The Angel Of The Lord

The Angel of the Lord

“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

Daniel 3:25

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he cried out, “Oh, Sovereign LORD, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”

Judges 6:22

“Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the LORD replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.”

Judges 13:18

Did you know that some authors use pen names—names other than their own—when they write books? They do it for a variety of reasons—sometimes to avoid confusion with someone who has a similar name, sometimes because they simply like the sound of another name, sometimes because they want to mask their identity so they can write something completely different from what people expect from them.

The Son of God actually made some personal appearances on earth with a different name and in a different form before he was born as a baby. When the Bible records these appearances, Jesus is referred to as the angel of the Lord. Hagar met this angel in the desert, and he comforted her with predictions concerning her son and their future. Abraham heard the angel of the Lord’s voice on Mount Moriah telling him not to kill his son Isaac. Jacob spent the night wrestling with the angel of the Lord. Moses saw and heard the angel of the Lord in the form of a burning bush.

This angel seems not just to be from God but actually to be God, and he’s not like other angels. Though Scripture doesn’t specifically spell it out, various passages seem to indicate that the angel of the Lord was the preincarnate Son of God (Jesus before he took on flesh). Centuries before Jesus was born in Bethlehem as a baby, he came to earth as an angel with a mission. God was here in the form of this angel, providing his loving guidance and careful protection, actively involved in the lives of his people.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Look up the following passages in the Bible. What does the angel of the Lord do in these Old Testament appearances? What evidence do you see that the angel is really God?

• Hagar (Genesis 16:7-14)
• Abraham (Genesis 22:9-18)
• Gideon (Judges 6:11-14)
• Daniel (Daniel 3:22-25)