Introduction
In several places in the Old Testament, we encounter a figure called “The Angel of the Lord”. Who is this individual? Is he just an angelic being like Michael or Gabriel? Or is he something more? We will let the Biblical evidence guide us.
Angel
We first need to define what an “angel” is. The word “angel” comes from the Hebrew word Mal’ak which means “messenger” or “to dispatch a messenger or envoy”. We tend to associate it with the winged supernatural beings as if it describes their nature. However, it actually describes their function. Since this seems to be their primary function, as far as we know, we call them “angels”. We also see this in scripture at times (Gal. 1:8).
Mal’ak is also used of human messengers occasionally in the Old Testament. For example, in Genesis 33:3, Jacob sent messengers “mal’ak” to Esau. Therefore, it would be safe to say that “The Angel of the Lord” could be understood as “The “Messenger” of the Lord”. But why use this specific terminology? If it’s a messenger like Michael or Gabriel, why not just call him an angel? Who is this special Messenger?
A Divine Encounter
Let’s take a look at Moses’ encounter with the Angel of the Lord in Exodus 3 to see who this special messenger is.
EXODUS 3:1-6
1Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. 3So Moses thought, “I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?”
4When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. 5“Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 3:2 describes the individual in the burning bush as the Angel of the Lord. Yet, the voice that calls out from the burning bush in verse 4 is described as God’s voice. The voice then specifically self-identifies as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. It’s safe to say, then, that the Angel of the Lord is God Almighty.
Additional OT Passages
We find additional evidence for this in several Old Testament passages like: Ps. 34:7, Hagar’s encounter with the Angel of the Lord in Gen. 16:10-13, Abraham’s encounter on Mount Moriah in Gen. 22:11-12, 15-18, and Jacob’s encounter in Gen. 31:11, 32:30. In these passages we see the Angel of the Lord doing and claiming authority over those things that only God has the power and authority to do.
I Am
But this still seems strange. Why would God be called the “messenger” of God? If we keep reading, we gain additional context. We are given the name of this messenger in Exodus 3:13-14 when He said, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent you to me.” This is where we get the proper name of God, Yahweh (YHWH). Yahweh (YHWH) is the Hebrew word for “being” and can be translated as “I AM WHO I AM” or “I AM THE ONE WHO IS”.
This is who Jesus identified Himself as in Jn. 8:58 when He told them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” It would appear, then, that the Angel (Messenger) of the Lord is none other than the preincarnate Jesus, God the Son. This makes sense as Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature” (Heb. 1:3). He is described as “the faithful witness” in Rev. 1:5. Jesus is the perfect Messenger of God who beautifully communicates his radiance, nature, and will to us.
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Jesus in the Old Testament
We are often told by many pastors, ministers, and teachers not to try to find Jesus in every passage of the Old Testament. I believe this has its origins in the idea that God the Father is the part of the Trinity that is most active in the Old Testament and Jesus (God the Son) is the active God of the New Testament. I believe this is incorrect.
Jesus spoke of what was written about Him in the Old Testament (Law of Moses, Prophets, and Psalms) to His disciples (Lk. 24:44). He also explained to the pair on the road to Emmaus all those things concerning Him in Scripture (Lk. 24:27). The Old Testament is about Jesus. He is the God of Israel. This makes sense of the passages that state that no one has seen God (The Father), but Jesus has revealed Him to us (Jn. 1:18, 14:8-9).
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Abraham: Sodom and Gomorrah
One of many proof texts for the previous claim comes from Abraham’s encounter with God at the oaks of Mamre in Genesis 18-19. Here Abraham meets and prepares food for three men. Two are identified as angels and the third is identified as the Lord. It would appear that Abraham, who had spoken to God before in Gen. 12-17, recognized this individual as God.
They all sit and eat. All three of the men are on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. However, the two identified as angels go ahead and the Lord stays behind to talk to Abraham. This is where Abraham bargains with God for Sodom.
The Lord Goes to Sodom
The man identified as God departs from Abraham and also goes down to Sodom. It’s here that Scripture tells us that He calls down fire on the two cities to destroy them. But a close reading of this account in Gen. 19:24 shows something very peculiar. The CSB translation reads, “Then out of the sky the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur from the Lord.” The KJV makes it more explicit by stating, “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.”
So, the Lord who was in human form down overlooking Sodom and Gomorrah called down fire and brimstone from the Lord in heaven. The confusing nature of the statement melts away if we understand that God the Son called down fire and brimstone from God the Father in heaven.
Conclusion
The evidence presented here, along with myriads of other Biblical evidence, shows that the Angel of the Lord is the preincarnate Jesus, God the Son. Additionally, the God that Moses, Abraham, Jacob, ect., meet in the Old Testament is God the Son. The God of Job 9:8-9 matches up perfectly with the Jesus of the New Testament accounts in Hebrews 1:3 and Matthew 14:25.
JOB 9:8-9
8He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. 9He makes the stars: the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern sky.
HEB 1:3
3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
MATT 14:25
1Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all active throughout both Testaments. Voddie Baucham said, “Jesus is a member of the Godhead, He’s a member of the Trinity and as such you can’t divorce Him from the God on the left side of the Book because He IS the God on the left side of the Book.”
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The Angel of the Lord, God the Son, the God if Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of redemption. Salvation is through Jesus (God the Son) alone (Acts 4:12) in both Testaments by the power and work of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father.
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Blessings