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the Angel of Jehovah, or the Angel of the Covenant. The first time Jehovah
"appeared" unto Abram was when he entered the land of Canaan, in obedience to that
Divine call which singled him out to become the ancestor of the people of God.
(Genesis 12:7) After that a fresh appearance of Jehovah, and of the Angel of the
Covenant, in whom He manifested Himself, marked each stage of the Covenant
history. And this appearance was not only granted to Abraham and to Hagar, to
Jacob, to Moses, to Balaam, to Gideon, to Manoah and to his wife, and to David, but
even towards the close of Jewish history this same Angel of Jehovah is still found
pleading for rebellious, apostate Israel in these words: "O Jehovah of Hosts, how long
wilt Thou not have mercy on Jerusalem?"(Zechariah 1:12) The more carefully we
follow His steps, the more fully shall we be convinced that He was not an ordinary
Angel, but that Jehovah was pleased to reveal Himself in this manner under the Old
Testament. We shall have frequent occasion to return to this very solemn subject.
Meantime it may be interesting to know that of old the Jews also regarded Him as the
Shechinah, or visible presence of God, - the same as appeared in the pillar of the
cloud and of fire, and afterwards in the temple, in the most holy place; while the
ancient Church almost unanimously adored in Him the Son of God, the Second
Person of the blessed Trinity. We cannot conceive any subject more profitable, or
likely to be fraught with greater blessing, than reverently to follow the footsteps of
the Angel of Jehovah through the Old Testament.
- The one grand characteristic of the patriarchs was their faith. The lives of the
patriarchs prefigure the whole history of Israel and their Divine selection. In the
words of a recent German writer, amidst all varying events, the one constant trait in
patriarchal history was "faith which lays hold on the word of promise, and on the
strength of this word gives up that which is seen and present for that which is unseen
and future." Thus "Abraham was the man of joyous, working faith; Isaac of patient,
bearing faith; Jacob of contending and prevailing faith." But all lived and "died in
faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were
persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims in the earth." And it is still so. Without ignoring the great privilege of those
who are descended from Abraham, yet, in the true sense, only "they which are of
faith, the same are the children of Abraham;" "and if ye be Christ's, then are ye
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." To adapt the words of a
German poet:
"What marks each one within the fold
Is faith that does not see;
And yet, as if it did behold,
Trusts, unseen Lord, to Thee!"
(^)