The word “angel” appears in the New Testament of the Bible 180 times. All of these refer to a created spirit being, made by God during the six days of creation. “Praise him, all his angels … Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created” (Psalm 148:2,5).
In the Old Testament, numerous references also appear, also as created angel beings. However, sometimes the title “Angel of the Lord” shows up, and causes a careful Bible reader to pause.
In these Old Testament instances, “the Angel of the Lord” makes explicit promises and demonstrates particular powers that no created angel can claim. You’ll see quite a number of these appearances in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, and Judges.
Who, then, is this “Angel of the Lord?”
The word translated “angel” in our English Bible is the Hebrew mal’akh, derived from an unused Hebrew root la’akh, meaning “to send.” The meaning of mal’akh, therefore, is “one who is sent,” or “a messenger.” So “Angel of the Lord” means “one who is sent by God,” or “messenger of God.”
Yes, this title alone could refer to a created angel. However, take a look at the context and you’ll understand.
For example, the first appearance of the “Angel of the Lord” is to Hagar in the wilderness, reported in Genesis 16. She was running away from a troublesome family situation, and “the Angel of the Lord found Hagar” (Genesis 16:7). During the conversation, he makes this promise which no created angel could make. “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count” (Genesis 16:10).
At another time, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. As Abraham prepared to do so, “the Angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven … ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son’” (Genesis 22:11,12).
Here too the “Angel of the Lord” distinguishes between himself and God while at the same time identifying himself with God. We are forced to the conclusion that this is another person of the Godhead other than God the Father. A messenger sent by God the Father. Namely, the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ prior to his physical birth in Bethlehem, as reported in the New Testament.
Yes, God is portrayed also in the Old Testament as triune. Yes, the three persons of the Trinity were known to Old Testament believers. “The Angel of the Lord” is doubtless the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ the Son of God.
“Christ was active in the work of creation, and if he spoke to Old Testament believers through the prophets and to New Testament believers in person, what should be so strange about having found other ways to communicate with the patriarchs and believers between the time of creation and the age of prophecy? The passages we have examined in this study indicate not only that this was possible, but also that this method was used. Long before his incarnation for the purpose of carrying out the work of salvation our Savior was already participating in the process of making God’s plan of salvation known to Old Testament believers and doing what was necessary to bring about its orderly development and eventual success. In this sense the pre-incarnate Christ was a very special emissary of God, a very special messenger of God the Father, a very special ‘Angel of the Lord’” (Vogel).
Yes, God himself.
FOOTNOTE: I have referenced multiple times in this blog a helpful essay by Pastor Heinrich Vogel.
PRAYER: Jesus, you are the Christ, the Son of God, and I believe in you. I marvel at your work of salvation—a gift to me and the world. Thank you for being present, for communicating clearly, and for being God and being sent by God, even before you were born. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY: For more references to the “Angel of the Lord,” and additional support from scholars, read the essay referenced above.