Liv
Extracts of Truth & Encouragement from a Growth Journey with God
How Do We Respond to Good News?
I couldn’t hold it in. I was overflowing inside from celebration, pride, excitement, praise…every positive emotion you can imagine! I felt like my heart was going to explode; so, I shared our good news with a group of believers: our daughter had accepted Jesus as her Savior!! And there it was…what I wasn’t prepared for: silence…”What?!? These are believers, right?!?” Their reply, or lack thereof, had me wrestling inside, disappointed, and, honestly, angry. Why would believers not be outwardly excited about this with me?!? Someone…my little someone…had become a Child of God!!! That was worth celebrating…loudly, I thought!!! Yet there was no “amen,” no clapping, no “woo hoos,” no congratulating…no smiling, even, from the group. Yeah. You can imagine the polar shift in emotions I felt. Where was the joy, the celebrating?
In the last post, we touched on how Manoah, in Judges 13, responded to the good news he received from the Angel of the LORD: he desired to give honor; because the object (God) had an abundance of honor, it caused the subject (Manoah) to be overwhelmed with satisfaction and pride, wanting to brag profusely about the object (God), the object’s (God’s) abilities, and the object’s (God’s) achievements. At the end of the post, we took time to chew on what wonders God has done in our lives, if we’ve been overwhelmed by His character and goodness, and if we have freely offered honor/glory to God by bragging profusely about Him, His abilities, and His achievements. As I pondered this, myself, after publishing the post, the LORD put His blessing on this little rabbit trail…the one I went on in my mind during this pondering. I know we have been looking at Judges 13, and we’ll get back to that. This is just a trail worth journeying!
So, the question is…How do we respond to good news?!?
“Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.”
Proverbs 25:25 NIV
This verse is talking about not just wanting good news, but craving it, like a weary athlete craves water after exerting herself to a high level, feeling like she will faint, if her body doesn’t get water soon! The soul, spoken of here, is where our desires are located that fulfill our physical needs. I’m not just talking about desires for needs we know we have; this includes deep-seated desires we don’t, yet fulfilling those needs provides the proof we need in order to convince us that that need really did exist in us. We may not even recognize our body needs it, but once we hear good news and feel its positive affects, it gives us the proof that our body was in desperate need and often leads us to crave more!
Is this us?!? Do we crave good news and visibly show how refreshing and fulfilling it is to hear it? If we don’t, could this be why people aren’t comfortable with sharing good news with us (or maybe, even, others because of our response to their good news…or lack thereof)? Maybe, they’ve gotten out of the habit of bragging on God, His abilities, and His achievements, because they have stopped looking to Him as the Source of the good news or believe no one will celebrate with them, anyway? I hope this isn’t the case, but it’s made me wonder, as I hear a small number of people contagiously bragging on God these days.
“Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.”
Proverbs 15:30 NIV
There are a number of translations that translate this verse to say, “Bright eyes gladden the heart…” (or something similar). I think the NIV, here, is one of the translations I like better, as, I believe, it translates the meaning more accurately; here’s why (get ready; my inner grammar geek is comin’ out, again). “Bright,” here, would be used as an adjective, a word to describe the eyes. However, in Hebrew, the word for this is “maor” and means “luminary,” which is a noun, not an adjective. Not only that, but it’s meaning is construct; this means that someone is influential in one’s life; someone has inspired him or her (whether or not what the influential person said has been proved to be true, the one receiving the message has the idea that it is, because how the influential person lives sets a light off in this person’s mind, as he or she watches this person of influence).
This kind of influence, inevitably, helps develop one’s view about God, whether right or wrong. Jesus, being shown in the way we look at people and in the way people see Him in us, can inspire joy deep in someone’s heart. We, through the power of God’s Spirit, have the opportunity to positively affect people (the whole person–his or her heart, mind, will…soul!) when we show them Christ! That’s what a luminary shows to and inspires in others.
Good news is something someone hears…with the ears. It’s any kind of report, any teaching. Have you thought about how what you say impacts others? Even how you say what you say makes a difference on the kind of impact, whether it’s positive or negative. We see, in this verse, that good news, what is pleasant to someone’s ears, has a positive affect on the hearer’s physical body. The Hebrew word for “bones,” in this verse, is an absolute noun, which means that it’s definition of “bones, substance, self” is a thought that someone believes is true in any situation. So, consider that…the good news of God we share, when thought and believed to be true by the hearer, has the ability, through God’s Spirit, to have a positive affect on the hearer’s physical body, not just in a spiritual sense.
SO,…good news (what is pleasant to our ears) can have a positive affect on our bodies when we accept it as truth. If someone is sharing what God has done in their lives, and it falls in line with the Truth of God’s Word and His character, this could have an amazingly positive affect on someone, should they accept it as truth. So, why is it that when we hear someone speak of how God is working in their life, sharing pleasant news about seeing God’s hand of provision, a testimony of change in someone’s heart, we close ourselves off and not let it seep in to have positive affects on our physical bodies? Why do we feel we have the right to judge if it really happened or not, if this person’s character is, indeed, trustworthy, and what he or she is saying happened lines up with God’s character? Why do we not celebrate with others that God did something wonderful in their lives? What’s at the root of our response…or lack, thereof? Is it pride, jealousy, judgment, criticism, fear, deception,…?
Take some time to consider any recent stories of joy you have heard, as someone described how God was present and working through them. What was your response? If it wasn’t a reply that would encourage them to continue sharing the good news, I pray you will keep this in mind in future interactions. I pray that how we respond to good news will have sharers and hearers both being met with the blessings of God, as we allow ourselves to not only brag about Him, His abilities, and His achievements ourselves, but encourage others to do the same! If we accept His hand, working in someone’s life, as truth, we may feel the positive affect on our own soul and, in turn, begin to share their story with our circle and add to it stories of our own! What an impact we can have on God’s kingdom through our lives and the lives of other people!
“…My Name…Is Wonderful!”
Can you believe it’s been a month ago since we first broached the topic of one of Jesus’ names being A Wonder?!? If you missed that post, check out “Wonderful Counselor…OR Wonder and Counselor,” posted on December 7, 2020! It’s the foundation of the other posts published this past month. Today, we’re going to finally get to the part of Judges 13 that God led me to while writing that original post, which kept feeding more and more about Who Jesus is and our response to Him!
We left off, last post, with the Angel of the LORD telling Manoah that He wouldn’t eat the goat Manoah wanted to prepare for Him and suggesting, instead, to offer the goat as a burnt offering…but the focus of the offering was that it MUST be given to the LORD! After that, we see Manoah asking the Angel of the LORD (remember, he didn’t know that’s who He was!) what His name was. He said, “…that when Your words come to pass, we may honor You.”
“Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass, we may honor You.”
Judges 13:17 NKJV
Last post, we talked about the beautiful desire, though improperly directed, Manoah had to celebrate the one Who gave the promise of their child during his wife’s barrenness, to offer Him their appreciation; yet, did you notice the word, “WHEN?” in this verse above? Manoah not only wanted to celebrate and offer appreciation; the reason he did this was because he believed that what the Angel of the LORD told him and his wife would happen! Consider that.
- When you read the Bible, do you pick up on the promises of God? Does your life display that you believe they are promises that will be kept, or does it resemble more that circumstances are bigger than our God?
- Are you listening for the LORD’s direction? If so, when you receive the LORD’s direction, do you believe it WILL happen, or does fear or lack of faith stand in the way, as you say, “…IF it will happen?”
We know Manoah and his wife were thankful, and they wanted to offer their appreciation to the One giving them this message, but there is a bit more we can glean from this verse. See that Manoah uses the word “honor?” Ok. My inner grammar geek is coming out, again; please bear with me. In the original text, the word for “honor” is a verb…an action verb. The verb’s object is God (remember how we established, in the “Wonder–Too Good to Stop There” post, that the Angel of the LORD was a “theophanic” angel, which means it’s GOD, showing Himself in a way that was clear to see?). Now, we all should know that if there is a verb (an action), and something or someone is being acted upon (the object), there has to be a subject (someone or something DOING the acting). The subject in this is Manoah. What he was wanting to do was give honor (an action!). This word, in its original context means that because the object (God) has an abundance of honor, it causes the subject (Manoah) to be overwhelmed with satisfaction and pride, wanting to brag profusely about the object (God), the object’s (God’s) abilities, and the object’s (God’s) achievements. Another way we may refer to this is “glory.” It weighs heavily on the subject, who can’t wait to share this honor/glory with others (again…an action!).
In Hebrew, this verb is connected with giving honor freely as an offering. In Leviticus 22:18-23, we see that a freewill offering is a kind of burnt sacrifice, which we talked about in the last post; the offering still had to be a male from the cattle, sheep, or goat families, without blemish, but it was acceptable to give a bull or a lamb that had a limb that was too long or too short as a freewill offering only. To be a freewill offering, it meant that it was given of their own free will. It wasn’t commanded to give this kind of offering; nor was it the perfect sacrifice. The part that stands out about this kind of offering is that it was given and that it was given freely! As we see in Judges 13:16, the Angel of the LORD didn’t command this offering, but rather, suggested it to Manoah. He wanted it to be an offering from Manoah’s heart…and given to the appropriate recipient!
I can imagine…a couple, in a time when having children is looked on with favor, who can’t have kiddos, finally gets the news that they will become pregnant…and have a boy; a boy who will be set apart to serve God and who can carry on their family legacy! That would be rather overwhelming…in a good way! Isn’t that what believing parents want of their children? They couldn’t wait to tell this great news…but as we touched on in the last post, Manoah wanted to make sure that they gave credit where credit was due, which is why we see him, in today’s verse, asking the Angel of the LORD His name. This is where we see the original connection with Jesus’ name, A Wonder, found in Isaiah 9:6.
“And the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”
Judges 13:18 NKJV
Wonderful–this is an adjective, a word to describe His name. It originates from the same noun as Jesus’ name in Isaiah 9:6, “Wonder” (we explored this in the “Wonderful Counselor OR Wonder and Counselor” post). Basically, the Angel of the LORD told Manoah, I AM an incomprehensible Wonder! This is our God!
Wonderful–this is an adjective, a word to describe His name. It originates from the same noun as Jesus’ name in Isaiah 9:6, “Wonder,”…
Let’s stop there today and ponder…
- What wonders has God done in your life?
- Have you been overwhelmed by His character and goodness? If so, have you freely offered honor/glory to Him in a way that brags profusely about God, God’s abilities, and God’s achievements? Please do not hear any words of condemnation here, if you haven’t. This is not a command, just a suggestion. Feel free to use this opportunity to comment on this post and freely give honor to God…by sharing Who God is and What He has done!!
I’m excited to hear and freely give Him honor with you, as we celebrate together!
Wonder–Where is the Focus of Your Offering?
Happy New Year!
We ended last year, celebrating the wonder of Jesus–A Wonder–as displayed in the Judges 13 story of the Old Testament. It would do us well to begin a new year–a year many look forward to as being different than the last…a year many fear will be the same, with so many unknowns and changes–with a constant: Jesus is the same today as He was in Bible times, and He will forever be the same (Hebrews 13:8). Let that soak in. I know I’m different than I was when I was younger. I’ve grown up. I’m into different things, like many different foods, think different things are funny or worth thinking about, am at a different place spiritually, etc. I would assume you are different, too. It’s not just the year 2020! Circumstances grow and change us…yet Jesus is still a Wonder…He was…and He will be! What He can do is still the same and can still make us drop to our knees or stand in awe; Who He is hasn’t changed; and what and whom He values remains unchanged. While we know that, we still seem to want our circumstances to change, instead of resting in Who He is, trusting in Him and His plan. When will we rest in the One Who does wonders and wait patiently, anticipating the unfolding of His works, and yielding to His will over our own?
In the last post, we looked at the meaning of Manoah wanting to delay the Angel of the LORD by his and his wife preparing a goat for Him…This was a way of giving an offering of appreciation, celebrating the promise of their child, and displaying hospitality. I suppose we could also consider that, by the use of the word “detain,” Manoah may have intended on asking the Angel of the LORD some additional questions during their meal, since he didn’t really get the answers he was looking for when he asked the Angel of the LORD the questions he did in Verse 12. Today, we are going to look at the reply of the Angel of the LORD (mind you, Manoah didn’t know that’s Who He was).
The Angel of the LORD acknowledged that Manoah was detaining Him; however He told Manoah He wouldn’t eat their food. He wasn’t rude, leaving it at just that; He suggested a better way: He said that if Manoah offered a burnt offering, he MUST offer it to the LORD. Since He knew Manoah didn’t know Who He was, He wanted to make it clear to Manoah that the One to offer his appreciation to, the One to celebrate for this wonder of the pregnancy in the midst of his wife’s barrenness, was the LORD alone!
Ponder that for a bit…When have you had someone do something that meets a need they didn’t know you had (or maybe they did), and you want to offer them your appreciation? It could’ve been financial, material, emotional, or just showing you support when you really needed it. Did you see that person as an extension of God’s hand, God’s provision, to you, or did you merely see them? Were you celebrating their generosity, kindness, or support, or did you let them know you saw God’s character and help through them…that they were used greatly in your life by Him? If you were the giver, and the receiver was thanking you, did you make sure the attention was focused on the LORD…that He was the One Who led you to do whatever you did, or did you say, “I’m so glad I could be there for you?” or “I’m so glad I could help?” When we redirect the offering to the appropriate One, I can guarantee the blessings are so much greater, and the LORD’s kingdom is definitely impacted!
The Angel of the LORD told Manoah to still “prepare” something, as your text might read, which means “do, make” in the original text. It’s an action, rather than just sitting there, doing nothing. Yet the focus of the action, in Verse 16, is different for Manoah, since he didn’t know Who the Angel of the LORD was; the focus was directed to the LORD. To “offer” the burnt offering to the LORD is to communicate with the LORD…to have a relationship with Him. The literal meaning of the word “offer” in Verse 16 is “to go up, rise.” In this instance, it’s referring to the flame and the smoke from the offering, as the entire animal, besides the skin, was to be consumed in the fire (Leviticus 1); this kind of offering was a “soothing or pleasing aroma” (Leviticus 1:9) to the LORD.
It’s interesting to me that the same Hebrew word used for “offer” here in Judges 13:16 is the same word used for “shall come” in Verse 5 of the same chapter; in Verse 5, it refers to no razor coming on the baby’s head, since he was set apart to serve God. This use, in Verse 5, is an absolute phrase, which adds a deeper meaning to the whole idea of “offering” or “setting apart” this baby to the LORD. He wasn’t just ceremonially set apart; He was visibly different. The LORD doesn’t want a partial offering when it comes to His relationship with us. He wants ALL of us…every part. It includes all that we do, all that we make. Our relationship with Him is shown by our actions, the way we live, and how we are visibly different than the world around us…how we are set apart to actively serve Him!
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating ALL of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.”
Romans 12:1 AB
“It’s the same way with the Son of Man. He didn’t come, so that others could serve Him. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many people.”
Mark 10:45 GWT
So, here are a couple questions to consider:
- Do you focus your offerings of wonder and appreciation up to God, to others, or nowhere (you’re just glad blessings came)?
- Is your offering complete or partial (in other words, are you holding anything or any part of you back from God)? Remember, complete communication, a full relationship, is what is pleasing and soothing to God.
- Are you actively serving (worshipping) God today? Are you serving the way Jesus–A Wonder–showed us how…and how He designed you to?
- How are you visibly different than the world around you, as you set yourself apart to the LORD?
Feel free to reply with any of the answers you are willing to share. I would love to hear how (or if) the truths in this verse speak to you on a practical level.
Wonder–Worth Celebrating
Has someone done something special for you lately? It may have been small; it may have been sizeable. Whatever it was, did you feel the desire to offer something back? Maybe someone opened the door for you, and you offered them a verbal “Thank you;” maybe it was a thank-you note that you wrote after someone brought you a meal; maybe an anonymous person sent you much needed funds at a critical time, and you purposed to help someone else in that way when you were able and felt the Spirit stirring; or…maybe it’s a small gift at this time of year or the end of the school year, which you offer to a teacher to say, “Thank you,” for all the help they have given your student. Whatever it is, we are designed to give thanks, recognizing the giver of something good.
We’re a little more than half way through our Judges 13 story, which we have been absorbing for a couple weeks now, soaking in many rich promises of Jesus Christ and His coming. If you haven’t read the last several posts, beginning with “Wonder–Too Good to Stop There,” feel free to take some time to take in those truths. I understand extra time, during this season, though, may be harder to come by, so the next few posts will be shorter; so, if you don’t have time to look back, or you are caught up, my prayer is that you will be filled by the nutrients packed into the one verse of Scripture we are soaking in today…that it will stir up excitement and praise…inwardly AND outwardly.
We left off with the Angel of the LORD giving Manoah the commands He had already given to Manoah’s wife earlier regarding the son that would be given to them. You may remember that Manoah’s wife was unable to have children, so this was super exciting and awe-inspiring news! As an offering of appreciation, a celebration of the promise of this child, and a display of hospitality, Manoah requested that the Angel of the LORD stay, so Manoah and his wife could prepare a meal for Him. Back in that day, as you probably do now, they gave their valued guests their best; this included meat.
Manoah offered that he and wife would prepare meat–a goat–for this messenger (Verse 16 tells us that he didn’t know He was the Angel of the LORD). The fact that Manoah said, “we,” regarding who would prepare the goat, is significant. If it was a regular meal, the woman would have prepared the food. The fact that both the man AND the woman would work together to prepare the food tells us this was a festive occasion–a celebration of the gift of this son–and meant to give attention to their guest.
We’ll stop there today, as this week, we will, hopefully, be celebrating Jesus’ birth and giving attention to Who He is—A Wonder–and why He came. Take some time this week to consider how you are doing that. Are you clear that it’s Jesus you’re celebrating, the gift of God’s Son, or has that gotten lost in the purchasing and giving of gifts? Are you talking about the gifts Jesus was given by the wise men and the gift of Jesus Himself to humanity, or is the central focus on humanity? I even think about the sugar cookies my family made this weekend and how they could tell the tale of how we each are created uniquely to display and share this wonder with others. While we may be “cut out” of similar molds, we are decorated and designed by the Creator with individual beauty for His purpose. It’s enough to drop the icing! I can see the connection in my head and heart, but am I taking the opportunity to share it with my family and others, celebrating this wonder, so that they, too, can focus their celebration on the One Who made them, purposed them, and saved them?
How today can we, together, prepare and share truths that can be feasted on? I would love for you to share with our Liv community how you are making the connection and inviting others to celebrate with you!
Wonder…Son Will Judge
I know we have been marinating on a similar theme for three posts already, but the LORD has made it clear that He wants us to know Him for Who He is! Today, we are going to continue looking at Jesus, A Wonder–a name by which He was prophesied to be called by the prophet Isaiah. We’ll continue looking at a story in Judges 13 that, while it doesn’t talk about Jesus, specifically, was foreshadowing Christ’s birth and mission.
In the last post, we hit on a variety of topics, as we learned more about Manoah’s prayer to the LORD; wanting to know God; doubting versus faith; God listening and answering prayers, leaning in, because He wants to hear from us; how we need to interact with God to ensure our prayers are heard with no sinful hindrance; the responsibility of doing what the LORD commands us to do when He DOES answer; as well as recognizing Him…Yeah. We went over quite a bit! I hope it was enough to keep you in a place of awe this week, as you take your requests to Him; wait for an answer; focus on the wonder of the One Who IS listening, Who He is, and what He can do; respect HIS knowledge, love, and purpose above what YOU know and YOUR purpose; possess Godly fear of wanting what HE wants, because you know that will be best; and submit to HIS authority, knowing He WILL answer you when the timing is best for HIS glory…HIS purpose.
Last time, we left the story where Manoah had prayed to the LORD, Who listened to His prayer and answered it. It was interesting that the Man of God appeared, again, to Manoah’s wife, not Manoah, who had prayed for His return. Can we stop there?!? We didn’t call this out last week, but Verse 9 of this chapter (NKJV) says “the woman…was sitting in the field, but her husband was not with her.” While we don’t know what, particularly, she was doing in the field or what kind of field it was, we know she was there, and it appears she was alone. She could have been gleaning on all fours in a field, picking up what was left over from the harvesters, was exhausted, and sat down for a minute; it’s been suggested she could have been a shepherdess, tending to her flock of sheep; or this could have been where the Angel of God appeared to her before, so she may have returned there, if she knew about her husband’s prayer, in expectant anticipation of the Angel of God’s return. Whatever she was doing, she seemed to be alone, she recognized Him, and ran to get her husband; she wanted to be sure he could experience this wonder, too!
I was talking about this with my parents the other day. My mom brought up her observation that people were, typically, alone when they were visited by an angel. We established previously that this was a “theophanic” angel, which means it’s God showing Himself in a way that was clear to see. With this in mind, do you find yourself often in a place of quiet and rest, alone, where you can hear a word from the LORD, or do you busy yourself with schedules, to-do lists, people, music, etc., that fills your mind with constant noise? Do you quiet yourself before the LORD long enough to see Him when He appears or hear Him when He speaks? If not, I encourage you to stop, wherever you are, find a quiet place…alone, and rest in that quiet, asking the LORD to show you whatever He has for you today.
“…stop, wherever you are, find a quiet place…alone, and rest in that quiet, asking the LORD to show you whatever He has for you today.”
So, Manoah followed his wife to the Man of God and proceeded to ask Him if He was the same Man Who showed up to his wife before. Mind you, his wife just told him in Verse 10 that it was the same Man who came to her the other day! There is a bit of a theme here. Remember when Manoah asked God to send the Man of God, again, to teach them what they were to do for the child? This was after his wife had already explained what the Angel of the LORD had said to her! Now, he is asking the Man of God if He is the same One Who came before, after his wife said He was! It’s easy to think Manoah may have been the kind of guy who had to be shown or told personally for him to believe it. Then, again, he could have recognized what a wonder this was, and he just wanted to be certain, going directly to the source of wisdom! I guess we’ll leave this as something we weren’t meant to know, for sure, but it IS a reminder to be joyful and content when the LORD gifts us with wisdom through His Spirit! Another thing to remember is that we do not have to always seek to be the main contact in every instance; the LORD uses the body of Christ in a way that encourages one another. Also, there is a call to trust…trust what the LORD gives you for now; it’s what we are responsible for.
Moving on in our story, the Angel of the LORD confirms that He’s the Same One Who appeared to Manoah’s wife before, and Manoah proceeds to agree with what He had said would come to pass. However, Manoah wants to confirm some things about this son he was going to have…What kind of a man was he going to be? What’s going to be the way God uses him to judge; what’s he going to do? Manoah wants to know! He’s seeking answers, yet God doesn’t always give us the answers we seek in the way we want them. The Angel of the LORD’s response to Manoah was to make sure Manoah’s wife obeyed everything the Angel of the LORD had told her last time…and, then, He proceeded to re-state to Manoah what He had told her NOT to do during her pregnancy, since her son would be set apart to serve God, a Nazirite.
Can you relate? How many times have you prayed for something, and God answers…but SO in a way you would never have expected or dreamed…or maybe in a way you thought wasn’t a good answer? The important thing to note here in this story and translate to our lives is that God answers with what is important for us to know. If we know everything, we very well, even with the best of intentions, could get in the way of God’s plan. What was important for Manoah and his wife was to set this son apart to serve God. He told them what THEY needed to do. Everything else was in God’s hands–HIS responsibility, so there was no need to concern them with that. Sometimes, when we receive answers, we may feel like He isn’t answering, yet God IS answering. He answers us with what we need to know…for that time…for that commission…for what we are equipped for and what He wants us to do. If He isn’t answering, it’s possible that the rest of what we WANT TO KNOW isn’t necessary for us to know and is something HE plans to take care of. There’s no need to always give us details of what we can’t do anything about; it may just cause confusion for us, thinking it’s something we need to do, when it’s not.
Did you notice what kind of questions Manoah wanted to know about? He wanted to know what kind of a man his son was going to be…What’s going to be the way God used him to judge; what was he going to do? So often, we get caught up in what other people are doing or are supposed to be doing, rather than looking at ourselves and whether or not WE are doing what WE have been called to! Comparison games, diversions of attention, etc., can be destructive! Let’s be people, set apart to serve God, who are solely focused on what God is directing US to do…and do it well!
So, we know that this story foreshadows the coming of Christ. As we know, Manoah wanted to know what kind of a man his son was going to be, what was going to be the way God used him to judge, and what he was going to do. Since we know this is a foreshadowing of Jesus, let’s find some answers, relating to the Son of God, that can be answered in the following passage:
“For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV
Let’s dig in and see the correlation between the two…
| Son, given to Manoah and his wife | Son of God, given to the people of the world |
| Manoah wanted to know what kind of a man his son was going to be | Jesus was going to shoulder the responsibility of kingship (ruler), have authority, control, be One Whom you stand in awe of, be a counselor, be mighty, be God, be the ultimate “Father Time” (He was, is, and will be the ruler and originator of all specified time: past, present, and future), and be the Prince of Peace (rather than war). |
| Manoah wanted to know the way God planned to use his son to judge; what’s he going to do? | Jesus was going to establish His kingdom with abundant control and abundant peace, which won’t end. He will order His kingdom and set it up with judgment and justice at that time until forever. |
The word for “judgment” here in Isaiah 9:7 is the same word used in Judges 13:12…the one where Manoah wanted to know the way God planned to use his son to judge. Jesus is The Judge and will set up His kingdom with judgment and justice!
Check this out…”The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this.” He greatly desires to see this happen!!! And not only that, but in the original text, it has a word at the end of the verse, after “do, make,” which is translated as “will perform” above. The word is “Ithiel (eeth-ee-ale’),” which translates, “with me is God” and “God has arrived!!!” Soak that in!! God is SO excited about doing this that He commissioned His Son, Immanuel (God with Us), to fulfill this prophecy! Praise God!! If THAT doesn’t excite you and make you stand in awe,…
How have you seen God arrive in your life? If so, where? What is He telling you? If it’s a message you are allowed to share, please comment and encourage the rest of us in our Liv community.
Wonder–The Story Continues
At the end of our last post, “Wonder–Too Good to Stop There,” we left our Old Testament story, taking a look at the Angel of the LORD; His appearance was jaw-dropping…VERY jaw-dropping; it inspired the woman He spoke with to stand in an abundance of awe, reverence, Godly fear…or, most likely, all three! We considered what would leave us in an abundance of these three responses, which led me to think about creation, in all of its wonder, giving us a view, in a way that we can see, of Jesus, Creator, A Wonder; it helps us visualize a number of His imposing attributes in a way we can begin to grasp.
“What can be known about God is clear to them, because He has made it clear to them. From the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly observed in what He made. As a result, people have no excuse.”
Romans 1:19-20 GWT
Let’s read on in our Judges 13 story and see what else the LORD wants to show us. If you haven’t had a chance to read Judges 13 on your own and have a couple minutes to do so now, feel free to come back to this…
After the woman explained what she could to her husband about her encounter with the Angel of the LORD, her husband prayed to the LORD, asking that the Man of God would come, again, to them to teach them what they were to do for the child. STOP (Yes, I’m still practicing sending telegrams!). How many times has someone explained something to you, and you just won’t believe it until you saw it for yourself…with your own eyes? Can we be a little like “Doubting Thomas,” sometimes? I’m not saying this was, indeed, the case with Manoah, but his response makes me wonder. It’s possible that if he was presented with a message from the LORD, he could have wanted to make sure his wife didn’t forget anything they were supposed to do; he wanted to be sure of every last detail. His wife did admit there were a couple things she didn’t ask the Angel of the LORD, so he may have just wanted to be assured that he, too, knew what was required, and that they didn’t miss a thing. Do you see the craving, emerging…the one we spoke of in the last post…the one with a desire to know?!
There are benefits from “digging in.” We become more invested when we are part of something, but we have to understand that there are responsibilities for the knowledge we obtain; we are responsible for DOING it!
“Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.”
James 4:17 BSB
What I love about Manoah’s prayer is that he wanted to know. He wanted to make sure that they knew everything they were supposed to do for the child God was giving them. This means he believed his wife’s story, he believed that her getting pregnant was possible, that God was real, and that the Angel of the LORD visiting his wife did happen! What originally looks like a potential lack of faith turns into evidence that there was much faith…and he went to the right source for knowledge and wisdom!
“O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!”
Romans 11:33 BSB
Many years ago, I was convicted of seeking knowledge from the wrong sources. If I didn’t know what to do in a given situation, I would go to my husband…or call my parents. These are strong sources for knowledge and wisdom that the LORD may choose to use, but they were not THE source that I needed to go to first. I am so thankful the Spirit of God checked me on that! Since then, I cannot explain the joy and deepening relationship I have had with the LORD, as I have grown in seeking Him first, even in the littlest things!
We see in Verse 9 of our story that “God listened to the voice of Manoah.” STOP. Many times, people wonder if God really hears our prayers…if He really listens. We do need to be careful of a few things, as we interact with God.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”
1 John 5:14-15 ESV
“For this reason I say to you, all the things that you ask when you are praying, believe that you will receive them, and they shall be given to you. But when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive, so that your Father Who is in heaven may forgive you your offenses. ”
~ Jesus, Mark 11:24-25 AFV
“But he must ask in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:6-8 NASB
- Do your prayers line up with God’s will (i.e., Is there anything about your requests that goes against the truths of Scripture, including serving self)?
- Is there anyone you have an issue with? Have you forgiven him or her, or are you harboring bitterness?
- Are you full of faith (NO doubting), knowing He is listening to your request?
- Are you watchful and listening for His answer to your prayers? Are you in a constant state of prayer to correctly discern if what you hear is or isn’t an answer He is sending?
“I call upon You, for You will answer me, O God; incline Your ear to me; hear my words.”
Psalm 17:6 ESV
I love this picture. The word “incline” means to lean…to not be sitting straight up or laying flat down; it’s an angled sort of position. Think of when someone is whispering something to you, and you really want to hear it; you lean in, usually, on an angle to hear what is being said. If you don’t care to hear it, you may lean away from the person speaking, but this verse says, “incline Your ear TO ME!” Doesn’t this give you a beautiful visual? The LORD is leaning in; He wants to hear what you have to say!
Even in our inability to fully comprehend the wonder of what He can do…or who He is, God hears our prayers! And more than that…He listens!! He sent that “one more sign” to prove to Manoah it was Him, and this message was from Him. He wants us to know Him…to trust Him!
“Stay joined to Me and let My teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.”
~ Jesus, John 15:7 CEV
God listened to Manoah’s prayer, and the Angel of God appeared to the woman, yet again. Isn’t it interesting that it was Manoah’s prayer being answered, but the Angel of God came to Manoah’s wife, again…and Manoah wasn’t there?…God, sometimes, answers our prayers through other people. Is God prompting or nudging you to give a message to someone? If so, are you listening to the message to make sure to get every detail He is willing to give you to pass on? Have you obeyed Him and carried out what He asked you to do?
Manoah’s wife, as soon as the Angel of God appeared to her, ran quickly to Manoah and let him know the Man of God was back, again…the same One Who visited her before! STOP. I am sure there were attributes that are hard to believe would belong to anyone else but HIM, but the fact is, Manoah’s wife recognized Him. Let that sink in.
- If God were to appear to you, would you know Him?
- Do you know enough about Him that you could recognize Him anywhere?
- Are you sitting in a place where you CAN notice Him, or are you bustling about with your mind distracted, going every which way; has He shown up, maybe even to someone else, but you missed Him?
This week, I was blessed with receiving a message from someone that was God’s perfect timing for what I was experiencing. I hadn’t prayed for it, but God knew I would need it, nonetheless, and sent the word to a friend. This friend obeyed the nudging from the LORD and spoke the words I needed to hear. I am SO thankful for this friend’s obedience…and SO in awe of my God, knowing me and listening to my heart, even when words were not, specifically, expressed to Him!! He is mind blowing!!
The LORD wants us to keep soaking in His character…this pattern of wonder, as we take yet another post beyond this one (and, maybe even more beyond that) to continue diving into this story in Judges. Until then, do you have any requests that seem to be “floating out there?” Is it taking a while for the answer to come? If so, are you keeping your mind focused on the wonder of the One Who IS listening? Are you in awe of Who He is and what He can do; respecting HIS knowledge, love, and purpose above what YOU know and YOUR purpose; possessing Godly fear of wanting what HE wants, because you know that will be best; and submitting to HIS authority, knowing He WILL answer you when the timing is best for HIS glory…HIS purpose? How are you doing? Feel free to comment; I’d like to know how to pray for you.
Wonder–Too Good to Stop There
When you wonder about something, your mind tends to drift through various possibilities, and it is, sometimes, hard to wrap your mind around. Without the Spirit of God’s help, we can’t be sure of any of the possibilities. All we know is we crave more, and the desire to know stirs inside (sometimes insatiably). All of humanity has this craving…this desire. It shouldn’t be too hard to believe that the Creator designed us with these yearnings. Their ultimate purpose is to crave HIM…to know HIM!
In the last post, we looked at A Wonder, one of Jesus’ names, foretold by the prophet Isaiah. The LORD filled me richly with this look at Him, and I thought we were “done.” In fact, I had something else I was going to write about today, but He led me further this week and stirred this craving. He is too good to just stop there.
So, we are going to dive into an Old Testament story–a story that we know things about, but may not have seen everything in there that the LORD desires us to know. While we may not uncover everything, I am confident that this is what the LORD has for us today. My prayer is that you will see not only this passage differently, but see Jesus, A Wonder, differently.
If you are willing to make the time to read Judges 13 on your own (the whole chapter), please do it, now. If not, I will do my best to summarize the story as we go; the LORD has some exciting discoveries (to me, at least) to show us.
This story is set during a time when the Israelites “did evil in the sight of the LORD.” We learn from Judges 2:11-13 that they were worshiping other gods; they left the One true God to follow and serve Baal (a god of the Canaanites all around them) and Ashtoreths (Canaanite goddesses), instead. So, the LORD gave them over to the enemy, and they were “greatly distressed” (Judges 2:15 NKJV).
It was during this time that there lived a man named Manoah…Let’s stop right here. Manoah means “rest.” Isn’t it fitting that during a time of great distress, when God’s people had been handed over to the enemy, God shows up, using a man whose name means “Rest?!?”
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.”
~Jesus in Matthew 11:28 ISV
I think this is an important note. Names are such a big deal in Scripture, and their meanings can’t be overlooked. Manoah’s wife’s name isn’t even mentioned, but his is. I don’t believe this is a coincidence, as we see the correlation between God using someone synonymous with rest in both Manoah and Jesus as well as people distressed and serving the enemy in both instances.
As we move on, we find out that Manoah’s wife was barren; she was incapable of having children. STOP (We are going to be doing this a lot; I feel like I’m sending a telegram).
“There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God;”
2 Corinthians 3:5 GNT
Just like Manoah’s wife was incapable of producing children, we are incapable of producing, of ourselves, anything that will make us right before God. Only He possesses the ability to rescue us from the hold of the enemy through His Son, Jesus Christ, and, therefore, call us His children.
As the story progresses, the Angel of the LORD shows up. This is a “theophanic” angel, which means it’s God showing Himself in a way that was clear to see. He tells the woman she’s going to get pregnant and have a son (can you think of another woman an actual angel appeared to, saying she was going to have a son–the Son of God…showing Himself to humans in a way that was clear to see?). He goes on to tell her that her boy was going to be a Nazirite to God, even in her belly, and listed a number of things that he and she shouldn’t do; this was because “Nazirite” means “separated.” Her boy was to live differently than those around him in order to serve God. I can’t read this without thinking of the word “holy,” which also means “separated.”
“The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
Luke 1:35 NASB
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Romans 12:1 ESV
Do you continue to see the connections between the Old and New Testaments?
During a time when the Israelites chose to worship and serve something else, God stepped in, so that this child could “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5 NKJV).” Likewise, when the hearts of many humans were captivated by other desires, and they were unable to save themselves, God stepped in and sent His Son to deliver humankind from the enemy…once and for all!
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”
1 Peter 3:18 ESV
On with the story…The woman went to her husband, told him what she was told, and who told it, including a little about Him. I kind of love this part. There is so much humanity in here; it’s so real. She tells her husband all the details. I can see her excitement, maybe even talking fast, when it hits her…”I didn’t ask where He was from, and He didn’t tell me His name!” (Judges 13:6 NKJV). It makes me chuckle; I can imagine myself doing that, as I tend to forget quite a bit, especially when I’m in the moment!
What the woman DOES remember, also located in Verse 6, is what the Angel of the LORD looked like, which included “very awesome!” Now, we throw that word around fairly loosely these days…anytime we think something is neat, yet the original Hebrew word used here means His appearance was jaw-dropping…VERY jaw-dropping; it inspired her to stand in an abundance of awe, reverence, godly fear…or, most likely, all three! The closest things I can picture to this are things in creation that inspire all three responses in me: the beauty of a sunrise with multiple strokes of varying colors; the crystal clear ocean with colorful allure, yet it contains the vision of the extreme depths or darkness below the surface; the breathtaking view of treetops so far below from the peak of a mountain; or the thundering sound of a waterfall, cascading from the pinnacle above…WONDERS…The Creator obviously wanted to give us a view of Himself that we could see…
- Sunrise to depths of the sea–He loves me (1 John 4:16)
- Beautiful (Psalm 27:4, Isaiah 33:17, 22)
- Creative (Job 37:15-16, Psalm 8:3-6, Psalm 95:4-5, Psalm 104:24-25)
- “God Sees Me” (another one of His names–Genesis 16:13)
- Strong (Isaiah 12:2)
We’ll continue with the story in the next post, but this is a great place to stop and reflect!
- When was the last time you sat in awe of God…of Who He is and/or what He’s done?
- Do you take the time to soak in His beauty?
- Have you considered lately WHY you respect God…or IF you do?
- Are you regularly spending time in God’s Word to get to know Him better?
- Would you describe yourself as “greatly distressed?” If so, are you wholly serving God alone, or have you chosen to serve something else (even if that “something else” is self)?
- Is it time to do an inventory of your life? Are there things in your life that the Spirit of God has been trying to tell you need to go…that are interfering with having a proper fear of God…maybe rebellious (sinful) things?
- Are you willing to let the power of God work through you…to live differently, even if that means people may look at you like a freak?
- Do you ever sit in quiet…just to listen to what God has to say to you or soak in the fact that He is with you? Do you know Jesus as your Rest?
As God leads, please let the Liv community know what, of God, made you stand in awe today, how has He spoken to you, and/or what changes you are going to begin making in your life. You aren’t alone. I’m sure your story would encourage others, going through something similar, and we can begin praying for one another.
I’ll start…There are numerous times in my married life when we were in a place of need. Maybe it was financial; maybe it was wisdom we needed regarding a decision we had to make; maybe it was needing a friend after moving to a new place. EVERY TIME, God has answered! It may have been in the knick of time, but He heard us; He listened to us; and He answered our need! Though the answers may have been different than what we expected, I stand in awe and gratitude of “God Sees Me!!” He is SO good!!
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