Particulars
of Christianity:
302
The Trinity
The Trinity:
The Angel of YHWH as YHWH God
Introductions
The
Angel of YHWH as YHWH God
The
Angel of YHWH as Distinct from YHWH God
Immediate
Interactive Dialogue
A
Consistent Expectation about Seeing God's Face
Survey
Examining Eternal Past Existence
Establishing
Eternal Past Existence
Distinction
of the Spirit of YHWH
Ancient
Jewish Recognition of Trinitarian Facts
The
Trinity in the New Testament
Addendum
1 & 2
Addendum
3
As
noted earlier, on its own category A does not raise
any issue of multiple consciousnesses within the Godhead.
Category A simply describes instances where YHWH is
communicating with the angel of YHWH. Only the co-existence
of passages of category B along with passages of category
A raises the issue of more than one conscious identity
in the Godhead communicating back and forth with each other.
For
this reason, since it is the more critical and the more controversial,
we will actually begin with category B, in order to
establish from the explicit statements in the Old Testament
that the angel of YHWH was not merely regarded as speaking
for YHWH but was himself regarded as YHWH both by the individuals
in the stories and by the authors of the accounts. As indicated
above, there are 9 such passages, 4 of which also contain
additional statements that fall into category A. We
will begin our examination of these passages starting with
the earliest.
The
first passage in which we find the phrase “the angel of YHWH”
is Genesis 16. The context for Genesis 16 is that Abraham’s
wife Sarai has already suggested that Abraham try to conceive
a child with her handmaid Hagar. Hagar has indeed become pregnant
by Abraham and antagonism has arisen between Sarai and Hagar
over the matter. As a result, Hagar flees to the wilderness,
where she is visited by the angel of YHWH.
Genesis
16:5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon
thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw
that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD
judge between me and thee. 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold,
thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee.
And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of
water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to
Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest
thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from
the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the
LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit
thyself under her hands. 10 And the angel of the LORD said
unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it
shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of
the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child,
and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because
the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will
be a wild man; his hand will be against every man,
and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the
presence of all his brethren. 13 And she called the name
of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she
said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold,
it is between Kadesh and Bered.
This
passage is important because it contains key components which,
as we will see, are the precedent for similar encounters later
on. Specifically, as can be seen explicitly in verses 7, 9,
10, and 11, the text plainly identifies that it is “the angel
of YHWH” that comes to visit Hagar here in the wilderness
and to speak with her. However, what is most significant is
Hagar’s own perception of what has happened as reflected by
her words in verse 13. The key term is the Hebrew word for
“after” in the phrase “Have I also here looked after him that
seeth me?” The Hebrew word for “after” is “achar” (Strong’s
No. 0310), which can refer to “after” in the sense of either
location or time. In other words, Hagar could be expressing
how she has seen God from behind or seen his “hinder parts”
(possibly similar to Exodus 33:17-23, 34:5-7, which we will
discuss later on). Or, Hagar could be expressing how she herself
continues to be alive to see the world after this point
in time when God has seen her. Either way, this statement
indicates that Hagar has actually seen someone that she regards
as God. There are three reasons for this.
First,
if the second rendering is correct, then Hagar is amazed that
she is still alive after an encounter with God. However, the
expectation of death after an encounter with God is always
associated with actually seeing him, not with merely hearing
his voice from heaven. In other words, she seems to have some
awareness that she should not have gone on seeing after this
encounter. And this awareness in and of itself indicates her
perception that she has seen YHWH God. (This fact will continue
to be important as we move forward to cover other similar
encounters, particularly Exodus 33-34.) But the point here
is simple. Hagar’s amazement surrounds the fact that she is
still alive to see the world after having seen God. Second,
in Hebrew, Hagar’s statement that she has “looked” is rendered
in the Perfect Mood, which indicates a completed action. Thus,
it is most likely that Hagar is reflecting on the fact that
she had just seen God, the God who Sees. Third, Hagar’s words
reflect a pun, or play on words, specifically the irony that
she has herself seen the God who sees her. For all of these
reasons, it is clear that Hagar considers herself to have
seen YHWH God and is amazed that she is alive after having
seen him.
However,
since verses 7, 9, 10, and 11 are repeatedly clear that it
is the angel of YHWH whom Hagar is encountering, it becomes
obvious that Hagar regards encountering the angel of YHWH
as encountering YHWH God, the Living One. And not only Hagar
but the author of the passage also holds this regard. After
all, it is the author, not Hagar, who uses the title “the
angel of YHWH” throughout the passage in regard to the visitor
that he knows Hagar regards as YHWH God, the Living One. And
the author offers no correction of Hagar’s perception that
the angel of YHWH is indeed YHWH God, the Living One. Consequently,
the relevant point here is that this passage clearly identifies
the angel of YHWH as YHWH God.
The
second passage in which we find the phrase “the angel of YHWH”
is Genesis 21. However, Genesis 21 falls into category
A and we are currently covering passages in category
B. And so, we will move on to the next use of the phrase
“angel of YHWH,” which occurs in Genesis 22:1-12, which does
in fact fall into category B. The context for Genesis
22 is that Abraham has already conceived a son through his
wife Sarai just as God had promised. Sarai has already given
birth. And now the boy Isaac is old enough to accompany his
father on a journey from the land of Gerar where Abimelech
was king of the Philistines (Genesis 21:32-34) to the land
of Moriah (one of the hills of Jerusalem) where in chapter
22:1, God commands Abraham to take Isaac as a sacrifice.
Genesis
21:34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land
many days. 22:1 And it came to pass after these
things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him,
Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And
he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom
thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and
offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains
which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in
the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young
men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the
burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which
God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up
his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto
his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad
will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham
took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon
Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife;
and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto
Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here
am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the
wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb
for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and
Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order,
and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the
wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took
the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the
LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham,
Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said,
Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing
unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
This
particular passage is quite interesting because, as mentioned
earlier, it actually falls into category A and category
B. In other words, it not only refers to the angel of
YHWH as YHWH God with the angel of YHWH receiving worship
as God, but it also distinguishes between the figure known
as the angel of YHWH and another person also identified as
YHWH. Consequently, its contents are expressly Trinitarian
in nature.
As
we examine this account, chapter 22:1-2 plainly identify that
“God” is the one who is going to test Abraham, to reveal something
about Abraham’s character, by commanding Abraham to offer
his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham’s comments in verse
8 that God will provide himself a lamb make it clear that
the sacrifice is an offering to God. But verses 10-12 are
the most critical verses on this point. As Abraham is about
to kill Isaac as a sacrifice in verse 10, the text of verses
11 identifies that “the angel of YHWH” calls to Abraham out
of heaven. The words of the angel of YHWH in verse 12 are
enormously significant.
In
a single sentence the angel of YHWH distinguishes between
himself and another party that he refers to as “God” while
at the same time identifying himself as God. The angel refers
to himself as “I” in the phrase “now I know” and as “me” in
the phrase “not withheld thine only son from me.” Yet in between
the reference to “I” and “me” comes the reference to “God,”
distinctly creating the impression that the “I” and “me” who
is doing the speaking regards someone else distinct from himself
as God, so much so that he cannot refer to God simple as “I”
or “me.” If the angel of YHWH were merely relaying God’s own
statement word for word, we would expect the sentence to read,
“Now I know that thou fear me, seeing that thou
has not withheld thy only son from me.” But the third-party
reference to “God” in the midst of the statement identifies
God as a party distinct from the speaker (rather than God
as the same speaker throughout whose words are merely being
relayed).
However,
we must also remember that verse 1-2 already identified “God”
as the party who was performing the test that he might “know”
something about Abraham. And verse 8 already identified that
it was to “God” that the sacrifice was going to be offered.
So conversely, if the angel of YHWH understood that he himself
was not also God, then he would not identify himself as the
one who was testing Abraham, as the one who “now” as a result
of the test “knew” Abraham’s character, and as the one to
whom the sacrifice of Isaac was about to be offered. In other
words, if the angel of YHWH understood that he himself was
not also God, then we would expect his statement to read,
“God now knows that thou fear him, seeing that
thou has not withheld your son from him.” But instead,
he says “now I know” and “you have not withheld your son from
me,” identifying himself as the tester and the recipient
of the worshipful sacrifice, two roles that the author of
the passage already identified as God.
Consequently,
both the author of the passage and the words of the angel
of YHWH simultaneously identify the angel of YHWH as the God
of Abraham being worshipped with a sacrifice and another party
who is also identified as God by the angel of YHWH (when the
angel of YHWH speaks of God as a third party while referring
to himself as “I” and “me”). The passage clearly demonstrates
that the author and the angel of YHWH understood that there
were at least two distinct figures identifiable as YHWH, the
God of Abraham. Furthermore, we cannot overlook the earliness
of this passage. It comes only 22 chapters into the Bible
and it is one of the most prominent events of the Old Testament
involving the patriarch Abraham, the founder of the Jewish
faith. As such, the imagery and facts of this account are
going to be highly influential in the development of Jewish
understanding of the Godhead and of later Jewish interpretations
of similar encounters with God and the figure known as the
angel of YHWH.
The
next occurrence of the phrase “the angel of YHWH” can be found
in Exodus 3, which also falls into category B. The
context of Exodus 3 is that Moses has fled Egypt and is now
living in the land of Median, having married the daughter
of the Medianite Jethro. He is tending sheep in the desert
and comes to the mountain of God where he sees the burning
bush. Like Genesis 16 and 22, this is a very early passage
and the events it describes are some of the most prominent
and influential events in the history of the Jewish understanding
of God. Like Genesis 22, we can certainly conclude that the
facts of this account would have influenced all Jewish concepts
of God that came after it.
Exodus
3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law,
the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside
of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even
to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him
in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he
looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush
was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn
aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God
called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said,
Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said,
Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet,
for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon
God…13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I
come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them,
The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall
say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto
them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and
he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel,
I AM hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto
Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The
LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is
my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all
generations. 16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together,
and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God
of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me,
saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which
is done to you in Egypt.
This
passage is absolutely remarkable in terms of its Trinitarian
implications. First, verse 2 is quite clear that it is the
angel of YHWH that is appearing to Moses in the burning bush.
Second, we have to consider verse 4. Verse 4 states that “when
YHWH saw” Moses turn in the direction of the burning bush
to investigate that “God” then called to Moses. Here we have
two terms “YHWH” and “God” and clearly verse 4 means to uses
“YHWH” interchangeably with “God” so that YHWH God sees Moses
coming to investigate and upon seeing Moses coming, YHWH God
then calls to Moses. However, the text of verse 4 clearly
states that when YHWH God sees Moses coming and calls to Moses,
YHWH God does so from “out of the midst of” the burning bush.
Yet verse 2 has already identified that it was the angel of
YHWH who was appearing to Moses in the burning bush. Consequently,
verse 2 and 4 unequivocally identify the angel of YHWH as
YHWH God. Moreover, in verse 6, the angel of YHWH identifies
himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And
we can also notice from verse 6 that upon hearing the speaker
declare himself to be God, Moses hides his face because he
is afraid to look upon God. Why? Apparently, like Hagar in
Genesis 16 and like Jacob in Genesis 32 (which we will examine
later on), Moses has the perception that a man cannot see
the face of God and live. In fact, there should be little
doubt that Moses has this understanding because he is familiar
with the earlier accounts of Hagar and Jacob, possibly handed
down to him by oral tradition or kept in the records of Egypt
after Joseph became second to Pharaoh and brought the people
of Israel there to live.
In
verse 13, Moses asks God what his name is. This action is
also readily identifiable with the actions of Jacob in Genesis
32. And once again, there should be little doubt that Moses
is familiar with the account of Jacob. And his familiarity
is influencing his own actions, including his fear that seeing
God will lead to death and his desire to learn the name of
God. Both of these items are hallmarks of Jacob’s encounter
as well. And we will see these same two elements repeated
in later passages as well (particularly Exodus 33-34, Judges
6 and Judges 13).
Continuing
forward, we see that in verse 14 God does indeed answer Moses’
request to know his name and God pronounces his name to Moses
in the expression “I AM THAT I AM.” And of course, this name
is not arbitrary or irrelevant. It is not only a name but
a name that identifies God in terms of his own nature. The
phrase “I AM THAT I AM” is comprised of the Hebrew word “hayah”
(Strong’s No. 01961) repeated twice. “Hayah” means “to be”
or “to exist.” In other words, God’s name is itself a reference
to the fact that he is the Existing One, the Living One, the
“I am that I am.” In fact, “YHWH” (Strong’s No. 03068), which
is the normal rendering of the name of God, is derived directly
from “hayah” and the definition of YHWH is “the Existing One.”
It would seem that Hagar understood her visitor to be the
Existing One as well, since she named the well where the angel
of YHWH came to her “Beerlahairoi” (Strong’s No. 0883), which
means “well of the Living One seeing me.” The most relevant
fact concerning this name is its implications for the eternal,
uncreated existence of its bearer. The name conveys that its
bearer has in himself the power of being, his existence is
not dependent upon anyone else, he is uncreated, he is the
“I am,” he always “is.” No individual identified by this name
could be thought of as a created being. And here that name
is being claimed by and applied to the figure known as the
angel of YHWH who is appearing and speaking to Moses from
the burning bush. We will cover more on this important point
later.
Finally,
in case there remains any doubt that the angle of YHWH is
indeed YHWH God himself, we can compare verse 2 directly to
verse 16. Verse 2 declares that it is the angel of YHWH who
is appearing to Moses in the burning bush. Verse 16 declares
that it is YHWH God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
who is appearing to Moses in the bush.
Exodus
3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in
a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked,
and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was
not consumed.
Exodus
3:16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and
say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of
Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying,
I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done
to you in Egypt.
There
can be little doubt that the angel of YHWH continues to be
regarded as actual YHWH God by the patriarchs and in these
very prominent events that shaped the theology of the Jewish
people from the earliest times.
But
before we move on to the next occurrence of the phrase “the
angel of YHWH,” we should stop and say a few words about Exodus
6. This encounter comes just 3 chapters after Moses’ first
encounter with God in chapter 3. Consequently, its contents
must be understood and interpreted in light of chapter 3.
And as we saw, in chapter 3 it was the angel of YHWH appearing
and speaking to Moses in the burning bush. In chapter 3 the
angel of YHWH was clearly and in multiple ways identified
as being YHWH God. Therefore, we should not be surprised or
confused when chapter 6 begins by describing how “YHWH” once
again speaks to Moses. Nor should we interpret chapter 6 in
a vacuum as if the events of chapter 3 do not inform our understanding
of chapter 6. Instead, we should assume that it is again the
angel of YHWH, the same figure who first appeared and spoke
with Moses in the burning bush in chapter 3 and who throughout
chapter 3 is also known simply as YHWH, just as he seems to
be here in chapter 6:1.
Exodus
6:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou
see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall
he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them
out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto
him, I am the LORD: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham,
unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God
Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
What
is so interesting about chapter 6 is this. If indeed it is
the angel of YHWH who is speaking to Moses here just as in
chapter 3, then the angel of YHWH is identifying himself as
the one who “appeared” to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In particular,
this means that Jacob’s encounter in which he wrestles with
a man whom he refers to as “God” was also an encounter with
the figure who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and is
identified both as “the angel of YHWH” and simply as “YHWH.”
And Exodus 6 corroborates this interpretation because in verse
3 YHWH God declares that his name YHWH was not known by Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. This is a reference to Genesis 32, in which
Jacob was asking for the man’s name but it was not told to
him. Clearly, both we as readers and Moses himself were intended
to understand Moses’ encounters with YHWH God in terms of
the previous precedent of the encounters of the earlier patriarchs.
And, as we have shown in limited detail already, major events
in the lives of those patriarchs provide unequivocal identification
that the angel of YHWH is himself YHWH God and yet there is
another party beyond the angel of YHWH that is also known
as YHWH God.
The
next passage in which the phrase “the angel of YHWH” occurs
is Exodus 14, which also falls into category B. The
context for Exodus 14 is as follows. First, in Exodus 14:19
it is clearly the angel of YHWH who is with the pillar of
cloud and fire that goes before the camp of the Israelites.
Exodus
14:19 And the angel of God, which went before
the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and
the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood
behind them.
However,
just 1 chapter earlier, Exodus 13:9 has already identified
that it is YHWH God who is going before the Israelites with
the pillar of cloud and fire.
Exodus
13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar
of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar
of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar
of fire by night, from before the people.
Here
in a very simple way we can see that the title “the angel
of YHWH” was understood to be interchangeable with YHWH. In
this straightforward way, these two consecutive chapters demonstrate
that the angel of YHWH is YHWH God.
Second,
we recall from Exodus 3 that it is the angel of YHWH who appears
to Moses from within the midst of the flaming fire engulfing
the bush. And we also recall that the text of Genesis 3 refers
to the angel of YHWH as himself being YHWH God. Specifically,
in chapter 3, verse 2 stated that it was the angel of YHWH
who was appearing in the flame of fire and yet verse 4 states
that is was YHWH God who looked at Moses from within the fire.
Exodus
3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in
a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked,
and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was
not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and
see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And
when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called
unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses,
Moses. And he said, Here am I.
In
Exodus 14, the Israelites have already left Egypt under the
leadership of Moses and as they make their way out into the
wilderness they are led in the day by a pillar of cloud and
in the night by a pillar of fire. Very similar to Exodus 3,
verse 19 of Exodus 14 refers to the angel of YHWH being in
the midst of the fire, so that when the angel of God moves
to the rear of the camp so does the pillar of fire. However,
verse 24 of Exodus 14 as well as Exodus 13:21and Numbers 14:11
explicitly state that it is YHWH who looks out from the midst
of the pillar of fire.
Exodus
14:19 And the angel of God, which went before the
camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar
of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind
them…24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch
the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through
the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the
host of the Egyptians.
Exodus
13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar
of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the
pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Numbers
14:13 And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians
shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy
might from among them;) 14 And they will tell it to
the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that
thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD
art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth
over them, and that thou goest before them, by day
time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
As
we can see, the descriptions in Exodus 13 and 14 as well as
Numbers 14 are almost identical to Exodus 3. The angel of
YHWH is specifically stated to be within the fire and yet,
when he looks out from within the fire, he is identified simply
as YHWH God. This is almost identical to chapter 3. Again,
consistency with precedent proves to be the defining norm
in these accounts.
Consequently,
verse 19 and verse 24 of Exodus 14 provide another instance
when the angel of YHWH is shown to be an interchangeable title
for YHWH. And beyond the interchangeability of the titles
in Exodus 14:19 and 24, Exodus 14 contains another remarkable
consistency indicating that the figure known as the angel
of YHWH is indeed YHWH God. This stems from a fact that is
explicitly stated numerous times in Deuteronomy. According
to Deuteronomy 4:12, when God descended upon Mount Sinai (Horeb)
the Israelites saw no actual form but only the fire and a
voice speaking from the fire.
Deuteronomy
4:10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the
LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather
me the people together, and I will make them hear my words,
that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall
live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.
11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the
mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness,
clouds, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spake unto
you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the
words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
In
Deuteronomy 4:23, this fact that the Israelites saw no form
is connected to God’s intention that they not create any likeness
or form to worship as an idol. However, verse 24 goes on to
state that YHWH God was the fire, stating, “the LORD (YHWH)
thy God is a consuming fire.”
Deuteronomy
4:23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the
covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you,
and make you a graven image, or the likeness of
any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee.
24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a
jealous God.
And
Deuteronomy 9 reiterates YHWH God’s ability to take on a fiery
form when it described YHWH God going “as a consuming fire”
before the Israelites to destroy their enemies. In saying
this, of course, Moses is harkening back to the pillar of
fire which destroyed the Egyptians in Exodus 14:24.
Deuteronomy
9:3 Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy
God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire
he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before
thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly,
as the LORD hath said unto thee.
Consequently,
the books of Moses describe YHWH God as taking the form of
a consuming fire first in the bush, then in the pillar of
fire, which led them out of Egypt, and also in the fire when
YHWH God descended on Mount Sinai. It is worth restating these
points. In the case of the pillar of fire and the fire on
Mount Sinai, the language and imagery are identical to Moses
experience at the burning bush. God is said to look from within
the fire and to speak from within the fire. The only difference
is that in Exodus 3:2 the fiery figure in the bush is identified
by the title “the angel of YHWH” whereas in Exodus 13, Exodus
14, Numbers 14, Deuteronomy 4 and 9, the fiery figure is identified
as YHWH God himself. It would seem that the initial reference
to this fiery figure in Exodus 3:2 identifies him with the
title “the angel of YHWH” but subsequent references to this
fiery figure interacting with Moses and the Israelites, including
in verses 3-4 and 16 of Exodus 3 (the very same chapter) regard
this fiery figure as YHWH God himself. So, once again, the
consistent details indicate that the angel of YHWH was YHWH
God.
Numbers
22 is the next passage where the phase “the angel of YHWH”
occurs and it actually fits into both category A and
category B. We’ll cover instances of category A
later on, so for now we’ll address the significance of
Numbers 22 in terms of its placement in category B
(passages where “the angel of YHWH” is identified as YHWH
God). The context for Numbers 22 is that the people of Israel
have left Egypt and are traveling through the wilderness toward
the Promised Land. Having defeated the armies of the Amorite
Kings Og and Sihon, the Israelites have come to the region
of Moab, which is on the east side of the Jordan across the
Dead Sea from Jericho, Jerusalem, and Hebron. The Moabites
are afraid of the Israelites and so Balak, the Moabite king,
sends messengers to summon Balaam. Balaam was a Gentile (non-Israelite)
wise man and prophet living among the Hittites in the city
of Pethor (near the modern border of Syria and Turkey). To
some degree Balaam seemed to serve or at least have knowledge
of the true God, the God of Israel, who spoke to him from
time to time. Numbers 22 records one instance of Balaam’s
interaction with YHWH God.
Numbers
22:4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall
this company lick up all that are round about us, as
the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the
son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor
to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of
the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there
is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face
of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6 Come now therefore,
I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too
mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we
may smite them, and that I may drive them out
of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is
blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. 7 And the
elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with
the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came
unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 8
And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will
bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me:
and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9 And God came
unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with
thee? 10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of
Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11
Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which
covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure
I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 12 And
God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou
shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 13
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes
of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth
to give me leave to go with you. 14 And the princes of
Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth
to come with us.
In
particular, notice that verse 8 records Balaam’s statement
that “YHWH” would speak to him. According to the author, Balaam
even seems to have used God’s proper name, YHWH. Either Balaam
knew the divine being (whom he’d spoken to before) by this
name or, if Balaam himself does not know the name, it is the
author himself who is identifying YHWH as the God who spoke
at times to Balaam. Then notice that verse 9 states that God
came to Balaam and spoke to him. Verse 8 and 9 together clearly
identify YHWH God himself as coming to Balaam. Verses 9-10
then record the conversation back and forth that takes place
between YHWH God and Balaam. Verse 12 records God saying to
Balaam that he is not allowed to return to Moab with the messengers.
And finally, after this conversation is over, Balaam reports
to the messengers that God would not let him go with them,
again identifying the God who came to him and spoke with him
by the name of YHWH God. Consequently, at the very least,
it is clear that the author of Numbers 22, who recorded these
things for us, understood Balaam to be having a visitation
from YHWH God himself.
Having
failed the first time, Balak sends messengers to summon Balaam
a second time, which is recorded in verses 15-21.
Numbers
22:15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and
more honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and
said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing,
I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will
promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever
thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me
this people. 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the
servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of
silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD
my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, I pray you,
tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the
LORD will say unto me more. 20 And God came unto Balaam
at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee,
rise up, and go with them; but yet the word
which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. 21 And Balaam
rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with
the princes of Moab.
Notice
once again that in both verses 18 and 19, Balaam identifies
YHWH God himself as the one he speaks with. In fact, it is
clear from Balaam’s phrasing, “YHWH my God” that when the
rest of the text records God coming to Balaam, it is indeed
referring to YHWH God and no other. Verse 20 then does state
that “God,” (doubtlessly YHWH God), comes to Balaam again
and speaks to him. This time, YHWH God grants Balaam permission
to go with the messengers if Balaam desires although YHWH
God disapproves of such action. This is made plain in verse
22 below, which specifically states that God is angry with
Balaam for actually going. And it is in the excerpt below,
spanning from verses 22-31, where the references to “the angel
of YHWH” are found.
Numbers
22:22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went:
and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary
against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and
his two servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw
the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his
sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out
of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the
ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But the angel of the
LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being
on this side, and a wall on that side. 25 And when the
ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto
the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and
he smote her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD went
further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no
way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And
when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down (07257)
under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote
the ass with a staff. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth
of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done
unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29
And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me:
I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill
thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine
ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine
unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he
said, Nay. 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam,
and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way,
and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down
his head (06915), and fell flat (07812) on his face.
In
this passage we notice the significant interplay between the
terms “God,” “YHWH,” and “the angel of YHWH.” First, verse
22 identifies “God” as being angry with Balaam for going.
This doubtlessly refers to YHWH God who has already been identified
as the one coming and speaking to Balaam by the terms “God,”
“YHWH,” and “YHWH my God” clearly, numerously, and without
interruption up to this point in the chapter. However, the
latter half of verse 22 includes the title “the angel of YHWH,”
using this title to refer to the one who comes to Balaam and
stands in his way. Is the term “the angel of YHWH” just another
title for “YHWH God” who has already been identified as the
one coming and speaking to Balaam in verses 1-21? Or is this
someone else, some new figure, distinct from the figure already
identified throughout the chapter as YHWH God?
It
is also worth noting for future reference that verses 23 and
31 specifically describe the angel of YHWH as holding a sword.
Furthermore, verses 23-27 describe how three times, the donkey
upon which Balaam is riding sees the angel of YHWH while Balaam
himself does not. Verse 28 uses the title “YHWH,” not the
title “the angel of YHWH” when describing how God opened the
mouth of the donkey to rebuke Balaam for striking it as it
tried to avoid the angel of YHWH. And finally, verse 31 uses
the title “YHWH,” not the title “the angel of YHWH,” when
stating that “YHWH” opened the eyes of Balaam so that Balaam
saw “the angel of YHWH.” Is the term YHWH being used interchangeably
for YHWH God throughout this passage or are there two separate
beings, YHWH God and a messenger of YHWH, that are interacting
with Balaam and his donkey?
Verse
31 provides an answer. When YHWH opens the eyes of Balaam
so that Balaam can see the angel of YHWH standing in Balaam’s
way, the text states that Balaam “bows his head” and “falls
flat on his face,” clearly indicating that Balaam is taking
this posture before the figure identified as the angel of
YHWH who is standing right in front of him. The Hebrew word
for “bow down” is “qadad” (Strong’s No. 06915) which simply
means “to bow down.” However, the Hebrew word for “fall flat”
is even more indicative. First, it is important to take note
that the Hebrew text uses a different word here than it does
in verse 27, which describes the donkey seeing the angel of
YHWH and “falling down” under Balaam. Concerning the donkey,
the Hebrew word is “rabats” (Strong’s No. 07257), which means
“to lie down.” But here in verse 31 concerning Balaam, the
Hebrew word is “shachah” (Strong’s No. 07812), which like
“qadad” also is most broadly defined as “to bow down.” But,
since “qadad” already conveys the simple action of “bowing
down,” it is clear that “shachah” is intended to add description
beyond “qadad.” Consequently, this seeming redundancy between
the two similar words demonstrates that the finer nuances
of “shachah” are intended, such as “shachah” in the sense
of “bowing down before God in worship” (see definition below).
In fact, 99 of the 172 times that “shachah” appears (over
half the occurrences), it is translated as worship, far dwarfing
the next most frequent translation of “bow” or “bow down,”
which is only used a total of 49 times. Clearly the text is
intending to indicate that Balaam was falling down in worship
before the figure known as the angel of YHWH.
07257
rabats
a
primitive root; TWOT-2109; v
AV-lay
down 15, lay 9, couch beneath 1, couched 1, misc 4; 30
1)
to stretch oneself out, lie down, lie stretched out
1a)
(Qal) to lie down, lie
1b)
(Hiphil) to cause to lie down
1b1)
laying (stones)
06915
qadad
a
primitive root; TWOT-1985; v
AV-bow...head
11, stoop 2, bow 2; 15
1)
(Qal) to bow down
07812
shachah
a
primitive root; TWOT-2360; v
AV-worship
99, bow 31, bow down 18, obeisance 9, reverence 5, fall down
3, themselves 2, stoop 1, crouch 1, misc 3; 172
1)
to bow down
1a)
(Qal) to bow down
1b)
(Hiphil) to depress (fig)
1c)
(Hithpael)
1c1)
to bow down, prostrate oneself
1c1a)
before superior in homage
1c1b) before God in worship
1c1c)
before false gods
1c1d)
before angel
Could
this be a mere godly angel, a mere created being that is being
worshipped by Balaam? Perhaps. But we must keep in mind that
this is the same word used 11 times in the 5 books of Moses
when condemning any worship (literally “shachah”) before anything
other than YHWH God (including two potentially specific references
to the angelic hosts of heaven) because YHWH God is fiercely
jealous.
Exodus
20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt
not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
any thing that is in heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down (07812) thyself to
them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation
of them that hate me.
Exodus
23:24 Thou shalt not bow down (07812) to their gods,
nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly
overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
Exodus
34:14 For thou shalt worship (07812) no other god:
for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous
God.
Leviticus
26:1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither
rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any
image of stone in your land, to bow down (07812) unto
it: for I am the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy
4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and
when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even
all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship (07812)
them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided
unto all nations under the whole heaven.
Deuteronomy
5:9 Thou shalt not bow down (07812) thyself unto them,
nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
me,
Deuteronomy
8:19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget
the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve
them, and worship (07812) them, I testify against you
this day that ye shall surely perish.
Deuteronomy
11:16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not
deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship
(07812) them;
Deuteronomy
17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped
(07812) them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the
host of heaven, which I have not commanded.
Deuteronomy
29:26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped
(07812) them, gods whom they knew not, and whom
he had not given unto them:
Deuteronomy
30:17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt
not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship (07812) other
gods, and serve them.
It
seems very unlikely that YHWH God, who is angry with Balaam
and ready to kill him, is going to be pacified by Balaam worshipfully
bowing down before a mere angel especially when you keep in
mind that Balaam has received nothing at this point to identify
this angel as a righteous servant of YHWH God. For all Balaam
knows, this angel could be one of the false gods of the heathen.
The only way that Balaam can know that worshipfully bowing
down before this figure would appease YHWH God rather than
getting Balaam into more trouble is if Balaam perceives this
figure before him to be the very same one who has come to
him to speak with him before as recorded twice already in
this same chapter and as identified by Balaam and the author
of the passage as YHWH God. If that is the case, then Balaam
certainly already knows full well who this figure before him
is and that bowing in worship would appease rather than anger
YHWH God. Bowing down before this figure would be an act of
appeasement toward YHWH God if Balaam knew this figure was
himself YHWH God.
And
if doubts still remain as to whether or not these verbs are
meant to indicate that Balaam is actually worshipping the
angel of YHWH, this fact is proven unequivocally by the fact
that the exact same two Hebrew verbs are used when describing
how Moses bowed down in worship when God passed before him
in all his glory and pronounced his holy name in Moses’ presence.
The account of this event can be found in Exodus 34:6-8. For
comparison, here are the two verses side by side.
Exodus
34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed,
The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth…8 And Moses
made haste, and bowed his head (06915) toward the earth,
and worshipped (07812).
Numbers
22:31Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw
the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn
in his hand: he bowed down (06915) his head, and
fell flat (07812).
Later
we will discuss Exodus 33-34, which provides the entire account
of Moses seeing God in all his glory. But for now, this comparison
proves that Balaam is indeed bowing down in worship before
the figure known as the angel of YHWH in a fashion and in
language identical to when Moses bowed in worship before God
on this magnificent and extraordinary occasion. The angel
of YHWH is clearly being worshipped as YHWH God here. And
furthermore, the account of Moses is recorded in Exodus 34,
which is much earlier than Numbers 22. Therefore, Numbers
22 is deliberately borrowing the identical language of the
Exodus 34 account so that the two events will be properly
related. Once again, precedent is revealed to be the intended
guiding factor for understanding subsequent events.
Verse
32-38 of Numbers 22 are also indicative that Balaam perceives
the angel of YHWH to be the same visitor that has come to
him before and whom he (or at least the author) identifies
as YHWH God.
Numbers
22:31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and
he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and
his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his
head (06915), and fell flat (07812) on his face.
32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore
hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went
out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse
before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these
three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also
I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 34 And Balaam said
unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew
not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore,
if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And
the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but
only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou
shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36
And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to
meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border
of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 37 And Balak
said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call
thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed
to promote thee to honour? 38 And Balaam said unto
Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all
to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth,
that shall I speak.
The
questions that we need to ask are these. Why would YHWH God
himself come to Balaam and speak with him the first two times
but on the third time sends an angel rather that coming himself?
The most natural and logical conclusion is that, rather than
two different visitors, God and an angel, it is the same visitor
coming to Balaam on all three occasions and the chapter is
merely identifying that same visitor with different, interchangeable
titles (YHWH, God, and the angel of YHWH), even as we saw
Exodus 3:2-4 identify Moses’ visitor with the exact same three
titles interchangeably. This fact is supported unequivocally
with Balaam’s own words and actions throughout the account.
Why would Balaam refer to the one that comes to him the first
two times as YHWH his God, then without hesitation bow down
in worship before the angel of YHWH who comes to him and speaks
with him, and finally in verse 38 refer back to the angel
of YHWH’s words but identifying him as “God”? The most
natural and, in fact, the only logical explanation for this
is that Balaam perceived that the same figure – a figure he
perceived and identified as YHWH God – visited him on all
three occurrences and, therefore, Balaam naturally fell down
to worship him when he saw him with a drawn sword on the third
instance.
Balaam’s
identification of the speaker as “God” when the text identifies
the speaker as the angel of YHWH is also quite plain. Verses
32-35 clearly describe “the angel of YHWH” and Balaam as the
speakers in a conversation. Verse 35 identifies the angel
of YHWH as the speaker who tells Balaam to say only the words
that he gives to Balaam. And when Balaam himself recounts
this command to Balak in verse 38, Balaam states that he is
only to say the words that “God” gives to him. In the context
of the previous interactions between Balaam and God in this
chapter in which Balaam identifies the one who comes and speaks
to him as “God” and “YHWH my God,” the interpretation must
be that Balaam once again believes that it is God himself
who has visited and spoken to him. Since it is the angel of
YHWH who is visiting and speaking with Balaam in verses 32-35,
it must be understood that Balaam regards the angel of YHWH
as YHWH God coming to him and speaking with him. In short,
since this time (in verses 32-35) the text identifies the
visitor by the title “the angel of YHWH,” it is clear that
both Balaam and the author of this chapter identify the angel
of YHWH as YHWH God. The most natural reading of the passage
is that the term “the angel of YHWH” is being used just as
interchangeably for Balaam’s visitor as the terms “YHWH” and
“God” are. And this is why there is no hesitation from Balaam
or the author when Balaam worshipfully bows before the angel
of YHWH. Consequently, this passage is another instance of
the angel of YHWH being identified and indeed worshipped as
YHWH God, placing it firmly in category B.
Both
of the next 3 occurrences of the phrase “the angel of YHWH”
occur in the book of Judges. The first occurrence is in Judges
5, which falls into category A. The second occurrence
is in Judges 6, and it falls into category B. The third
occurrence, which is in Judges 13, contains elements that
fit into category A as well as category B. Later
on we will examine the elements that fall into category
A, but for now we will focus on those elements in category
B. Consequently, we’ll set aside Judges 5 for a little
while we turn our attention to Judges 6 and Judges 13. The
context for Judges 6 is a time just after the Israelites have
taken over the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua.
After Joshua’s death, the Israelites have fallen into a period
of idolatry during which they serve other gods and, as a consequence,
God allows them to be defeated by the enemy nations that surround
them (Judges 2:7-15). However, from time to time, God also
raised up judges to deliver Israel from their enemies. Starting
in chapter 2:16 through the end of chapter 5, Judges recounts
back to back instances of this cycle between turning to false
gods and then serving YHWH in peace under a deliverer. Chapter
6 begins with yet another tale of a deliverer in this repeating
cycle. This story begins with a deliverer named Gideon who
is visited by the angel of YHWH.
Judges
6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under
an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained
unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat
by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said
unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man
of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord (0113),
if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us?
and where be all his miracles which our fathers told
us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but
now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands
of the Midianites. 14 And the LORD looked upon him, and
said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel
from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15
And he said unto him, Oh my Lord (0136), wherewith
shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh,
and I am the least in my father’s house. 16 And
the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and
thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. 17 And he said
unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then
shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. 18 Depart not
hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth
my present, and set it before thee. And he said,
I will tarry until thou come again. 19 And Gideon went
in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah
of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth
in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak,
and presented it. 20 And the angel of God said
unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and
lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And
he did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth
the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched
the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire
out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened
cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel
of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord (0136) GOD (03069)!
for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee;
fear not: thou shalt not die. 24 Then Gideon built
an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom:
unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
As
we can see from the text, the angel of YHWH is sitting under
a tree on Gideon’s father’s land and in verse 12, the angel
of YHWH appears to Gideon and begins to speak with Gideon.
Gideon at first does not recognize that this is the angel
of YHWH. In verse 13, Gideon refers to the angel of YHWH as
“Lord” (adown, Strong’s No. 0113). Then verse 14 states that
“YHWH” (rather than the title “the angel of YHWH”) replies
to Gideon’s statement. Then in verse 15, Gideon responds to
YHWH, addressing the other speaker as “Lord” (Adonay, Strong’s
No. 0136). In verse 16, the text specifies again that it is
God who replies to Gideon and the text identifies God by the
title “YHWH,” rather than angel of YHWH. And in verse 17,
Gideon responds to YHWH. However, the content of verses 12-17
indicate that Gideon is speaking back and forth with the angel
of YHWH. Consequently, in verses 14 and 16, it is still the
same speaker, the angel of YHWH, who replies to Gideon, but
this time the text simply refers to the angel of YHWH simply
as YHWH. This is the same interchangeable nature of these
titles that we saw all the way back in Exodus 3.
And
not only does this conversation indicate that Gideon’s visitor
is YHWH God himself, but in verse 18, as Gideon responds to
the other speaker, Gideon asks him not to depart. This clearly
indicates that the speaker, whom the text has identified twice
as YHWH God in verses 14 and 16, is actually present with
Gideon. This would not be possible if the speaker were God
in heaven. Rather, it is clear that when verse 16 states that
“YHWH” spoke to Gideon and Gideon asked him not to depart,
that YHWH is the title for the visitor who is present, not
a figure speaking from heaven. In short, Gideon is asking
YHWH God not to depart. Yet the only figure before Gideon
is the angel of YHWH. Consequently, the angel of YHWH who
is present with Gideon and speaking to Gideon is clearly being
identified simply by the titles “YHWH” in verses 14 and 16
and is being asked not to depart.
But
verses 18-19 get even more explicit that the figure identified
as the angel of YHWH is indeed YHWH God. In verses 18-19,
not only does Gideon ask the other speaker – a speaker identified
as “YHWH” – not to depart, but Gideon also tells the speaker
that the reason he wants him to stay is so that he can bring
forward his “present.” The Hebrew word for “present” is “minchah”
(Strong’s No. 04503), which can mean “gift” or “tribute” but
can also mean “offering, oblation, sacrifice, or meat offering.”
In fact, 164 times out of its occurrence, this word is translated
as “offering,” including a multitude of uses during the instructions
for sacrifices in Leviticus and Numbers.
04503
minchah
from
an unused root meaning to apportion, i.e. bestow; TWOT-1214a;
n f
AV-offering
164, present 28, gift 7, oblation 6, sacrifice 5, meat 1;
211
1)
gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat
offering
1a)
gift, present
1b)
tribute
1c)
offering (to God)
1d)
grain offering
Moreover,
the contents of Gideon’s offering are very similar to the
items prescribed in Leviticus 2 for voluntary offerings (except
perhaps for the frankincense) as well as the Nazarite offering
described in Numbers 6:13-17, which includes the basket. Our
point here is not to claim that Gideon’s offering was necessarily
a freewill offering, and certainly not a Nazarite offering.
Rather, our point is simply that the description here is indicative
of an offering in general. It is very clear that Gideon is
preparing a sacrificial offering. And in verses 20-21, the
angel of YHWH burns up the items brought by Gideon, demonstrating
that the angel of YHWH understood this to be a sacrifice as
well.
At
the end of verse 21, after the sacrifice has been made, the
angel of YHWH departs and in verse 22, Gideon finally realizes
that this figure was an angel of YHWH. As a result of this
realization, Gideon exclaims “Alas, O Lord GOD! For because
I have seen an angel of YHWH face to face.” And finally, verse
23 describes YHWH responding to this statement by reassuring
Gideon that he will not die. There are several important items
about this statement from Gideon.
First,
as we will see in other passages, there is a certain deliberate
coyness on the part of the angel of YHWH during his statements
to Gideon. These statements seem designed to hint to Gideon
at his ultimate identity and to inspire Gideon to consider
his identity. The same will be true for Jacob in Genesis 32
and Samson’s father Manoah in Judges 13.
(Incidentally,
this is not unlike God’s testing of Abraham in Genesis 22,
in which according to Hebrews 11:19 God desires to prompt
Abraham to reckon to the conclusion of resurrection. It is
also similar to God’s testing of Moses over the course of
the Exodus account, ultimately Exodus 33-34, in which God
prompts Moses to discover why men are seeing God face to face
and living rather than dying. It would seem that God desires
to prompt men to consider things like his coming to earth
in the guise of a man, his coming in less than glorious form,
the resurrection from the dead, and the ultimate revelation
of his fully glorious form even from these earliest times
in Jewish history and theology.)
Specifically
concerning this coyness and prompting in Judges 6, the angel
of YHWH begins in verse 13 by stating to Gideon that YHWH
is with Gideon. Normally for grammatical reasons, this third
person reference to YHWH (without the use of personal pronouns
like “I” or “me”), would indicate that the angel of YHWH is
referring to a figure of YHWH that is distinct from himself.
However, because of a peculiar statement found in verse 16,
it is clear that this initial third-party reference to “YHWH”
is part of the angel of YHWH’s coyness and attempt to prompt
Gideon to contemplate and understand his true identity. In
short, by first telling Gideon that “YHWH is with you” (verse
13) and then later emphatically telling Gideon, “Surely I
will be with you” (verse 16) the implication is clear that
the visitor speaking with Gideon, the figure identified as
the angel of YHWH, is YHWH. And Gideon clearly puts these
hints together himself as indicated by the fact that immediately
after the angel of YHWH’s statement in verse 16, in verses
17-19 Gideon asks to make an offering to the individual talking
to him. This situation here in Judges 6 very similar to Genesis
32:23-24, 28, when Jacob prevails over the visitor he is wrestling
with and the visitor then tells Jacob that he has prevailed
with God. Additionally, these statements in Judges 6 are also
similar to an upcoming passage in Judges 13:16, which likewise
contains a third-party reference to YHWH for the sake of coyness
and prompting. Again, there seems to be precedent visible
in these accounts.
Second,
Gideon expresses another familiar theme. He is surprised that
he has seen a particular individual face to face and lived.
However, the angel of YHWH is already gone as verse 21 plainly
states so it is not that Gideon is afraid this figure would
put him to death. So, what is the basis of Gideon’s fear if
not that the visitor would kill him? Gideon’s fear is based
upon the perception that anyone who saw God face to face would
necessarily die. We have seen this expectation expressed by
Hagar in Genesis 16 and by Moses in Exodus 3 who hides his
face when the voice from the burning bush identifies himself
as “God.” Deuteronomy 5:4-31 records that this expectation
is also expressed by the Israelites as a people who state
they had seen God’s glory and greatness. And later on we will
discuss this expectation by Jacob in Genesis 32, who identifies
the one he has seen as “God.” And, most prominently, we will
also see the expectation of death expressed by God himself
in Exodus 33-34, when he allows Moses to see only his back
but not his face, lest Moses die. All of these instances,
including Exodus 33-34 form the precedents by which Gideon
himself and by which any reader of this account should interpret
Judges 5. And momentarily, we will examine Judges 13 in which
Samson’s father also expresses this expectation that those
who see God will die. Consequently, Gideon’s expectation that
he should die for seeing “the angel of YHWH face to face,”
further demonstrates that Gideon and the author recounting
this event identified the angel of YHWH as YHWH God, whose
face no man could see and live, just as God himself told Moses
earlier in Exodus 33. If neither Gideon nor the author had
understood that the angel of YHWH was YHWH himself, there
would have been no basis for fearing death as a result of
seeing the face of this visitor.
Third,
the opening of Gideon’s fearful statement is quite relevant.
He begins by saying, “Alas, O Lord GOD.” The capitalized word
“GOD” here is the English translation of “Yehovih” (Strong’s
No. 03069), the proper name of God (or YHWH if we use the
abbreviated form of the name.) The word for “Lord,” which
is lowercase in the English in this instance, is the Hebrew
word “Adonay” (Strong’s No. 0136). What is quite significant
here is that, not only has the text twice identified the speaker
visiting Gideon as “YHWH” in verses 14 and 16, but during
his response to that speaker in verse 14, Gideon addresses
the speaker with this same title “Adonay.” Consequently, the
fact that Gideon begins his statement with “Adonay YHWH” demonstrates
Gideon connecting YHWH God with the “Adonay” that he has been
interacting with and already addressed as “Adonay.”
In
other words, Gideon has addressed his visitor as “Adonay”
and now Gideon identifies the “Adonay” who visited him as
“Adonay YHWH,” giving a proper name to the individual he already
called “Adonay” (along with the fearful expectation of death
for seeing God face to face.) Therefore, it is quite clear
that Gideon and the author of the passage understood the angel
of YHWH as YHWH God himself. Moreover, this is yet another
instance where the angel of YHWH is worshipped as YHWH God,
this time with a sacrificial offering. This is further substantiated
in verses 23-24 in which YHWH, the identity assigned to Gideon’s
visitor throughout the passage, speaks to Gideon once more
and Gideon builds an altar to YHWH to commemorate this very
spot as a holy location due to the fact that God himself visited
there and hallowed it, accepting an offering from Gideon.
This is reminiscent of Genesis 22, in which the same figure
(angel of YHWH) uses the personal pronoun “to me” when referring
to the fact that he about to receive a sacrifice from Abraham’s
hand. The scripture is very consistent in depicting the angel
of YHWH as YHWH God worthy of worship, including sacrifices.
As
mentioned previously, the next occurrence of the phrase “the
angel of YHWH” occurs in chapter 13 of Judges and it also
contains elements that fall into category category B.
The context for Judges 13 is the same as Judges 6, only a
short while later on in history. After Joshua’s death, the
Israelites have fallen into a period of idolatry during which
they serve other gods and, as a consequence, God allows them
to be defeated by the enemy nations that surround them (Judges
2:7-15). However, from time to time, God also raised up judges
to deliver Israel from their enemies. And Judges 13 begins
the tale of the deliverer named Samson, starting with the
angel of YHWH predicting his conception and birth to his parents.
In the passage, Manoah is Samson’s father.
Judges
13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the
sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the
hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 And there was a
certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose
name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and
bare not. 3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto
the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art
barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear
a son. 4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink
not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:
5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor
shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite
unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel
out of the hand of the Philistines. 6 Then the woman came
and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and
his countenance was like the countenance of an angel
of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he
was, neither told he me his name: 7 But he said
unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and
now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean
thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from
the womb to the day of his death. 8 Then Manoah intreated
the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou
didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall
do unto the child that shall be born. 9 And God hearkened
to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again
unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband
was not with her. 10 And the woman made haste, and
ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the
man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other
day. 11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came
to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that
spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. 12 And Manoah
said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the
child, and how shall we do unto him? 13 And the
angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said
unto the woman let her beware. 14 She may not eat of any thing
that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong
drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded
her let her observe. 15 And Manoah said unto the angel
of the LORD, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until
we shall have made ready a kid for thee. 16 And the
angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me,
I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer
a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD. For
Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the LORD.
17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is
thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee
honour? 18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him,
Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
19 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered
it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel
did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 For
it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from
off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the
flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked
on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
21 But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah
and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was
an angel of the LORD. 22 And Manoah said unto his wife,
We shall surely die, because we have seen God. 23 But
his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us,
he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering
at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things,
nor would as at this time have told us such things
as these.
The
first thing to note about this account is its similarity in
content to Genesis 18-19, which specifically identifies “YHWH”
as appearing to Abraham, visiting Abraham along with two others
(later identified in chapter 19 as angels), and as speaking
with Abraham. In that passage, YHWH informs Abraham that his
barren wife Sarah will also have a son, just as is occurring
here concerning Manoah’s wife in Judges 13. Once again, we
see from these similarities that precedent plays a very important
role. Events that come later follow a pattern from those that
came earlier and should be interpreted in light of those earlier
precedents. Furthermore, this similarity between the two passages
is relevant because in the case of Genesis 18-19, the angel
of YHWH is nowhere mentioned. So, we once again have to determine
the following. Is YHWH God is distinct from the angel of YHWH
and it is YHWH God himself who visits Abraham in Genesis 18-19?
Or, is it the angel of YHWH who visits Abraham but the author
of the text is entirely comfortable identifying the angel
of YHWH simply as YHWH God, (without any stipulation or indication
that it is a mere angel)? Although we have not covered it
in depth to this point, Genesis 18-19 is a passage that is
also very relevant to this study and so we’ll return to it
later after we complete our survey of passages where the angel
of YHWH is mentioned.
Moving
on, we see in verse 6 that Manoah’s wife tells him that “a
man of God” came to her and that his face was like an angel
of God, very terrible, and that she dared not ask him what
his name was. This is very similar to Jacob in Genesis 32
when Jacob tries to learn the name of the man he wrestles
with but likewise is not told his name. Here again, the importance
of precedent is demonstrated.
As
we continue forward, the angel of YHWH appears to Manoah’s
wife again in verse 9 and this time she gets Manoah who then
converses with the angel of YHWH. What must be kept in mind
is the fact that, as specifically indicated in verse 1 of
this chapter, during this time the Israelites had a tendency
to worship false gods. While Manoah’s prayer to God that this
man might return in verse 8 indicates his hope that this visitor
is from God, verse 16 is very clear that Manoah did not know
he was the angel of YHWH. And so, as elements of the text
themselves reveal, in some sense this is the angel of YHWH
testing Manoah to see if he is faithful amidst times of idolatry.
And the angel of YHWH”s interplay with Manoah must be understood
against the backdrop of such a testing, as the following paragraphs
explain.
What
appears to be taking place is an interplay between Manoah
and the angel of YHWH in which Manoah is hoping that this
is a visit from YHWH God similar to the experiences of Abraham
(to whom God came and ate and announced the birth of a son
by his barren wife – Genesis 18:1-10), the experience of Gideon
not many years earlier, and even the experiences of Moses
and Jacob who are also recorded as seeing God. Manoah is not
certain this is YHWH but based upon his wife’s description
in verses 6-7, he seems to suspect that it might be. And in
order to determine this, he enters into a subtle exchange
with the visitor, first asking the visitor to stay so that
he might prepare a young goat but without specifying whether
his intention is to share a meal (such as Abraham in Genesis
18) or make an offering to the visitor (such as Gideon in
Judges 6). Manoah seems to want to please YHWH by offering
a sacrifice but is being cautious about his intention in case
this is not YHWH after all, lest he be found suggesting a
sacrifice to someone other than YHWH. And perhaps Manoah hoped
that at this gesture the visitor would give some favorable
approval of the sacrifice, revealing himself to be YHWH.
However,
the visitor is not enticed into revealing himself and the
visitor’s desire to withhold his identify is demonstrated
in verse 18 when he specifically refuses to give his name
to Manoah. But let’s not move through this interplay to quickly.
In response to Manoah’s early, subtle efforts to attain his
identity with certainty, the visitor plays back at Manoah
to see how strong Manoah’s conviction is that he is YHWH.
He seems to test Manoah, as if to say, “All offerings must
be made to YHWH. Are you suggesting I’m YHWH?” This is very
much like Jacob in Genesis 32 in the sense that there seems
to be an interplay here in which YHWH God comes humbly and
desires to be discovered by a man wise enough to recognize
him while the man is cautious in fear of God, not wanting
to be hasty, overstate the matter, or make a false profession.
Manoah clearly perceives the visitor’s response as coy, which
is what prompts Manoah to be more direct in verse 17 by specifically
asking the visitor his name, thinking the visitor will surely
be compelled to reveal his identity by this direct question.
But again, as verse 18 reveals, the visitor remains coy about
his identity and refuses to give his name just as in the case
with Jacob in Genesis 32. And, in refusing to give his name,
it would seem that the visitor is further testing Manoah,
pushing him to consider, and perhaps wanting to see if Manoah
would be hasty to make an offering indiscriminately. Again,
the story is permeated by precedent.
Verse
17 also makes it quite clear that Manoah’s intent is to offer
the goat “to honor” the visitor. This will become significant
momentarily. Having failed to illicit from the visitor whether
or not he is YHWH, Manoah offers a sacrifice dedicating it
in YHWH’s name, no doubt hoping in this last effort to see
the visitor’s response and determine if this was indeed YHWH
God, as Abraham and Jacob concluded after similar visitations.
And finally, Manoah meets with success. After observing the
visitor’s marvelous response to the sacrifice, verse 21 declares
that Manoah finally determined that this was the angel of
YHWH. And just to make sure his meaning is clear, verses 22
records Manoah’s statement that he and his wife had seen “God.”
He even anticipates that they would die for seeing him, just
as was the case with Hagar, Jacob, and Moses. And Manoah’s
wife further corroborates their understanding that this was
YHWH God himself when she comforts Manoah, saying that if
“YHWH” had intended to kill them, he would not have spoken
to them about the birth of their son nor received an offering
“at their hands.” Clearly, Manoah’s wife also perceived that
the visitor who had himself received the sacrifice in such
close proximity as if from their very hands, who they’d been
seeing and conversing with about their son, and who her husband
had described as “seeing God,” was indeed YHWH God.
Furthermore,
the author’s comment at the end of verse 16 also necessitates
the interpretation that the author of this passage himself
understood the angel of YHWH to be YHWH God and that his audience
would understand this as well. This conclusion flows from
the following fact. There is clearly a relationship between
the angel of YHWH’s statement to Manoah in the first half
of verse 16 and the author’s explanatory note at the end of
the verse. What is in the first half of the verse that needs
to be explained? It is the angel of YHWH’s statement that
all sacrifices must be made to YHWH. What is in the second
half of the verse, which the author views as a necessary explanation
of the angel of YHWH’s statement? It is the author’s clarification
that Manoah did not yet know this was the angel of YHWH. So
the question is, why is Monoah’s failure to determine for
sure that this was the angel of YHWH an important clarification
to the angel of YHWH’s statement that all sacrifices must
be made to YHWH? Why did the author think those facts were
related and how did he think they related? Why did the author
think the angel of YHWH’s comment necessitated his own clarification
for the reader?
In
short, it seems as though the author is afraid that without
clarification, his audience will misinterpret the angel of
YHWH’s words. And the author thought that Manoah’s failure
to determine for sure that this was the angel of YHWH, would
explain and avoid any possible misunderstanding of the angel
of YHWH’s words. But what about Manoah’s inability to ascertain
the identity of the visitor would affect the visitor’s reference
to “sacrifices to YHWH”? After all, it would be perfectly
normal and without any need for explanation for a mere angel
to refer to worshipping YHWH, particularly worshipping YHWH
rather than the angel himself (which Manoah clearly intended
to do). In other words, if the angel of YHWH were a mere angel
– and the author understood that – then the angel of YHWH’s
statement to worship only God would be acceptable regardless
of Manaoh’a failure to identify him as an angel. Consequently,
Manoah’s failure to identify him as an angel would not be
necessary as a clarification explaining the angel of YHWH’s
statement to him. Only if the angel of YHWH was YHWH and the
author knew this (and understood his audience would know this
as well) does it become necessary for the author to explain
to his audience why the angel of YHWH would tell Manoah to
worship only YHWH.
Simply
put, the author is explaining that the angel of YHWH had to
refer to YHWH in the third person (rather than saying “I”
or “me”) because Manoah did not yet know this was the angel
of YHWH, Manoah did not yet know this was YHWH God in a humbler,
visiting form. Thus, the audience would understand the visitor’s
third party reference to YHWH alone receiving sacrifices in
terms of Manoah’s ignorance that this was YHWH, rather than
misunderstand this party reference as an indication that the
angel of YHWH wasn’t YHWH.
This
makes sense. Although the author, his audience, and Manoah
would identify the angel of YHWH as YHWH God, the angel of
YHWH had to refer to YHWH God as a third party without referring
to himself because at this point, Manoah did not know that
the visitor was the angel of YHWH, YHWH God in a humbler visiting
form. Thus, the author’s need to explain the angel of YHWH’s
words in terms of Manoah’s failure to identify him is itself
explained. And moreover, this fact of the author’s explanatory
note itself demonstrates and necessitates that the author
himself understood, that the author perceived his audience
would understand, and that we as interpreters should also
understand that the angel of YHWH is YHWH God. This alone
makes sense of the author’s need to include this note explaining
why the angel of YHWH used the third person to refer to YHWH
alone receiving sacrifices. And consequently, the author’s
clarifying comment about Manoah’s ignorance in verse 16 is
yet another proof that the Old Testament authors and their
original audiences understood the angel of YHWH to be a title
for YHWH God, not a mere angel.
And
in addition, what are we to make of the comparison between
this visitation in Judges 13 and Gideon’s visitation just
7 chapters earlier in Judges 6? Both Gideon and Samson’s parents
express the fearful expectation of death for seeing their
visitor face to face. Yet Samson’s parents identify this visitor
using the terms “YHWH” and “God,” believing they would die
for seeing YHWH God, while Gideon identifies his visitor as
“the angel of YHWH” and believes he would die for seeing the
figure with that title. Is Gideon seeing and conversing with
someone else, someone different than Manoah and his wife?
Is Gideon seeing a mere angel and expressing the fear of death
for seeing an angel while Manoah and his wife were seeing
YHWH God and expressing the fear of death for seeing God?
The most plausible explanation, given the close proximity
between these two events in both scripture and history, is
that Gideon and Samson’s parents were seeing the same figure
and that both parties understood the angel of YHWH to be YHWH
God himself, whose face no man was supposed to see and live,
just as expressed in Genesis 16 with Hagar, Genesis 32 with
Jacob, and Exodus 3 and 33-34 with Moses, not to mention Deuteronomy
5, where the whole nation of Israel expresses this same expectation
of death upon seeing God himself. Clearly, as a matter of
overwhelming precedent the idea of dying as a result of seeing
God face to face was cemented into Jewish theology long before
Judges 6 and 13. And the author who recorded Judges 6 and
13 also seems not only to understand this himself but he seems
to expect and to intend that his audience already has this
perception as well. Clearly there is a consistent theme here
demonstrating the very early and patriarchal understanding
that the figure “the angel of YHWH” was indeed YHWH God come
to visit and speak with men on earth.
The
next references to the angel of YHWH can be found in 2 Samuel
24 (with parallels in 1 Chronicles 21 and 2 Kings 19), 2 Chronicles
32 (with a parallel in Isaiah 37), and Zechariah 1. However,
all of these passages contain only elements in category
A. The next passage where the phrase “the angel of YHWH”
occurs, which contains elements in category B, is Zechariah
3. And that is where we turn our attention next. The context
for the book of Zechariah is about sixteen years after the
return of the first company of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem
after their exile to the land of Babylon. During Zechariah’s
day, the Jews were rebuilding the Temple under the leadership
of Governor Zerubabel (an heir of King David) and the High
Priest Joshua. Specifically, chapter 3 of Zechariah is a vision
depicting the crowning of Joshua the High Priest. We will
discuss Zechariah 3 again later on as we examine the elements
within it that fall into category A, but for now, here
are the relevant verses that pertain to category B.
Zechariah
2:1 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold
a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 Then said
I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me,
To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof,
and what is the length thereof. 3 And, behold, the
angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went
out to meet him, 4 And said unto him, Run, speak to
this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as
towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein…3:1
And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before
the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand
to resist him. 2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The
LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath
chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand
plucked out of the fire?
As
we can see starting in chapter 2:1, Zechariah sees and speaks
to an angel. Zechariah asks this angel “where goest thou?”
and the angel responds that he is going to measure Jerusalem.
Then, the angel, whom Zechariah asked this question, goes
forth to go to Jerusalem but just as he is about to depart,
he is told by another angel to return to Zechariah and describe
to Zechariah some things about Jerusalem, particularly how
the city and its population will thrive. Chapter 3 begins
with this angel (who was going to measure Jerusalem) showing
Zechariah a vision of Joshua the High Priest standing before
the angel of YHWH and an adversarial angel (Satan) standing
at Joshua’s right hand, resisting Joshua.
What
is interesting is the regard that Zechariah has for the figure
he identifies by the title “the angel of YHWH.” Specifically,
we note that Zechariah sees two angels in chapter 2:3, one
of whom comes to Zechariah and to speak with him. So, here
is Zechariah in the presence of angels but referring to one
particular figure as “the angel of YHWH.” In short, this figure
is regarded as distinct and unique from the other angels.
Even in the company of other angels, he, and not they, is
known as “the angel of YHWH.” Furthermore, the fact that this
figure is known as “the angel of YHWH” even when in the presence
of other angels and in contrast to other angels, demonstrates
that this is not simply a common title for angels in general.
However,
what is most significant is the simple fact that there are
only 3 people in this vision shown to Zechariah by the angel
in chapter 3. There is Joshua the High Priest, the angel of
YHWH, and an adversarial angel. There is no mention of YHWH
being seen or being present in the midst of the others. And
yet, verse 2 begins with the phrase “And YHWH said unto Satan.”
It
is very clear that the function of verse 1 is to set the stage,
to identify each party before they begin their part in the
proceedings. The angel of YHWH is not just standing there
and his presence is not identified by the author only to have
him stand by while YHWH God, who is not mentioned as being
present in the vision, does all the speaking and interacting.
Rather, it is clear from the continuity between the description
of the involved parties in verse 1 and the beginning of the
dialog in verse 2, that the angel of YHWH is the one speaking
in verse 2. This is, of course, also demonstrated by all of
the previous passages that we’ve seen in which the titles
“the angel of YHWH” and “YHWH” are used interchangeably for
the same speaker. The angel of YHWH is identified in verse
1 because of his role as the speaker opposing Satan in the
exchange. And consequently, it is clear that the figure identified
as “the angel of YHWH” in verse 1 is identified simply as
“YHWH” in verse 2 when he begins to speak and oppose Satan
with regard to Joshua.
Furthermore,
the fact that the speaker identified as YHWH in verse 2 is
the figure identified in verse 1 as the angel of YHWH is also
demonstrated by the words spoken by YHWH in verse 2. This
particular fact will become important again when we cover
the elements of this passage that fall into category A.
However, here these portions of the passages are relevant
because they back up the need to conclude that the speaker
identified as “YHWH” in verse 2 is the angel of YHWH. Specifically,
verse 2 states, “And YHWH said unto Satan, ‘YHWH rebuke thee,
O Satan; even YHWH that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee.”
Here an obvious question arises. Why is YHWH appealing to
YHWH to rebuke Satan? As YHWH, why doesn’t the speaker simply
rebuke Satan? Why not simply say, “I rebuke you”? He does
not even say, “You are rebuked,” but leaves the rebuking unaccomplished,
thereby anticipating its accomplishment is yet to come and
not from himself. Moreover, why does the speaker, himself
identified as YHWH, go on in the rest of the verse to further
specify “which” YHWH he is talking about when he says, “YHWH
rebuke you…even YHWH that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you.”
The
entire context of verse 2 reads as though one figure identified
as YHWH himself refrains from rebuking Satan while simultaneously
that same figure appeals to or refers to another YHWH rebuking
Satan. In distinction from himself who does not perform the
rebuke, the YHWH speaking even specifies the YHWH who would
perform the rebuke as the YHWH who has chosen Jerusalem. If
there was only one figure that is YHWH, then why would YHWH
need to specify which YHWH would perform the rebuke and which
YHWH would not perform the rebuke? The fact that the speaking
YHWH leaves it to another YHWH to rebuke Satan further demonstrates
that the “speaking-YHWH” is the angel of YHWH identified in
verse 1 and while there remains as “rebuking-YHWH” who is
not present or interacting in the scene of the vision. So,
once again, this passage indicates that the figure known as
the angel of YHWH was understood to be YHWH God, at times
in the visage of a man and at other times in the visage of
a fiery angel.
The
next and last occurrence of the term “angel of YHWH” comes
in Zechariah 12, a very brief statement that falls into category
B.
Zechariah
12:5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart,
The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength
in the LORD of hosts their God. 6 In that day will I make
the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the
wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall
devour all the people round about, on the right hand and
on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her
own place, even in Jerusalem. 7 The LORD also shall
save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house
of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do
not magnify themselves against Judah. 8 In that
day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as
David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the
angel of the LORD before them.
The
first thing to notice about the statement in this verse is
that it is about the strength of the inhabitants of Jerusalem
on the day of the Lord. Verse 5 specifically states, “The
inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength.” Verse 8 goes
on to state that even the “feeble” or weak among the inhabitants
of Jerusalem will be strong. In fact, the mention of God and
the angel of YHWH in this passage are integrally part of the
comparison of strength. First the feeble are compared to David,
who of course became famous for slaying a lion, a bear, and
the giant Goliath as a youth (1 Samuel 17:4, 34-37, 48-51)
and for slaying thousands (1 Samuel 18:7-8, 21:11, 29:2-5).
Such will be the weakest that any inhabitant of Jerusalem
will be in that day. But, beyond the strength of the average
citizen, the strength of the house of David itself is compared
to “God” and to “the angel of YHWH.” For comparison, in 2
Kings 19:35 (2 Chronicles 32:21, Isaiah 37:36), the angel
of YHWH kills over five thousand Assyrians in one night and
in 2 Samuel 24:13-15 (1 Chronicles 21) the angel of YHWH kills
over 70,000 people in less than 3 days. Consequently, it must
not be overlooked that this is a comparison about might and
power.
In
addition, notice the comparison made in verse 6 concerning
the might of the people. In verse 6, they are compared to
“a hearth of fire” and are said to be “like a torch of fire”
even a “devouring” fire that consumes the people surrounding
them. This sounds very much like a description of YHWH God
on Mount Sinai, who was said to be “a consuming fire.” This
appears to be no less than a statement about the inhabitants
of Jerusalem becoming like angels, even angels in their fiery
form.
And
on this note, we focus again on the comparison to “God” and
“the angel of YHWH” in verse 8. The passage reads, “as God,
as the angel of YHWH.” Here some curious questions emerge.
If the angel of YHWH was not understood to be equitable with
God then why are the two terms used equally as comparisons
for the strength of the people? If there is a great gulf between
the angel of YHWH and YHWH, if one is a mere creation and
the other infinite God, then why are both terms included?
Why not just say that the inhabitants will be “as God”? Why
not just say that the inhabitants would be “as the angel of
YHWH”? Why demean the strength of God and the strength of
the comparison by then demoting their strength afterward to
that of a mere angel? Why exaggerate the strength of an angel,
and by extension the strength of the people, by equating their
strength with that of God himself, unless there is indeed
some equity between the strength of God, the angel of YHWH,
and the people on that day.
There
is an answer that satisfies all these questions posed by the
content of the verse. This strange phrasing seems to use the
phrase “the angel of YHWH” as a clarification on the designation
“God,” as if to make sure that the audience knows that the
comparison to God is a comparison to the angel of YHWH, which
of course makes sense since it was the angel of YHWH who appeared
to Moses as a fire in the bush, defeated the Egyptians as
a pillar of fire, and descended on the mount as a consuming
fire. But here again, in this simple phrasing, we find a clear
understanding on the part of the prophet that the angel of
YHWH was “God,” not a mere angel. The comparison assumes that
“God” and “the angel of YHWH” are comparable and interchangeable
terms and that this was understood. Furthermore, the inclusion
of the phrase “as the angel of YHWH” answers the question
concerning to what extent the inhabitants of Jerusalem will
be like “God.” They will be like “God” in the sense of being
like God when he appeared as the angel of YHWH. As such, the
equation of the people’s strength to God’s strength makes
sense and the equation of the strength of YHWH and the strength
of the angel of YHWH also makes sense. And ultimately, these
considerations also demonstrate that this passage clearly
identifies the angel of YHWH as God, not a mere creation and
not a mere angel.
(Incidentally,
this comparison is something that the New Testament carries
over from this passage in Zechariah. Philippians 3:20-21 and
1 John 3:1-3 teach explicitly that when the godly are resurrected,
their bodies will be transformed after the pattern of the
resurrected body of Jesus Christ, whom the New Testament identifies
as the incarnation of the angel of YHWH, the Word of YHWH.
Moreover, in Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25, and Luke 20:36 teaches
that in the resurrection, men will be equal to the immortal
angels. In short, the figure known as the angel of YHWH is
YHWH God visiting in the guise of a man or angel. At the incarnation
he actually takes on a human nature, no longer just the temporary
guise of one. And at his resurrection, he becomes glorified,
acquiring a real angelic nature, not just merely the guise
of one. And when he returns to establish his kingdom, he will
make his followers like him, so that they too will be as mighty
as he was when he appeared in the Old Testament as the figure
known as the angel of YHWH. Thus, Zechariah 12 will be fulfilled.
On that day, the strength of God’s people will indeed become
like the angel of YHWH. Consequently, even in peculiar statements,
such as what we find here in Zechariah 12, the New Testament
is simply carrying over the revelations of the Old Testament.)
As
we conclude our examination of passages in category B,
we arrive at the following conclusion. From Sodom and Gomorrah
in Genesis 18-19 (which we will cover in more detail later
on), to Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, to Jacob in Genesis
32 and beyond, YHWH God desires to come down to earth in the
guise of a man and at later times in the guise of a fiery
angel so that he may interact with men, speak with them, test
them, and see what they will do, whether or not they will
be faithful or rebellious. And the Old Testament saints and
authors had a term for the “visiting” YHWH God when he would
come in this manner and that term was “the angel of YHWH.”
This fact alone would leave open the question of Modalism,
the idea that there is only one consciousness within the Godhead,
who at times operates in different forms or capacities, such
as this visiting form (of a man or fiery angel) known as the
angel of YHWH. However, the instances in category A
seize the fact that the angel of YHWH is YHWH in a visiting
guise away from Modalism by presenting the angel of YHWH,
who himself is YHWH, interacting with and speaking of yet
another identity that he refers to as YHWH. Thus, the Old
Testament presents two separate consciousnesses that are referred
to and refer to each other as YHWH distinctly from themselves.
With this in mind, we will now move on to examine the passages
in category A.