There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.
Exodus 3:2a
Angels seem to be often misunderstood and improperly revered in today’s society. They are worn on jewelry and even prayed to. We know that angels are found throughout Scripture and are mentioned many times. God deploys them to convey His messages, to protect His people, and to battle against the fallen angel, Satan, and the angels who fell with him.
There are two angels mentioned by name: Michael and Gabriel. Michael’s task was to protect the Jewish people (Daniel 12:1). Gabriel appeared four times: to Daniel (twice), John the Baptist’s father, and to Mary.
It is a commonly held belief that whenever the Old Testament mentions “the angel of the Lord”, it is likely Jesus appearing to someone in pre-incarnate bodily form. This happened several times. It’s worth listing many of these occurrences, so that we can see the moments that God chose to have direct communication with the Jewish people.
The angel of the Lord appeared to:
- Sarai (Sarah) regarding Ishmael’s birth (Genesis 16:7–14)
- Abraham when he was about to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:11–18)
- Jacob during a dream (Genesis 31:11–13)
- Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3)
- Balaam and his talking donkey (Numbers 22:21–35)
- Gideon about his upcoming victory against the Midianites (Judges 6)
- Samson’s parents about his birth and future (Judges 13)
- Elijah after fleeing Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1–18)
- David as God brought a plague on Israel (2 Samuel 24:16–17; 1 Chronicles 21:15–19)
The angel of the Lord isn’t mentioned again after the birth of Jesus. Nonetheless, I find great comfort in the fact that God intervenes supernaturally in the lives of His people throughout the ages. And you know what is even more exciting? He still does this every day in the lives of believers because we have God living within us through His Holy Spirit.
Just as angels convey messages and bring protection at God’s bidding, so the Holy Spirit guides us into making wise choices and avoiding evil. The catch is that the still small voice of His Spirit (1 Kings 19:9–18) is awfully hard to hear when we’re walking in sin and not pursuing Him with all our might.