Barren to Fruitful: Women in the Bible Who Overcame Infertility (Part 4)
The next woman of faith we'll discuss in this series is quite mysterious. We are introduced to her in the Book of Judges, but never told her name. She is simply identified as Manoah's wife. She experienced an incredible encounter with the Angel of the LORD from which we will discuss the principle of Presence. In this series' previous posts, we have unpacked how the principles of promise, prayer, and prophecy greatly impact our ability to be fruitful, both in the physical area of childbearing and, more generally, in the spiritual growth of our faith. It is our Father's desire for us to be fruitful in every area to bring Him much glory (John 15:8). Let's begin by looking briefly at Manoah's wife's story and discover how the principle of Presence enabled her to conceive...
We may not know her name, but she was so valued in the eyes of the LORD that He sent a Messenger who appeared to her to share the news that she would no longer be barren and would bear a son. This Messenger was Jesus Incarnate. Just as He appeared to Abraham and Sarah in a physical form and was mistaken for a man, so also He appeared in this way to Manoah's wife.
"And his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son...' Then the woman came and told her husband, 'A man of God came to me, and His appearance was like the appearance of the Angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask Him where He was from, and He did not tell me His name, but He said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son...'" -Judges 13:2-7
After she gave her husband the news of their impending conception, Manoah prays to the LORD and asks for the Man of God to be sent a second time to give them further instruction on raising this prophesied son so that he fulfills the great calling on his life. The Messenger appears again to Manoah's wife while she is alone in the field. She goes to fetch her husband and brings him before the Angel of the LORD.
"And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah, her husband, was not with her. So the woman ran quickly and told her husband...And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the Man and said to Him, 'Are you the Man who spoke to this woman?' And He said, 'I am.' And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, 'Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful...'"
"And Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, 'What is your name, so that when your words come true, we may honor you?' And the Angel of the LORD said to him, 'Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?' So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD, to the One who works wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the Angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground."
"The Angel did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Manoah finally realized it was the Angel of the LORD, and he said to his wife, “We will certainly die, for we have seen God!”
But his wife said, “If the LORD were going to kill us, He wouldn’t have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn’t have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles.”
"And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson."
The Principle of Presence - Who is the Angel of the LORD?
-He is also called the Angel of Presence & the Angel of the Covenant
-In various appearances, the Angel of the LORD speaks authoritatively on matters that only God can bring to pass
*For example, in the first mention in Scripture, He appears to Hagar (Abraham's concubine) who is in deep distress as she watches her son, Ishmael, dying from thirst in the wilderness. The Angel of the LORD tells her that He will greatly multiply her descendants to the point that they'll be too many to even count (Genesis 16:10). Another example occurs as Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah as the LORD commanded him. The Angel of the LORD stops Abraham and says, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me" (Genesis 22:12). There are many more examples {and I encourage you to look them up and study them}, but I just don't have the space here to include them all. The point is that the Angel of the LORD speaks in first-person that He, Himself, will cause the things declared to come to pass.
-Possibly the most convincing evidence for the Angel of the LORD being God is the reactions to His appearances from the people He appeared to. Here are a few examples:
Abraham - "Surely You wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, You would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely You wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?" (Genesis 18:25)
Hagar - "She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me" (Genesis 16:13).
Jacob - "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved (Genesis 32:30)."
Moses - "There the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up...He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:2,6).
Gideon - "Then Gideon perceived that it was the Angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, "Help me, Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face." But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die" (Judges 6:22).
My opinion, based on Scriptural evidence, is that the the Angel of the LORD is Jesus Incarnate. This means that these appearances were Jesus, the Son of God, taking on flesh so that He could temporarily appear to mankind to give a message, investigate a matter, and so forth. However, the Angel of the LORD didn't only appear in human flesh. In some encounters, His voice was heard or He appeared in supernatural phenomenas like the burning bush and the pillars of cloud & fire in Exodus. When He appeared as a "Man," people could see Him, speak to Him, eat with Him, and so forth. He could be tangibly seen in bodily form. In like manner, after Jesus was resurrected on the third day, He appeared to many people until His ascension to heaven almost fifty days later. In His resurrected form, He could also be seen, spoken to, eaten with, and even touched. Yet, He now had a glorified body that was supernatural. He could appear out of thin air inside a room that had a locked door and He could disguise Himself by appearing to look differently when He wanted to conceal His true identity (see Road to Emmaus appearance; Luke 24:13-35).
Now that we've laid down a foundation of who the Angel of the LORD is, let's discuss how He specifically revealed Himself to Manoah and his wife.
The Angel of the LORD first appeared to Manoah's wife when she was alone without her husband nearby. She described the visitation to her husband by first telling him that the Angel who appeared to her was "a Man of God" whose "appearance was like the Angel of God, very awesome" (Judges 13:6). Something about His demeanor struck Manoah's wife to make her believe that He was a "Man of God." What was it? Also, how did she know that His appearance was like the "appearance of the Angel of God?" This may be a simple explanation, but what if she heard the stories passed down from great men of faith like Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and even Gideon (closer to her time period) about what this fearsome Angel of God looked like! The word, awesome, she used to describe Him is the Hebrew word, yare' which means 'to fear.' It is the word used to "inspire reverence, godly fear, and awe." The countenance of this 'Man of God' inspired reverence (deep respect) and awe (fear & wonder) inside this woman. She faithfully relayed the message given to her about conceiving a son to her husband.
I'm not quite sure if Manoah fully understood that the 'Man of God' who appeared to his wife was actually the Angel of the LORD, but he didn't doubt the message she had been given. He prayed to the LORD and asked for the Man of God to return so that they could get more clarity on how to raise this prophesied son who was to become a great man of God, dedicated to His service from birth, who would deliver Israel from the Philistines (Judges 13:5).
The Bible says that the LORD heard and answered Manoah's prayer and sent the Man of God a second time, but again, He appeared to Manoah's wife who was sitting in the field alone. She ran as fast as she could to find her husband and brought him to the Angel of God. Once Manoah and his wife were gathered together before Him, He confirmed that He was the "Man" who had appeared to her the previous day. Once His identity was confirmed and Manoah's questions regarding how to raise his future son were answered, like any good, hospitable ancient middle easterner would do, Manoah invited the Man to a meal which he would provide. This kind of hospitality was deeply embedded into the biblical culture of that time. It was the responsibility of the host to provide for the traveler/foreigner. It was also expected that the traveler would accept the offered hospitality. When Manoah offered the Man of God an invitation to the meal and constrained Him to stay and enjoy it with him, the Bible tells us that Manoah still didn't recognize that he is was in the presence of the Angel of the LORD. I think this supports the idea that the Angel of the LORD (in this appearance) really did look like a man, instead of a supernatural being. The Bible mentions multiple occasions where angels appear to men having radiant raiment and glowing appearances. In this encounter with Manoah and his wife, the Angel of LORD didn't. He simply looked like a man to him. The Angel of God tells Manoah that He will stay, but instead of a meal, He wants Manoah to use the young goat and grain to prepare a burnt offering as a sacrifice to the LORD. Very interesting...
Burnt offerings "signified the complete devotion of the offerers unto God" as referred to in Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." It is interesting to note that the reason the Angel of the LORD was visiting Manoah and his wife was to give them instructions on how raising their son who would be dedicated to the service of the LORD from birth. Another intriguing aspect is that the Hebrew word for burnt offering, olah, means ascending. The Angel of the LORD ascended up to heaven and disappeared before the eyes of Manoah and his wife in the flames of the burnt offering. I think this is particularly significant and will revisit this later on.
Before Manoah offers the burnt offering to the LORD, he asked the Angel what is His name? He responded by saying it is too wonderful (incomprehensible) for him to understand. As the Angel of the LORD ascended into the flames, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground in worship. The light bulb finally turned on for Manoah and he exclaimed, "We will certainly die, for we have seen God!” Manoah's wife wasn't so startled. She told her husband, "“If the LORD were going to kill us, He wouldn’t have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn’t have appeared to us and told us this wonderful thing and done these miracles” (Judges 13:23).
In the fullness of time, Manoah's wife conceived and bore a son whom she named Samson. Although Samson had many shortcomings, God was at work in them to create opportunities for the deliverance of His people at the hands of Samson over the Philistines who ruled over Israel at that time (Judges 14:4). Samson killed more Philistines in his death than he did in his life. Tragically, Samson had been blinded by the Philistines who had gouged his eyes out and imprisoned him shortly before his death. The rulers were having a victory celebration because they finally believed they had overpowered their great enemy, Samson, by the power of their god, Dagon. As part of the celebration, they brought Samson out of his prison cell to amuse them in their temple. All of the rulers of Philistine were there. Samson wisely asked his servant to lead him to the pillars that held up the temple so he could "rest" against it. In his final moments, he prayed to the LORD and asked for his powerful strength to return once more. Then, he pushed against the two pillars that supported the entire temple. The temple came crashing down, killing Samson and all his enemies. Samson is recognized in Hebrews 11 as a 'Hero of Faith' - "Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight."
Samson wasn't a perfect representation of Christ, but he was a type (or foreshadowing) of a redeemer and deliverer to Israel. He ruled them for twenty years and brought them victory through his death. His name means "Sun Child" in Hebrew. Interestingly, Christ is referred to as both the Sun of Righteousness" (Malachi 4:2) and the "Morning Star" (2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:16). Likewise, Christ brought His people victory over every enemy through His death and resurrection. Apostle Paul described His victory in Colossians 2:15, "In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross." I like how the New International Reader's Version translates it, "He took away the weapons of the powers and authorities. He made a public show of them. He won the battle over them by dying on the cross." This verse is packed with meaning that the modern reader may be unaware of if they aren't versed in Roman history. When the Roman Empire was dominating the world, they would have something called 'Roman Triumph' - "A Roman triumph was a spectacular celebration parade held in the ancient city of Rome for a military commander who had won an important victory on the battlefield. Granted by the Senate, it was a lavish and entertaining propaganda spectacle which reminded the people of the glory of Rome and its military superiority above all other nations." As a part of this parade, the captured king and his people would be paraded behind the victorious military commander in defeat and humiliation.
Paul used this illustration of the Roman Triumph to convey just how victorious Jesus was in His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection. He destroyed the one who had the power of death -the devil- by stripping him of his "authority" and abolishing spiritual death (separation from God) once and for all. One day, the Bible foretells that even the physical act of dying will be completely destroyed and mortality will be swallowed up with immortality (eternal life in the physical realm). Not only did Jesus publicly shame Satan at the cross and parade him around as a defeated foe, but He gave believers (you and I) authority over all the power of the enemy in His name! Paul makes it clear in Colossians 2:15 that Jesus took the enemy's weapons away and won (past tense) the battle over him by His death on the cross. Here are some additional Scriptures related to the victory of Christ for you to consider:
Hebrews 2:14-15 - "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."
2 Timothy 1:10 - "And now He has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life."
Luke 10:19 - "Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy..."
So what does all of this mean for you and for me?
Now that the stage has been set, let's dive into the principle of Presence. The Bible means what is says. It says we have been given Christ's authority, made possible by His death on the cross, over ALL the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Is infertility a power that Satan wields to keep us from bearing both physical and spiritual fruit? You better believe it. Now, let's think about this...does the enemy really have any power over a believer? No, because Scripture says that Christ disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities and He destroyed the one who had the power of death - a.k.a. the devil. Infertility is under the power of death. It is not a part of the abundant life Christ promised you. Barrenness doesn't produce fruit. So if the enemy has been defeated, disarmed, and destroyed, how then can he come to "steal, kill, and destroy" in your life? He deceives you into believing his lies, "Did God really say?" -
Did God really say that none will be barren and none will miscarry? (Exodus 23:26)
Did God really say to be fruitful and multiply? (Genesis 1:28)
Did God really say that you, barren woman, will be a joyful mother to her children? (Psalm 113:9)
Did God really say that you have been healed by the stripes of Jesus? (Isaiah 53:5)
Did God really say...
Scripture says that your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He devours by sowing doubt, deceit, and lies into your mind, just like he did to Eve. He wants you to doubt God's goodness and love for you. So the question remains, do you trust God or the devil? The principle of Presence emphasizes awareness of Christ's victory. When you are aware of His Presence abiding within you and empowering you to stand firm on His Word in the face of opposition, you will have authority over the enemy.
I spent so much time in the beginning of this post to thoroughly explain Manoah and his wife's encounter with the Angel of the LORD because I think it illustrates this principle well. Manoah's wife was barren. She was childless. Outside of the LORD's provision, there was no hope for her. The Presence of the LORD had to appear to her & her husband to convince them that He was indeed in their midst and, through His power, she would conceive and bear a son. In a previous paragraph, I told you that I would explain why it was significant for the Angel of the LORD to command Manoah to give a burnt offering to the LORD and how He ascended up with the flames. A burnt offering was wholly consumed by fire. The sacrificial animal would be placed on the altar after it was killed and the fire would consume it until it turned into a heap of ashes. The Bible says in Leviticus 1:9, "...the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a pleasing aroma unto the Lord." The sacrificed animal is a representation of Jesus on the cross. Just as the sacrificial animal was an atonement for the person who offered it and, at times, the nation of Israel as a whole, so, too, Christ was our atonement. In the encounter with Manoah and his wife, the Angel of the LORD (which we have established was Jesus Incarnate) ascended up to heaven in the flames. I believe this prophesied Jesus' future sacrifice on the cross. He became that burnt offering for us and took all of God's wrath unto Himself. He was wholly consumed on our behalf and His death was a pleasing aroma to the LORD. It pleased Him because it made reconciliation for all those who would come into relationship with the Father. The veil was torn and access to God was once again granted; not by works, but by His grace. Romans 10:6 says, "Who will ascend into heaven?..." The answer is Christ. Just as the Angel of the LORD ascended up into the flames, Jesus ascended after His death & resurrection and now sits at the Father's right hand (Matthew 22:44).
Here are some practical ways we can cultivate the Presence of God in our daily life:
First, we need quiet time with the Lord.
-take five minutes in the stillness of the morning to just relax in His Presence
-take time to be aware of Him and experience His peace, love, grace, joy, etc. before you get busy with your morning routine
Second, we need to have a daily commitment to spending time in His Word.
-customize it to the rhythm of your day depending on whether morning, afternoon, evening, or before bed works best for you
-make sure you have any distractions removed/put away
-commit to a reading plan like "Reading the Bible in a Year" if you need structure to stay consistent
Third, we need the Holy Spirit to open up God's Word to us so that we read it on a heart level and not just a brain level.
-sometimes it is hard to understand the Bible with our natural mind because it contains spiritual & supernatural principles
-we need the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling within us to allow the revelation of God's Word to become heart knowledge so that our lives become transformed
Fourth, we need to become aware of God's Presence throughout our day & stay in fellowship with Him by prayer and worship
-prayer, in its most rudimentary form, is simply conversing with God like you would your spouse, best friend, mother, or father
-in the same way you might pick up your phone and call your husband to check in and "shoot the breeze," you can talk to God during your car ride, errands, chores, etc.
-worship can be as simple as praising and thanking God for the little things throughout the day
Friend, abide in His Presence. In His Presence, there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). In His Presence, miracles and wondrous things happen just as Manoah's wife described in Judges 13:23. His Presence goes before you and gives you rest (Exodus 33:14). Through the Presence of Christ, we have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). In His Presence, we will bear much fruit (John 15:5).
References:
Hospitality in the Biblical World -
Burnt Offering -
Roman Triumph -
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