PART 2 — THE MESSENGER OF YEHOVAH

In Part 1 we saw that Scripture describes God as invisible, yet repeatedly records people encountering Him.

Many of those encounters have something else in common.

A figure appears again and again throughout the Scriptures called the Messenger of Yehovah.

Many English translations render this as "the Angel of the LORD."

The Hebrew word is malakh, which simply means messenger.

The question is not whether He is a messenger.

The question is who this Messenger is.

Hagar

The first time we encounter the Messenger of Yehovah is with Hagar.

The Messenger found her in the wilderness and said:

"I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude."
Genesis 16:10

Notice what He did not say.

He did not say:

"Yehovah will multiply your seed."

He said:

"I will multiply thy seed exceedingly."

Afterward Hagar said:

"Thou God seest me."
Genesis 16:13

Hagar believed she had encountered God.

Abraham and Isaac

When Abraham lifted the knife over Isaac, the Messenger of Yehovah called to him from heaven.

Then He said:

"Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me."
Genesis 22:12

Abraham's obedience toward God is spoken of as obedience toward the Messenger Himself.

Again, the distinction is difficult to separate.

Moses and the Burning Bush

When Moses came to the burning bush, Scripture says:

"The angel of Yehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush."
Exodus 3:2

A few verses later we read:

"God called unto him out of the midst of the bush."
Exodus 3:4

Then the voice says:

"I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
Exodus 3:6

And later:

"I AM THAT I AM."
Exodus 3:14

The account moves from the Messenger of Yehovah to God speaking from the bush without introducing a second speaker.

The Messenger Carries Yehovah's Name

Later, Yehovah told Israel:

"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way."
Exodus 23:20

Then He says:

"Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him."
Exodus 23:21

Yehovah's name represents His authority, His character, and His identity.

Yet Yehovah says:

"My name is in Him."

This Messenger is unlike any ordinary messenger.

Joshua

As Joshua prepared to enter Jericho, he encountered a man with a drawn sword.

Joshua asked:

"Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?"
Joshua 5:13

The man answered:

"Nay; but as captain of the host of Yehovah am I now come."
Joshua 5:14

Joshua immediately fell on his face before Him.

The response is important.

The captain did not refuse.

Instead He said:

"Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy."
Joshua 5:15

These are the same words spoken to Moses at the burning bush.

The ground was holy because of who was present.

Created Angels Refuse Worship

Later in Scripture, John fell before an angel.

The angel immediately stopped him and said:

"See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant... worship God."
Revelation 22:9

Created angels refuse worship.

The Messenger of Yehovah does not.

The Messenger of the Covenant

The prophet Malachi wrote:

"The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant."
Malachi 3:1

The Messenger would one day come to His temple.

The same figure who appeared throughout the Hebrew Scriptures was still being spoken of hundreds of years later.

A Pattern

The Messenger of Yehovah speaks as God.

He carries Yehovah's name.

People who encounter Him believe they have encountered God.

He receives reverence that created angels refuse.

He makes the ground holy by His presence.

The Scriptures never present Him as just another messenger.

The question becomes:

Who is this Messenger?

John begins his gospel with these words:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:1