Melissa Paramo

Dr. Swanson
BTS-111
December 9, 2016

The Angel of the Lord

The angel of the Lord appears multiple times in the Book of Judges. His role in Judges is

raising up deliverers because Gods people need a judge. The first appearance of the angel of

the Lord is seen in Judges 2:1. The angel of the Lord appears to the Israelites, as a

representative speaking to them of their apostasy (Howard, 441). After the angel of the Lord

spoke, the Israelites lifted up their voices, and sacrificed for the Lord to repent (Judges 2:4).

Another occurrence happens in Judges 5:23 when the angel of the Lord is cursing Meroz for not

coming to the Lord for help against their enemies.

In Judges 6:11-12, the angel of the Lord acts as a deliverer to call upon Gideon. This is

part of Gods redemption story. The angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, assuring him that the

Lord is with Him. Gideon starts to prepare meat and unleavened cakes to place them on a rock to

pour broth over them as the angel of the Lord commanded him (Judges 6:20). Judges 6:21 the

angel of the Lord touched the rock with his staff fire sprang up consuming the meat and

unleavened bread and he vanished in front of Gideon. This implies to Gideon that it was the Lord

that appeared to him. After the angel of the Lord vanished, Gideon feared for his life in Judges

6:22 because he had encountered Gods angel face to face (Howard, 449). In other words, God

is the angel of the Lord. This is God himself.

The next appearance was in Judges 13:3. The angel of the Lord appears to the wife of a

man named Manoah to bring her the message that she will bear a son, which will be Samson.

Later on, she told her husband of the encounter that she had with who she believed to be the

angel of the Lord (Judges 13:6). She described the confrontation as awesome. When Manoah
heard this he prayed for another encounter and in Judges 13:9 the angel of the Lord appeared to

his wife again. And in Judges 13:13, the angel of the Lord warned Manoah concerning his wifes

pregnancy with Samson. Manoah wanted to detain the angel of the Lord, but instead he was

advised in Judges 13:16, to offer a burnt offering to the Lord. At that point Manoah still did not

know that it was the angel of the Lord that was speaking to him. Manoah was grateful and asked

for the messengers name to honor him (Judge 13:17), but in Judges 13:18, the angel of the Lord

does not reveal his wonderful name. Manoah and his wife proceeded with the burnt offering on

top of a rock. When the flame went up to heaven, the angel of the Lord went with it, and they fell

on their faces at the sight of glory (Judges 13:20). The angel of the Lord no longer appeared to

Manoah and his wife. Therefore, that is the moment Manoah knew that he was the angel of the

Lord, a representative of God (Judges 13:21). The connection between Judges 13:20 and Judges

6:21-22 consists of the angel of the Lord disappearing within the fire during different incidents,

along with his departures, and followed by being identified as the angel of the Lord. This all

points to a theophany, a type of supernatural manifestation.

The theological message of the angel of the Lord from Judges reveals the manifestation

of God in Hebrews 1 from the New Testament. Jesus is divine because he is both God and

human. He has supremacy over all the angels, is perfect in every sense, and the true savior for

our salvation. It is Jesus who appeared to the deliverers in Judges as the angel of the Lord

because only he can save Gods people through salvation. It is mentioned in Hebrews 1:1-2, that

it was long ago that God used prophets to talk to the Old Testament Patriarchs. But it is in the last

days that He uses His only divine son to speak to us because this signifies that Scripture has been

fulfilled through Jesus, the inheritor of all creation (Howard, 2361). As a result of this birthright,

as stated in Hebrews 1:4, Jesus is greater than the angels, he has supremacy over them by having
a more intimate relationship with God, by being His Son (Hebrews, 2361). Jesus has the throne

forever, he sits at the right hand of the Father, and by the Father he is called God (Hebrews 1:8-

9). Throughout Hebrews 1 there is a comparison to what God says about the angels and Jesus.

The angels are all ministering spirits sent out to call upon those who will be delivered, but it is

only through Jesus that anybody could receive salvation (Hebrews 1:14). God always told His

prophets to preach about the anticipation of a king that will save them from their sins, that His

heir will be the last deliverer, and savior for true salvation.

There are other instances in the New Testament where the angel of the Lord does not

appear, rather an angel of God presents himself. The reason being is because the occurrences are

different due to the fact that the angel in the New Testament that presents himself might not be

God, but perhaps a messenger from God. For example, in the passage of Matthew 2:13 an angel

of the Lord brought a message to Joseph, Mary, and Jesus declaring His will to flee Bethlehem to

Egypt in order to avoid Herod killing the baby. In Matthew 2:19 an angel of the Lord again

appeared to Joseph to inform him that it is safe to return to Israel. An angel of the Lord makes

another appearance in Luke 2:9 when bringing the news about a new born king to the shepherds.

During this situation the shepherds were afraid, just as Gideon was when the angel of the Lord

disappeared in front of him.

The truth about Jesus Christ relates to the Reformed Worldview because he is constantly

at work through his people and creation. God is fixing the world through us in order to bring

renewal through Jesus Christ. Jesus is truly divine because he is both fully human and fully God.

He became a human being, took it on permanently, but is still God, and finally dies as a victory

and ascends to heaven. Although, he is not physically on earth, he is still here through the Holy

Spirit. This means that Jesus is reigning in heaven, watching over us from above, and continues
to live on earth through the Spirit. As people of God, we are made in His image and we are living

out our testimony that He is the true ruler of the world.

There are instances of Gods restoration through the angel of the Lord in the Book of

Judges. An example would be when the angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife to

inform them that they will bear a son and their child would be used as a lesson of true faith

despite being a sinner. The role of the angel of the Lord in Judges is to call people to their

mission and that is what Jesus does for us here on earth. Jesus is the only angel and messenger of

God that can appear in human form or in Spirit. He not only helps us with our own personal

calling, but assists us to be able to minister to the unbelievers of the world. We listen to them, try

to understand them, and most importantly we pray for them so that the Holy Spirit can reach

their hearts, and teach them the ways of Christ.

In terms of my own Christian experience, I strongly believe Jesus has been there to aid

me in finding my calling in life. It has been difficult in recent years to figure out what God has in

store for me, especially being in school, and feeling the pressure to have a job already set for

myself. In the moments where I have broken down and reflected about where my life is going, I

believe Jesus has spoken to me through the friends that I am surrounded by. My friends comfort

me, they are there for me, and at times remind me that the tribulations that I go through are

Gods will because He has something greater in store for me. I also believe that Jesus helps me

when it comes to the opportunities that I have been given. They are not just given to me because

of my hard work, but there could be a deeper meaning to it. For example, I recently was hired to

coach mens soccer at a Christian high school. This perhaps would not have been possible if I

was not thought about when my college coach was putting his staff together. There is a reason

why he chose me to help with his team and as I am glorifying Christ through the sport that I love,
I cannot help but wonder what is he trying to tell me? Is this what I will do for the rest of my

life? What am I supposed to learn as I am coaching teenagers? This is not only scary, but exciting

for me because I am participating in a sport that I am passionate about. This is perhaps the angel

of the Lord working to call me on my mission here on earth.