Joshua 5:13-15
13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" 14 And he said, "No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" 15 And the captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
This individual is introduced to us as “the captain of the Lord’s host” or “the captain of the host of the Lord.” Who is this individual? Well through some Bible investigation I think we can say that this is a preincarnate appearance of Christ – the second person of the Trinity. These preincarnate appearances of Christ in the Old Testament are some times referred to as Theophanies. The word comes from two Greek words theos which means God and phaino which means to appear. According to Ron Rhodes,
A Theophany is an appearance of or manifestation of God usually in visible, bodily form (Christ Before the Manger, Baker Books, 1992)*The principle Theophany in the Old Testament is “The Angel of the LORD” (Yahweh) or “The Angel of God” (Elohim).
Remember that the word angel literally means messenger, envoy or one who is sent. By calling Jesus “The Angel of the LORD” it in no way implies that He is a created being. Rather, by referring to Him as the Angel of the LORD the Scripture is pointing to a specific role that He played in relationship to the Trinity. When it was necessary for the Godhead to reveal itself to individuals during certain periods, the pre-incarnate Christ would be sent as the Angel of the LORD to appear to them, usually to communicate some kind of message.
In order to understand how this can be we have to consult the Scriptures. As we look at several passages three things will become clear.
· The Angel of the LORD is God
· The Angel of the LORD is distinct from God the Father
· The Angel of the LORD is Jesus Christ
The Angel of the LORD is God
The fact the Angel of the LORD is God can be seen in the encounters with the following people.
Hagar
Genesis 16:7-13
7 Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?" And she said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai." 9 Then the angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority." 10 Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they shall be too many to count." 11 The angel of the LORD said to her further,
"Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son;
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.
12 "And he will be a wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone's hand will be against him;
And he will live to the east of all his brothers."
13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "Thou art a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?" 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. NAS
Notice in verse 10 that angel of the Lord says, “Moreover, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they shall be too many to count." The Angel takes responsibility for doing what only God can do. Also notice in verses 11-12 the angel of the Lord exhibits attributes of omniscience.
How did Hagar perceive the being she encountered? “…she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "Thou art a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?" Clearly she believed that she had encountered God Himself. She actually refers to Him as the God who sees or El-Roi. She named the placed that she met the angel of the Lord Beer-lahai-roi – which means the well of the one who lives and sees me.
Abraham
Genesis 22:11-18
11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12 And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided." 15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
After Abrahams’ amazing obedience to God, the angel of the Lord appears to him and stops him from sacrificing his son Isaac. Then the angel of the Lord says in verse 12, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." Who was Abraham sacrificing his son to and for? Yahweh – Jehovah, the one who was talking to him at that moment, the one who said stop, you don’t have to do this for me because you have shown your great faith and obedience.
Notice in verses 15-18 how the angel of the Lord refers to the fact that he is God.
15 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
Clearly, this was God speaking to Abraham.
See also the angel of the Lord’s encounters with Jacob (Genesis 31:11-13), Moses (Exodus 3:1-6), Manoah and his wife, aka Samson’s parents (Judges 13:1-23). These encounters point to one inescapable fact, the angel of the Lord must be God.
In addition, there are recorded for us other appearances of the angel of the Lord. He appeared to Israel (Exodus 14:19; 23:20-26); Balaam (Numbers 22:22-35); Gideon (Judges 6:11-23); Elijah (1 Kings 19:5-7); David (1 Chronicles 21:15-17).
There are three other events recorded for us that seem to be Theophanies, but do not specifically refer to the angel of the Lord. The first is found in Genesis 18:1-33 (again to Abraham), the second is found in Daniel 3:19-25 (to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego), and the third is in our passage in Joshua 5 (to Joshua).
The Angel of the LORD is distinct from God the Father
This might seem contradictory at first, but the apparent contradiction is resolved when we consider the Trinitarian distinctions of the Godhead. This would also help explain some of the different perspectives we see in some of the before mentioned passages.
For example in Genesis 22:16
“and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son from Me.”
Judges 13:16
“And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Though you detain me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD." For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.”
In some of the passages you have one person of the Trinity speaking for or interceding for another person of the Trinity. Namely, the Second person is speaking for the First person. To put it another way, the Son is speaking for the Father.
A couple of passages in Zechariah illustrate this concept.
Zechariah 1:8-12
8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him. 9 Then I said, "My lord, what are these?" And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, "I will show you what these are." 10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth." 11 So they answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, "We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet."
12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, "O LORD of hosts, how long wilt Thou have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which Thou hast been indignant these seventy years?" NAS
Zechariah 3:1-2
1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" NAS
How can the angel of the Lord, who is clearly called Lord, refer to another person who is just as clearly called Lord? Since there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), the answer has to lie in the personal roles and relationships within the Trinity.
The Angel of the LORD is Jesus Christ
This can be deduced when you compare the similarities between the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ in the New Testament. As we look at Jesus and the angel of the Lord there are for similarities.
There is a Similarity in Purpose
It is clear that one of the main missions of the Son in the New Testament was to visibly declare or reveal the Father.
John 1:14-18
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 16 For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. NAS (cf. John 14:7-10; Colossians 1:15; Hebrew 1:3)
This was necessary because the Father is invisible (Col. 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; John 5:37). It is the Son’s unique function to make the Father who has never been seen known to man. This is the same role that the angel of the Lord had in the Old Testament.
Exodus 3:2-6
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. NAS
(cf. Genesis 16:13; Judges 13:18-22)
It seems that it is the role of the second member of the Trinity to appear visibly in both Testaments.
There is a Similarity in Pattern
The divine pattern in the New Testament is that the Father is the sender and the Son is the sent one.
John 3:17
17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. NAS
This is also the pattern we see between the Lord and the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament.
Judges 13:8-9
8 Then Manoah entreated the LORD and said, "O Lord, please let the man of God whom Thou hast sent come to us again that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born." 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again to the woman as she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her. NAS
This relationship does not imply inferiority or superiority, but differing roles (see the description of the roles in the Godhead as described by Paul in Ephesians 1:3-14).
There is a Similarity in Presentation
Christ in his glory and the Angel of the Lord are described in similar ways. Speaking of these similarities Guy Funderburk writes,
His appearance [Angel of the Lord] to David and to Balaam was terrifying. He appeared to Moses in the midst of a fire, and vanished from Gideon with the holocaust fire. Daniel said His eyes were like flaming torches, and Ezekiel saw a brightness “like the appearance of fire” around one in “human form” seated on a throne (Dan. 10:6; Ezek. 1:26ff.). In comparison to these descriptions one can find striking similarities in John’s vision of Jesus, a part of which is, “his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1;14, 16). (Quoted by Rhodes on pp. 88)
There is a Similarity in Practice
There are at least six parallel ministries between our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament and the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament.
They both were involved in a commissioning ministry
· The Angel of the Lord commissioned Moses (Exodus 3:7-8), Gideon (Judges 6:11-23), and Samson (Judges 13:1-21).
· Jesus in the New Testament commissioned the Disciples (Matthew 4:18-20), the Church (Matthew 28:18-20), the Apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-9).
They both were involved in an intercessory ministry
· The Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament (Zechariah 1:12-13; 3:1-2)
· Jesus in the New Testament (John 17; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1)
They both were involved in comforting ministries
· The Angel of the Lord with Hagar (Genesis 16:1-13); Elijah (1 Kings 19:4-9)
· Jesus Christ in numerous instances (Matthew 14:14; 15:32-39; 20:34)
They both were involved in deliverance ministries
· The Angel of the Lord did so with Israel (Exodus 3:8), Gideon (Judges 6) and Samson (Judges 13)
· Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 2:14-15)
They both were involved in protecting ministries
· The Angel of the Lord (Psalm 34:7; Daniel 3:15-20; 6:16-22)
· Jesus Christ (Matthew 8:24-26)
They both were / are executors of God’s judgment
· The Angel of the Lord (1 Chronicles 21:7-15; Numbers 22:22-23; 2 Kings 19:35). This will be his role in Joshua 5:14.
· Jesus Christ (John 5:22; Acts 10:42; Revelation 19:11-16)
The best argument of all for Jesus being the Angel of the Lord is that after the incarnation the Angel of the Lord no longer appears in Scripture. Ron Rhodes writes,
In view of the substantial role played by the Angel throughout Old Testament history, his sudden disappearance after the incarnation would be strange indeed
unless he was a preincarnate manifestation of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to explain the Angel’s complete inactivity among human beings in New Testament times unless he is recognized as continuing his activity as God-incarnate—that is, as Jesus Christ (Christ Before the Manger, pp. 87).
No argument can be made that the New Testament refers to “an” angel of the Lord, but that is not the same the as “the” angel of the Lord.
Norman Geisler responds to this issue this way,
An angel of the Lord (Gabriel) appeared to Mary and Joseph (Matt. 1:20); an angel of the Lord spoke to Phillip (Acts 8:26); and an angel of the Lord released Peter (Acts 12:7), but not the Angel of the Lord. Furthermore, the New Testament ‘angel of the Lord,’ unlike “the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, did not permit worship of himself (cf. Rev. 22:8-9), but “the Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament demanded worship (cf. Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15) (Quoted by Rhodes pp. 87).Now having laid that foundation, in the next post I am going to give you four reasons why I believe that “the captain of the Lord’s host” is the same person as the Angel of the Lord.
By way of application Rhodes makes the point that all of those who encountered the preincarnate Christ, the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament were changed in wonderful ways.
o Abraham became a man of faith (Genesis12-22)
o Hagar’s sorrow turned to joy (Genesis 16:10)
o Jacob’s life was change from that of a cheater to a prince (Genesis 32:24-32)
o Lowly Moses was commissioned, empowered and emboldened to deliver God’s people from
Egypt (Exodus 3:1-4:17)
Christ as God-incarnate continued this ministry in the New Testament.
Simon Peter (Luke 5:4-11), Levi (5:27-28), Zachaeus (Luke 19:1-10), Nathaniel (John 1:46-51), and Saul who became Paul (Acts 9:1-19) to name a few, all were inescapably and wonderfully changed by their encounter with Jesus Christ.
How about you? Have encountered this Jesus?
*While I gathered material on the Angel of the Lord from various commentaries and books on Theology, most do not address this issue in detail. Ron Rhodes has a great chapter in his book entitled, “Christ the Angel of the Lord” (pp.79-123), much of the material in this post comes from his book.
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