THE KING’S BUSINESS
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in me, and I am afraid to die.” We spent some time over the Word and then went to prayer. There the Spirit spoke to her and she spoke to God like a little child, and arose from her knees a different wo
man and a new light in her face, and said, “You surely were sent to me this morning, when I expected to return home in such unrest; now it’s quietness and peace.” “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe.”
Light on Puzzling Passages and Problems B y R . A . TO RR E Y
Does the “Angel of the LORD” who ap peared unto Gideon refer to Christ Him self? Yes, beyond a question “the Angel of the LORD” (i. e., the Angel of Jehovah) re fers to our Lord Jesus. A clear distinction is drawn in the Bible between “an angel of the LORD” and “The Angel of the LORD.” The Revised Version always preserves this distinction; the Authorized Version some times does not. That this person desig nated as "The Angel of the LORD” refers to our Lord Jesus in visible manifestations before His incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth is clear from many passages of Scripture. In Genesis 16:7-13, “The Angel of the LORD” who found Hagar by the fountain of water in the wilderness is recorded as saying unto her, “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.” Now, of course, it was Jehovah who should do this work but “the Angel of the LORD” says “I will do it.” Furthermore, in this passage we are told that Hagar called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, “Thou God seest me,” so it is clear according to the inspired rec ord that “The Angel of the LORD” who spoke unto her was “the LORD,” or Je hovah Himself, Jehovah in what is called technically “a theophany,” i. e., a visible manifestation of God. Again in Genesis 21:17, 18, the “Angel of God” is represented as saying, “I will make him a great nation.” Of course, we know from the record that it was God who made
of Ishmael a great nation, but here it is the Angel who says, “I will make him a great nation,” therefore it is clear that the “Angel of God” was God Himself. In Genesis 22:11, 12, “The Angel of the LORD” is represented as saying to Abra ham, “I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withholden thy son, thine only son from me.” Of course, it was Jehovah from whom Abraham had not withheld his son, so it is clear that the “Angel of Je hovah” identifies Himself with Jehovah Himself. In Judges 2:1, 2 R. V. “The Angel of the LORD” is represented as coming up from Gilgal to Bochim and saying to the Israel ites, “I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you into the land which I sware unto your fathers: and I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you.’” Now, of course, it was Jehovah Himself who brought up Israel out of Egypt and who made the covenant with them, but here it is “The Angel of the LORD” who is rep resented as bringing them up and making a covenant; so it is clear that the “Angel of the LORD” is Jehovah. The most remarkable passage is Genesis 18. In this chapter we are told that “the LORD” (i. e., Jehovah, see American Standard Edition) appeared unto Abraham in the Plains of Mamre. As the account goes on we are told it was “Three men stood by him.” Of these three men one is represented as saying, “I will certainly re7 turn unto thee according to the time of
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