Sunday, February 21, 2016

The Angel of the Lord



In this bible study, we look at various encounters with the Angel of the Lord and try to determine his true identity.


Scriptures:
  • Gen 16:7-13
  • Genesis 22:9-12; 15-17
  • Gen 31:10-13
  • Gen 48:15-16
  • Judges 6:17-24
  • Judges 13:15-23
  • Exodus 3:3-6
  • Exodus 13:21-22
  • Exodus 14:19-20
  • Exodus 23:20-22
  • 1 Chronicles 21:14-17
  • Zechariah 1:7-12
  • Psalms 33:6
  • Zechariah 3:1-10
  • Exodus 33:14
  • Isaiah 63:8-9
  • John 1:18
  • 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
  • Hebrews 1:1-4
  • Rev 1:1-2


The Angel of the Lord
Is “the Angel of the Lord” different from “an angel of the Lord”?


Could “angel of the Lord” be referring to any of God’s angels?   

Definite Article



“The Angel of the Lord” has a definite article


A definite article indicates that its noun is a particular one which is identifiable to the listener. It may be something that the speaker has already mentioned, or it may be something uniquely specified. The definite article in English, for both singular and plural nouns, is the.


My children know the fastest way home.
  • means one specific way home


These children know the fastest ways home.
  • means multiple ways home; one for each child


Is the “Angel of the Lord” the same as “the Angel of God”?   
  • yes  -  Lord = God


Who is the Angel of the Lord?

God

  • The Angel of the Lord speaks the words of God in first person
  • Multiple people say they have seen God after seeing Him


Jesus

  • He speaks with the authority of God
  • But He is often differentiated from God
  • No mention of “the Angel of the Lord” in the New Testament
  • Jesus is the “messenger” of God


The Holy Spirit

  • In the Old Testament He is referred to as “The Angel of the Lord” when He is seen in His own body, but as the Spirit of the Lord when He invisibly comes upon and influences someone.


An angel

  • It’s name “the Angel of the Lord”
  • It is a messenger for God with a special assignment
  • As an agent of God it can speak for God


Michael

  • The Angel of the Lord says that He’s the God of  Israel
  • We saw in previous lessons that Michael is referred to as the Prince of Israel
  • Michael has God’s name in him (Micha-el)
    • El is God

Gabriel

  • He has God’s name in Him (Gabri-el)
    • El is God
  • In Luke 1 Gabriel had the power to judge and enact judgement when he made Zechariah mute
  • The Angel of the Lord announces multiple births
    • Ishmael, Samson
    • Gabriel announces the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist

Multiple specific angels

  • Why does it have to be just one individual?


Hagar (birth of Ishmael)



Gen 16:7-13
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.
8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.
9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her."
10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers."
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."  
14That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roid ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
  • announced the birth of Ishmael [God has heard]
  • Hagar refers to Him as Lord - El Roi

Abraham

Genesis 22:9-12
9Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
...
Genesis 22:15-17
15Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
  • The Angel of the Lord speaks as though He is God
  • He speaks as God in the first person
  • He spoke from Heaven (not earth)

Jacob

Gen 31:10-13
10“In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’ ”
  • Jacob knew who He was
  • He says “I am the God of Bethel”
  • It was a dream

Joseph

Gen 48:15-16
15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
   Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,
the God who has been my shepherd
   all my life to this day,
16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
   —may he bless these boys.
May they be called by my name
   and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
and may they increase greatly
   on the earth.”

Gideon

Judges 6:17-24
17Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”
19Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephaha of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
20The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
23But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
24So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
  • Gideon knew it was “the Angel of the Lord”
    • we can assume that the Old Testament written to an audience who knew who the Angel of the Lord was
  • Who does it say spoke to Gideon?
    • the angel of the Lord
    • the angel of God
    • the Lord
  • Gideon refers to him as Lord YHVH
  • He accepted the food as worship/offering and consumed the offering
  • Gideon built an altar to Him

Manoah (Samson)

Judges 13:15-23
15Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you.” 16The 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. 17Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, “What is your name, so that when your words come to pass, we may honor you?” 18But the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful[hidden]?” 19So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it on the rock to the LORD, and He performed wonders while Manoah and his wife looked on. 20For 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.
     21Now the angel of the LORD did not appear to Manoah or his wife again. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. 22So Manoah said to his wife, “We will surely die, for we have seen God.” 23But 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.”
  • The Jews referred to seeing the angel of the Lord was equivalent to seeing God
  • The Jews thought that if they saw the angel of the Lord they would die
  • The Angel of the Lord asked people to give reverence to God
  • He announced the birth of Samson
  • Similar to in Jacob’s encounter He wouldn’t tell Manoah His name
    • Jacob likely wrestled with the Angel of the Lord

Moses

Exodus 3:3-6
3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
  • Moses saw the Angel of the Lord
  • God spoke to Moses
  • “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham”, Isaac and Jacob


The Israelites

Exodus 13:21-22
21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
  • God was the cloud and the fire


Exodus 14:19-20
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.
  • The angel is identified independently from God


Exodus 23:20-22
 20“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21“Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. 22“But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
  • What does it mean “he will not pardon your transgression”?
    • He can forgive their sins
  • What does it mean “my name is in him”?


David

1 Chronicles 21:14-17
14 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15 And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah[b] the Jebusite.
16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
17 David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd,[c] have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”
  • He was going to bring judgement upon Israel


Who is the Angel of the Lord?

Must be Deity / Godhead

  • The Angel of the Lord speaks the words of God in first person
  • He accepts worship
    • other angels refuse worship
  • Multiple people say they have seen God after seeing Him
  • Everyone thinks they will die because they saw Him
    • because they’ve heard that you can’t see God’s face and live
  • He has the ability to judge or forgive sins
  • Calls Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
    • not the angel or the Prince


Most scholars agree that the Angel of the LORD is (1) supernatural, (2) is God (3) and is not a created angel.  Therefore He must be one of the members of the trinity.  The determination of which member of the Trinity the Angel represents is less agreed upon.  


So now we need to decide which part of the Godhead He is


Zechariah



Zechariah 1:7-12
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo.
8 During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.
9 I asked, “What are these, my lord?”
The angel who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.”
10 Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent to go throughout the earth.”
11 And they reported to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have gone throughout the earth and found the whole world at rest and in peace.”
12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?”
  • God spoke to the angel of the Lord
  • He’s referred to as “the word of the Lord”


Psalms 33:6
6By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
  • the heavens were made by “the word of the Lord”
  • the Angel of the Lord is “the word of the Lord”
  • so the heavens were made by the Angel of the Lord


Zechariah 3:1-10
3 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan[a] standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”
Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.
6 The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: 7 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.
8 “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.
  • Govern His house and have charge of His courts
  • He removed Joshua’s sins, and gave him white garments

Angel of the Face/Presence

Exodus 33:14
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”


Isaiah 63:8-9
He said, “Surely they are my people,
   children who will be true to me”;
   and so he became their Savior.
9 In all their distress he too was distressed,
   and the angel of his presence saved them.[a]
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
   he lifted them up and carried them
   all the days of old.
  • called the Angel of the Presence because He represents the presence of God
  • also know as
    • Angel of the Face
    • the Angel of the Countenance
  • seeing God’s face would kill you, so the Angel of the Lord represents His face
  • some Jews consider the Angel of the Face to be the Messiah


Jesus Revealed as The Angel of the Lord

  • God spoke to Him
  • He refers to God in the third person
  • He forgives sin
  • He represents the saints before God in the courts of Heaven
  • He’s referred to as “the word of the Lord”


John 1:18
18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God andb is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.


It must be Jesus!!


“Christophanies.”  -  appearances of Christ
As is the case with many with debated topics, we can turn to Paul to give us assurance in our opinion:


1 Corinthians 10:1-4
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.


Conclusion

Throughout Scripture, God conveyed His message to man through various means. He gave Joseph, Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezzar dreams that foretold future events. He also used visions to communicate with Daniel, Ezekiel, John, and others.  God manifested Himself in nature as a burning bush, a cloud, and a pillar of fire.   


Prior to Jesus coming into the world, God would often appear in the Person of an angel. This angelic Being is referred to as “The Angel of the Lord.”  By examining these encounters, we saw certain qualities and characteristics of this special “angel” or messenger which let us know that it was the Messiah - the pre-incarnate manifestation of Jesus.


God had a desire to have fellowship.  For that reason, God created the earth, and placed within it the Garden of Eden.   The whole intent was to have a place where he could commune and fellowship with man.  When the fall happened that fellowship was broken.


God had a plan to restore fellowship with mankind.  He created an initial covenant and a religious system through which man could fellowship with Him within the Holy of Holies of the temple and tabernacle.    


He then began to implement a New Covenant.   The central component of this new covenant was Jesus Christ the Messiah.


Since God is holy and nothing that isn’t holy can come into His presence,  He had to first make atonement for our sins. In the Old Covenant, people used blood sacrifices and incense to purify their sins and cleanse their prayers before they could reach God.  In the New Covenant Jesus’ death on the cross has cleansed us so that we are presentable to be in God’s presence.


Once that purification was accomplished, God could establish a Spirit to spirit relationship with us.  God’s Holy Spirit now takes up residence within our mortal bodies (in the inner man), bonding us together with Himself.  He does this by connecting to our human spirit, part of the new creation we are in Christ. Because of this we can experience true worship and true communion and fellowship with God.  Thus fulfilling God’s primary desire to have an intimate relationship with each and every one of us.


We can now see the unveiling of a great mystery.  The Angel of the Lord’s  first appearance was to the patriarch Abraham.  So we see that Jesus’ involvement with the New Covenant didn’t begin with the virgin birth.  Jesus interacted with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and David, and others.   Jesus has been an integral part of entire plan restore our relationship with God.  He was involved in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.  He now sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, and His Spirit lives within us and empowers us to live and act in His name.


Hebrews 1:1-4
1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.


Food for Thought

Rev 1:1-2
1The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.


If Jesus was “the Angel of the Lord” then who is Jesus’ angel?


Presenter: Michael Leadon






Summary

  • After seeing the Angel of the Lord many proclaimed that they had seen God
    • face to face
  • The Angel of the Lord speaks the words of God in first person
  • He accepts worship unlike other angels
  • He must be deity - some part of the Godhead
  • He has the ability to judge or forgive sins
  • God spoke to Him
  • He refers to God in the third person
  • He represents the saints before God in the courts of Heaven
  • He was possibly referred to as “the word of the Lord”
  • Combining this with Paul’s statement that Jesus Christ accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness we concluded that the Angel of the Lord must be Jesus
  • Given that the Angel of the Lord appeared to most of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and David, we see that Jesus has been an integral part of redeeming man before the virgin birth

References



Related Scriptures

Angel of the Lord Scriptures (Old Testament)



As the Angel of the Lord to Hagar, Gen. 16:7-13.
As the Angel of the Lord to Abraham and Isaac, Gen. 22:9-18.
As the Angel of the Lord in the burning bush, Ex. 3:2-10.
As the Angel of the Lord who brought God’s people out of Egypt, Nu. 20:16.
As the Angel of the Lord who opposed Balaam, Num 22:22-35
As the Angel of the Lord who brought God’s people to the Promised Land, Ju. 2:1-4.
As the Angel of the Lord who cursed those who failed to help Israel, Ju. 5:23
As the Angel of the Lord who raised up Gideon, Ju. 6:11-24.
As the Angel of the Lord who raised up Samson, Ju. 13:13-22
As the Angel of the Lord bringing judgment on Israel, II Sam. 24:15-17; I Chron. 21:12-27.
As the Angel of the Lord who ministers to Elijah, I Kings 19:1-7, II Kings 1:3, 15.
As the Angel of the Lord killing 185,000 troops in one night, II Kings 19:35; Is. 37:36.
As the Angel of the Lord  as the protector of God’s people, Ps. 34:7, 35:5-6.
As the Angel of the Lord as the Word of the Lord, Zech. 1:7-17.
As the Angel of the Lord defending against the accusations of Satan, Zech. 3:1-10.


An Angel of the Lord References (New Testament)

Mat 1:20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.


Mat 1:24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife,


Mat 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."


Mat 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,


Mat 28:2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.


Luke 1:11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.


Luke 2:9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.


John 5:4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.>


Acts 5:19 But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said,


Acts 8:26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, "Arise and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.)


Acts 12:7 And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and roused him, saying, "Get up quickly." And his chains fell off his hands.


Acts 12:23 And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Other Specific Angels



The Commander of the Lord's Army



Joshua 5:13-15
13Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lorde have for his servant?”
15The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.


- he allowed Joshua to worship him
- was it The Angel of the Lord?


Appearing to Moses

Acts 7:30-32
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: 32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’[f] Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.
  • “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,...”


Gabriel

Luke 1:12-20
12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.
16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.
17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
18 Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."
19 The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

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