THE ANGEL OF THE LORD (1)

0. Introduction

a) Who is the "angel of the Lord" that appears several times in the Bible? Is he a powerful spiritual being? On the other hand, is he a 'generic' spirit being that represented the Creator to the people? Did Jacob wrestle with him in the Old Testament? Was it the Father or someone else that led the Israelites into the promised land? Why did an angelic being visit both Abraham and Hagar?

b) The book Christ in the Old Testament has done a careful study of the appearances of this angel. Based on his research, the author calls these special appearances Christophanies, meaning special appearances of the Messiah - Jesus - in the form of a human BEFORE his birth to Mary.

c) There are several passages in the Bible that mention this special angelic being. We will review several of these to discover what God's word teaches about them.

1. Hagar

i) While she was there, the angel of the Lord came to her 8 and asked, 'Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?' She answered, 'I’m running away from Sarai, my owner.' 9 The angel said, 'Go back to Sarai and be her slave. (Genesis 16)

a) In this Bible passage an angelic being comforts Hagar who, although pregnant with her son Ishmael, is running away from Sarah. The being promises her that she will have many children, grandchildren, etc. and even foretells some of Ishmael's traits (verses 10-12).

b) In Hebrew the word angel is malâk (Strong's Concordance #H4397) and it simply means a messenger. It occurs at least 200 times in the Old Testament. Indications are that the malak in Genesis 16 is likely divine. He not only is able to make prophetic announcements but also to make events happen at a particular time and place. Hagar, after her conversation, is sure her eyes have seen God (verse 13).