Even a quick study of angels in the Bible is enough to reveal some intriguing contrasts between the revelation concerning angels in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. For example, very seldom do we find the word “angels” in the Old Testament; almost all references to “angels” (plural) are in the New Testament. When we read of angels in the Old Testament, we usually read of them in the singular. Furthermore, a closer examination of these Old Testament references reveals something else: most of these verses don’t speak of an angel of the Lord. Rather, they speak of the Angel of the Lord. He is sometimes referred to as “the Angel of God,” or “His Angel,” or “My Angel.” But in each case, these titles single out one Angel that has a unique relationship with the Lord. The Old Testament revelation concerning angels is largely a revelation of one specific Angel.
Over twenty times it is recorded that this Angel dealt with men in ways that were both powerful and profound. And this prompts us to ask: who is this special Angel? Who is the Angel of the Lord?
The Angel is a manifestation of the Lord
It would be difficult for this to be more clear. Virtually every passage that deals with this Angel identifies Him as God, often several times. The evidences of His Deity fall into a number of categories.
The Angel of the Lord does things that only God can do. In Genesis 22:11f, He repeals a direct command of the Lord. (Were He not God, then doing so would be blatant rebellion.) In Genesis 48:16, we read that this Angel redeemed Jacob from all evil. In Isaiah 63:9, we’re told that this Angel is Israel’s Saviour, yet the previous verses state that God is her Saviour. Furthermore, He demands that He be revered, stating that His presence sanctifies the very earth beneath Him (Ex. 3:5; Josh. 5:15).
Those who met Him knew that He was God. Consider His first appearance in the Scriptures. In Genesis 16:7 it is the Angel of the Lord who appears to Hagar in the wilderness. But in verse 13, Hagar says to Him, “Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after Him that seeth me?” When Moses met Him in Exodus 3 we’re told, “And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God” (v. 6b). After Manoah and his wife met the Angel of the Lord, Manoah said, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God” (Jdg. 13:22).
The Angel of the Lord is all that God is. He is called “the Angel of His presence” (Isa. 63:9): when the Angel is present, God is pres-ent. The Lord instructs Israel to obey this Angel to the letter. “Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him” (Ex. 23:21). God’s name represents His character and fame (comp. Ex. 33:19 with Ex. 34:6).
The Bible clearly states that the Angel of the Lord is God. Genesis 16:7-12 tells us that it was the Angel of the Lord who spoke to Hagar. Yet verse 13 says “she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her.” In Genesis 31:11-13 we learn that the Angel of God spoke to Jacob in a dream and said clearly, “I am the God of Bethel.” In Exodus 3:2 we’re told that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush, verse 4 says that it was the Lord, and in verse 6 the Angel says, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
The Angel is a manifestation of God the Son
We can go one step further in identifying the Angel of the Lord and say that, in particular, He is a pre-incarnate appearance of God the Son. Again there are several proofs of this:
It is always the Son’s role to manifest the Godhead to men. The Father does not manifest Himself directly but, instead, reveals Himself through the Son. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (Jn. 1:18). “God…hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son” (Heb. 1:1f). “His dear Son…who is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:13-15). The word angel simply means “messenger.” Christ is the ultimate Messenger; He is the Word.
The Angel of the Lord adopts the same submissive role as the Son. The Bible reveals two seemingly contradictory lines of truth concerning the Angel of the Lord. The first is that, as we have already seen, He is the Lord. But the second is that He is a servant of the Lord. The Lord tells us that this Angel was sent by Him (Ex. 23:20). When David sinned by numbering the people, the Lord sent the Angel to exact judgment on Jerusalem (1 Chr. 21:15) and then commanded Him to relent (2 Sam. 24:16). Even so our Lord Jesus, although being co-equal with the Father, voluntarily adopted the role of the Servant of the Lord. “Behold My servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth” (Isa. 42:1; Mt. 12:18; Jn. 4:34).
The Angel of the Lord only appears in the Old Testament. How odd that this Angel, who is the subject of the bulk of the OT passages concerning angels, should suddenly disappear and never manifest Himself in the New Testament! But the truth is that He did manifest Himself, just not as the Angel of the Lord. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). The appearances of the Angel of the Lord ceased once the Word became flesh.
The Angel of the Lord is identified with God the Son. When Manoah asked Him His name, the Angel responded, “Why askest thou thus after My name, seeing it is wonderful?” (Jdg. 13:18). And yet Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…and His name shall be called Wonderful…” Exodus 23:20-23 identifies the Angel of the Lord as the One who would provide for His people and bring them into the land. But 1 Corinthians 10:4 states that “they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
The Angel of the Lord performs the same work as God the Son. As we examine the various Old Testament appearances of the Angel of the Lord, we notice that in each one He performs a work that the Lord Jesus performs on behalf of His people today. The Angel of the Lord loved and cared for the needy (Gen. 16; Gen. 21), protected His people from their enemies (Ex. 14:15-20; Dan. 3; Dan. 6), encouraged them when they despaired (1 Ki. 19:1-8). He was the commander of the hosts of the Lord (Josh. 5:13-15). Each appearance, although significant at the time in its own right, turns out to be a picture of the ongoing work of the Lord Jesus, not on behalf of a few individuals, but on behalf of each one of His precious saints.
God has many sons, but there is only One who is the Son of God. God has many morning stars (Job 38:7), but there is only One who is the bright and morning star (Rev. 22:16). And God has an innumerable company of angels (Heb. 12:22), but there is only One who was the Angel of the Lord. In the pages of the Old Testament, we learn that this Angel walked the earth, glorifying God and serving the people of God. In these appearances we see our Lord Jesus, His obedience to His Father, and His love and care for His own.
God has an innumerable company of angels, but there is only One who is the Angel of the Lord.