The angel of the covenant

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 

Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. 

But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. Exo 23:20-22 

 

The angel of the covenant

 

I. His nature was Divine.

 

1. Equal with God.

(1) Bearing the Divine name; "My name is in Him." The incommunicable covenant name of Jehovah.

(2) Performing Divine actions; "Mine angel shall go," etc., "I will cut them off." So New Testament, "I and My father are one."

2. Distinct from the personality of the speaker, "I send," so New Testament, "The Father which sent Me."

 

II. His office was to conduct the covenant people to the fulfilment of God's covenant engagement.

 

1. Providence. "To keep thee in the way." So Christ "upholds all things by the word of His power." "In Him all things consist." Generally and particularly He preserves those who trust in Him

(Joh 10:28).

2. Redemption. "To bring thee into the place which I have prepared." Israel's redemption is only half accomplished as yet. So Christ's eternal redemption is not complete till the last enemy is destroyed (Joh 14:2-3).

 

III. The proper attitude towards Him.

 

1. Fear. Carefulness not to displease Him. Christ is the Savior of those only who believe in Him. To others He is a "savor of death unto death."

2. Obedience. "Obey His voice." So says the Father in the New Testament (Mat 17:5); and Himself (Mat 28:20). This implies

(1) Trust in His person.

(2) Subjection to His authority.

(3) The prosecution of His commands.

 

IV. The reward of obedience to Him (Exo 23:22-23).

 

1. Identification and sympathy with us in our cause. "I will be an enemy," etc.

2. Victory over our foes (1Co 15:57), world, flesh, devil, death, etc.

3. Inheritance in the promised land.

 

Learn—

1. (2Ti 1:9), That God's grace has been manifested in Jesus Christ from the beginning of the world.

2. That God's grace has been, through Jesus Christ, with His people up to the present moment.

3. And will be till the end of the world. (J. W. Burn.)

 

 

 

The Divine presence in life is pledged to two effects, supposing our spirit and our conduct to be right. God undertakes our cause as against our enemies. Would we could leave our enemies in His hands! I do not now speak altogether of merely human enemies—because where there is enmity between man and man, though it never can be justified, yet it admits of such modification in the system of words as to throw responsibility upon both sides—but I speak of other enemies,—the enmity expressed by evil desire, by the pressure of temptation, by all the array against the soul's health and weal of the principalities of the power of the air, the princes of darkness, the spirits of evil. Send the angel to fight the angel; let the angel of light fight the angel of darkness. The second effect to which the Divine presence in our life is pledged is that we shall be blessed with the contentment which is riches. Thus we have mysteries amongst us which the common or carnal mind cannot understand. Men asking God's blessing upon what appears to be unblest poverty—men saying it is enough when we can discover next to nothing in the hand uplifted in recognition of Divine goodness. Thus we hear voices coming from the bed of affliction that have in them the subdued tones of absolute triumph; thus the sick-chamber is turned into the church of the house, and if we would recover from dejection, and repining, and sorrow, we must go to the bedside of affliction and learn there how wondrous is the ministry of God's angel, how perfecting and ennobling the influence of God's grace. (J. Parker, D. D.)