Friday, May 10, 2019

Jesus in the Old Testament 5: Jesus, the Angel of the Lord


Jesus in the Old Testament 005:
Jesus, the Angel of the Lord



Thesis: Jesus Christ has always been the Person of the Godhead who is sent out into creation for the purpose of imaging and revealing God to man.  That role is most clearly revealed in his 35 or so years of physical life on the Earth after His incarnation, but those were not the first years of His fulfillment of that role.  Before His incarnation, such appearances were recorded in scripture as manifestations of “The Angel of the Lord.”

  1. Nutshell (>5 min with kids):
    1. What is Jesus’ main job? 
    2. Read John 1:18.  Jesus’ main job is to reveal to us the Father, to make a way for a relationship with him.
    3. When did Jesus start doing this job?
      1. He has always been the one to reveal and make a way for us to know God.
      2. Introduce the character of “The Angel of the Lord”
      3. Angel = Messenger, sent one
      4. Jesus is much more than an angel, but he is the “sent one” of God.
    4. Have you responded to Jesus’ desire to have you know and have a relationship with God?

  1. Deeper
    1. Some Preliminary principles from scripture first:
      1. Nobody can see God and live:
a)    Deut 4:12
b)    Ex 33:20
c)    1Tim 6:15-17
d)    1Jn 4:12
      1. Angels do not receive worship:
a)    Rom 1:25
b)    Col 2:18-19
c)    Rev 22:8-9
    1. Gen 16:1-13:  Hagar
      1. Clearly the angel of the Lord (vs 7, 9, 10, 11)
      2. Yet, speaks as God (vs 10-12) Not, “The Lord says…”
      3. Hagar’s reaction is to declare that she has seen and been seen by God “El-Roi,” The God who sees me.
      4. Also, Ishmael, the name given to Hagar’s son, means “God hears me.”  All senses involved.
      5. The first appearance of TAOTL is to a runaway slave fleeing an oppressive master.
a)    Hardly an “important” person.
b)    Fleeing the house of faith and blessing (although not perfect) and heading toward Pagan Egypt.
c)    Satan would tell us that, once we’ve turned toward sin, it is a permanent trajectory, but Jesus intercepts those fleeing from him toward sin and encourages an about-face. 1 John 1:9
d)    The rest of the story implies that she obeyed, although her obedience is not directly stated.
    1. Gen 22:9-22:  Abraham Sacrificing Isaac
      1. TAOTL calls to Abraham (vs 11, 22)
      2. Speaks as God (vs 12, 16-18)
a)    Implies that the worship and the devotion of Abraham were toward him (vs12).
b)    esp. vs 16 “By myself I have sworn”
c)    Isa 45:23; Heb 6:13-18.  Specifically, this is attributed to God.
      1. Reiterates the covenant with Abraham.
      2. TAOTL prophecies of the coming Messiah through the family of Abraham (vs 18). Cf. Gal 3:16
    1. Gen 31:11-13: Striped and Spotted goats
      1. TAOTL speaks to Jacob in a dream
      2. Directly claims to be God (vs 13)
      3. Gives a command and is obeyed.
    2. Exodus 3:1-21: Burning Bush
      1. Several critical aspects of God’s nature are revealed in this interchange!
      2. God’s name is given (vs13-15)
      3. God’s plan to redeem Israel out of Egypt through signs and wonders (vs 7-12, 17-21)
      4. God’s desire to be worshiped by His people (12, 18)
      5. God’s plan to judge Egypt for their treatment of the Jews (vs 20-21)
      6. God’s identification as the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (vs 6, 13, 15, 16).
      7. Who is speaking all of this rich revelation? TAOTL! Vs. 2.
a)    Not a separate speaker.  TAOTL is in the bush (vs 2)
b)    God speaks from out of the bush (vs v4)
c)    Moses is afraid to look at God (vs 6).
    1. Exodus 13:21; 14:19; 23:20
      1. In 13:21, the Lord goes before them. 
      2. In 14:19, TAOTL goes before them.
      3. In 23:20, we are told that TAOTL is more than an angel, for the name of God is on him.  In other words, he is of the same nature and substance as the Father.
    2. Num 22:22-35: Balam’s Ass
      1. Very odd story!
      2. TAOTL is seen in judgment and power here.
      3. Again, He speaks as God (vs 32)
      4. Claims to be the one who speaks through the prophets (35)
      5. Receives worship (vs 31).
    3. Josh 5:13-6:7
      1. TAOTL, this time called “a man,” which is commonly done in other Biblical stories.
      2. Identifies himself as “The Commander of the army of the Lord”
      3. Rev 19:11-16
      4. Receives worship (vs 14).
      5. Declares that where He is is holy ground.  Josh removes shoes (vs 15; c.f. burning bush).
      6. Speaks as God (vs 2) and Declares the plan of God to Joshua (6:1-5)
      7. Joshua obeys.
    4. Judges 2:1-5: Rebuke of Israel’s disobedience
      1. TAOTL again pictured in judgment.
      2. Claims responsibility for the miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt (vs 1)
      3. Claims responsibility for the instructions given through Moses in Deut 7:2 and 12:3, which Moses delivers as from God (vs 2)
      4. Again receives worship (vs 5).
      5. In most appearances, the instructions of TAOTL are obeyed.  Here, he comes to address disobedience.
    5. Judges 6:11-24: Gideon
      1. TAOTL appears and speaks as God (14) and reveals the plan of God to Gideon, which e eventually obeys.
      2. Receives worship (vs 18-21) even providing the fire for the offering himself.
      3. Gideon fears that he will die for seeing God face-to-face, although he mentions that he knows it is the angel of the Lord (vs 22). 
      4. Gideon need not fear (vs 23).  Jesus’ role is to reveal that which cannot be seen!
      5. Instructs Gideon in a courageous way to worship God (vs 25-26).
    6. Judges 13:2-25: Manoah
      1. TAOTL appears twice, neither time announcing who he is, although Manoah’s wife guess correctly (vs 6).
      2. He reveals the plan of God and the promise of deliverance to Manoah’s wife (vs 3-5).
      3. Manoah generally disbelieves his wife’s testimony.
      4. When asked his name, he declines to answer again but says that his name is wonderful (hard, too full of awe, to understand; vs 17-18).
      5. TAOTL receives worship, but in a mysterious way, first playing on Manoah’s disbelief in TAOTL’s identity and message (vs 15-21; 23)
      6. Afterward, Manoah believes and fears for his life (vs 21-22).
      7. Manoah’s wife’s obedience is implied in the unfolding story of Samson in vs 24.
      8. The Holy Spirit is mentioned in vs 25, so all three members of the Trinity are mentioned in this chapter.
    7. The Angel of the Lord (TAOTL) is a very strange character in the OT
      1. He speaks as God and makes covenants
      2. He receives worship
      3. He is recognized as God by those whom he visits
      4. He reveals the mind, character, and will of God
      5. He judges and punishes sin
      6. He commands the armies of heaven
    8. John 1:18
      1. Jesus’ job is to reveal the invisible God to us. 
      2. He is the exact nature of God (Col 1:15; Heb 1:3)
      3. John 14:9 Those who saw Jesus saw the Father
    9. The message of Jesus is and has always been to reveal the heart of God, judge sin, and make covenants of peace with God’s people, so that He might prepare a worshipping community of people in fellowship with the Father!  Have you received and responded to that message?

Discussion Questions:
  1. Before tonight, what did you think about Jesus’ existence before the manger in Bethlehem?
  2. Why do you think people called Jesus’ appearances in the OT the “Angel” of the Lord?
  3. If Jesus’ job has always been to reveal God and invite people into a relationship with Him, what was different before and after he came as the baby in Bethlehem?
  4. Have you responded to the invitation of Jesus to know and be loved by God?

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