With Opened Bible
The Angel of the Lord
The Angel of the Lord.
Who is the Angel of the Lord? And how does the Bible tell us about him? The expression "The Angel of the Lord" (Malak El in Hebrew) must be differentiated from the expression "an angel of the Lord." The Angel of the Lord is not just any messenger, but a unique spiritual entity with a specific divine mandate. In contrast, an angel of the Lord is a more general term for any messenger sent by God. Let's look at what the Holy Scriptures say about the unique role and significance of the Angel of the Lord.
In the Old Testament, the Angel of the Lord stands out as a unique divine character who speaks and acts as if he were God himself. To Hagar, Abraham's servant, he speaks as God. (Genesis 16,7-14) She said "God spoke to me". He speaks to Abraham using the first person. (Genesis 21,11-15) He appears to Moses in the burning bush and commands him what he must do. (Exodus 3, 2-4) He appears to Manoah and his wife (the parents of the great Samson) (Judges 13,3-22); To Gideon (Judges 6,11-23) The latter thought he was going to die since he saw God face to face. (Judges 6:22)
The Angel of the Lord fought against Jacob, blessed him, and changed his name to Israel (which means strong against God) (Genesis 32,27-19) In Judges 2:1, the Angel of the Lord reminded Israel that he brought them out of Egypt.
In the New Testament, there is a very distinct peculiarity. The Angel of the Lord is written with a "lowercase a" to differentiate it from the Angel of the Lord, who represents God himself. To Zechariah and Mary, it was the Angel Gabriel who came to announce the great news of salvation and not the Angel of the Lord (with a capital a)(Luke 1:11.26)
In Acts 12:7 we see Peter who was delivered by the Angel of the Lord in prison. After the birth of Jesus, the mention of the Angel of the Lord (with a capital A) disappears. This disappearance signifies the fulfillment of the prophecy, as God now lives amid his People in the Person of his Son, Jesus Christ. This theological shift is a key aspect of the New Testament narrative. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel. (that means God-with-us) (Isaiah 7,14)
