Originally posted: 10/16/2019
But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” (13:18).
Bible scholars disagree on whether the angel of the LORD was a pre-incarnation of the second person of the Trinity, the Son, Jesus Christ, or in fact a heavenly angel, a messenger speaking the words of Almighty God.
However, one thing is indisputable; whether he was an angelic messenger or He was the Pre-Incarnate Son of God, the angel of the LORD represented and spoke for God.
But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?” (13:18).
The Hebrew word translated wonderful in the NASB is also translated in other translations as beyond understanding, too wonderful to understand, and secret:
- He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding,” (NIV).
- “Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the LORD replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand,” (NLT).
- And the angel of the LORD said unto him, “Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?” (KJV).
From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance: 6383. פִּלְאִי pilʾiy, פֶּלִיא peliyʾ: A masculine adjective meaning wonderful, incomprehensible. The feminine form of this adjective is peliʾāyh or pilʾiyyāh. It was used as a description of the name of the angel of the Lord (Judg. 13:18); and as a description of the knowledge of the Lord (Ps. 139:6).
In our English language incomprehensible is defined as: “impossible to understand or comprehend; unintelligible; limitless; not limited or capable of being limited.”
He is impossible to understand and not capable of being limited. He is our God, Incomprehensible
Consider Him, Incomprehensible
When we are unable to comprehend something or someone, we often find ourselves asking “Why?”
Today as we consider Him, Incomprehensible, let us consider “Why…?”
- Why He endures with people so bent on pursuing evil? …He is Incomprehensible.
- Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord… (13:1).
- Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord… (13:1).
- Why He sent His sanctified deliverer? …He is Incomprehensible.
- Then the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. 4 Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. 5 For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines,” (13:3-5).
- Why He accepts our offerings? …He is Incomprehensible.
- The angel of the LORD said to Manoah, “Though you detain me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD, (13:16).
- Why He performs wonders in our sight? …He is Incomprehensible.
- …and He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground, (13:19-20).
- Why He spares our life that we might see and hear Him? …He is Incomprehensible.
- So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these things, nor would He have let us hear things like this at this time,” (13:22-23).
How do we respond to Him, Incomprehensible?
Let us begin by asking the questions we should really be asking: Why He endures with us? Why He sent His sanctified deliverer? Why He accepts our offerings? Why He performs wonders in our sight? Why He spares our life that we might see and hear Him?
As we consider these questions, we will surely agree with the Psalmist in worship and praise.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it, (Psalm 139:6).
Then let us admit we will never be able to comprehend Him. There will always be questions and we will never have all the answers; some things will always remain Incomprehensible. But He has provided all the answers we truly need in His Word.
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law, (Deuteronomy 29:29).
What He has revealed to us, we are to accept by faith, to be ours forever so that we may live according to His Truth. And He has revealed His Truth, His Love, and His Salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, (Romans 5:6-8).
That He died for us to demonstrate His love to us, so undeserving, is too wonderful. It is Incomprehensible.
We don’t have to understand everything about Him; we never will. We are to trust His ways and obey His Word.
Carefully and prayerfully consider the following:
Seek the LORD while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the LORD,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it, (Isaiah 55:6-11).
Let us seek Him while He may be found, and forsake our wickedness as we return to Him. He is faithful to abundantly pardon, as Incomprehensible as it is.
Today, rather than troubling ourselves with what may not make sense in this life, let us commit to belief in His Word to accomplish His desire, even when we don’t understand it all; that we would grow in faith, love, and obedience towards Him, Incomprehensible.