Judges 13:16
And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
An angel had come to tell Manoah and his wife about her having a child. When the angel came, Manoah and his wife thought this angel was a man of God. After the angel initially appeared to Manoah’s wife, he prayed and asked God, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us…. From the time the angel appeared to them, they treated this angel as a man of God. They only knew he was an angel when he ascended in the flame of the sacrifice they made at the altar.
A critical principle is seen in this story, and that principle is the importance of treating the man of God with respect. The respect Manoah gave to this angel was how he felt the man of God should be treated. It is sad that many in our day have lost the respect for God’s man. Just because a few men of God have fallen in sin does not give anyone the right to stop respecting God’s man. There are many more men of God who have not fallen in sin, but rebels have championed the cause of disrespecting God’s man. Let me share several principles about the importance of respecting your man of God.
First, the degree of respect you give to your man of God shows your respect for God. God has given you your pastor, and he is God’s representative to you. Yes, he is a sinner, nobody argues that, but Who he represents to us is deserving of our respect. God shows throughout the Scriptures the importance of treating His men with respect, and not treating them with respect is to endanger God’s blessings on our lives and likely to bring God’s chastening hand upon us.
Second, you should respect the man of God enough to want his advice in your life. Manoah asked God to send the man of God back to teach them how to raise Samson. It is sad that many foolishly avoid their pastor’s counsel because of their pride. Certainly, no preacher has the answer for everything, but he is God’s representative to you, and God does give him wisdom to help you. When you read the book of Revelation, you see God gives the pastor wisdom for each church. Therefore, you would be wise to have enough respect for your pastor to ask his advice about decisions you are about to make.
Third, you should treat your man of God by doing good to him. You will notice Manoah and his wife wanted to prepare a meal for this angel who they thought was a man of God. I believe it is good to care for the physical needs of your pastor. You will never do wrong by spoiling your pastor. He faces constant criticism from backslidden people, and to have someone spoil him only encourages him. Many pastors feel unappreciated by people who do appreciate him, but he doesn't know it because nobody says anything or does anything good for him. What you don't understand is that one good word to the preacher is often offset by two criticisms from backslidden people. I would much rather spoil my pastor by encouraging him about a good sermon he has preached or by giving him small gifts to show my love for him, than to be the critic who constantly tries to tear him down with their backslidden criticism or critiquing. My friend, respect God enough to respect His man, and God will return that respect with blessings on your life.