The Appearance of the Pre-Incarnate Christ

INTRO

As we start today, I want to make a disclaimer. This is the Word of God––I didn’t make it up. There are stories in the rest of Judges that are really crazy. It’s what makes it so exciting to study God’s Word. Our prayer is that this study is refreshing and that we keep our eyes on God in the midst of the craziness in the book of Judges.

TEACHING

Judges 13:1-5: Once again, the Israelites did evil before God, and He gave them over to the Philistines for 40 years (v. 1). We’re back at the beginning of another cycle with the Israelites of disobedience, punishment, deliverance through a judge, and restoration. When the judge died, the cycle began again. For example, we’ve traced this cycle through multiple judges, such as: Othniel (Judges 3:7-9), Ehud (Judges 3:12-15), Shamgar (Judges 3:31), Deborah (Judges 4:1-4), and Gideon (Judges 6:12). There was a man from the tribe of Dan whose wife was barren (v. 2). The Angel of the Lord appeared to the man Manoah’s wife, and told her she would bear a child who would be a Nazarite to God from birth. Therefore, Manoah’s wife couldn’t drink wine or beer, nor eat anything unclean (vv. 3-5). And she could never cut the child’s hair because he would begin to save Israel from the Philistines.

We believe that the Angel of the Lord was the pre-incarnate Christ. The Creator was standing before Manoah’s wife telling her she would have a child and the implication is that the child would be created through Him (John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:15-16). There has been a pattern of the pre-incarnate Christ showing up in the Old Testament:

• Genesis 12:7 – with Abraham
• Genesis 16 – with Hagar
• Genesis 18 – with Abraham and Sarah
• Genesis 21 – with Hagar
• Genesis 22:11-14 – intervened with Abraham and Isaac
• Genesis 24:7, 40 – with Abraham’s servant
• Genesis 31:11 – in a dream to Jacob; Genesis 32:24-43–wrestled with Jacob
• Exodus 3:2-22 – with Moses through the burning bush
• Exodus 13:21; 14:19; 23:20-23; 32:34; 33:2 – went before Israel in a pillar of cloud/fire
• Exodus 24:9-11 – appeared to the elders of Israel
• Exodus 33:9-23; 40:38 – to Moses
• Numbers 22:22-35 – through the donkey to Balaam
• Joshua 5:14 – as Commander of the Lord’s army
• Judges 2:1-3; 5:23 – to Israel
• Judges 6:11-24 – to Gideon

The pre-incarnate appearance of Christ shows up all through the Old Testament.

Judges 13:6-11: The woman told Manoah about a man who looked like “the awe-inspiring Angel of God” and what He had told her (vv. 6-7). How would they have known what the Angel of God looked like if others had not seen Him and talked about Him? In response to his wife’s news, Manoah prayed, asking God to send the Angel of God back so He could teach them how to raise this child (v. 8). What a cool father prayer! Imagine if men of God embraced their role as fathers and looked to Lord to teach them what to do! God sent the Angel back to the woman who ran and got her husband (vv. 9-11a). God wants to listen and respond to us when we pray to Him (Psalm 145:18; Lamentations 3:57; James 4:8). Manoah asked if He was the man who had spoken to his wife (v. 11b). Manoah’s prayer was for the Angel of the Lord to come back, a prayer I believe is prophetic for the prayers of believers being lifted from and for Israel today. Right now, Israel is a mess, and we need His help. This is the crazy thing––the Angel of the Lord will wait on us and is waiting for us to get a lot of people and bring them to Him.

Judges 13:12-18: Verse 12 reflects that God is a patient God because Manoah asked about what they had already been told. The Angel of the Lord replied that his wife already knew what to do, and then listed it again (vv. 13-14). Then, Manoah

asked the Angel to stay with them while they prepared food for Him (v. 15). Manoah hadn’t realized this was the Angel of the Lord, but he offered hospitality. Could this be what Hebrews 13:1 refers to––giving hospitality to unknown angels? The Angel refused the food but said Manoah could offer a burnt offering to God (v. 16). Manoah asked the Angel of the Lord’s name, and He responded that His name “is wonderful” (v. 18). Isaiah 9:6 says, “He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” His name IS “wonderful.”

Judges 13:19-24: Manoah took a goat and a grain offering and offered them to the Lord on a rock as a burnt offering (v. 19). When the flame from the offering rose to the sky, the Angel of the Lord went up its flame. Manoah and his wife knew then who the Angel of the Lord was, and they fell on their faces (v. 20). Many times, God is portrayed in the Old Testament as a consuming fire: Exodus 3:2–the angel in the burning bush; Exodus 14:19–the angel in the pillar of fire; Judges 6:21–Gideon with the meat and the fire.

The Angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah and his wife (v. 21). Manoah expected to die when he realized he had seen God (v. 22). His wife was able to speak reason and faith into his life (v. 23). And Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son named Samson (which could possibly mean “little sun” or “sunny boy”¹). The boy grew and was blessed by the Lord (v. 24). This sounds very much like Luke 2:52 as Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, and in faith. Samson was a foreshadowed picture of Christ. Wiersbe interprets Samson’s name as “sunny” or “brightness,” for “certainly he brought light and joy to Manoah and his wife . . . and he also began to bring light to Israel during the dark days of Philistine oppression.”²

Judges 13:25: The Spirit of the Lord began to direct Samson’s life.

CLOSING

There are four chapters in Judges dedicated to Samson. Tomorrow, we’ll look at how he used his amazing strength and how he allowed his weakness for women to derail what he was doing for God.

Our takeaway from this lesson is from Hebrew 11:32, where Samson is listed in the Hebrews Hall of Faith even though his life was a mess. God can use any of us at any given time. He can use us as parents of a “Samson” or He can use us similar to “Samson.” We have an opportunity to keep pointing people to Him.