Theophany
Throughout this Advent devotion we are doing to look at the ancient Near Eastern view of theophany and the role it plays in the pantheon of a nation. Theophany is a visible manifestation of a deity revealed to humanity.
Here is a quote for our recommended resources
“Since people cannot possible process God’s nature as a disembodied, formless spirit, Theophany allows God to make His presence known in a physical way that people can discern through their senses.”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the Article: Theophany in the Old Testament
Today we will be looking at another Old Testament’s description of visible person of the invisible God, The Name.
The Name
Exodus
“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.”
Exodus 23:20-23
In this passage we have some familiar characters. Yahweh is relating to Moses that He is going to send His Angel to lead them through the wilderness into the promise land. Remember that we learned in the second week of this Advent Devotional that The Angel of the Lord is Yahweh and Yahweh is the Angel of the Lord.
Who is The Name
“Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say…” Notice how this passage identifies the Angel of the Lord, and Yahweh as one and the same via The Name.
The Angel of the Lord, and The Name are the Invisible God’s theophany in the form of a man.
We hope you enjoyed this Theology Lesson in 60 seconds.
If you are interested in this subject continue this study in our longer post here
Citations:
Faithlife Study Bible. J. D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012.
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