The Angel of God

In Hebrew malak is transliterated "angel". The grammatical articles which address "angel" were added by the translators in context to the subject matter. Sometimes the angel's identity is obvious. At other times, the translators helps us to understand who the angel is by punctuation as well as the articles. In general, a messenger of God are referred to as "an angel". "The" Messenger of God is generally referred to as "the angel of God".

Keep in mind that Messiah and Christ both mean "the anointed one" in Hebrew and Greek, respectively. Jews tend to favor Messiah for obvious reasons. It's their original language. We tend to think of the Messiah as coming and Christ as come, but we can just as easily say Jesus the Messiah as Jesus the Christ. There are only three places in the Bible where the title "Messiah" is used. Two are in the Book of Daniel describing the second coming of Christ. The other one follows:

John 4:25 The woman (at the well) saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. (Messias is Greek for Messiah).

This sinful woman knew what the Pharisees did not; that the Messiah would be called Christ, and was the source of all truth. She believed that Christ was coming but did not know that he had... until he came to the well to give her living water.

Jesus came incognito. Then he identified himself as "the one who cometh" (John 4:26). This is typical Jesus. God is without Name but is "called Jesus" (Luke 2:21). His identity is the Word (John 1:1, 14). Man was created without flesh. Whatever covered Adam and Eve at their creation was divine - this being clothed in glory. Flesh was apparently provided for mankind to exist in the environment of the world according to sacred writings. Hence, the flesh is of and for the world. God put on flesh to empathize with his creature. He needed flesh for three reasons: (1) to feel temptation, (2) to suffer, and (3) for a sacrifice by dying. His flesh was the receptor for all the sins of mankind which he took onto his own Spirit when he died in our place. 

Isa 53:5 But he (the Messiah) 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.

This was written thousands of years before it happened, as if it had already happened! This makes it clear that God died in our place for our sins - all of them!

How did Isaiah know the Messiah so intimately? Because the Word spoke to him. The Word -  Jesus, spoke to many of the biblical patriarchs. He even wrestled with Jacob (Gen 43:34). He was "the angel of God" who wrestled with God! Why was Jesus "the angel" before he was carnate?

1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator (mesites; go-between) between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...

The mediator between God and man is the ultimate messenger - "the Messenger" or "the Angel of God"!

The subject verses today are about the miraculous birth of Samson:

Jud 13:2 ...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. 3 And 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... 6 Then 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... 8 Then 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. 9 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. 12 And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him? 13 And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware. 14  She 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. 15 And 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. 16 And 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. 17 And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? 18  And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret? 19 So 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. 20  For 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. 21 But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. 22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God ...24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Like Elizabeth who bore the obvious Nazerite (Luke 7:33), John the Baptist, Hazelelponi (not named above), the wife of Manoah, was barren as well. The Holy Spirit was with her, and the Nazerite Samson was born to this barren woman. Nazerites were set apart for service to God (see Num 6). 

God came to Elizabeth in Spirit. God came to Monoah in person! There is only one nature of God. That is as a man (verses 6, 8 and 11) . His other two substances are supernatural. In these verses, "a man" was mentioned several times as "the angel of God".  To make it clear, look how many times "angel" is used for the man's purpose - to bring a message to the couple. That message was how to beget a Nazarite judge!

In a couple of instances, rather than "the angel", it is written "an angel". For consistency, the translators probably should have kept it "the". 

Guess who is the man of God? The Son of Man.

Ezek 33:2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people...

This was written before the Son of Man was made flesh... long before!

Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 

Jesus referred to himself as "the Son of Man". He is "the man" who appeared to Manoah and his wife.

Verse 6 expounds on this further, referring to Him as "the man of God'. We know also from scripture that Jesus is the Son of God (Mat 8:29).  Thus, Jesus as "Son of Man" and "Son of God" was "the Man of God".

Hazelelponi said, "his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God" (verse 6)." Jesus showed his true self on the Mount of Transfiguration. Since Moses apparently saw Jesus transformed to his Old Testament appearance, it seems that Jesus's transfigured presence was what Hazelelponi saw as well! Also in verse 6 she said "neither told me his name". Why would that be? God is without Name. He just Is! When he was transformed to the Son of Man, he was called Jesus (Luke 2:21).

In verse 11 Manoah asked, "Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am." Who did "the man" claim to be? God who just Is!

Exod 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

How clear can scripture be? What is your name? "I am"! - I AM God. This man who appeared to them was God. When God appears, His apparition is always the Word - Jesus Christ. The man who was the angel of God was not flesh but his countenance was glorified; whatever kind of covering that is.

In verse 12 Manoah said, "Now let thy words come to pass." Again as the Mediator between man and God, Jesus was the Words which would come to pass (John 1:1,14).

In verse 14 the Man said, "all that I commanded her let her observe." In scripture, neither men nor angels have the authority to command. Commands belong to God, and God alone. He commands His Will using the Word.

In verse 16 the pair was to offer a burnt offering unto the Lord. He was there, and needed their love. Because of their gratitude to the Lord, they provided a sacrfice to Him. It was symbolic of themselves. If the man was a mere angel, they are not to be revered. That's for God and God alone!

In verse 17 the angel of the Lord said, "Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?" His Name had yet to be revealed. That did not come until Jesus birth when he was "called Jesus". Paul referred to the "mystery of God"/ "the mystery of Christ". The mystery or secret is that salvation, and thus the Old Testament, was always about Jesus and His grace.

Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Ephes 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit...

In verse 20 it says, "the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar."  The man ascended. Where did we read that before? 

Acts 1:9 And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

"In the flame of the altar?" That is how Jesus's Holy Ghost descended (Acts 2:3). 

In verse 20, the two fell on their faces to the ground. Why? They were in the presence of God! He disappeared from their view just as he had when he ascended as Jesus.

The clearest passage is verse 22, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God." Scripture says that no man can see God face to face or he would die (Exod 33:20). Jesus came so that mankind could see God face to face. They didn't die because they saw Jesus! 

Verse 25 says, "the Spirit of the Lord began to move him." God in person left by ascending. However, in His absence, His Holy Spirit descended and remained on Samson. This is straight out of Acts 1 and 2! Scripture as well have said, "People, this is Jesus! Worship Him!"