Can't comprehend even the name

I think I've posted about Judges 13 before, but it's a passage worth visiting again. In that chapter, an angel of God appears to Manoah and his wife to announce the impending birth of Samson. Upon hearing the announcement, Manoah says to the angel (Judges 13:17, KJV),

What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

The angel responds (Judges 13:18, KJV),

Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

The phrase "seeing it is secret" is translated in the NIV as "it is beyond understanding," while the NET renders it as "you cannot comprehend it."

What a low position for Manoah! After all, the messenger is not God, but rather an angel. And Manoah is not asking for the grand sweep of the plan, but just the angel's name. Nonetheless, evidently Manoah cannot even process the name of this messenger!

Nonetheless, Manoah was called upon to father one of the most important people in the Bible, making his much more important than any of us. And if being important enough to father Samson still leaves Manoah unqualified to comprehend a name, how much lower must our own understanding be?

The whole story is humbling. But it ultimately drives us to trust in God, and God alone.

Avoiding sin before it happens

The Bible stresses our need to obey God's commandments, but it is very easy to slip from obedience simply due to the environment in which we find ourselves. Therefore, it is our duty to recognize and avoid those toxic environments before they lead to sin.

Proverbs 14:7 (KJV) hits on this point,

Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.

That admonition to "go from the presence" applies not just to the "foolish man," but to any situation in which sin might fester, including forms of media and entertainment. In a world with constant distractions, that sort of spiritual discipline is easier said that done. We must train ourselves to avoid sinful situations, and we can do that through diligent and non-ceasing prayer.

Joshua's farewell address to us

In chapter 23 of Joshua, an aging Joshua assembles the Israelite leaders in order to issue his farewell address. In the address, Joshua cautions against following the gods of the surrounding nations. Here are portions of that address (KJV):

Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, ... That ye come not among these nations ... neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: But cleave unto the LORD your God.

Two gods, in particular, worshipped by Israel's neighbors were Baal and Asherah. Despite having somewhat overlapping roles, Baal and Asherah were viewed among people of the ancient Levant as being the ultimate sources of prosperity and fertility. In modern times, we don't "swear by" or "serve" or "bow ourselves" to Baal and Asherah. But we are at risk of elevating what they stood for -- prosperity and fertility (sex) -- above God.

Therefore, Joshua's address is just as relevant to us as it was to the ancient Israelite leaders. We are to "cleave unto the LORD," and not unto the worldly elements represented by Baal and Asherah.

Reading "the law"

Chapter 8 of Joshua finds the Israelites capturing the town of Ai. Afterward, Joshua leads the community in reading the law (Joshua 8:34, KJV),

Afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

The Law of Moses require that the law, itself, be read periodically in order to keep the statutes fresh in mind. This "law," commonly understood as the first five books of the Bible, is still with us to this day, and it is still incumbent upon us to read it.

That is why it's important to read and study the Bible, including the Old Testament portions. Fortunately, there are many useful reading plans. I enjoy the One Year Bible, which divides the Bible into shorter chunks for daily reading. But there are many other good reading plans. The important thing is the find a Bible reading plan, and stick with it!