Now You See Him; Now You Don't

 

In an account in the book of Judges, chapter 13, the angel of the Lord appeared to Mrs. Manoah to tell her she would bear a special son. He told her how to act concerning her pregnancy and how to treat the boy and added, “He shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” When Manoah heard this, being a wise man, he asked God to send the man of God to them again to help them know how to raise the boy. God listened to Manoah and sent the man again to instruct them. Following this, the Bible tells us, “The angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife.” The boy, Samson, grew and was blessed by the Lord. However, the first thing recorded about him was a desire to do exactly as God had instructed His people not to do – he wanted a Philistine wife. His parents, understandably, were upset and begged him to reconsider. But the Bible gives us this insight – “His parents did not know that this was from the Lord.” I can imagine they were upset by several events over the next few years, yet God chose not to relieve their puzzlement and anxiety.

Centuries later, Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, had several encounters with the angel of the Lord, in which he was instructed to do hard things – marry your shamed betrothed, claim her son, run for your lives to a foreign country, move back home. Joseph complied fully, immediately, every time. On the occasion of their celebration of Passover in Jerusalem when Jesus was 12, Joseph and Mary lost track of Him. They didn’t know it for a day, then began looking for him. If you have ever lost track of a child in a public place, you know it Is a most terrifying event. For three days, they searched frantically, not even knowing where to look and having no success and, in Mary’s words, “in great distress.” Yet God, who had spoken to them often, did not give the answer. He knew exactly where Jesus was, but chose not to ease their distress. Jesus confirmed to them His activity was God’s doing.

 There are many other events in Scripture in which God spoke to a person in one situation but left that person completely “in the dark” in another. Often we wish God would let us know what is going on or what He wants us to do. We’d like to interpret the bizarre events around us His way, if we knew what that is. We want to do what pleases Him, if we only knew. 

Could Manoah and wife have watched the events of Samson’s life and not been concerned, trusting what God had said years before? I don’t know. Could Mary and Joseph have looked for Jesus without anxiety, knowing God knows everything? It hardly seems possible. Can I live calmly, not knowing why certain things are the way they are in my life? Or worse – not even knowing what things are in my life? I’ve had plenty of opportunities to attempt it, but I’m not sure I’m improving. 

Romans 15:4 tells us, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” One of the things we can learn from Scriptural accounts like these is that God is always doing His work, no matter how the circumstances look to us. Can we believe that? If we did, would it make a difference in our lives?

--Lynda Shenefield