As you probably know, the name of Jesus is not mentioned in the Old Testament; but that doesn’t mean He isn’t in there! There are times in the Old Testament writings where an Angel appears to provide a message. However, sometimes it is explicitly stated that the ‘Angel of the Lord’ appeared:
And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.) (Judges 13:16)
This Angel of the Lord is commonly recognized as God in the flesh - in other words, this is an Old Testament visit from the Son of God:
And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?” (Judges 13:18)
Whose name is ‘wonderful’? Isaiah says this:
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. (Isaiah 9:6)
We know this verse is a prophecy of Jesus. Finally, as we return to the story of Manoah and his wife being told about the future birth of their child (who would grow up to be none other than Samson), we see they state this clearly:
And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!” (Judges 13:22)
They’ve seen God! Yes, they’ve seen our Lord and Savior, who came to them with a special message. This glimpse of Christ came long before He stepped down from the throne to save us from our sins. Yet even at this time, He knew the plans His Father had to redeem us. He came to describe the coming birth of a mortal deliverer for the people of Israel for a moment in time – a message delivered by the One who would become our Immortal Deliverer for all time!
#LoveMatters