The Divine Messenger: Appearances of the Son of God in the Old Testament

By Matthew Bryce Ervin and Joel Richardson

The Son of God didn't first come onto the scene in the final quarter of the Bible. He appeared as a fascinating and sometimes mysterious figure throughout the Old Testament. He is called by many names and referred to in many ways. He appeared as the Word of the Lord, as the presence within the Glory of the Lord, as the personification of Wisdom, as the Angel of the Lord, as the Captain of the Lord's army, and as Yahweh on earth. Some of his appearances were dramatic, while others were subtle. Each of them highlights the Son's role as the Father's messenger. And the appearances all foreshadowed the Incarnation, when the Son of God would become a man and more fully reveal the Godhead to his creation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Jun 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666771633

Matthew Bryce Ervin

Rev. Matthew B. Ervin, MA, MTS, is a minister in the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA). The founder and director of Apple Eye, a Bible-teaching ministry, he is a popular speaker at churches, synagogues, conferences, and rallies. Matthew currently serves as a seminary professor and the associate pastor of Candlewood Church in Land O' Lakes, Florida.

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The Divine Messenger

Appearances of the Son of God in the Old Testament

Matthew Bryce Ervin

Foreword by Joel Richardson

The Divine Messenger

Appearances of the Son of God in the Old Testament

Copyright ©

2023

Matthew Bryce Ervin. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers,

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paperback isbn: 978-1-6667-7161-9

hardcover isbn: 978-1-6667-7162-6

ebook isbn: 978-1-6667-7163-3

09/09/21

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright ©

1960

,

1962

,

1963

,

1968

,

1971

,

1972

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1973

,

1975

,

1977

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by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright ©

2001

by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Foreword

Chapter 1: Justin’s Testimony

Christophanies

The Word of Yahweh

The Angel of Yahweh

The Glory of Yahweh

Wisdom Personified

Other Occasions

All Those Names

The Scriptures Testify

Chapter 2: There in the Beginning

Let Us

The Word in Eden

Chapter 3: With Father Abraham

The Covenantor

The God Who Hears and Sees

The King of Nations

Yahweh by the Oaks

The Perfect Sacrifice

Chapter 4: The King of Righteousness

The Priest-King of God Most High

A Priest Forever

Like the Son of God

The Likeness of Melchizedek

Shem?

The Melchizedek Scroll

Melchizedek, the Logos

Do you Recognize Him?

Chapter 5: With Isaac and Jacob

Isaac’s Shepherd

Jacob’s Shepherd

The Redeeming Angel

Minister to the Father

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Chapter 6: Leading the Exodus

In the Burning Bush

Moses’ Judge

In the Pillar of Fire

Standing on the Rock

The Word on Sinai

The Angel With Yahweh’s Name in Him

The God of Israel

He Wrote With the Finger of God

Moses’ Friend

Chapter 7: Christ in the Wilderness

Sender of the Holy Spirit

The Form of Yahweh

Balaam’s Adversary

Joshua’s Leader

The Captain of Yahweh’s Army

Chapter 8: Raising Up the Judges

The Angel From Gilgal

The Angel Under the Oak

The Angel With the Wonderful Name

Chapter 9: Reigning Over the Kings

The Revealer of Yahweh

The Angel by the Threshing Floor

Solomon’s Provider

The King of Kings

Chapter 10: With Elijah

Elijah’s Provider

Ahaziah’s Adversary

In the Whirlwind

Chapter 11: With Job

Speaking From the Whirlwind

Chapter 12: With Isaiah and Ezekiel

Isaiah’s King

The Angel in the Camp of the Assyrians

Ezekiel’s King

Chapter 13: With Daniel and His Friends

The Fourth Man in the Furnace

The Man With the Lightning Face

Michael?

Chapter 14: Seen by Amos and Zechariah

Israel’s Judge

The Angel Among the Myrtles

The Cleansing Angel

Chapter 15: Incarnate Deity

The Angel of the Covenant

The Father’s Messenger

Bibliography

For

Jennifer Jamie

Foreword

Joel Richardson

In 1995, Walter C. Kaiser Jr. published what has become a classic among the best theological works of the last century. The Messiah in the Old Testament is a survey of several seminal Old Testament messianic prophecies. Kaiser begins, as I believe he should, in Gen 3:15, with the Lord’s prophetic declaration about the promised one, the seed who will someday crush the skull of the serpent and undo the effects of the curse. Theologians often refer to this text as the Protoevangelium, or the first Gospel. Taken together, the promise of the Messiah, his coming victory over the serpent, and the restoration of Eden make up the very foundation of the Gospel itself. This is the good news for which the whole cosmos currently yearns. From Gen 3, the survey moves forward through the Torah as the story of the seed germinates, cracks open, takes root, and grows. This study provides much more than simple signs for us to watch for. It speaks not only of the lineage of the Messiah, where he will come from, or where he will be born. It also speaks of his mission, his character, his passions, and his glorious, triumphant destiny. It tells an unfolding story of promise that spans throughout the entirety of biblical history. It traces what some have called the scarlet thread interwoven through the pages of the Bible. Among the many great books in my library, I have returned to this work more than nearly any other. When I teach on numerous subjects, it is from this survey that I often pivot. It has become the backbone for so many of my teachings. Whether I’m speaking of Israel’s role in the plan of God, or even the Antichrist and the last days, I nearly always begin with the framework provided by this wonderful study of messianic prophecy. By understanding the story, the mission, and the destiny of the Messiah we are far better equipped to understand numerous other issues. Everything revolves around the Messiah. As such, my own approach to doing theology and teaching is very much Messiah-centric.

There are of course other similar studies that have been published. The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament by Edmund P. Clowney is also an excellent survey of Messianic prophecy. All this said, I am particularly excited by this new study written by my friend Matthew Ervin. In this volume, Matt focuses specifically on appearances of the Messiah in the Old Testament. It will thus be the perfect complement to studies such as those by Kaiser or Clowney. Matt and I share several of the same passions. First, we are both bibliophiles, which is to say that we have a deep appreciation for high quality Bibles. When I spoke at the congregation he was pastoring in northwest Wyoming a few years ago, he gifted me a beautiful, personal-sized New American Standard Schuyler Bible wrapped in goatskin leather. I since was privileged to give that Bible away to a dear Muslim friend while visiting Saudi Arabia. I did of course immediately purchase a replacement upon returning to the States. Matt and I also share a passion for trail running. I suspect we also love danger a bit too much as well. When I visited him, he shared a video he made on his phone of a grizzly bear he had encountered that was far too close for my comfort. Beyond these things however, Matt and I also share the deepest love for biblical theology—premillennial theology to be precise. Matt’s previous book One Thousand Years With Jesus is truly one of the finest studies ever published on the millennial reign of Jesus. Matt is also an original thinker conversant with the writings of the early Church as well as intertestamental literature and Jewish commentary. Bits and pieces of this will be seen in this book. I’m incredibly eager, outright stoked if I can say this in a theology book, for the Church to dig into and enjoy this outstanding addition to the study of the Messiah’s ministry. It is a volume that I will be recommending to all of my friends and acquaintances who love Jesus and desire to know him better. Maranatha!

1

Justin’s Testimony

In his magnum opus, Dialogue with Trypho, Justin Martyr (ca. 100–165 AD) taught that there were moments in history when God had personally visited different people. But it wasn’t the Father, the Holy Spirit, or God in general who made these special appearances; it was the Son. The subject came up in one of Justin’s arguments with Trypho. Trypho was likely a fictional character created by Justin as a literary device. He was the quintessential Jewish man who objected to Jesus as the Messiah, and he brought forth many arguments still used by rabbis and counter-missionaries today. Since Justin was trying to bring this Jewish man to saving faith in Jesus, he looked to prove his case from the Hebrew Bible:

I shall give you another testimony, my friends, said I, from the Scriptures, that God begat before all creatures a Beginning, [who was] a certain rational power [proceeding] from Himself, who is called by the Holy Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then God, and then Lord and Logos; and on another occasion He calls Himself Captain, when He appeared in human form to Joshua the son of Nave (Nun).¹

And with those words, the great second-century church father summarized a truth that is so profound and deep in meaning that even in eternity the saints may not fully comprehend it. The Son of God didn’t wait for thousands of years to become incarnate before he visited and interacted with man. As God, Jesus personally communicated with his creation on a regular basis, from Adam and Eve onward.

Many Christians find it difficult to read and study the Old Testament. They prefer to remain in the New, in large part because Jesus is there. Once the believer sees Jesus throughout the entire Bible—not just spiritually, but actually in person—it becomes a more exciting and rewarding experience to become immersed in all of God’s word. It is, then, of tremendous spiritual value to consider the various ways in which the Son of God has appeared before he became a man.

Christophanies

Appearances of the preincarnate Christ may be understood as Old Testament Christophanies. A Christophany (or Messiahophany if you prefer) is a non-incarnate appearance or manifestation of Christ, the Son of God, to one or more people. The traditional definition of Christophany limited its application to New Testament manifestations of Christ after the resurrection. Since the late twentieth century, the term has been applied more and more to manifestations in the Old Testament as well.

Christ’s appearance near Damascus is a classic example of a Christophany from the New Testament. As Saul was approaching Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly shone around him. A voice asked Saul why he was persecuting him. Saul asked who it was that was speaking, and the voice answered, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting (Acts 9:3–5; 22:6–8; 26:13–15). Another New Testament example is the Patmos Christophany. On the isle of Patmos, the apostle John beheld one like the son of man. He was clothed in a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His hair was like wool, white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice roared like many waters. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was shining like the sun in all its brilliance. This individual said that he was the first and the last and the living one. He was dead but is now alive forevermore; he holds the keys of death and of Hades (Rev 1:12–18). This was undoubtedly a visitation by the glorified Jesus Christ, for he is soon after identified as the Son of God (Rev 2:18).

While Christophanies in the New Testament are easier to identify, they are small in number when compared with those in the Old Testament. A Christophany is a more specific form of a theophany, an appearance of God to one or more people. Through some investigation, it becomes evident that many of the theophanies in the Old Testament are likely Christophanies. There is even a case to be made that the vast majority of theophanies are Christophanies. For it is the role of the Son to explain the Father, revealing him to mankind (John 1:18). Each time God took on a human form to communicate with man it foreshadowed the Incarnation, when the Son of God actually became a man in order to dwell among us (Matt 1:23; John 1:14).

The following explanation of the Old Testament names from Justin’s list will give us the background knowledge needed to appreciate the many examples of the Son of God’s appearances in the chapters that follow.

The Word of Yahweh

The Targums

The targums (targum means interpretation or translation) were spoken paraphrases of the Hebrew Scriptures in the common language, which was mostly Aramaic, with some dating from at least the time of Ezra (ca. 458 BC). They were necessitated by the Babylonian captivity, which had stripped the average Jewish person’s ability to read and speak Hebrew. Texts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, notably the Targum to Job from Qumran cave XI, indicate that some of the targums were written down in Aramaic before the first-century AD. They continued to be put into written form until about 1200 AD. Out of the several that would come to be recorded, two of them—Targum Onkelos to the Torah and Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel to the Nevi’im (Prophets)—were granted official status in the Babylonian Talmud.² They were regularly read aloud in the synagogues of the Talmudic period, and they continue to be used in the liturgy of Yemenite synagogues to this day. Another prominent targum is Pseudo-Jonathan, a western targum to the Torah that used to be mistakenly attributed to Jonathan ben Uzziel. The targums are often not so much word-for-word translations, as much as they are midrashic or interpretive expansions that were intended to teach the audience truths and nuances that may have been otherwise missed. They provide us with great insight into how audiences closer to the original, both in time and culture, understood the Hebrew Scriptures. The targum passages on the Word of the Lord are especially helpful in the study of Old Testament Christophanies.

Rational Power

The certain rational power that proceeds from God is the Word of Yahweh.³ While there are many verses that Justin Martyr could have been referring to, one of them was likely Isa 55:11:

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Now consider the targum version, which is more in line with Justin’s phrasing:

Thus shall be the word of my kindness, which proceeds from my presence,

it is not possible that it shall return to my presence void,

but it shall accomplish that which I please,

and shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.⁴

While both versions teach the same thing, the targum brings some clarity in having the Word come from God’s presence rather than from his mouth. The Word is more than just something said; it is depicted much like an agent who is sent forth on a mission, one he is certain to complete. This isn’t to suggest that Isa 55:11 necessarily refers to the Son of God. But the verse does provide us with a general principle that can be applied to how the personified Word behaves and to the intimate relationship he has with God.

John opened his Gospel by identifying who Jesus was, not only before his incarnation but even before the universe was created through him:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being (John

1

:

1

–

3

).

Out of the many ways the apostle could have described the preincarnate Jesus, he opted to identify him as the Logos, translated as word in English. The Word is an indispensable part of God’s complex unity; he is simultaneously with God while also being God. When nothing else existed except for God, the Word was there. God created the universe (Gen 1:1), and only through the Word was anything created (Gen 1:3 and other uses of God said in the chapter; Ps 33:6; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2). The Word miraculously took on flesh and tabernacled among us as Jesus Christ (John 1:14). As the Son of God, Jesus went forth to accomplish his Father’s will, in essentially the same way that the Word proceeds from God’s presence.

John also opened his first epistle with a discussion of the eternal Son becoming incarnate, referring to him as the Word of Life (1 John 1:1–2). And in John’s Apocalypse, Jesus is once again identified as the Word:

He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God (Rev

19

:

13

).

The use of the Word to identify the Son isn’t limited to preincarnate references. Even at the Second Coming, Jesus will still be known as the Word. He held the title when he came as the Lamb Messiah and will continue to hold it as the Lion Messiah. The Word of God describes who Jesus was, who he is, and who he always will be (Heb 13:8).

Logos and Memra

The Greek logos is typically translated as word. Based on the context, it can also indicate an utterance by a living voice, the embodiment of an idea, reason, and several other related actions and concepts. The first known use of the logos as a technical term was by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus around 500 BC. He used it to designate the divine reason which governs the universe. Greek philosophers continued to use logos along similar lines of thinking in their own systems. It was a key component in Plato’s theory of forms. Philo Judaeus of Alexandria (ca. 20 BC–50 AD), a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher, made special use of the logos in his attempt to synthesize Moses, the prophets, and Plato into one philosophical system. While the Greeks didn’t couch the divine logos in anthropomorphic terms as John did, they were certainly able to appreciate what the apostle was teaching.

That being said, John wasn’t borrowing from Greek philosophy or Philo to make his point. The concept of the divine Word had long been taught by the Hebrews, and they did often portray the Word as a person. John’s usage of logos was rooted in the same Jewish thought behind the targum’s similar usage of memra.⁵ The Aramaic memra is the equivalent of logos. It was added to verse after verse in the targums to make it clear that it was specifically the Word of Yahweh who was intended, rather than Yahweh in general or Yahweh in heaven. In several places the addition of memra results in the divine Word communicating with one or more people. If the authors of the targums were correct to do this—even if only in some passages—it means that the preincarnate Messiah, as the Word of the Lord, visited mankind in the Old Testament! We’ll look at one astonishing example after another. Each one has the potential to help you see Jesus more clearly in the Hebrew Bible.

The Angel of Yahweh

Perhaps the most enigmatic figure in the entire Old Testament is the angel of Yahweh (or the angel of the Lord). He is certainly the most mysterious among the few others who appear as often as he does. On the one hand, he is spoken of as an angel, representing Yahweh. On the other hand, he is often identified as God or Yahweh himself. It is clear that he is no ordinary angel. The Hebrew word translated as angel is malak, which means messenger. Only on some occasions does malak indicate a created angelic being. It often indicates the theophanic angel: Yahweh the messenger. Some translations, notably the Geneva Bible, even capitalize angel in passages where the translators found that the divine angel is being referenced.

In several places, the angel of Yahweh is called the angel of God (malak Elohim). Another one of his names, the angel of his presence, is found in Isa 63:9. And in Mal 3:1, a critical verse on the coming Messiah, the angel of Yahweh is referred to as the messenger (or angel) of the covenant.

The Hebrew malak YHWH, commonly translated as the angel of the Lord in English Bibles, is in the grammatical form known as s’michut. S’michut, which means closeness, consists of two words set side by side that are meant to be understood and pronounced as just one word. Think of s’michut as the Hebrew version of a compound word. The main difference is that in English the first word in a compound describes the second; moonlight is a type of light, not a type of moon. In Hebrew, the second word in the compound describes the first. In the case of malak YHWH, the two component nouns were joined in order to form a specific name. This name could be translated as Yahweh-angel just as accurately as it is translated as the angel of the Lord.

Asher Intrater, a teacher and ministry leader, concluded that the angel’s name being in the s’michut form was significant (he prefers Yehovah over Yahweh):

The paired-noun grammatical form makes the expression angel of the Lord to be

1

) proper and

2

) merged.

1.

Proper—While it could be argued that angel-Yehovah is any one of a number of angels sent from God, the grammatical form points to it being a proper noun. It is the angel-Yehovah, not ANY angel from Yehovah. I do not know of even one example in the entire Hebrew Bible in which the term angel-Yehovah is in s’michut form, where the context demands that it is referring to a generic angel, or one of a group of angels.

2.

Merged—The two nouns, angel and Yehovah, modify one another. This is not a ball and a game but a ball game. It is a ball type of game. This is not just an angel but a Yehovah-type angel. The two terms cannot be separated from one another. The nature of this angel is determined by the name Yehovah. Angel and Yehovah are paired noun partners.

This grammatical structure fits perfectly the description of the figure that appeared to our prophets and patriarchs. The s’michut is so unusual and so fitting and so perfect that I cannot escape the impression that this grammatical form was sovereignly predestined and planned by God for the primary purpose of describing this one person in the Hebrew Bible.

It is a unique grammatical form to define a unique individual. There is no one else like Him. A special grammatical construct was needed to be able to name Him. No man fits that category; no angel fits that category; even God our Heavenly Father does not fit that category.⁶

The words malak YHWH are, on rare occasions, applied to other messengers. However, we are always told who they are (e.g., Hag 1:13). When the Old Testament simply mentions the angel of the Lord, the likely reference is to the Yahweh messenger.

The understanding that the angel is the second person of the Trinity is rooted in the overall role of the Son as the revealer of the Father:

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (John

1

:

18

).

The word explained here is translated from the Greek exegesato, from which we get exegete. Jesus exegeted the Father by drawing from and revealing him to mankind. The Father rules the universe from heaven (Matt 6:9), while the Son, at times, leaves to visit Mankind. The Son is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15) and the exact representation of his nature (Heb 1:3). This is why Jesus was able to teach that no one had ever seen the Father (John 6:46), while also stating, He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9). On several occasions people either saw God in visions or as a theophany (e.g., Gen 18; Exod 33:21–23; Isa 6:1–5), but never was God seen in his fully unveiled glory (Deut 4:12; Ps 97:2; 1 Tim 1:17; 6:16; 1 John 4:12). And if anyone was to see the face of God, it would mean certain death (Exod 33:20). Some of the individuals who had encountered the angel were terrified that their deaths were imminent (e.g., Judg 6:22–23; 13:22). However, no sudden death ever came, even though they had seen God. As a Christophany, the angel revealed Yahweh to men without exposing them to his unbridled essence, just as Jesus did after the Incarnation.

While the angel appeared regularly throughout the Old Testament, after the Incarnation he never appeared again.⁷ Jesus actually became a man, which is what appearances of the angel were pointing to. Out of the persons of the Trinity, the angel could only be the Son. The angel was with God, and the angel was God—just as we see with the Word in John 1:1.

Indeed, the angel of Yahweh is almost an interchangeable name for the Word of Yahweh. One could be switched with the other without doing much damage to the meaning of the passages in which they appear. Because the angel is said to be both with God and God himself, those with theological positions that are incompatible with such a concept have gone to great lengths to explain away the obvious. This even includes replacing him with a fictional being that is highly exalted but still lower than God: Metatron, the mightiest angel in rabbinic literature.

The angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, he appeared to Moses in the burning bush, he stood in the way of Balaam and his talking donkey, he ascended to heaven, he sent four horsemen forth to patrol the earth, and he symbolized himself taking on the sins of Joshua the high priest. The angel performed even more marvelous works that connect him with the person we know as Jesus in the New Testament.

The Glory of Yahweh

The Shekinah

The Hebrew term shekinah originally comes from rabbinic literature; it denotes the observable, nesting presence of Yahweh. While the actual word doesn’t appear in the Bible, matching descriptions and other names for it—principally, the glory of Yahweh—surely do. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, a messianic Jewish scholar, has provided us with both a definition of the shekinah (he