Thread: The angel of the Lord

Exod 3:2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exodus 23:20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.
22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

Exod 14:19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

Some Christians teach that "the Angel of the Lord" was Jesus and not really an angel. Is there any indication of that anywhere in the OT or NT ?

It's possible to take it both ways as God or a specific powerful angel representing God

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

It's possible to take it both ways as God or a specific powerful angel representing God

The first passage says both so the angel represented God so fully that it was like looking at God himself. But can one just substitute in Jesus wherever God is mentioned or alternatively declare that no angel could possibly represent God fully so therefore it must have been Jesus and not an actual angelic being ?

Originally Posted by Colonel

The first passage says both so the angel represented God so fully that it was like looking at God himself. But can one just substitute in Jesus wherever God is mentioned or alternatively declare that no angel could possibly represent God fully so therefore it must have been Jesus and not an actual angelic being ?

Yep

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

Yep

Why cannot an angel represent God that fully ?

Originally Posted by Colonel

Why cannot an angel represent God that fully ?

Angels reflect different attributes of God and some reflect his awesome power and authority

Originally Posted by Cardinal TT

Angels reflect different attributes of God and some reflect his awesome power and authority

How does that answer my question ?

Originally Posted by Colonel

How does that answer my question ?

It doesn't

Exodus 23:20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.

"my name is in him" means that the angel represented God fully. God's name is a representation of who He is, in Jewish thinking.

Good point