Angel Announce One Birth

One small goat dey lie down for one rock altar. Fire dey jump up go di sky. And for di middle of di fire, di visitor wey dey talk with dem dey go up, dey go up, and e don disappear.

Once again, di people of Israel don do wetin bad for di eye of di Lord, and for forty years, di Philistines dey rule dem. For di small town of Zorah, for di hills for di west side of Jerusalem, near di border with Philistine land, one man from di tribe of Dan dey live. Im name na Manoah. Di story no ever call im wife name, but she dey for di centre of am. Di Bible just talk say she no fit born pikin, and she no get any. For land wey enemy dey rule, inside family wey no get future, God wan start something new.

One day, di angel of di Lord appear to di woman. You no get pikin, e talk, but you go get belle and you go born son. From now go, make you dey careful. No drink wine or strong drink, and no chop anything wey no clean. Make razor no touch your son head, because di boy go be Nazirite to God from di day dem born am. Na im go start to deliver Israel from di hand of di Philistines. Di woman run go meet her husband. One man of God come meet me, she talk. E look like angel of God, e dey make person fear. I no ask am where e come from, and e no tell me im name. But e talk say I go get son.

Manoah do one fine tin. E pray. O Lord, abeg, make di man of God wey you send come meet us again, make e teach us how to raise di boy wey go born. And God listen. Di angel come again, to di woman, as she dey siddon for farm. Manoah no dey with her, so she run go call am. See am here! Manoah follow im wife and ask di visitor, na you be di man wey talk to her? Na me, e answer. Then Manoah ask, when your word come to pass, how we go take raise di boy? And di angel repeat wetin e talk before. Manoah, like good host, beg am make e stay while dem prepare small goat for am to chop. I no go chop your food, di angel talk, but if you wan prepare burnt offering, offer am to di Lord.

Manoah ask one more question. Wetin be your name, so dat when your word come to pass, we go honour you? And di angel answer, why you dey ask my name? E dey secret. So Manoah take di small goat and di grain offering, and offer dem for one rock to di Lord. And di Lord do one wonderful tin as dem dey look. As di fire dey go up from di altar go heaven, di angel of di Lord go up inside di fire. Manoah and im wife fall flat for ground with dia face. We go surely die, Manoah talk, because we don see God. But im wife calm pass am. If di Lord wan kill us, she talk, e no for accept our offering, and e no for show us all dis tins. After, she born one son and she name am Samson. Di boy grow, and di Lord bless am.

When di angel talk say im name dey secret, di Hebrew word fit also mean wonderful, something wey pass person understanding. Di same root word dey for Isaiah famous promise about one child: dem go call im name Wonderful, Counsellor, di mighty God. And wetin di angel do match im name: Judges talk say di Lord do wonderful tin as Manoah and im wife dey look. Wonderful name, wonderful action, and one child wey God promise to start to rescue im people.

You go find dis story for Judges chapter thirteen. Samson go only start to deliver Israel. Many years after, another angel go announce another birth, of one child wey go save im people from dia sins. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Manoah pray, teach us how to raise dis child. Wetin you need to ask God make e teach you today?