A Misplaced Question

A misplaced question.  The account of the birth of Samson is remarkable.  Manoah and his wife were not able to have children.  However, the angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife to inform her that she would conceive and give birth to a son (Judges 13:3).  Following the announcement, the angel also told her that she was to pay special attention to the instructions regarding this son.  He would be a Nazirite to God from birth, and, therefore, was not to eat anything unclean, not to drink wine, and they were not to cut his hair (v.4-7).  Manoah prayed and asked God to send the angel back so that he could personally talk with him and ask what they should do for the boy that would be born (v.8).  God answers that prayer, but when the angel came, Manoah actually asked “When your words come true, what will be the boy’s responsibilities and work?” (v.12).  That was not the question Manoah prayed, seeking an opportunity to ask.  The response from the angel was not to divulge that information, but simply to repeat the instructions given to Manoah’s wife about the rules surrounding the Nazirite vow that would be upon the boy to be born, Samson.  There are some things that God will not reveal, as they are not for us to know, and we can trust that it is for our good.