2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
Today, we continue looking at Scriptures that refer to God as the Angel of the Lord. GN 48 is the story of how Jacob blesses his son, Joseph and his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. This occasion has some interesting twists and turns in it that bear examination. It is interesting to note that since Joseph had been in Egypt throughout his adult life and thus separated from his father, Jacob didn’t know the two boys very well. GN 48: 13-16, “Joseph put Ephraim at Jacob’s left and Manasseh at his right. But Jacob crossed his hands, and put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, even through he was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, who was the older. Then he blessed Joseph: ‘May God, Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac served, bless these boys! May God, Who has led me to this very day, bless them! May the Angel, Who has rescued me from all harm, bless them! May my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac live through these boys! May they have many children, many descendants!’ “ This is not the first time that the younger son received a more favored blessing. You will remember that Jacob, who was the younger son, actually deceived Isaac (then blind) into giving him the blessing that was meant for his older twin, Esau [GN 27: 27]. God had His hand in those events, just as He does in this blessing of Joseph’s sons. We really see this when we realize that Esau’s descendants became the Edomites, who acted as enemies of the Israelites (Jacob’s descendants). The little book of Obadiah reveals the destruction to which Edom came.
When Joseph saw that Jacob had crossed his arms, he was upset and tried to correct the situation. But Jacob had been God-directed in this and had done it intentionally. When Joseph tried to place Jacob’s right hand on Manasseh’s head, Jacob refused and responded in GN 48: 19. “I know, son, I know. Manasseh’s descendants will also become a great people. But his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become great nations.” (20b) “In this way Jacob put Ephraim before Manasseh.” The significance of this occasion is Jacob’s adoption of these two boys. This is adoption in the Jewish sense of the word, meaning acceptance of their full-fledged status in the faith. That differs from the way we use the word, adoption, to mean establishment of a legal family relationship between people not biologically related to each other. By doing this, Jacob assured that when the land of Canaan was divided among the twelve tribes, Joseph would receive a double portion of that land. That is why instead of having one territory called “Joseph,” there were two portions called “Manasseh” and “Ephraim.” It is interesting to note that the territories of Canaan as divided in 1200-1020 BC map of Israel actually show two areas assigned to the tribe of Manasseh. One was east of the Jordan River and north of Gad, and the other was west of the Jordan, north of Ephraim and south of Issachar. That is because Manasseh had so many descendants.
You will also notice In Jacob’s blessing that “God” is used in (15) when referring to the Deity served by Jacob’s fathers (meaning father and grand-father), Abraham and Isaac. Further down in (16), the term “Angel Who has rescued me..” is used. Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer (One Who rescues or Angel Who redeems), which would lead me to conclude that this is clearly a reference to the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.
Once again we meet with the Angel of the Lord in EX 3: 2 when Moses comes upon the burning bush. EX 3: 1-2, “One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. There the Angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush.” The Lord called to him from the middle of the bush, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” “So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God” (5-6). There can be no question that the first person of the Godhead was present here. The rest of this chapter reveals God’s compassion as He lets Moses know that He is aware of the suffering of the Hebrews and of His intentions to see them rescued from slavery in Egypt. EX 3: 12 is most revealing, “I will be with you, and when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will worship Me on this mountain. That will be the proof that I have sent you.” Notice God didn’t say “if you bring the people out of Egypt;” he said “when you bring the people out of Egypt.” That reveals God’s omniscience and His omnipotence. Despite Moses’ objections that he wasn’t qualified (because of his speech impediment), God knew beforehand that Moses was the right man for the job of leading the Jews out of Egyptian bondage. The fact that Moses covered his face before God indicates that he knew and revered God; his approach was with humility.
God wanted Moses to know another important attribute of His, His sufficiency. This is revealed in EX 3: 14 when God responds to Moses’ question about God’s name. “God said, ‘I am Who I am. You must tell the people: The One Who is called I AM has sent me to you.’ “ The significance to Moses, the people, and to us of this statement shouldn’t be missed. God is the only God we need. He is the “end all, be all”-sufficient for all-Deity. Thus, He calls Himself “I AM Who I AM.” With all of the idolatry that has been practiced throughout mankind’s history, I must ask the question: Why can’t we take God at His word? In other words, why can’t we be faithful? I don’t ask that question with any pretense of setting myself above anyone else. I direct the question at myself as it is toward anyone else. From the beginning, God has wanted us to write His teachings on our hearts. He has wanted nothing more that claim us as His people and Himself as our God. [See EX 20: 3-5; DT 6: 4-5; JER 31: 33-34]. Isn’t it amazing how much He has revealed about Himself and His love for His children just in the two passages examined in this morning’s message? We are surely a blessed people to have God’s word available to us!
PRAYER: O Lord, You challenge us to spend time with the Scriptures, because You want us to know You in the most profound ways. We are asked to learn about Your marvelous attributes through the stories told, true stories about real people like Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Moses. Over and over again, You express Your love for Your children by bringing us to a place where we are to examine our lives. Your greatest purpose is to lead us from sin by the path opened for us by the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross. Once on that path, we are challenged to welcome suffering we must endure which propels our sanctification forward. That suffering is a gift offered to us by Your grace. Your main goal is to bring us close to You, like a eagle gathers its young close to the warmth of its body for protection. When we trust and obey You, we are protected from the onslaught of the adversary’s attempts to lure us away from You. By revealing Your attributes, You give us a model to work toward. Even through we are not perfect as You are, You love us when we attempt to conform with the paradigm given us in Jesus Christ. No other people are more blessed than those with faith in You! For that and so much more, we humbly offer You adoration, worship, praise, thanks, trust, obedience, reverence, honor, glory, and loyalty forever. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will see more of what God reveals about Himself in Scriptures about the “Angel of the Lord.” It’s a fascinating road down which our Lord is taking us. I hope you feel as blessed by this journey as I do. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn