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In the Bible, the “Angel of the Lord” — sometimes called the Angel of Yahweh — is a unique figure. “Angel” simply means messenger, but this figure doesn’t merely deliver a message on God’s behalf. He speaks and acts as God Himself.
In several of these encounters, the person fears for their life because they realize they’ve seen God. He finds Hagar in the wilderness and gives her a promise about her son, Ishmael (Genesis 16:7–12). The angel of the Lord appears to Moses “in flames of fire from within a bush” (Exodus 3:2–6) and again to Gideon (Judges 6:22). In various passages, the angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself as God, and exercises God’s responsibilities. In at least some of these instances, this is a theophany — an appearance of God in physical form.
HEAD TO HEART
Throughout Scripture, the Angel of the Lord appears in the wilderness, at the altar, in the fire, on the road, and amid fear and uncertainty — and He is recognized as God Himself, present with His people. Consider this question: Do I tend to think of God’s presence as distant and abstract, or as near, active, and personally stationed around me, as Psalm 34:7 describes?
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
- Psalm 34:7
SONG - The Angel of the Lord
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