The Wonderful Name

"One Year Bible" Old Testament History Passage
Judges 13:1-14:20

"Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, 'What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?'  And the Angel of the Lord said to him, 'Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?'"  Judges 13:17-18 (NKJV)

The birth of Samson foreshadows a greater birth that would take place centuries later.  The similarities between Samson and John the Baptist are remarkable.  Manoah had a wife who was barren, yet the Angel of the Lord appears to both of the them telling them that a son will be born who will be dedicated to Nazarite vows.  An almost identical sequence took place with Zacharias and Elizabeth in Luke 1:5-25. 

Of significance is this Angel of the Lord.  I believe this was the second Person of the Trinity come to lay down the path for his own coming as the Lord Jesus.  The intricacies of the Trinity will remain a mystery for us, but suffice to say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have worked throughout history to bring about the redemption of fallen men.

Manoah asked the name of this Angel of the Lord, but received no clear answer.  The full revelation awaited a day that a baby would be born in a manger.  Of note, however, is the declaration of the nature of the Name -- it is WONDERFUL. 

I remind you today of the magnitude of the revelation we have received in the Person of Jesus.  The writer on Hebrews said it this way, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son . . ."  (Heb. 1:1-2).  His Name is wonderful, and in His Name, wonders will take place!