WHENEVER we read as we very often do
in the Old Testament history, of an Angel,
(i.e. Messenger) of the Lord, appearing to any
one, such an Angel seems to have very seldom
been (as in the New Testament history) a"
Ministering Spirit," a person created by
the Lord, and employed in his service..
You can easily understand that either any
person, or any thing', may be employed by the
Lord, to intimate his will - to convey his messages
to men, or to perform any service to
them. And whoever or whatever is so employed,
becomes God's Angel or Messenger.
Whether it be a supernatural flame or any
other appearance or a voice from Heaven
or a man or any other personal Agent, of a
different nature from, man, in all cases, that
person or thing by which the Lord holds communications
with mankind, is called his Angel,
or Messenger.
And since the word "
Angel," originally signifies
simply a messenger, hence our Sacred
writers often found it necessary, in order to
prevent mistakes, to use the expression,
" Angel
of the Lord" to distinguish such a messenger
as they are speaking of, from any ordinary
messenger.
Now in the Old Testament history, when
an Angel is mentioned as appearing, it is generally
some visible object, in which there was
an immediate manifestation of the Lord himself;
so that you will frequently find the expressions,
" the Lord," and the "
Angel of the
Lord," used indiscriminately to denote the
same thing.
Thus, where we read of God's first manifestation
of himself to Moses in the wilderness,
in a flame of fire in a bush, we are told that
the Lord spake to Moses out of the flame, saying,
"J am the God of Abraham" etc. And
Moses " fell on his face and worshipped."
Now, if you look to the speech of Stephen as
recorded in the Book of Acts (chap. vii. 30),
you will find him speaking of the Angel of the
Lord appearing to Moses in a flame of fire.
And he again mentions (v. 38,) the "Angel
which spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai."
Now we all know that what was spoken there,
began with " J am "the Lord thy God who
brought thee out of the land of Egypt." It was
the Lord himself, who held communication
with his servant, through the means of the
appearance of a flame, accompanied with
"
thunderings and voices," etc. And the flame,
is thence called his Messenger, or Angel. No
created person was here employed. And hence
it is, that we often find (as I observed just
above), the two expressions, "the Lord, and
the Angel of the Lord," used indiscriminately,
and with the signification.
For instance, in the Book of Exodus (chap,
xxiii. v. 20,)
"
Behold, I send an Angel before
thee, to keep thee in the way, (viz. the fiery and
cloudy pillar, which accompanied the Israelites
in their journeyings,) and to bring thee into the
place which I have prepared.
" Beware of him, and obey his voice ; provoke
him not ; for he will not pardon your
transgressions ; for my name is in him : (that
is, it is a manifestation of my especial presence
and agency; which in Scripture, is often, called
Name '), but if thou shalt indeed obey his
voice, and do all that / speak" (here you observe
that "
he," and "
I," are used indiscriminately,)
" then I will be an enemy unto thine
enemies," etc.
What has been said of the use of the word
Angel in these passages, will for the most part
apply, as to the essential points, to many
others in the Old Testament history; even in
those places in which the human form is
assumed.
For instance, in the 'appearance of Angels to
Abraham, and to Lot, (Gen. xviii.) of an Angel
to Balaam, (Numb. xxiL), and to Manoah
and his wife (Judges xiii.) ; and in several
others, you will find, on an attentive perusal,
that the Angels there mentioned (at least in
the last two places), were not created persons,
but manifestations of the Lord himself. And
accordingly in most of these passages, you
read of DIVINE worship being offered and accepted.
To the Angels, on the contrary, mentioned
in the New Testament the ministering
spirits recorded as appearing divine worship
either is not offered, or is carefully rejected.
" See thou do it not! "
(says the Angel to
John, in the Book of Revelation, chap, xxii.),
" for I am thy fellow-servant."
" The holiness of Angels is indicated in their
cheerful and uniform obedience. They are
often spoken of, as being sent by God upon
various missions to the earth. My God hath
sent his Angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths
that they have not hurt me," Dan. vi. 22. " In
the sixth month the Angel Gabriel, was sent
from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,"
Luke i. 26. " Now I know of a surety,
that the Lord hath sent his Angel, and hath
delivered me out of the hand of Herod," Acts
xii. 11.
Thus we find that the Angels are ever ready
to obey their Sovereign, and execute his wilL
Their plans and purposes are in unison with
the Divine mind. They have no selfish ends
in view, no unholy desires to gratify. They
have no higher ambition than to execute, with
fidelity and success, the commands of their
King. They delight in serving. They glory
in their loyalty. They covet no other state, for
they have reached the highest attainment by
created intelligences. They can go no higher
without being infinite. They can occupy no
loftier positions without being gods.
The existence indeed of created persons
called Angels, seems to have been believed, in
early times, by the greater part of the Jews ;
though the sect of the Sadducees denied it.
And we find mention of such beings, in several
parts of the Old Testament. But in far greater
number of the places (in the historical
books), in which the appearance of an Angel is
recorded, it will be found to have been a manifestation
of the Lord himself.
Such then being the different characters generally,
of the Angels, noticed in the Old, and
in the New Testament histories respectively;
you cannot but perceive the importance of
constantly keeping in mind. the distinctions I
have been pointing out; lest you should impute
false ivorship to those persons who in the
Old Testament are mentioned as offering adoration
to what is called "the Angel of the
Lord."
