Tag Archive | lot

Lot fick barn med sina DÖTTRAR? Vad tyckte Gud om det?

Händelsen i grottan Adullam

I det stora hela betraktades Abrahams brorson Lot som en rättfärdig man enligt 2 Pet. 2:6-9. Kanske inte på samma lysande sätt som Abraham som i princip lydde Gud i allt, men framför allt höll sig Lot från att dras med i den synd som frodades i Sodom och Gomorra trots att han levde mitt ibland sodomiterna. Det var mycket tack vare Guds löften till Abraham och Abrahams böner som Lot blev räddad från Sodom och Gomorras förstörelse, i kombination med Lots egen rättfärdighet (ja faktiskt) och att Gud helt enkelt ville förstöra städerna pga dess stora synd.

2 Pet. 2:6 Städerna Sodom och Gomorra dömde han till undergång. Han lade dem i aska och gav så ett exempel på vad som skulle hända de ogudaktiga. 7 Men han frälste den rättfärdige Lot, som plågades av de ogudaktigas utsvävande liv. 8 – Den rättfärdige mannen bodde nämligen bland dem, och dag efter dag plågades han i sin rättfärdiga själ av att se och höra det onda som de gjorde. –9 Herren vet alltså att frälsa de gudfruktiga ur frestelsen och att hålla de orättfärdiga i förvar och straffa dem fram till domens dag,10 särskilt dem som i orent begär följer sin köttsliga natur och föraktar Herren. Fräcka och självsäkra skyggar de inte för att smäda höga makter

1 Mos. 19:29 Då Gud fördärvade städerna på slätten, tänkte han på Abraham och förde ut Lot undan förödelsen, när han omstörtade städerna där Lot hade bott.

1 Mos. 26:44 Jag skall göra din säd talrik såsom stjärnorna på himmelen, och jag skall giva åt din säd alla dessa länder; och i din säd skola alla folk på jorden välsigna sig,5 därför att Abraham har lyssnat till mina ord och hållit vad jag har bjudit honom hålla, mina bud, mina stadgar och mina lagar. (1917)

Här nedan är det avsnitt som handlar om hur Lots döttrar fick för sig att försöka rädda världen, och/eller sitt eget trångmål, genom att få barn tillsammans med den enda man som de trodde överlevde något som de trodde var en världsvid katastrof (åtminstone gällande deras område i mellanöstern) – nämligen deras egen far!

1 Mos. 19:30 Lot drog ut från Soar upp till bergsbygden och bosatte sig där med sina båda döttrar, för han vågade inte bo kvar i Soar. Han bodde med sina båda döttrar i en grotta. 31 Då sade den äldre till den yngre: “Vår far är gammal och det finns ingen man i landet som kan gå in till oss som man brukar göra överallt på jorden. 32 Kom, så ger vi vår far vin att dricka, och sedan ligger vi med honom så att vi får barn genom vår far.” 33 Så gav de sin far vin att dricka den natten, och den äldre gick in och låg med honom. Han märkte inte när hon lade sig och inte heller när hon steg upp.34 Följande dag sade den äldre till den yngre: “Jag låg med far i natt. Nu ger vi honom vin att dricka i natt också, och sedan går du in och ligger med honom så att vi får barn genom vår far.” 35 Så gav de sin far vin att dricka också den natten, och den yngre låg med honom. Han märkte inte när hon lade sig och inte heller när hon steg upp.36 Och båda Lots döttrar blev havande genom sin far. 37 Den äldre födde en son som hon gav namnet Moab. Han är stamfader till de nuvarande moabiterna. 38 Den yngre födde också en son som hon gav namnet Ben-Ammi. Han är stamfader till de nuvarande ammoniterna.

Döttrarna var alltså övertygade om att det inte fanns någon annan man i landet än deras egen far som skulle kunna hjälpa dem att få barn och därmed rädda människosläktet från att gå under. Det låter som detta sällskap på tre personer bodde i grottan ganska länge. Hur länge? Månader och år? Enligt Den redliges bok (nedan) så trodde döttrarna att hela världen kanske förstörts, vilket inte motsäger Bibelns uppgift att de trodde att det inte fanns någon annan man än fadern i hela landet. Deras övertygelse är en mycket viktig detalj i sammanhanget eftersom det kan förklara döttrarnas motiv. Motivet var alltså inte (nödvändigtvis) att mätta köttsliga och syndiga begär, utan att försöka få barn och därmed hjälpa världen från att inom en generation bli totalt öde utan några människor överhuvudtaget. Eller också kanske deras fokus låg mer på deras personliga framtida liv snarare än framtiden för jorden. De kanske tänkte på att deras far inte hade så många år kvar i livet, och att de två systrarna efter hans död måste försöka överleva helt ensamma under svåra prövningar för att sedan dö de också – som de allra sista människorna på jorden. De kanske tänkte på sin framtid och möjligheterna att överleva utan en yngre och starkare generation när de själva blivit gamla – om de ens skulle lyckas uppnå en gammal ålder. Resonemanget ursäktar inte handlingen men kanske kan ge en viss förklaring.

Förutom att man som läsare reagerar negativt på själva handlingen (döttrar som får barn med sin egen far), så kanske man också blir fundersam över varför systrarna inte ansåg att fadern skulle ha något att säga till om i saken, då han lurades av dem genom berusning av vin. Vidare kan man tycka att Lot hade en egen vilja och inte behövde dricka för mycket av vinet. Att han gick på samma upplägg två nätter i rad låter också konstigt. Lot märkte inte ens när döttrarna var intima med honom, och då kan man fråga sig om det berodde på en kombination av berusning och ålderdom? Vi vet inte exakt vad som utspelade sig, men vi får hur som helst inte budskapet att det var Gud som uppmanade sällskapet att få barn på detta sätt, utan döttrarna agerade på eget bevåg utifrån sin egen övertygelse att det var motiverat. På sätt och vis så ledde denna handling till det goda att Messias kom att födas just i deras släktlinje, men det betyder inte att det nödvändigtvis var Gud som godkände handlingen.

Det ska också sägas att Lot och hans döttrar levde under en tid innan Mose lag kom i bruk, och det var först i och med Mose lag som exempelvis giftermål mellan syskon blev förbjudet (även om det kanske inte var vanligt förekommande ens innan dess). Som bekant var det inget som hindrade Adam och Evas barn att gifta sig med varandra och få barn (det fanns inga defekta gener att oroa sig för), men i och med de genetiska flaskhalsar som skulle komma i framtiden så blev syskonäktenskap helt förbjudet. Däremot har det aldrig någonsin varit påbjudet för föräldrar att få barn med sina egna barn. Vi kan läsa tidigt i 1 Mosebok att människan skapades för att en man ska lämna sin far och sin mor och hålla sig till sin hustru. Detta bud kände förmodligen Lots döttrar till, men de kanske också tänkte på budet att vara fruktsamma och föröka sig över jorden. Hur skulle de kunna uppfylla det budet om det endast fanns två kvinnor kvar på hela jorden? Ett sådant resonemang må vara ädelt, men det betyder inte att handlingen var rätt. Om tanken var att lyda Guds bud (vara fruktsamma) så skulle givetvis Gud kunna möjliggöra detta utan att systrarna behövde behövde bryta några bud.

Här kommer samma version ifrån Den redliges bok:

Jasher:19:55 And Lot and two of his daughters that remained with him fled and escaped to the cave of Adullam, and they remained there for some time.56 And Abraham rose up early in the morning to see what had been done to the cities of Sodom; and he looked and beheld the smoke of the cities going up like the smoke of a furnace.57 And Lot and his two daughters remained in the cave, and they made their father drink wine, and they lay with him, for they said there was no man upon earth that could raise up seed from them, for they thought that the whole earth was destroyed.58 And they both lay with their father, and they conceived and bare sons, and the first born called the name of her son Moab, saying, From my father did I conceive him; he is the father of the Moabites unto this day.59 And the younger also called her son Benami; he is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.60 And after this Lot and his two daughters went away from there, and he dwelt on the other side of the Jordan with his two daughters and their sons, and the sons of Lot grew up, and they went and took themselves wives from the land of Canaan, and they begat children and they were fruitful and multiplied.

Även den judiska historikern Josefus är på samma linje: “His maiden daughters, in the belief that the whole of humanity had perished, had intercourse with their father, taking care to elude detection; they acted thus to prevent the extinction of the race” ( Ant. 1.205).

Sodom och Gomorras förstörelse sodom

Vi kan få en inblick i den synd som pågick i Sodom och Gomorra när vi läser i Den redliges bok. Här kommer ett litet avnitt, men det finns fler ohyggligheter beskrivna i samma bok:

Jasher 18:11 In those days all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the whole five cities, were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord and they provoked the Lord with their abominations, and they strengthened in aging abominably and scornfully before the Lord, and their wickedness and crimes were in those days great before the Lord.12 And they had in their land a very extensive valley, about half a day’s walk, and in it there were fountains of water and a great deal of herbage surrounding the water.13 And all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah went there four times in the year, with their wives and children and all belonging to them, and they rejoiced there with timbrels and dances.14 And in the time of rejoicing they would all rise and lay hold of their neighbor’s wives, and some, the virgin daughters of their neighbors, and they enjoyed them, and each man saw his wife and daughter in the hands of his neighbor and did not say a word.15 And they did so from morning to night, and they afterward returned home each man to his house and each woman to her tent; so they always did four times in the year.16 Also when a stranger came into their cities and brought goods which he had purchased with a view to dispose of there, the people of these cities would assemble, men, women and children, young and old, and go to the man and take his goods by force, giving a little to each man until there was an end to all the goods of the owner which he had brought into the land.17 And if the owner of the goods quarreled with them, saying, What is this work which you have done to me, then they would approach to him one by one, and each would show him the little which he took and taunt him, saying, I only took that little which thou didst give me; and when he heard this from them all, he would arise and go from them in sorrow and bitterness of soul, when they would all arise and go after him, and drive him out of the city with great noise and tumult.

En ängel manade Lot att fly till bergen, men Lot övertalade honom att låta honom fly till den lilla staden Soar som också var i närheten. Själva namnet antyder på hebreiska att det verkligen var en liten stad som förmodligen därför inte innehöll särskilt många människor. Kan det vara så att de få som befann sig i staden flydde hals över huvud när de noterade vad som hände uppe i himlen (eld och svavel) ovanför grannstäderna Sodom och Gomorra? Historien säger att Lots fru och hans två döttrar följde efter honom, men frågan är om de tog exakt samma flyktväg? Lots fru (enligt Den redliges bok heter hon Ado) omkom rätt snart då hon som bekant såg sig tillbaka, men hur var det med de två döttrarna? Vi kan läsa att det var Lot som änglarna tog i handen för att leda ut ur Sodom, och i den efterföljande konversationen så uttrycker sig Lot hela tiden om jag, mig, mitt, etc. Varför uttryckte han sig aldrig i vi-form? Kan det ha varit så att de övriga (med eller utan Lots hustru) flydde upp till bergen och att Lot skyndade vidare ytterligare en liten sträcka till Soar kanske med planerna att iordningsställa ett permanent boende för sig själv och sina döttrar?

Detta är ingen stor fråga, men det jag vill komma fram till är att Lots döttrar kan ha haft anledning att tro att hela området, ja kanske hela världen, förstörts genom eld och svavel och att det inte fanns några människor som överlevde händelsen förutom deras eget lilla sällskap på tre personer.

1 Mos. 19: 15 När gryningen kom skyndade änglarna på Lot och sade: “Stig upp och tag med dig din hustru och dina båda döttrar som är här, så att du inte går under genom stadens synd.” 16 När Lot dröjde tog männen honom vid handen tillsammans med hans hustru och hans båda döttrar, ty Herren ville skona honom. De förde ut honom, och först när de var utanför staden släppte de honom.17 När de hade fört ut dem sade en: “Fly för livet! Se dig inte tillbaka och stanna inte någonstans på slätten. Fly till bergen så att du inte går under.”18 Men Lot sade till dem: “O nej, Herre. 19 Din tjänare har ju funnit nåd för dina ögon, och du har visat din stora godhet mot mig genom att rädda mitt liv. Men jag kan inte fly upp till bergen, för då kan olyckan hinna ifatt mig så att jag dör. 20 Se, staden där borta ligger ju nära. Det är lätt att fly dit och den är liten. Låt mig fly dit, så att jag får leva. Staden är ju liten.” 21 Då svarade han honom: “Jag skall göra som du vill också i detta. Jag skall inte omstörta staden du talar om. 22 Men skynda dig att fly dit, ty jag kan inte göra något förrän du är där.” Därav fick staden namnet Soar.23 Solen hade gått upp över jorden när Lot kom till Soar. 24 Då lät Herren svavel och eld regna ner från himlen, från Herren, över Sodom och Gomorra. 25 Han omstörtade dessa städer med hela slätten och alla dem som bodde i städerna och det som växte på marken. 26 Men Lots hustru som följde efter honom såg sig tillbaka. Och hon blev en saltstod.

Det finns intressant information om ammoniter och moabiter i 5 Mosebok. Det börjar med hänvisning till äktenskapsbrott och blodskam, där de som gjort sig skyldiga till detta inte ska kunna komma in i Herrens församling ens i tionde led. Samma straff väntar ammoniter och moabiter, men då är orsaken att de inte gav mat och dryck till israeliterna under Exodus. En synd kan givetvis inte ärvas, men förbannelser och välsignelser kan ibland “ärvas” på ett sådant sätt att det sträcker sig över en eller flera generationer. (Jämför exempelvis med alla kvinnors smärta vid barnafödande pga Eva, etc). Då handlar det aldrig om människornas själar eller att Gud skulle förhindra oskyldiga från att komma in i Guds rike, utan det handlar om det fysiska och temporära jordelivet.

5 Mos. 23:2 Ingen som är född i äktenskapsbrott eller blodskam skall komma in i Herrens församling. Inte ens efterkommande i tionde led skall komma in i Herrens församling.3 Ingen ammonit eller moabit skall komma in i Herrens församling, inte ens efterkommande i tionde led skall någonsin komma in i Herrens församling, 4 detta därför att de inte mötte er med mat och dryck på vägen när ni drog ut ur Egypten, och därför att de mot dig lejde Bileam, Beors son, från Petor i Aram-Naharajim för att han skulle förbanna dig. — 7 Du skall inte avsky edomiten, för han är din broder. Du skall inte heller avsky egyptiern, för i hans land har du bott som främling.8 Barn som föds av dem i tredje led må komma in i Herrens församling.

Läs gärna om Abrahams rättfärdighet i denna bloggartikel.

Abraham did not necessarily SIN by claiming his wife Sarah was his sister

Feb6

Sarah – Abraham’s niece, sister and wife

The Hebrew word translated “sister” in for instance Gen. 12:13 is ‘achowth (Strong’s 269), which based on Blue Letter Bible could mean sister (same parents), half-sister (same father), relative (of Israel’s and Judah’s relationship), beloved (bride), of intimate connection or another. It could mean sister either literally or figuratively.

According to Gen. 20:12 Abraham claims that Sarah is the daughter of his father (who is Terah) but not of his mother, which would mean that Sarah was Abraham’s half sister. Yet, in Gen. 11:31 Sarah is also called Terah’s daughter-in-law. This does not have to be a contradiction. The information that Abraham’s mother is not the mother of Sarah is clear from the Bible, but is Terah Sarah’s father or is it is oldest brother Haran as The book of Jasher suggests?

Terah could of course have had Sarah through another wife (even the wife of his son Haran), but if the aim is to be consistent with both Gen. 20:12 and Gen. 11:31, as well as the information in Jasher, then perhaps the simplest solution is that Sarah was the grand-daughter of Terah, i.e. the daughter of Haran, and this has been maintained by for instance Josephus. Sarah could then have been adopted into Terah’s household after the tragic death by fire of her father Haran (see The book of Jasher). As the daughter of Haran, Sarah would be Abraham’s niece. If she was also adopted by Terah, then Sarah would also be Abraham’s sister. When Sarah later married Abraham, she became his wife.

According to The book of Jasher Abraham was 10 years old when Sarah was born and it is quite possible that they at some point in time shared the same household and grew up as brother and sister. Terah and his sons Haran, Nahor and Abraham could have lived close together and we can for instance read in Jasher 12:16 that Terah, out of fear for king Nimrod, blamed his son Haran for being responsible for a certain cover up that angered the king who had wanted Abraham to be killed at birth. In the same way as Sarah could be called Abraham’s sister, also Lot could be called Abraham’s brother despite being Abraham’s nephew. Sarah and Lot were siblings.

Note also that this occurred many years before the Law of Moses was established, where it was prohibited to marry a sibling. Adam and Eve did not have any genetic defects to pass on to their children (which means they could marry each other and have children with no risks involved) but later on in time, through genetic bottle necks like the Ark and the Exodus, genetic defects had accumulated.

Deception?

It is possible to not volunteering with information in order to perhaps gain possessions or wrongful advantages that a person did not previously have. In that case not volunteering with information would be a sin even though no lies were uttered. Abraham did nothing of the sort. He did not withhold information in order to gain something that he did not already have, but he wanted to continue keeping what he already had – a family member. On top of this he offered to PART with ALL of his possessions if he could only keep this family member!

Abraham was actually afraid that the Egyptians would take Sarah away, because he had heard of their evil behavior in advance. Pharaoh is of course an Egyptian, but he would not be the one standing at the city gate to control the goods and the people entering the city. The only way for him to get the news about Sarah would be if someone thought it would be worth while telling him, and the Egyptian guards who were placed to check on the arriving travelers knew they would be getting rewards if they would bring Pharaoh something they knew he would appreciate. Perhaps the Egyptian guards reasoned in this way: 1) If Abraham would only be a brother (or a father) of Sarah, then he would not be an obstacle at all and would not need to be killed, 2) Pharaoh could be presented Sarah who would be a free woman, 3) the Egyptian guards would get great rewards for their discovery, and 4) Abraham would likely be treated really well and receive possessions from Pharaoh in order to smoothly “buy” Sarah over and take her as a wife. However, Abraham did no travel to Egypt to acquire more possessions (apart from food) and he was willing to part with ALL that he had if the Egyptian workers would only forget about Sarah (Jasher 15:11-12). The question that later arose “Why did you say she was your sister?”, could be answered with “Because she is my sister. And who gave you the right to take her due to us being siblings when I urged you not to?”.

A man should be innocent until proven guilty, and if someone wants to charge Abraham of lying, that person has the burden of proof. It is of course an option that Abraham sinned by not trusting God to sort out this problem, but 1) we are not always supposed to sit back and do nothing while God sorts things out, and 2) Abraham presented Sarah as his sister twice in similar occasions – which might suggest that he felt free to repeat his actions due to his realization that he spoke nothing but the truth with no evil intentions in his heart.

Even if we would view Abraham and Sarah’s deed as a sin, it would still not turn Abraham into the monster as some liberal scholars describe him to be. Even king David, a man of God’s own heart, sinned by murder and adultery and did not repent until Nathan made him realize his severe sin. Righteous people can also choose to sin and if they do, the same requirement applies to them – repentance and turning away from sin. Evangelical christians do not believe that a sinful person is a role model, but Abraham was far from being a sinful man. He proved to be an extremely righteous man throughout his entire life. Also a righteous person can choose to sin once and get his spiritual life back by repenting.

Let us check the two stories where Abraham thought it would be best to present Sarah as his “sister” in order to save his life as well as the quality of life for Sarah. He seems to have made just the right choice based on the outcome!

The case with Pharaoh and Sarah

Gen. 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

If Abraham would present his beautiful wife Sarah as his wife instead of his sister, then there might be a risk that Pharaoh would kill Abraham in order to get hold of Sarah and make her his wife. As a brother Abraham would not pose the same threat. If a brother and a sister would be travelling together, the brother is the one responsible for his sister’s protection. If she does not belong to her Father’s household, then she belongs to her brother’s household and he is the one to negotiate with if someone wants to marry his sister. This would be understood also by Pharaoh even if it was a risk that his way of negotiating might be very harsh. Abraham of course had no intention to present his wife as a sister and try to marry her off, but it is possible that Abraham tried to estimate what kind of behavior he could expect from Pharaoh and decided to go for the safest bet. The problem was Sarah’s extraordinary beauty, so presenting himself as a husband might be the worse option with the greatest risks involved. Maybe Pharaoh would use his power and simply eliminate him entirely to make Sarah available and dependent on another household – like Pharaoh’s household. The best option would be if Pharaoh would not be interested in Sarah at all, but then it was imperative to avoid causing any reports about her beauty. To be on the safer side Abraham even put Sarah in a chest during a critical situation (The book of Jasher), but to no avail since she was discovered and the news about her beauty reached Pharaoh.

It certainly looks like Abraham’s reasoned rather wisely in a delicate situation. The alternative to not travel to Egypt at all would risk their lives through starving, so a travel to Egypt still seemed like a good option despite the risks.

Gen. 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.17 And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Here is the same story according to The book of Jasher:

Jasher 9:1 And Haran, the son of Terah, Abram’s oldest brother, took a wife in those days.2 Haran was thirty-nine years old when he took her; and the wife of Haran conceived and bare a son, and he called his name Lot.3 And she conceived again and bare a daughter, and she called her name Milca; and she again conceived and bare a daughter, and she called her name Sarai.4 Haran was forty-two years old when he begat Sarai, which was in the tenth year of the life of Abram; and in those days Abram and his mother and nurse went out from the cave, as the king and his subjects had forgotten the affair of Abram.

Jasher 12:37 And Haran was eighty-two years old when he died in the fire of Casdim. And the king, princes, and inhabitants of the land, seeing that Abram was delivered from the fire, they came and bowed down to Abram.—44 And at that time Nahor and Abram took unto themselves wives, the daughters of their brother Haran; the wife of Nahor was Milca and the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai. And Sarai, wife of Abram, was barren; she had no offspring in those days.

Jasher 15:1 And in that year there was a heavy famine throughout the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of the land could not remain on account of the famine for it was very grievous.2 And Abram and all belonging to him rose and went down to Egypt on account of the famine, and when they were at the brook Mitzraim they remained there some time to rest from the fatigue of the road.3 And Abram and Sarai were walking at the border of the brook Mitzraim, and Abram beheld his wife Sarai that she was very beautiful.4 And Abram said to his wife Sarai, Since God has created thee with such a beautiful countenance, I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me and take thee away, for the fear of God is not in these places.5 Surely then thou shalt do this, Say thou art my sister to all that may ask thee, in order that it may be well with me, and that WE may live and not be put to death.6 And Abram commanded the same to all those that came with him to Egypt on account of the famine; also his nephew Lot he commanded, saying, If the Egyptians ask thee concerning Sarai say she is the sister of Abram.7 And yet with all these orders Abram did not put confidence in them, but he took Sarai and placed her in a chest and concealed it amongst their vessels, for Abram was greatly concerned about Sarai on account of the wickedness of the Egyptians.8 And Abram and all belonging to him rose up from the brook Mitzraim and came to Egypt; and they had scarcely entered the gates of the city when the guards stood up to them saying, Give tithe to the king from what you have, and then you may come into the town; and Abram and those that were with him did so.—11 And Abram said, This chest I will not open, but all you demand upon it I will give. And Pharaoh’s officers answered Abram, saying, It is a chest of precious stones, give us the tenth thereof.12 Abram said, All that you desire I will give, but you must not open the chest.13 And the king’s officers pressed Abram, and they reached the chest and opened it with force, and they saw, and behold a beautiful woman was in the chest.14 And when the officers of the king beheld Sarai they were struck with admiration at her beauty, and all the princes and servants of Pharaoh assembled to see Sarai, for she was very beautiful. And the king’s officers ran and told Pharaoh all that they had seen, and they praised Sarai to the king; and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought, and the woman came before the king.15 And Pharaoh beheld Sarai and she pleased him exceedingly, and he was struck with her beauty, and the king rejoiced greatly on her account, and made presents to those who brought him the tidings concerning her.16 And the woman was then brought to Pharaoh’s house, and Abram grieved on account of his wife, and he prayed to the Lord to deliver her from the hands of Pharaoh.17 And Sarai also prayed at that time and said, O Lord God thou didst tell my Lord Abram to go from his land and from his father’s house to the land of Canaan, and thou didst promise to do well with him if he would perform thy commands; now behold we have done that which thou didst command us, and we left our land and our families, and we went to a strange land and to a people whom we have not known before.18 And we came to this land to avoid the famine, and this evil accident has befallen me; now therefore, O Lord God, deliver us and save us from the hand of this oppressor, and do well with me for the sake of thy mercy.19 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and the Lord sent an angel to deliver Sarai from the power of Pharaoh.20 And the king came and sat before Sarai and behold an angel of the Lord was standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, Do not fear, for the Lord has heard thy prayer.21 And the king approached Sarai and said to her, What is that man to thee who brought thee hither? and she said, He is my brother.22 And the king said, It is incumbent upon us to make him great, to elevate him and to do unto him all the good which thou shalt command us; and at that time the king sent to Abram silver and gold and precious stones in abundance, together with cattle, men servants and maid servants; and the king ordered Abram to be brought, and he sat in the court of the king’s house, and the king greatly exalted Abram on that night.23 And the king approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to touch her, when the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from reaching to her.24 And when the king came near to Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified.25 And the angel on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and his whole household, on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night amongst the people of Pharaoh’s house.26 And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of this woman has this thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some distance from her and spoke pleasing words to her.27 And the king said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom thou camest here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death through wickedness.28 And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of the Lord ceased from him and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on account of Sarai, and the king was greatly astonished at this.29 And in the morning the king called for Abram and said to him, What is this thou hast done to me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her unto me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come upon me and my household.30 Now therefore here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account. And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid servants, and silver and gold, to give to Abram, and he returned unto him Sarai his wife.31 And the king took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for a handmaid.32 And the king said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than to be mistress in my house, after we have beheld the evil that befell us on account of this woman.33 And Abram arose, and he and all belonging to him went away from Egypt; and Pharaoh ordered some of his men to accompany him and all that went with him.34 And Abram returned to the land of Canaan, to the place where he had made the altar, where he at first had pitched his tent.

If you react on the information that innocent people seemed to have died due to the curse that surrounded Sarah, the truth is that we are all going to die one day. Based on the Bible and The book of Jasher, the people close to Pharaoh and Abimelech were considered evil but even if they were righteous physical death still awaits every single one of us. It is eternal spiritual death which would be a disaster, but it seems like what had befallen Pharaoh and his household could almost be seen as a wake up call for them. It is hard to know if this disaster caused some of them to repent, but the story eventually ends with Pharaoh letting Abraham and Sarah go – with many new valuable possessions. However, Abraham and Sarah did not travel to Egypt to get possessions but rather to acquire food. They were likely given much food along with their many gifts – and even a handmaid (Hagar) for Sarah.

Considering the circumstances, the story ended rather well but Abraham and Sarah influenced the outcome by praying to their Lord who heard them. Naturally also Pharaoh and his people had the chance to do the same, and to live righteous lives just like Abraham and Sarah. Maybe we would react in a similar way? If I were a Swedish Jew in nazi Germany I would not volunteer with the information that I was a Jew but rather present myself as a Swede. If on the other hand a nazi officer would ask me directly if I was a Jew, believed in God, etc, then it would certainly be a lie to deny it. The same would apply if Abraham or Sarah would deny the truth.

The case with king Abimelech and Sarah

A similar story occurred in relation to Abimelech. Also this story ended well “Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee”.

Gen. 20:1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

The same story according to Jasher.:

Jasher 20 1 And at that time Abraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre, and he went to the land of the Philistines, and he dwelt in Gerar; it was in the twenty-fifth year of Abraham’s being in the land of Canaan, and the hundredth year of the life of Abraham, that he came to Gerar in the land of the Philistines.2 And when they entered the land he said to Sarah his wife, Say thou art my sister, to any one that shall ask thee, in order that we may escape the evil of the inhabitants of the land.3 And as Abraham was dwelling in the land of the Philistines, the servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly beautiful, and they asked Abraham concerning her, and he said, She is my sister.4 And the servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying, A man from the land of Canaan is come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is exceeding fair.5 And Abimelech heard the words of his servants who praised Sarah to him, and Abimelech sent his officers, and they brought Sarah to the king.6 And Sarah came to the house of Abimelech, and the king saw that Sarah was beautiful, and she pleased him exceedingly.7 And he approached her and said to her, What is that man to thee with whom thou didst come to our land? and Sarah answered and said He is my brother, and we came from the land of Canaan to dwell wherever we could find a place.8 And Abimelech said to Sarah, Behold my land is before thee, place thy brother in any part of this land that pleases thee, and it will be our duty to exalt and elevate him above all the people of the land since he is thy brother.9 And Abimelech sent for Abraham, and Abraham came to Abimelech.10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold I have given orders that thou shalt be honored as thou desirest on account of thy sister Sarah.11 And Abraham went forth from the king, and the king’s present followed him.12 As at evening time, before men lie down to rest, the king was sitting upon his throne, and a deep sleep fell upon him, and he lay upon the throne and slept till morning.13 And he dreamed that an angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword in his hand, and the angel stood over Abimelech, and wished to slay him with the sword, and the king was terrified in his dream, and said to the angel, In what have I sinned against thee that thou comest to slay me with thy sword?14 And the angel answered and said to Abimelech, Behold thou diest on account of the woman which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house, for she is a married woman, the wife of Abraham who came to thy house; now therefore return that man his wife, for she is his wife; and shouldst thou not return her, know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all belonging to thee.15 And on that night there was a great outcry in the land of the Philistines, and the inhabitants of the land saw the figure of a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand, and he smote the inhabitants of the land with the sword, yea he continued to smite them.16 And the angel of the Lord smote the whole land of the Philistines on that night, and there was a great confusion on that night and on the following morning.17 And every womb was closed, and all their issues, and the hand of the Lord was upon them on account of Sarah, wife of Abraham, whom Abimelech had taken.18 And in the morning Abimelech rose with terror and confusion and with a great dread, and he sent and had his servants called in, and he related his dream to them, and the people were greatly afraid.19 And one man standing amongst the servants of the king answered the king, saying, O sovereign king, restore this woman to her husband, for he is her husband, for the like happened to the king of Egypt when this man came to Egypt.20 And he said concerning his wife, She is my sister, for such is his manner of doing when he cometh to dwell in the land in which he is a stranger.21 And Pharaoh sent and took this woman for a wife and the Lord brought upon him grievous plagues until he returned the woman to her husband.22 Now therefore, O sovereign king, know what happened yesternight to the whole land, for there was a very great consternation and great pain and lamentation, and we know that it was on account of the woman which thou didst take.23 Now, therefore, restore this woman to her husband, lest it should befall us as it did to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his subjects, and that we may not die; and Abimelech hastened and called and had Sarah called for, and she came before him, and he had Abraham called for, and he came before him.24 And Abimelech said to them, What is this work you have been doing in saying you are brother and sister, and I took this woman for a wife?25 And Abraham said, Because I thought I should suffer death on account of my wife; and Abimelech took flocks and herds, and men servants and maid servants, and a thousand pieces of silver, and he gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah to him.26 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold the whole land is before thee, dwell in it wherever thou shalt choose.27 And Abraham and Sarah, his wife, went forth from the king’s presence with honor and respect, and they dwelt in the land, even in Gerar.28 And all the inhabitants of the land of the Philistines and the king’s servants were still in pain, through the plague which the angel had inflicted upon them the whole night on account of Sarah.29 And Abimelech sent for Abraham, saying, Pray now for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that he may put away this mortality from amongst us.30 And Abraham prayed on account of Abimelech and his subjects, and the Lord heard the prayer of Abraham, and he healed Abimelech and all his subjects.

Common proof texts: PROVERBS 16:9, 16:33, 19:21, 20:24 – about God directing our steps

May20

Proverbs contain many poetical expressions that mirror the truth, and that’s why we must be careful to not lift out verses out of Proverbs (or Psalms), and make doctrines out of them. That could take us into all sorts of strange directions.

A couple of guide lines to think about when reading Proverbs and Psalms, would be to 1) Make sure to not interpret the verses in such a way that we make God to be the author of sin, and 2) Make sure to not interpret the verses in such a way that they result in contradictions when compared with other more clear, non-poetic verses.

Proverbs 1:⁶To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

You will find many GENERAL instructions and promises in Proverbs, and below you will find some examples of this, with evidence of that the promises involved couldn’t possibly be understood as 100% valid for all people under the sun with no exception. When a person submits their plans to God, the Lord is faithful to ensure that his purpose will stand in his/her life – however, there is still a risk for physical pain even for true believers.

Proverbs 20

Proverbs 20:24 Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?

The above verse doesn’t need not be interpreted in such a way so that God causes men to be wicked sinners. If every person’s steps are ultimately due to God’s predestination, then what do we do with the multitudes of verses that advise people from departing from the path of evil? Man’s life here on this planet might be beyond our grasp, and even if we believe we have a great understanding and know it all, we will still not see things as clearly as God does. What else is Proverbs 20 saying?

²The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.

So we’re sinning against our SOULS if we would happen to provoke a mere man – which a king is?

⁷The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

Is it always true that children are blessed if their father walks in integrity? Has there never been one exception in our life time?

⁸A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

Is this always true with no exception?

⁹Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Do we always sin? Is there not one minute during a day when we don’t sin? Do we sin even one minute after that we have repented for our sins? If that is so, what is the point with repenting?

¹⁰Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord.

If God predestines all things, why does he cause abominations to occur? Does God want people to do abominable things since he forces them to do them?

¹³Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

Is it always certain that people will end up in poverty if they like to sleep a lot? Is there not one single exception under the sun?

¹⁷Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

Boy would it be strange if this was taken literally.

²³Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good.

Again, if things exist which are abominations before the Lord, is it according to his will?

²⁵It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.

Would God predestine people to devour what is holy? What would be his reasons for doing that?

²⁶A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

Is this always true, with no exception?

Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19:21 does not say that all the plans in the mind of a man are always predestined by God, but rather that when there is a confrontation between man’s plans and God having purposed something else, God’s way will always win.

Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.

God can sometimes exploit even evil choices that people make, but this doesn’t mean he does this all the time or even often. I’d rather believe he does this very rarely, because he has set a time in the FUTURE to judge man’s heart, and to both punish individuals and give rewards to others. What else is Proverbs 19 saying?

2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

So it’s a SIN to hurry? Is it also a sin to run? No exception?

4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.

Is it always true that the poor is separated from his neighbor? No exception?

6 Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

Is every man a friend to him who gives gifts? No exception?

7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

Do all the brethren of the poor always hate him? No exception? And do his friends also go far from him – always with no exception?

15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

Is it always true that an idel soul shall suffer hunger? No exception?

16 He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.

It looks like it’s a choice to keep the commandments in order for us to keep our souls, unless we choose to despise God’s ways and therefore die.

18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Do you always beat your son physically, and do you always make sure to keep on doing so even if he cries and beg for mercy? No exception? This is what righteous people always do with no exception?

20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Sounds like there is an option to hear and receive instructions, and that it always leads to being wise.

23 The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

Is is always true that the fear of the Lord prevents evil from happening to him? No exception under the sun?

24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

Is this to be taken literally?

Proverbs 16 – 16:33 and 16:9 (See Proverbs 16:4 in separate article)

Proverbs 16:33

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

God is capable of determining the outcome of any casted lot, but this doesn’t mean God predestines every single throw of a dice under the sun in every single monopoly game. Many scholars think that the Ephod, Urim and Thummim were objects of divination like flat coins or dice in which the priest or king prayed for God manipulate the objects to reveal his will, but this doesn’t mean that every roll of the dice and every lot cast in every gambling game are manipulated and determined by God. God has an ability to intervene into random lots cast (or in man’s life in general) but such intervention is connected to situations where God has a specific course in mind.

Proverbs 16:9

Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

Compare with this verse which is prior to v. 9 and which contains an important CONDITION for the general promise::

Proverbs 16:3 COMMIT THY WORKS UNTO THE LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Compare also with these verses which show conditions for being helped on the true path:

Proverbs 3:⁵Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.⁶IN ALL THY WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, and he shall direct thy paths.⁷Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and DEPART FROM EVIL.

Proverbs 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.13 TAKE FAST HOLD OF INSTRUCTION ; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

Psalms 37:23 The steps of a GOOD MAN are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.—30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

Man has desires and can plan the means to achieve them, but we are dependent on God. We should seek him so he can lead us right. We can’t take Proverbs 16:9 to mean that God dictates each of our actions, because that would make him the author of sin. We would then be able to blame each of our sins on GOD ALONE. That is not the God of the Bible. Abraham devised a way to seek a wife for Isaac, and the servant met Rebekah. Jacob devised a way to flee from Esau, and the Lord blessed him to become rich with a large family. Joseph chose to be righteous, and the Lord directed his steps to Egypt’s throne. Jesse devised a way to send food to his sons in the army, by his youngest son David, not knowing that God was directing David’s steps for a showdown with Goliath.

The fact that God can direct our steps, doesn’t mean that we don’t have a free will. The fact that God is always in control, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t allow us the freedom to accept/reject and obey/disobey. This is applicable also for Proverbs 16:33. We simply should not take a poetic verse out of context and make a doctrine out of it, contrary to the rest of the Scripture. God does not predestine us to sin, and that’s that.

Prov. 16:¹²It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. ¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right. — ¹⁷The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. ¹⁸Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. — ²⁰He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.— ²³The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. —²⁵There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.— ²⁷An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. ²⁸A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. ²⁹A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. ³⁰He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.— ³²He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. ³³The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

What else is Proverbs 16 saying?

5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

If all thing are predestined by God, why would he predestine something that is an abomination before him? And why punish a person who is engaged in an abomination, if it’s caused by God only because he wanted it to happen?

6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

It looks like fear of the Lord can make a person depart from evil, rather than being predestined by God to be a non-elect before the creation of the world.

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Is it always true that walking in the light will make even his enemies to be at peace with him?

12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

Why would God predestine wickedness and abominations? Surely they happen against his will? Is it always true that kings reach their thrones due to being righteous?

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

It looks like it’s in our hands to preserve our souls, by means of living righteously.

18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Would God predestine people to be proud and to have haughty spirits? What would be his reasons?

19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

If something is considered “better” than surely God would enable this “better” to happen, rather than closing the door for it?

26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

Is it always true that we work for ourselves? No exception?

28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

Is it always true that whisper separate chief friends? Is the solution to never ever whisper?

29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.

Is it always true that a violent man entices his neighbor and leads him into bad ways? No exceptions?

You can read more about Proverbs 16 here.

A very popular Calvinist proof text is Proverbs 21:1 about the king whose heart is moved like the waters. Read my blog post about it here.

More examples of Proverbs which are only GENERALLY true, but not without plenty of exceptions

Proverbs 1:¹⁷Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.¹⁸And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.¹⁹So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

It’s not always true that such is the way of those who are greedy. Loads of people are greedy and also prosperous.

Proverbs 1:³²For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.³³But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

It’s not always true that he who listens to God and walk in his ways will always dwell safely and see no evil. On the contrary, many christians are persecuted for their faith and they risk death where they live.

Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:²For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

It’s not always true that keeping God’s commandment is certain to produce long life on earth.

Proverbs 9:¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.¹¹For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

It’s not always certain that a wise and pure soul will have his days multiplied and live for a long time. On the contrary, many christians are being persecuted and killed due to their faith.

Proverbs 10:³The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.

It’s not always certain that a righteous soul will never go hungry.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

A soft answer does not always turn away wrath

Proverbs 22:⁶Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Training up a child in the way of the Lord does not guarantee that he won’t depart from it. For instance; Salomon’s own son departed from the right way.

Proverbs. 22:¹¹He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

It’s not certain that the King will be his friend despite having a pure heart.

Proverbs 22:²⁹Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Not all pure and hard working men will stand before kings, and not before evil men.

Alvin Plantinga:

“Now God can create free creatures, but He can’t cause or determine them to do only what is right. For if He does so, then they aren’t significantly free after all; they do not do what is right freely. To create creatures capable of moral good, therefore, He must create creatures capable of moral evil; and He can’t give these creatures the freedom to perform evil and at the same time prevent them from doing so…The fact that free creatures sometimes go wrong, however, counts neither against God’s omnipotence nor against His goodness; for He could have forestalled the occurrence of moral evil only by removing the possibility of moral good.” (God, Freedom and Evil, p.30)

Poetry reflects the truth and should not always be understood literally

Psalms and proverbs often contain poetry, songs and hyperboles, so we should be careful to not use various statements as universal truths applicable for all people everywhere at all times. It’s better to read the verses as general principles described poetically. Do you believe the following information can be applied universally? Can we really say that the below ALWAYS happens at all times with no exception?

Proverbs 13:²¹Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.²²Agood man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.—²⁵The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The ANGEL OF THE LORD is our God JESUS CHRIST

May23

The Hebrew word for angel is “malak” (Strong’s 4397) but this word can also mean “messenger” or “one who is sent”, so the messenger in question doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of a created angel. (When it comes to Jesus Christ we know he was not created since he is the Creator himself and nothing/no one existed before him.) We must determine from context whether the word refers to the office of the sent one or to the nature of angels. We must also check if it says “AN angel of the Lord or “THE angel of the Lord” to determine whether there is a particular angel spoken about. The angel of the Lord seems to be a preincarnate form of Jesus (who is God and part of the trinity), and that could explain why people have in fact seen God without dying. That’s also why verses like this makes much sense:

John 17:⁵And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee BEFORE the world was.

No man can see God face to face and live

Exodus 33:20And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

1 Tim. 6:¹⁶Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

John 1:¹⁸No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John. 5:³⁷And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

Jesus can be seen despite being God, while being in the flesh or in another manifestation (like the angel of the Lord)

God can be seen (without causing death) in other forms, such as when he appeared in the bush to Moses, as God in flesh in the form of Jesus Christ and also in the form of an angel of the Lord. The Bible tells us that no one can see GOD and live, and yet the verses below show us that we CAN do this IF we can see a reincarnated form of God. Jesus is God, and when he walked on earth he was in human form in the flesh and that’s why we can see him and still live.

2 Cor. 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the IMAGE of God (theou), should shine unto them.⁵For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.⁶For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the FACE OF Jesus Christ.

Phil. 2:⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:⁶Who, being in the FORM of God (theou), thought it not robbery to be equal with God (theo):⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.⁹Wherefore God (theos) also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name

Hebr 1:1 God (theos), who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,²Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;³Who being the brightness of his glory, and THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high

Col. 2:⁸Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.⁹For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead (theotés) BODILY.¹⁰And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (theon), and the Word was God (theos).²The same was in the beginning with God (theon).³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men.—¹⁴And the Word WAS MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.¹⁵John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

1 Tim. 3:¹⁵But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God (theou), which is the church of the LIVING GOD (theou), the pillar and ground of the truth.¹⁶And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness (eusebeias): God was MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Acts 20:²⁸Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God (theou), which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Col. 1: ¹²Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:¹³Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:¹⁵Who is the IMAGE of the invisible God, the firstborn*) of every creature:¹⁶For BY HIM were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:¹⁷And he is BEFORE all things, and by him all things consist.¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.¹⁹For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;²⁰And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

*) Firstborn: pre-eminence in rank as opposed to priority in time. This definition can be seen in passages where the term “firstborn” is used of the pre-eminent son who was not the eldest, e.g. Psalm 89:27, where David is called “firstborn” although he was actually the youngest son.

An apostle is defined as one who is sent out on missions and who has the authority of the one who sent him:

Hebr. 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;²Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

Mal. 3: 1 Behold, I will send my messenger [John the Baptiste], and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant [Malak = Angel, thus “Angel of the Covenant”], whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

1) HAGAR meets the Angel of the Lord and he promised to multiply Hagar’s descendents, which is something that only God could promise and fulfill. Hagar referred to the Angel of the Lord as El Roi (el = God ) the-God-Who-Sees

Gen. 16:⁶But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.⁷And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.⁸And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.⁹And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.¹⁰And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.¹¹And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.¹²And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.¹³And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, THOU GOD seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

Note below he plays on Ishmael’s name “God hears”, and twice in the verses below can we read “God heard” and “God has heard”:

Gen. 21:¹⁶And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.¹⁷And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.¹⁸Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.¹⁹And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

2) Abraham and his visit by JAHVE (Jahve/God), in the form of an angel

Abraham had an interesting visit one hot day outside his tent. Three men visited him and he called at least one of them for “my Lord” (adonai) and he addressed him as God (Jehovah). He offered the three men water to wash their feet and food to eat, and they also ate with him. It appears as though only two men (angels) continued on to Sodom after their stay with Abraham, because when Gen.19 begins we can read that only two of them arrived at Lot’s house, and once again these angels decided to eat – but now in the company of Lot. (We can see further down below that the angel of the Lord who visited Manoah chose not to eat.) It looks like one of the three men (the Lord) remained with Abraham after the other two had left, since Abraham and the Lord continued to have a dialogue about sparing righteous individuals in Sodom – if there were any.

Gen. 18:1 And the Lord (Jehova) appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;²And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,³And said, My Lord (adonai), if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:⁴Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:⁵And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.—⁸And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.—¹³And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?¹⁴Is any thing too hard for the Lord (Jehova)? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.¹⁵Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.¹⁶And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.¹⁷And the Lord (Jehova) said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;¹⁸Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?¹⁹For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord (Jehova), to do justice and judgment; that the Lord (Jehova) may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.²⁰And the Lord (Jehova) said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;²¹I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.²²And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord (Jehova).²³And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?²⁴Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?—³³And the Lord (Jehovah) went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Only two angels continued on to Sodom. The third angel (the Angel of the Lord) remained with Abraham for a short while.

Gen. 19: 1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;²And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.³And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.⁴But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter

Question: Jesus claims that Abraham rejoiced for having seen his (Jesus) day and was glad when he saw it. If the above is not the occurrence when this happened, then WHEN did this extraordinary event take place? Surely Moses wouldn’t neglect to mention such an important meeting in his texts?:

John 8:⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and HE SAW IT, AND WAS GLAD

It further seems as though God acted in two different locations at the same time:

1 Mos. 19:24 Then the Lord (Jahve) rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord (Jahve) out of heaven

You can read more quotes from the old church fathers in this article, which shows that they too understood these exact verses as though it’s about God himself in the form of Jesus who dines with Abraham. You will be overwhelmed by the strong evidence for Jesus deity if you read the quotes in that article and follow the link to even more quotes.

Later, on Mt Moriah, where Abraham was to offer up his son Isaac, the Angel of the Lord identifies himself as the LORD GOD. The Lord (the Angel of the Lord) says “By myself have I sworn”, and he notices that Abraham has not withheld his son from HIM (the Angel of the Lord).

Gen. 22: ¹⁰And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.¹¹And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.¹²And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from ME.—.¹⁴And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.¹⁵And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,¹⁶And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son;¹⁷That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed MY VOICE

3) Jacob had a dream where the angel of the Lord spake to him

This angel of the Lord referred to himself as the Lord God, and when the same angel of the Lord approached Jacob many years later, he referred to himself as the God of Bethel to give him a reminder of who he was:

Gen. 28:¹³And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; ¹⁴And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed..¹⁵And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.¹⁶And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.¹⁷And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.¹⁸And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.¹⁹And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

Gen. 31:¹¹And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.¹²And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.¹³I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto ME: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.

Below a very old Jacob (Israel) on his deathbed, identifies this angel with the God in whose presence his fathers Abraham and Isaac had lived. This is the same angel that appeared to him earlier in the dream.

Gen. 48:¹⁴And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.¹⁵And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the GOD which fed me all my life long unto this day,¹⁶The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth

Hosea 12:²The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.³He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:⁴Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;⁵Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial.

Also Abraham had an encounter with the Lord in Bethel, long before Jacob did.

Gen. 12:7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto theLord, who appeared unto him.⁸And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.

Jacob wrestles with a man who is identified as God – and Jacob saw God FACE TO FACE and asks for his NAME

A strange wrestling match with a prophetic meaning was made between Jacob and a man who he identifies as GOD. Hosea describes Jacob (jaqob = wrestler) as an example of an Israelite who won victories through turning to God.

Gen. 32:1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.²And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.—²²And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.²³And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.²⁴And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.²⁵And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.²⁶And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.²⁷And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.²⁹And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen GOD face to face, and my life is preserved.³¹And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.³²Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

Hosea 12:²The Lord hath also a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his doings will he recompense him.³He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God:⁴Yea, he had power over the ANGEL, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;⁵Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial.⁶Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment and wait on thy God continually.

Proverbs. 30:⁴Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? WHAT IS HIS NAME, AND WHAT IS HIS SONS’S NAME, if thou canst tell?

Rev. 3:¹²Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him MY NEW NAME.

Rev. 19:¹¹And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.¹²His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a NAME WRITTEN, THAT NO MAN KNEW, BUT HE HIMSELF.¹³And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called THE WORD OF GOD (logos tou theou).

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD (logos) WAS GOD (theos).²The same was in the beginning with God.³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Judges. 13:⁶Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:—¹⁶And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.¹⁷And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?¹⁸And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is SECRET? (wonderful, Strong’s 6383)

The Lord’s name is WONDERFUL (marvellous), and this is in relation to Jesus. Jesus is the corner stone which the jews rejected, and most of them still refuse to accept Jesus as the promised Messiah and God who has come in the flesh.

Jesaja 9:⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called WONDERFUL (Strong’s 6383), Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Matt. 21:⁴²Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The STONE which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is MARVELLOUS in our eyes?

4) Moses saw God face to face (and a few other people)

The angel of the Lord below claimed “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob“ and Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon GOD.

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.²And 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.³And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.⁴And 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.⁵And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.⁶Moreover he said, I AM THE GOD of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon GOD.⁷And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;⁸And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Exodus. 24⁹Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:¹⁰And they saw the GOD of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.¹¹And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink

Num. 12:⁴And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.⁵And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.⁶And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.⁷My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.⁸With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Acts 7:³⁸This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us

5) Joshua and his meeting with the captain of the Lord’s host

When John attempted to worship an angel in Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9, he was told not to do it. Yet, Joshua, as seen below, worshiped “the captain of the Lord’s host“. Notice that the captain of the Lord’s host told Joshua – just like the angel of the Lord told Moses in Exodus 3:5 – to take off his shoes because of the holy ground.

Joshua 5:¹³And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?¹⁴And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?¹⁵And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Compare with the Angel of the ord who is standing with a sword drawn in his hand:

Num. 22:²³And the ass saw THE ANGEL OF THE LORD standing in the way, and HIS SWORD DRAWN IN HIS HAND: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

1 Chron. 21:¹⁶And David lifted up his eyes, and saw THE ANGEL OF THE LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, HAVING A DRAWN SWORD IN HIS HAND stretched out over Jerusalem.

The word of God through Zechariah, who saw Joshua in a vision:

Zech. 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.²And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?³Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.⁴And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.⁵And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.⁶And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,⁷Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.⁸Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch.⁹For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will ENGRAVE the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

6) ZECHARIAH’s meeting with the Angel of the Lord in a vision – a man on a red horse among myrtle trees

The above vision comes shortly after the below one. An ordinary angel revealed a message for Zechariah, and the man among the myrtle trees is the same as the Angel of the Lord. He in his turn is communicating with the Lord of Hosts (God the Father) so they are not exactly the same.

Zech. 1:⁷Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,⁸I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white.⁹Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be.¹⁰And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.¹¹And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.¹²Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?¹³And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.¹⁴So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.¹⁵And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.¹⁶Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.

7) Gideon mentions that he has seen the Lord face to face, and “the angel of the LORD“ is used interchangeably with “the LORD“ and “God”

Judg 6:¹⁹And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.²⁰And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.²¹Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.²²And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.²³And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.²⁴Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

8) Manoah and his wife encounter the angel of the Lord, and Manoah fears that he will DIE for having seen GOD

The Bible doesn’t say that we will die for having seen an angel face to face, but it does say that we will die if we see GOD face to face. Manoa and his wife knew this too, and that’s why they were prepared to die once they realized who they had been having a conversation with.

Judg 13:²And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.³And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.⁴Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:⁵For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.⁶Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:—⁸Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.⁹And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.¹⁰And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.—¹³And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.¹⁴She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.¹⁵And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.¹⁶And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord. For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.¹⁷And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?¹⁸And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?¹⁹So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.²⁰For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.²¹But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of theLord.²²And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.²³But his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

9) ISAIAH experiences that he has seen the King, the Lord of hosts before his eyes, and for this reason he fears that he is undone

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.—⁵Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.—⁸Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

10) BILEAM meets the Angel of the Lord, or can asses speak and have wisdom?

God says ”the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do”, and the exact same thing says the Angel of the Lord – in first person. It would have been so easy for the Angel of the Lord to say (at any time during his encounter with people) that he is speaking ON BEHALF OF God, but he does just the opposite when he continuously speaks as though he is God himself. (Does he do this to fool people into believing that the Angel of the Lord is GOD, and therefore another manifestation of GOD – namely Jesus?). Note that the Angel of the Lord stands with a drawn sward, just like the captain of the host of the Lord, in Joshua 5.

Num. 22:²⁰And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.²¹And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.²²And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.²³And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.²⁴But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.²⁵And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.²⁶And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.²⁷And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.²⁸And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?²⁹And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.³⁰And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? and he said, Nay.³¹Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.³²And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:³³And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.³⁴And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.³⁵And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

11) DANIEL and the Angel of the Lord in the burning furnace

Dan. 3:²⁴Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.²⁵He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.—²⁸Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Dan. 6:²⁰And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?²¹Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.²²My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Below it seems like the Angel of the Lord/Jesus is speaking to Daniel, based on the description of his person that we recognize from the book of Revelations. The angel Gabriel didn’t start speaking to Daniel until v. 10 in the same chapter.

Dan. 10:⁵Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:⁶His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

The Ancient of days looks just like Jesus based on his description, and thousand thousands ministered to him. No one is supposed to worship and angel. Moreover, he has the power to judge people, and this is a right that is only given to God. Notice the sword again.

Dan 7:⁹I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.¹⁰A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Rev. 1:¹²And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;¹³And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.¹⁴His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;¹⁵And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.¹⁶And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged SWORD: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

12) ELIJAH meets the Angel of the Lord

1 King. 19:²Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.—⁵And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.⁶And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.⁷And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.

2 King. 1:²And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.³But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?⁴Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed—¹⁴Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.¹⁵And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.¹⁶And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.¹⁷So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.

13) KING DAVID meets the Angel of the Lord, who has a conversation with GOD (so separate but yet the same)

Also King David had a visit by the Angel of the Lord who again had a sword. Here God is communicating with the Angel of the Lord and he asks him to cease with his destruction of Jerusalem that he had asked him to do. This proves that God and the Angel of the Lord cannot be synonymous, but they could of course both be members of the same trinity (if for instance the Angel of the Lord is a manifestation of Jesus Christ.)

1 Chron. 21:¹⁴So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.¹⁵And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.¹⁶And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.¹⁷And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.¹⁸Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.—²⁰And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.—²⁷And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.—³⁰But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

Psalm 34:⁶This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.⁷The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.⁸O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psalm 35:⁴Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.⁵Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them.⁶Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of theLord persecute them.

14) Ezekiel sees a human figure whom he identifies as the glory of the Lord coming to speak to him, and the man identifies himself as the sovereign Yahweh or Lord

Ez. 1:²⁶And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.²⁷And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.²⁸As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

Ez. 2:³And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.⁴For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.⁵And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.—.⁷And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.⁸But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.⁹And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;¹⁰And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

15) 1) The Lord, and 2) The angel of God (the angel of the Lord), and 3) Jesus Christ, went before the Israelites in the desert in a pillar of a cloud and in a pillar of fire

God promises to send his angel ahead of the children of Israel as they go through the desert and the Israelites were told to obey this angel “since my Name is in him”. God would never share his name with anyone else, or share his glory (especially not with a created angel), so this indicates the angel of the Lord here is no one but God. Only God can forgive sin yet the angel of the Lord had this capacity.

Exodus 3:⁷And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;⁸And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Exodus 13:²¹And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:²²He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Exodus 14:¹⁹And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:²⁰And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.—²⁴And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,²⁵And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.²⁶And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

Exodus 19:⁹And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.—¹⁶And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.¹⁷And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.¹⁸And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.¹⁹And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.²⁰And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,²I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Exodus 23:¹⁹The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.²⁰Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.²¹Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not PARDON your transgressions: for my name is in him.²²But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.²³For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.

Exodus 24:1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.—–¹⁰And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.¹¹And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.—¹⁵And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.¹⁶And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.¹⁷And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.¹⁸And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 32:³⁴Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

Exodus 33:²And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:

Exodus 33:¹²And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.¹³Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.¹⁴And he said, MY PRESENCE SHALL GO WITH THEE, and I will give thee rest.¹⁵And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.¹⁶For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou GOEST WITH US? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

Isaiah 63:⁷I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.⁸For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.⁹In all their affliction he was afflicted, and THE ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE SAVED THEM: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.¹⁰But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.¹¹Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?¹²That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?¹³That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?¹⁴As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name

Num. 12:⁴And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.⁵And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

Num. 20:¹⁵How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians vexed us, and our fathers:¹⁶And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt: and, behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of thy border

Deut. 5:⁴The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,⁵(I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you the word of the Lord: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,⁶I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Nehemia 9:⁷Thou art the Lord the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;—⁹And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;¹⁰And shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.¹¹And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.¹²Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.¹³Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

Judg 2:1 And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.²And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?³Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.⁴And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

1 Cor. 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;²And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;³And did all eat the same spiritual meat;⁴And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST.—⁹Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Acts 7:³⁰And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.³¹When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,³²Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.—³⁵This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.³⁶He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.—³⁸This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:³⁹To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt

Other verses

Zechariah 12:⁸In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.⁹And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.¹⁰And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have PIERCED, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Psaltaren 22:¹⁶For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they PIERCED MY HANDS AND MY FEET.¹⁷I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.¹⁸They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

Isaiah 53:⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 37:³⁶Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses (2 King. 19:25)

2 Chron. 32:²¹And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

John 19:³³But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:³⁴But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.—³⁶For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.³⁷And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they PIERCED. (Zech. 12:10)

Rev. 1:⁵And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,⁶And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.⁷Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which PIERCED him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.⁸I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Deut. 4:³⁵Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.— ³⁹Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

New Testament

The phrase the Angel of the Lord is present 12 times in the NT.

John the Baptiste prepared the way for the Lord JESUS, who is the same LORD (Jahve) as Isaiah spoke about.

Mal. 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

Isa. 40:³The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord (Yahve) make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Mt. 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,²And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.³For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Acts. 19:⁴Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus