In the Old Testament the term Angel of the Lord appears many times. Here’s a partial list:
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO HAGAR: (Gen 16:7) Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO ABRAHAM: (Gen 22:11) But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO MOSES: (Exo 3:2) And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush . . .
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO BALAAM: (Num 22:32) And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me.
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO ISRAEL: (Judg 2:1) Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land . . .
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO GIDEON: (Judg 6:12) And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO MANOAH AND HIS WIFE: (Judg 13:17) Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?” 18 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?”
The Angel of the Lord is an Old Testament preincarnate appearance of Christ (Christophany). Since no one has ever seen God the Father (John 1:18; 1 Tim 6:16) and since the Holy Spirit never takes on bodily form, this suggests that the expression refers to the second member of the Trinity. Also, consider that after Christ’s incarnation there never is any reference to the Angel of the Lord. As we study concerning the Angel of the Lord, we can see how God, through progressive revelation, provided hints in the Old Testament for the doctrine of the Trinity that is more completely expounded upon in the New Testament.
Jesus is seen in many types and portrayals in the Old Testament. (Heb 10:7) Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me . . . He appeared in a preincarnate form in the Old Testament. He is the incarnate Son of God in the New Testament, dying on the cross for the sins of all. Accept Him today and you will see Him yourself in heaven!
Louie
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