In my early years of the faith I questioned the notion that The Angel of the LORD was a pre-existent manifestation of Jesus. This was mostly due to the Protestant habit of placing an unbalanced amount of study on New Testament documents rather than a more balanced amount of "Old" Testament and "New". In fact this was the most striking feature of Messianic Judaism which I came to grips with. The fact that Christians just don't study the "Old" Testament enough.

I now see Jesus as the Messenger of the LORD quite clearly in the "Old" Testament and the "New". In fact, I think it is quite clear in Paul's statement,

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"(1 Tim. 2:5)

This "mediator" is Paul's reference to the "Messenger of The LORD". In Hebrew the title is, "Malak YHVH" or spoken in Jewish circles as, "Malak Adonai". This is the Mediator which speaks to man as God's vessel. In fact this is how Jewish minds have described the Malak Adonai. He is necessary due to the LORD's Glorious Being. No man could stand in the LORD's presence due to His Majestic Holiness. That was the reason why the LORD had a Messenger to mediate between Him and mankind.

Now to a more difficult question, "How is God a man?" Well, God is not a man but the Messenger of the LORD clearly appeared as a man, so we understand the Malak Adonai to represent the LORD's mediating nature between Himself and His creation. The Malak Adonai is an extension of the LORD for lack of a better explanation, but the very nature of God has always been beyond mankind's understanding anyway. One key to understanding the ancient attitude toward the "Angel of the LORD" is in Jacob's prayer over Joseph's son's,

"The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads;"(Gen. 48:16a).

Clearly the "Angel of the LORD" was considered to be part of the Godhead in the Hebraic mind by Jacob's prayerful petition for the Messenger's blessing upon the boys. The Messenger is allowed to accept prayer and to bestow blessings, which are clearly functions of the LORD.

The early Hebrew worldview understood the Malak Adonai as the LORD's physical manefestation as a man. This is more significant when we consider that man was made in the image of God. Suddenly the passage in Genesis,

"Let us make man in our image,"(Gen. 1:26)

could indicate that the Malak Adonai was one of the "us" speaking.

Now consider John 1:1 which speaks of Jesus as the Word, and how the Word was with God and was God. The Malak Adonai was all about the Word of the LORD. He was the Messenger of the LORD's Word. In fact in the "Old" Testament we read often that, "The Word of the LORD came too..." Clearly God did not just appear as the "Angel" but often His Word would come to people in dreams or in prayer. And Jesus states,

"For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which; sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." (John 12:49)

The mystery of course is how Jesus can be both God and subject to God for He states,

"Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."(John 20:17).

This is unfathomable to our minds but Jesus is God's Messenger, our Mediator, and our Savior. Just as Jacob prayed to the "Angel" which redeemed him from all evil, so we pray to the Mediator who has saved us from all evil.

In the same way that the Malak Adonai was considered to be the LORD, we see Paul stating,

"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell."(1 Col. 1:19).

Peace continue to be with you all. :-)

Sincerely,

TruthCeeker333