THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

A quick search in Accordance identifies 59 uses of the phrase “the angel of the Lord” in scripture, and only 9 of these are in the New Testament. Though not true in every instance, context in many instances proves this to be a reference to a physical manifestation of God, the preincarnate Jesus.

It is interesting that the first appearance of this Angel in scripture is to Hagar, the Egyptian maid of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. This incident is recorded in Genesis 16, and the Angel makes the following statement, which can only be regarded as coming from the Lord.

Genesis 16:10 “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”

Scripture is clear in declaring God as the one who opens and closes wombs and children to be a gift from God.

Genesis 29:31 “And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.”

1 Samuel 1:5 “But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.”

Psalms 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD….”

In Exodus we find the account of Moses at the burning bush, and “the angel of the Lord” clearly identifies Himself as God.

Exodus 3:2–6 “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

In Numbers 22 we find “the angel of the Lord” confronting Balaam and allowing the donkey to speak to Balaam and then commanding Balaam only to speak the words that He [God] speaks to him.

Numbers 22:32–35 “And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak….And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.”

In Judges 2 it appears that “the angel of the Lord” spoke to the people of Israel regarding their disobedience in taking possession of the Promised Land. He identifies Himself as the author of the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Judges 2:1 “And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.”

In Judges 6 “the angel of the Lord” appears to Gideon and commissions him to serve Him in delivering Israel from Midian. Why did Gideon fear death? Because scripture records that no one can see God and live.

Judges 6:22–23 “And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.”

Exodus 33:17–20 “And the LORD said unto Moses….And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”

I think these incidents are enough to prove that God did manifest Himself physically through “the angel of the Lord,” the preincarnate Jesus, several times in the Old Testament. The important thing to remember is to let the context make the identification. I do not believe this term was used of Jesus in the New Testament.