An Unexpected Visitor
Notes
Transcript
Today we are going to look at another interesting encounter with God in our series.
I like how this story begins today
1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
Notice that the Israelites were in rebellion against God! And notice what happens, God delivers them into the hands of the Philistines
What happens when we are outside the will of God is that we are susceptible to the enemy!
For the Israelites, 40 years!
I don’t want to make a huge point out of this right now, but the point is this: when we are not walking in relationship with the Lord and in rebellion to Him, the enemy has full access to us!
This is not the end of the story, in fact, this is the beginning of the story for us today!
God has a plan! What is his plan? Let’s find out in this encounter!
2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth.
So, the stage is set, the Israelites are in rebellion being oppressed by the philistines and there was a lady who was unable to bear children
Sometimes it seems like things keep piling up…often times this is when God is going to move!
God does a few things that are unthinkable….one of them is using a woman to bare a child when she was unable to
3 The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.
The angel of the Lord is an interesting phrase as God would have many angels. So, who is this one called “the angel of the Lord?”
Though not completely certain, I think perhaps as many scholars that this refers to the pre-incarnate Christ.
I think this is possible and maybe even likely here in a minute.
The angel shows up and gives some interesting information…you’re going to become pregnant and give birth to a son…
And moreso
4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean.
5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
This boy will not be normal…he will be consecrated to God from the womb. Don’t shave his head and those who know the rest of the story know why…
Maybe this would seem odd to the mother! You’re going to have a son, dedicated to God and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.
You see I changed translations because the wording matters here.
Not only will your son be a miracle because you can’t have children, he will have a special place in delivering your people from the philistines
We know from the end of the story that Samson does not completely deliver the Israelites because of his own failure and rebellion against God
And hence, the wording that he will begin to deliver the Israelites…
So, the first encounter with this “angel” is miraculous news…
The first main takeaway today is:
1. Sometimes God moves in unthinkable ways
1. Sometimes God moves in unthinkable ways
for us to expect an encounter with God means that we should be open to Him moving in ways that we wouldn’t think of!
How many times have you had an instance in which you were expecting God to move in one way and then He moves in a totally different way?
Secondly, are you open for God to move in ways that you wouldn’t think of?
6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, “A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name.
I love it, he looked like an angel of God, very awesome!
7 But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.’ ”
Manoah them immediately prays
8 Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”
I have this picture of him praying to God like us maybe saying “excuse me, Lord, if you are not too busy”
How many of us sometimes come to God in this way?
I don’t want to bug you God, I know you have a lot to do, but….
God hears Manoah and answers his request. God doesn’t have too, but He does!
We know that in the new covenant we have an advocate, Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father and the Holy Spirit inside of us! So maybe this why hebrews 4 says
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We don’t have to pray prayers quite like Manoah did as we can come to God with confidence.
Nonetheless, Manoah immediately prays! What does he do when he hears that his wife has an encounter with God? He goes to God with it!
This is an important note when we hear of something from God, especially in major things like this, we too should go to God!
If something is not guaranteed of God in scripture, we should test it!
20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
I don’t think that Manoah was testing what his wife said, I think that he believed her, but it’s a good time to remind us that we should test things of God not guaranteed of God!
Anytime someone says to me “God told me” or “God showed me” I take some time to test it. I am not going to dive into all of the tests, but if you need more information, I did preach on prophecy awhile back and went through the different tests.
Monoah prays, send the man of God back to us!
9 God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
She runs and grabs her husband and when he gets there he asks if he is the one to spoke with his wife
12 So Manoah asked him, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?”
The angel says the same things that he did to Manoah’s wife
Manoah wants to be hospitable and offers to cook for the angel
16 The angel of the Lord replied, “Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord.” (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the Lord.)
Notice that the angel points Manoah to the Lord!
If you’re going to prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord…..
Another note about encounters with God
2. Encounters always point to God!
2. Encounters always point to God!
If someone claims to have seen an angel, heard for God, visited with God in a dream, etc. Their encounter should always point to God! If it points or leads someone away from God, it is not of God!
I had someone come to me one time on a Sunday morning and tell me that this church is not a church of God. That he had revelation from God that there is only one specific church that leads to God and none of our churches are.
When I pressed him on what scripture there was for that, he said this encounter was before scripture was written.
He wanted me to follow him and take his word for it!
You see, he was leading me away from what scripture teaches and thus, away from God!
Manoah doesn’t realize that this man is an angel and so the angel makes it clear to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, not to him!
17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, “What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?” 18 He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.”
19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. And the Lord did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.
21 When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord.
So, this major encounter happens and the realize that it was an angel!
They were left in awe….imagine and encounter like this! Only stuff that we see in the movies
But here is God, interacting with His people!
22 “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!” 23 But his wife answered, “If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.”
They believed that if they had encountered divine beings that they would die.
Clearly not the case as God wants to interact with His people!
We will all see the face and glory of God some day. For some people, it will be the scariest and worst moment they have ever experienced.
For others it will definitely be a moment of awe, but one of wonder, power, and glory! When we see out God, none us could probably comprehend it! But what a glorious day that will be!
We need to be in awe of the power of God, but as His children, we do not need to be afraid as He is our Father!
24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
So, Manoah and his wife have Samson! And the story gets so much better, and then awful, and then ends okay, though not great.
3. What God speaks or does in true encounters with Him are real and authentic!
3. What God speaks or does in true encounters with Him are real and authentic!
If someone says God told them something that does not come to pass, it is not of God!
What God said would happen in this encounter, happened!
And you can know when that happens, it is of the Lord!
This morning we are going to take communion together and this is a sacred time of encounter with God!
This is a time that we remember what Jesus did for us! It should stir something in our hearts as we proclaim the Lord’s death!
Worship Team - Deacons
Before we take communion, if you have not had an encounter with God that has changed your life, I can guarantee you an encounter this morning, because scripture does!
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
If you would call on Jesus this morning! Believe that you are sinner in rebellion against God and would return to Him this morning, He will save you!
He will send His Spirit to live in you and make you new!
