Dr Paul Allen

  Judges 13:8–21 Here we witness God answering prayer and giving the promise of a son to a childless couple from the tribe of Dan. Manoah’s wife had been visited by an angel of the Lord and been told that she would have a son; she had also been given instructions concerning that child.  When she informed her husband of the visitation he entered into prayer and entreated the Lord for a further visit so that they could be given advice on the upbringing of that son. We notice that Manoah was a man of faith. He had total confidence in the word of his wife and never doubted that the child would be born. He knew that God had given her the message and that God’s word would soon be fulfilled. He no doubt felt the enormous responsibility of impending parenthood and so wisely sought the help of God. It is always true that no parents can adequately discharge their responsibilities without the help of the Lord. God answered his prayer and the angel visited the woman a second time. This ti...

Image via Wikipedia "And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" ( Judges 13:18 )   This intriguing encounter occurred during one of Israel 's periods of apostasy and servitude, when the people had been ruled for 40 years by the pagan Philistines . There was one godly couple in the tribe of Dan , however, who evidently had long been praying for a son, and God finally answered their prayers. "The angel of the Lord" came to give the good news to Manoah and his wife. The remarkable son who was to come was mighty Samson, who later would free his people.   But it is the Angel Himself who is most intriguing here. His name was "Secret," meaning "too marvelous even to comprehend." The same word is translated "Wonderful" in Isaiah 9:6 , where it is cited as a name of the coming divine Son, whose name would also be "mighty God" and "everlasting Father."   This ...