Angel of the Lord

The Fire of the Holy Father (Art from Prince of Egypt)

> The Angel of the Lord is a mysterious figure from the Old Testament, some believe He was God manifest in human form. Others believe he was Metatron or some other angel of God acting as a messenger. Anyway, it's a fascinating entity, and it disappeared after the birth of the Son of God. Coincidence? Ha, coincidences don't exist.
>
> **Carl Black.**

The **Angel of the Lord**, also known as **The Voice**, is an enigmatic and heavenly being that appears recurrently in the Old Testament before certain special individuals on God's behalf. Some consider that He is perhaps more than just an angel but is perhaps a physical manifestation of God.

## Overview

The Angel of the Lord is a recurring character in the Old Testament, appearing several times for important characters in the sacred scriptures, such as Hagar, Moses, Abraham, among others. While this entity is known as the "angel" of the Lord, it is no mere angel as every time it appears it is always described in a way that is purposefully puzzling with many speculating on whether or not the Angel of the Lord was an angel sent by God or in actuality God Himself.

The Angel does not have a fixed name and is only called the Angel of the Lord, although He is also called in other ways, which are considered quite peculiar. For example, the Angel of the Lord declares himself to be God and to Moses he appears saying that he is Yahweh himself through the Burning Bush.

Because of this, several theories have emerged to try to explain who this mysterious angel is or if he really is an angel. Some believe that He is a manifestation in human form of God, others believe that He is the seraphim Metatron who works as God's avatar and God's intercessor for humanity. While some just choose to believe that the Angel of the Lord was just that, an Angel.

## History

In the book of Genesis, there is a tale involving the woman known as Hagar, Abraham and Sarah's runaway Egyptian slave, who came across an entity that, according to the book, is described as the "angel of God" who calls to her and actually begins to speak as if he is God by saying, "I will give you many descendants." Hagar supports this concerning the identity of the Angel of God being God by addressing the entity, "You are God who sees me." Another tale involving this entity is when this angel comes to Gideon in the book of Judges, he speaks as if God is distinct from himself, but then the narrator calls this figure “Yahweh”. It is then told that “the angel of God disappeared”, only to find God still there talking to Gideon.

The story and others similar to it are inviting people to a paradox which is that God is above all and inaccessible to mortals but He at times can reveal Himself to humans in ways that they can see and understand. This all means that the Angel of the Lord is actually God made visible to mortal perception and while distinct from God is also God. An example of this paradox is recorded in what is perhaps the Angel of the Lord's most famous appearance and that during the tale of Moses and his journey.

In the Exodus it was the Angel of the Lord that actually appeared before Moses in the form of a burning bush, and when God saw that Moses stopped to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush; this figure is referred to as the Angel of God, then God, and lastly God. Later in the story Moses learns that the figure in the burning bush is the one leading Israel out of Egypt in a pillar of fire and cloud and being the same figure that takes up residence within the Tabernacle.

## Quotes

> Greetings, son of man. I am the Angel of the Lord, my real name is an enigma. My true form is a mystery, and mystery is something that intrigues me. Many theories exist about me and I am known by many names. I am that voice that rings in your head when the Devil whispers in your ear. I am the one who guides you into the light when he tries to lead you into the darkness. I am what I am. I Am the Voice.
>
> **The Angel of the Lord.**

> 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. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 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.
>
> **Exodus 3:2-4.**

## Trivia

* The title "Angel of the Lord" came to be used to refer to Gabriel during the New Testament, which made some think that Gabriel is the Angel of the Lord.