The Bible makes more than fifty references to the “Angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament.
Judges 6 v 21
Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared.
1 Chronicles 21 v 15
And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
Some Christian groups think this angel is Michael the Archangel. Other groups, including some Protestants, believe this is simply another angelic being who was active in the Old Testament.
Having said this, what did the early Christians believe about the Angel of the Lord?
When we look at the Angel of the Lord, we notice some particular attributes, compared to other angels.
He Speaks as God
When Moses stands before the Burning Bush, we read it is occupied by the Angel of the Lord.
Exodus 3 v 2
There the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
In verse 4, we read it is God speaking from within the Burning Bush.
Exodus 3 v 4
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And not only this, but actually He tells Moses that He is God.
Exodus 3 v 6
Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
So the Angel of the Lord is considered to be intrinsically equated with God in the Old Testament.
The Blessings of the Angel
The Angel appears to issues blessings which only God can give.
In Genesis 16, the Angel of the Lord blesses Hagar and tells her He will increase her descendants.
Genesis 16 v 10
The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
A mere angel could not give such a blessing. This must be a special kind of spiritual entity.
Worshiping the Angel
The Angel of the Lord appears to accept worship.
Joshua 5 v 13-15
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence (worship), and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Here Joshua worships the Commander of the Lord’s Army. This is typically understood to be the Angel of the Lord. The angel does not stop Joshua in his worship of Him.
Angel of the Lord and the Early Church
In Galatians we read:
Galatians 4 v 14
And the test to you in my flesh, you did not despise nor reject me with contempt, but rather you received me like as an angel of God, like as Christ Jesus. [Literal Emphasis Translation]
This is a complicated verse to translate, but one way is to say that Paul is comparing Jesus to an angel. Most Bibles do not show this in English, as it raises questions over Jesus existing as an angel. But we know Paul believes Jesus is the Son of God, but here it seems that he is drawing a parallel between Christ and an Angel of God (or the Angel of the Lord).
Justin identifies the Angel of the Lord in the Burning Bush with Jesus.
Justin Martyr (AD 100-165)
The Father of the universe has a Son (Jesus); who also, being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God. And of old He appeared in the shape of fire and in the likeness of an angel to Moses and to the other prophets; but now in the times of your reign, having, as we before said, become Man by a virgin...
Irenaeus also adopts the same viewpoint in his writings too.
So the Early Church had this understanding that Jesus was the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. When we read the passages which feature the Angel, I’d encourage to replace that phrase with Jesus. It will open up Scripture in a fresh way.
Brother, this has always been and remains to this day the teaching of the Orthodox Church. This is the secret hidden from the ages, the veil over the books of Moses that is taken away by the true teaching (2 Corinthians Chapter 3). The only reason 'modern' western 'Christianity' does not know and confess these things is because Rome left the Church in 1054, and the Protestants left Rome in the reformation. The Holy Spirit, not being present in non-baptised seekers, did not therefore preserve the teaching intact, hence the lack of clarity and unity of confession of Protestant denominations to this day and the resultant fact that there can be any audience for this article. The teaching has been preserved in Holy Orthodoxy and will be so until the end of the age. I am sure you are sincere, and so I beg you to please credit this insight to where it belongs - His still-extant holy Orthodox Church and not to some fantastical 'Early Church' which you seem to imply no longer exists. Please forgive me my frankness, or if I have misunderstood you - I mean no offence. St Justin Martyr is one of our earliest and most eloquent apologists, and his faith and description of worship are recognisably Orthodox - displaying the remarkable and miraculous consistency that is the hallmark of the Holy Spirit and the pre-requisite for Holy Orthodoxy. The faith that is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), once and for all delivered to the Saints - Jude 1:3.
Fascinating. I've never heard this before but it makes sense.