The Identity of the "Angel of the LORD"
He is both God, and distinguished from God. He is the Sent One.
People who saw Him feared that they would die because they saw God:
- Exod. 33:20 "You cannot see my face, for a man shall not see me and live."
- In Judges 6 and 13, those who saw the Angel of the LORD feared that they would die because they had seen God
- Judges 6:22–23 Gideon "saw that it was the Angel of the Lord" (6:22), and he feared for his life.
- Manoah "knew that it was the Angel of the Lord" (13:21) and he also feared for his wife's life and his own life (13:22)
He is described as being "awesome"
- ..."His countenance was like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome..." (Judges 13:6)
- Manoah's wife described him as "a man of God" (Judges 13:6)
He is alternately YHWH and a representative of YHWH:
- Judges 6:14 & 16 — YHWH
- Judges 6:12 — Distinguished from YHWH
- Judges 2:1–3 — YHWH
- Manoah states very clearly that having seen the Angel of YHWH, he and his wife had seen God Himself (13:22).
WHO IS "THE ANGEL/MESSENGER OF YHWH"?:
- No one but the Pre-Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ fits the description.
- The term "The Angel of the LORD" disappears after the Incarnation.
- The "Angel of the LORD" is frequently mentioned in the context of God dwelling with man.
- Christ is the "sent One" who served as the messenger of YHWH in the OT as well as NT.
- The "Angel of the LORD" appearances were to prepare the people of God for the coming of One who would: (1) represent God, (2) be truly man, (3) be truly God, (4) be the ultimate realization of the OT ideal of "Immanuel"—'God with us'. His appearances were preparatory for the Incarnation where we see all the same attributes and characteristics of the Angel of the LORD embodied in the Person of Christ.
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