In Exodus (and in many other books of the Bible) we see the title, “The Angel of Jehovah” being ascribed to a person who comes to call and send God’s people, care for them, admonish them, and do many things for them. On the one hand it is God Himself who loves and cares for His people, but then there’s this “Angel of Jehovah” or “Angel of God” who also does many things for God’s people.
This week we want to see who is the Angel of Jehovah (and how is He related to the Triune God), what are the words that describe what this Angel does for us, and where is the place the Angel of Jehovah is leading His people to.
Many believers are fascinated and curiously interested in angels, and they want to know what are they, how do they look like, what do they do, etc. Praise the Lord for the book of Hebrews where we see that today in the new dispensation of grace everything is better than in the old dispensation, in particular, Christ is better than all things of the Old Testament.
Christ is superior to Moses and Joshua, and He is leading us into the better, higher, and true Sabbath, in the true tabernacle, being a true and better High priest, and acting with a better covenant. When Christ is compared to the angels, in His divinity He is higher than them, while in His humanity He was made lower than the angels – yet this One is leading many sons into glory!
In His resurrection, Christ as the only begotten Son of God has taken His humanity and entered into glory to become the firstborn Son of God, thereby bringing many brothers into glory. This One, this Christ, is the real Angel of God bringing us into the good land!
We need to consider Christ, the Apostle, Messenger, and High Priest, leading us into the better Sabbath; Christ is the Captain, the Pioneer of our salvation, and He leads the way for us into the full salvation. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow; He’s the author and finisher of the faith, and He is in the better tabernacle as the High Priest for us, being the mediator executing the new covenant, making sure that we are consummated into what God wants us to be! Hallelujah!
We need to study and enjoy in a deeper way Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God in the aspect of the Angel of Jehovah for His people to take possession of the promised land. Hallelujah for our Christ!
Christ as the Angel of Jehovah was Sent by God to Save His People from Suffering
In Exo. 3:2 the Angel of Jehovah appeared to Moses in a flame of fire within the thornbush; the title “the Angel of Jehovah” here mainly refers to Christ, the Son of God, as the One sent by God (John 8:42) to save His people from their situation of suffering (see Judges 6:12-22; 13:3-22).
The Angel of Jehovah who appeared to Moses was Jehovah Himself, and Jehovah is the Triune God (Exo. 3:6, 15); for the purpose of calling and sending Moses to deliver His people from Egypt, God (the Sending One) appeared to Him as the Angel of Jehovah (the sent One; see John 20:21; Acts 7:30-31).
Today we live in a world of suffering, and in 1 Pet. 5 we are told that it matters to God concerning us; whatever happens to us, our health, and our safety, all things related to us matters to God. The Lord doesn’t only live in us essentially to be our life within (Col. 3:4) but He is also with us as the Angel of Jehovah economically to save us from our situation of suffering.
When Paul was in prison, the Lord stood by him to strengthen him. When we are in perilous situations, when we are in sufferings, and when we go through things that are unpleasant, the Lord is with us, standing with us and strengthening us.
The Lord takes care of us; it matters to Him concerning us, and He is able to guard ou deposit all the way until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:5). As we suffer, the Lord is very real to us, close to us, even right beside us in our suffering. Hallelujah for our Christ as the Angel of Jehovah who was sent by God to save us from our situation of suffering!
Thank You Lord for coming to us as the Angel of Jehovah sent by God to save us from our situation of suffering. Lord, we believe that You are both within us as the Spirit to impart life to us and also with us as the Angel of Jehovah to save us and care for us. Lord, we trust in You, for You are able to guard our deposit all the way until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that You are with us wherever we are: You are with us in our suffering and trials. We love You, Lord!
Christ as the Angel of God in Exo. 14:19 Cares for us and Leads us
In Exo. 14:19 we see that the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. The Angel of God in this verse is the Angel of Jehovah who called Moses – Christ as God’s sent one (Exo. 3:2, 4).
The fact that God’s sent One went from before the camp of Israel indicates that Christ was the One who was leading the people. Hallelujah, Christ is the Angel of God leading us wherever we go! When the Angel of God moved, the pillar moved also – this shows that the Angel (Christ) and the pillar (the Spirit) were one; Christ and the leading Spirit cannot be separated (see John 14:17-20; 16:13; 2 Cor. 3:17; Rev. 5:6).
Christ is not only in us essentially but He’s also economically with us all the time; we need to thank the Lord that He is always with us to lead us. Consider all the challenges and problems you face in your life: God never promised us a life of ease or comfort, but He promised that in every single situation, He will lead us and be with us.
God was with His people Israel throughout their journey through the wilderness, and He led them to the good land. As God’s people we should trust in God’s word: we shouldn’t trust in outward circumstances, in what the economy has to offer to us, but in God Himself.
God has been and always is taking care of us all this time. Without God, without the Lord’s provision, and without the Lord’s leading, we would not be here today. He is leading us into the full enjoyment of God in Christ as the Spirit, the reality of the good land!
The Lord may lead us to a situation with trials, but He is always faithful. We all can testify that God has taken care of all of our needs – not just spiritually but also physically. For the people of Israel the pillar of cloud leading them was outside of them, but for us this pillar is inside of us!
Sometimes even while we are criticizing others we are aware of the Lord’s presence and leading within. We are not in the present situation by our own choice but by the Lord’s leading. We should not worry about anything: if we mean business with the Lord, He will mean business with us, and He will take care of all our needs!
Thank You, Lord, for being the Angel of God leading us and caring for us. You brought us here: You know where we are and what we are, You have a plan, and You will provide us with we need! Lord, thank You for being inside of us not only imparting life to us but also leading us and caring for us. Lord, we trust in You. We refuse to worry about anything, because You have brought us into this situation, You are leading us all the time, and You care for us! We praise You, Lord!
God Himself in His Divine Trinity is the Angel of Jehovah in Judges 2:1 Serving us as a Servant
In Judges 2:1 the Angel of Jehovah came to God’s people not to rebuke them or criticize tem but to plead with them, admonish them, and serve them as a servant. God doesn’t only save us and He doesn’t only lead us: He also comes to serve us by pleading with us and by admonishing us.
The embodiment of the Triune God is Christ, and Christ is the Angel of Jehovah, who took care of Israel as Jehovah in action in the Old Testament. This means that God has appointed and commissioned Himself in His Divine Trinity to act in caring for His people.
But because we as God’s people many times don’t act as a proper wife to Him but rather go away from Him or forsake Him, the very Jehovah wo is the Husband, the Head, and the King comes to us to be a Servant to His wife. In Judges 2:1 God came to Israel, His wife, not as a Husband, Head, or King but as the Angel of Jehovah, who was sent by Jehovah (Zech. 2:9-11).
Since Israel didn’t regard Jehovah as the Head, He became a Servant to serve her; His word in judges 2:1-3 was not a rebuke, a command, or an order but the admonition of a servant.
The Lord knows us; He knows our situation, He knows that we forsake Him and don’t listen to His leading or obey His word, so He comes to us to speak to our heart; all we need to do is not to harden our heart but listen to His pleading with us. The Lord comes to us many times as a Servant – not as King or as the Head but as a Servant, and He encourages us through His word.
We all can testify that, many times in our environment, through the brothers and the sisters, and through the word of God, the Lord reminds us: don’t go there, don’t take that way! If we, because of the Lord’s mercy and grace, listen to the Lord and take His admonition, we are saved from a lot of troubles.
The Lord always speaks to us; may we not harden our heart but today listen to His voice and just say, Amen, Lord (Heb. 4:7). May we just say Amen to His speaking, so that His pleading and admonition would operate in us and take us on with Him to bring us where He wants us to be, the full enjoyment of Christ as the good land.
Lord Jesus, we love You! Thank You for coming as the Angel of Jehovah not to rebuke us but to serve us as a servant, admonishing us and pleading with us in our low estate. Lord, may we not harden our heart to Your speaking but receive Your mercy and grace to take Your admonition. Oh Lord, we want to hear Your voice and say Amen to Your speaking! Keep us open to Your speaking within us, through the environment, and through the saints, so that we may go on with You and be led by You into the full enjoyment of Christ as the good land!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, brother Andrew Yu’s sharing in the message for this week, and Life-study of Exodus, msg. 74 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Exodus (2), week 11 / msg 11, The Angel of Jehovah for His people to take possession of the promised land.
- All Bible verses are taken from, Holy Bible Recovery Version.
- Hymns on this topic to strengthen this burden:
# God hath not promised skies always blue, / Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through; / God hath not promised sun without rain, / Joy without sorrow, peace without pain. / But God hath promised strength for the day, / Rest for the labor, light for the way, / Grace for the trials, help from above, / Unfailing sympathy, undying love. (Hymns #720)
# Thou art my God—the All-Sufficient One, / Thou canst create for me whate’er I lack; / Thy mighty hand has strewn the lonely track / With miracles of love and tender care / For me Thy trusting one. My God I dare / Once more to fling myself upon Thy breast, / And there adore Thy ways in faith’s deep rest, / And there adore Thy ways in faith’s quiet rest. (Hymns #671)
# I am the Lord’s! O joy beyond expression, / O sweet response to voice of love Divine; / Faith’s joyous “Yes” to the assuring whisper, / “Fear not! I have redeemed thee; thou art Mine.” (Hymns #433)
About aGodMan
The title the Angel of Jehovah refers mainly to Christ, the Son of God, as the One sent by God (cf. John 8:42) to save His people from their situation of suffering (cf. Judg. 6:12-22; 13:3-22). According to Exodus 3:2 and 6, the Angel of Jehovah, the sent One, was Jehovah Himself, the sending One (cf. Zech. 2:6-11), and Jehovah is the Triune God (Exo. 3:6, 15). For the purpose of calling and sending Moses, God, the sending One, appeared to him as the sent One (cf. John 20:21). (Exo. 3:2, footnote 1, Recovery Version)
Amen. Thank You Lord Jesus, that You are not only with us as are life within, but that You are also without us, standing with us to strengthen us, to encourage us to go on with You, to pursue after You, to meet our every need of You, to lead us and be with us unto the end, even to serve us. Hallelujah! Thank You Lord Jesus for Your leading within and for Your caring without. We love You Lord Jesus! Amen.
Lord, may we not harden our heart to Your speaking but receive Your mercy and grace to take Your admonition. Oh Lord, we want to hear Your voice and say Amen to Your speaking! Praise You for speaking in and through the saints for perfecting anf building up of Your Body on this earth.