God that I want to speak about today.

The AV also uses the term Angel of the Lord and this title is used multiple times in scripture.

This is a very interesting title and whenever it is used I start looking for Jesus in the OT

The first mention of Him in this story is Judges 13:3 “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.”

I submit to you that we can see Sampson as a type of Jesus because the Angel of the lord announced Him and since Zorah Manoah’s wife was barren then Sampson is born of a miracle just as Jesus was.

The virgin birth is of course more miraculous but as I have said before the type is never as good as the original.

We are not violating scripture because of Hosea 12:10 “I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, And used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.”

Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: But the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” shows us that God has concealed things for us to search out.

Also after Jesus was risen he walked about 7.5 miles and did a Bible study with scripture that concerned Him. Luke 24:27 “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Zorah tells her husband about the man of God and talked about His countenance Judges 13:6 “Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:”

I imagine they could be speaking of someone looking like Jesus described in Revelation 1:13–16 “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Manoah asked God to send the Angel of the Lord again and the AV says that God hearkened to his voice

Imagine the Grace of our Lord to send the Angel another time to give instruction about how the child is to be raised at your request.

Judges 13:14 “She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.”

Who is commanding in this verse? It is the Angel of the Lord aka the Man of God.

Only God can give commands because angels are servants like we are Revelation 19:10 “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Angel of the Lord also makes a distinction about Himself and God also Judges 13:16 “And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.”

Judges 13:17–18 “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? And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?”

Contained here is an amazing thing also in the word “Secret”

I am going to share a secret here about that word. That word can also be translated as “Wonderful”

The name Wonderful is also Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Here is my perhaps my most favorite prophecy of Jesus

He is father yes son

Child yet son

Prince of Peace because He made peace between us and God

His name is Wonderful

Judges 13:20 “For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.”

If this were a normal angel they would not have allowed that as I have already talked about.

Judges 13:22 “And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”

They now realize the gravity of the experience they had with that Man of God.

They fear because they saw who they believe to be God.

We know now that it isn’t possible to see God John 1:18 “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

There is only one way they could see God John 14:9 “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Here is a story from the book of Judges that according to my Bible was written in BC 1161. That is many years before Jesus was born of Mary. This section shows us a few things. The Bible is one complete Book. Jesus is eternal. Jesus is worthy of your time in study of His word, worthy of your gratitude, worthy of your heart, mind, and soul.