Welcome to the second week of our Ancient Near Eastern Advent Devotion.
How we are going to learn
In this Advent devotional we will be looking at the topic of The Angel of the Lord theophany in the ancient Near Eastern biblical authors worldview. As I have done in the past with other teachings I want to quote from scholarly sources to make my point. I do this in hope that you will see this isn’t just my interpretation of the Scriptures but that this view is steeped in acadeemia.
We will be using two amazing sources which we highly recommend.
- Faithlife Study Bible: This is an amazing resource that is free if you download the app or use it online. To download the app or use this resource online visit their website here. This resource is also available in print which you can purchase here.
- The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: This is my favorite resource for gaining a better understanding for the ancient Near Eastern worldview of the Biblical authors. This is available in a multitude of variations all of which you can find on our resource page here.
Let’s get started
In the first week of this devotion we covered how the ancient Near Eastern biblical authors’ described the invisible God presenting Himself to humans in the form of a man as The Word of God. This fits all of the ancient Near Eastern national pantheon’s model of a creator god reigning from a mountain with a coregent by his side.
The main difference between the ancient Near Eastern biblical authors and their constituents was that the Biblical authors believed in a single God Yahweh revealed in three distinct ways.
If you haven’t yet gone over that content yet check it out here.
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.
There are many forms that God uses as a theophany to make His presence known to people. Whirl winds, smoke, fire are just a couple examples to name a few.
During the duration of these devotionals we will be focusing especially on the ancient Near Eastern theophany of a person and its counterpart in the belief of the Godhead of the ancient Israelites.
Today we will be looking at another Old Testament’s description of visible person of the invisible God, The Angel of the Lord.
The Angel of the Lord
Exodus 3
This is a well known account in the Bible. Last week while talking about Abrahams vision of the Word of God theophany we noticed it is easy for us to read over familiar sections of scripture with out paying close attention to the detail. Children’s bible stories, movies, and sermons have all shaped how this story plays out in our heads.
Let’s take a closer look at the details of this passage and critically think aloud together.
The Details
“There the Angel of the Lord appeared to Him in flames of fire from within the bush. Mose saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.” (Exodus 3:2)
This scene of God speaking to Moses from the burning bush is an epic account in the Hebrew Scripture’s narrative. Yahweh is going to free His people from bondage and He chooses Moses to carry out this plan.
Did you notice which form the Near Eastern biblical authors discribe God as appearing to Moses as in the burning bush?
The Angel of the Lord!
Who is this Angel?
Here are some more details that are proclaimed throughout this chapter about The Angel of the Lord.
The narrative says He is:
“God”, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”, “The LORD”, “The God of your fathers”, “I AM WHO I AM”, “I AM”, “The LORD, the God of your fathers- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”, “The LORD, the God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews”, “The LORD our God”.
Exodus 3
The Angel of the Lord is Yahweh
All of there’s are used to describe the Angel of the Lord who was in the burning bush that Moses witnessed. The Angel of the Lord is the visible manifestation of the invisible God. The invisible God is visible by the embodied Angel of the Lord.
Here is another quote from our recommended resources
“The relationship between Yahweh and the Angel of Yahweh (“Angel of the Lord”) provides the most familiar example of “two Yahweh’s.” The OT writers at times deliberately make the Angel of Yahweh indistinguishable from Yahweh (e.g., Exod 3:1-14.)”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the Article: Old Testament Godhead Language
Notice “God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Mose said ‘Here I am.’” This is basically the same sequence that we looked at in the first week of this Advent series. The stories of Moses and The Angel of the Lord theophany and Samuel and the Word of God theophany share similar elements.
The ancient Near Eastern biblical authors in both instances use the same literary device. Via this repeating pattern they communicate how the Invisible Yahweh appears to the Human through the Visible embodied Yahweh.
Both The Word, and The Angel of the Lord are the Visible Yahweh of the Old Testament.
Jacob’s Perception
Here is another quote from the same resource
“Perhaps most telling in this theology is the text of Gen 48:15-16, which fuses God and the Angel. Jacob, near death and pronouncing blessing on Joseph’s sons, speaks of God’s saving action in a way that highlights the fusion of Yahweh and the Angel: …
‘May the God before whom my fathers
Faithlife Study Bible: in the Article: Old Testament Godhead Language
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life to this day,
the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
—may he bless these boys.
May they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
and may they increase greatly
on the earth.'”
God Chose to reveal Himself to us
Remember God does not exclusively use the form of a man theophany to appear to Humans. Yahweh uses many different forms to reveal Himself to humanity, such as smoke, storms, and as we just saw in Exodus 3 fire.
The Trinity that we have come to know as Christians is rooted in Old Testament theology. Ever since the beginning the Invisible God has chosen to make Himself known to humans through His visible manifestation in the form of a Man.
Before His incarnation, Jesus, the visible Yahweh, was known in the Old Testament as the second person of the trinity by four different descriptions.
After I learned about The Angel of the Lord theophany it literally changed the way I read the Bible. It gave me such a deeper appreciation for the value of the Old Testament and the profound impact it has upon the New Testament.
I hope that in time these revelations will have the same effect on you.
I want to leave you with this last quote.
“Theophanies set the precedent for Jesus. They help make sense of why and how God chose to appear in human form.”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the Article: Theophany in the Old Testament.
Peace and Blessing! We hope you enjoyed the 2nd week of our Ancient Near Eastern Advent Devotion.
Citations:
Faithlife Study Bible. J. D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012.
Call for action: Help us out by learning more
Our Favorite Bible
U.K. Link: NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible- Hardcover Bible, Kindle Edition
U.S. Link: NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible- Hardcover Bible, Bonded Leather Bible, Bonded Leather: Thumb Index, Imitation Leather Women’s, Imitation Leather Men’s, Kindle Edition
Our Favorite Book
U.S.- Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World And Why It Matters- Paperback book, Kindle Edition, Audiobook
U.K.- Supernatural: What the Bible Teaches about the Unseen World And Why It Matters- Paperback book, Kindle Edition Audiobook
**** HEY EVERYONE, WE WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE WE EARN A SMALL COMMISSION FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES YOU MAKE FROM OUR LINKS AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU! HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT AFFECT OUR SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT WE RECOMMEND FOR YOU TO USE. WE FEEL THIS IS A GREAT WAY FOR YOU TO BOTH ENJOY QUALITY RESOURCES WHICH WE USE IN HOPES IT WILL LIKEWISE ENRICH YOUR BIBLICAL STUDIES, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND. IF YOU DO DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE, OUR FAMILY HERE AT CRITICAL THINKING ALOUD WANTS YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH WE VALUE YOUR SUPPORT.****