Genesis 16:7-12 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.… 1. The nature of angels is spiritual (Hebrews 1:14). This characteristic ranges over the whole chain of spiritual being from man up to God Himself. Being spiritual, they are not only moral, but intelligent. They also excel in strength (Psalm 103:20). The holy angels have the full range of action for which their qualities are adapted. They do not grow old or die. They are not a race, and have not a body in the ordinary sense of the term. 2. Their office is expressed by their name. In common with other intelligent creatures, they take part in the worship of God (Revelation 7:11). But their special office is to execute the commands of God in the natural world (Psalm 103:20), and especially to minister to the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14; Matthew 18:10; Luke 15:10; Luke 16:22). 3. The angel of Jehovah. This phrase is specially employed to denote the Lord Himself in that form in which He condescends to make Himself manifest to man. For the Lord God says of this angel, "Beware of Him, and obey His voice; provoke Him not, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in His inmost" (Exodus 23:21), that is, My nature is in His essence. Accordingly He who is called the angel of the Lord in one place is otherwise denominated the Lord or God in the immediate context (Genesis 16:7, 13; Genesis 22:11, 12; Genesis 31:11, 13; Genesis 48:15, 16; Exodus 3:2-15; Exodus 23:20-23 with Exodus 33:14,15). It is remarkable at the same time that the Lord is spoken of in these cases as a distinct person from the angel of the Lord, who is also called the Lord. The phraseology intimates to us a certain inherent plurality within the essence of the one only God, of which we have had previous indications (Genesis 1:1, 26; Genesis 3:22). The phrase, "angel of the Lord," however, indicates a more distant manifestation to man than the term Lord itself. It brings the medium of communication into greater prominence. It seems to denote some person of the Godhead in angelic form. (Prof. J. G. Murphy.) Parallel Verses KJV: And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. |
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