Spiritual Beings (Angel of the Lord)

The angel of the Lord can be a complex character in the story of the Bible. Today we are going to try to understand who he is and his role in Scripture. 

The angel of the Lord first appears to Hagar in genesis 16. The angel finds her sitting by a spring in the middle of nowhere. Hagar has a conversation with this angel and the angel says she will have a son. In this instance, the being appears as an angel. The angel also appears to Abraham to stop him from sacrificing Isaac. In Numbers 22:22, God sends the angel to stop Balaam. “But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way”. This is clear that God sent the angel, which is distinct from Him. 

In Exodus, however, we see a different side of things. In Exodus 13, God is leading them through the wilderness, but in Exodus 14, we see the angel of the Lord, who had been leading them, goes to the rear. This is where things can get a little confusing. It’s as if this angel of God is both God and can be a distinct being from him. In Exodus 23:20-21, God says he is his representative. “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion”. This angel was to protect, lead, and give instructions to the people. This angel represents God and gives directions from God. This seems to be the angels’ role throughout Scripture, to appear to humans to give messages or deliver them.  

This angel is connected with Jesus. In the letter from Jude, he says that Jesus rescued the people from Egypt. In Exodus we read Yahweh or the angel of Yahweh did. So what’s going on? I think Jude is connecting the role of deliverance of the angel of God with the role of Jesus’ deliverance of all humanity. The angel of Yahweh can be both Yahweh or Yahweh appearing as human. Jesus is Yahweh become human that saves us all.