Who is the angel that the Lord speaks about in Genesis 23:20-22? Is He speaking of Jesus?
Thank you for your good question. I think that you may have meant to ask about Exodus 23:20-22. Genesis: 23:21-22 do not exist and verse 20 does not speak about an angel. Let us read Exodus 23:20-22. “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.”
The phrase “for my name is in him” in Exodus 23:21 indicates that the Angel is divine. We know from Exodus 20:21-22 that the person speaking in Exodus 23 is God Himself. Exodus 20:21-22 state, “And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.” The Lord begins speaking in Exodus 20:22 and He is still speaking in our verses in Exodus 23. Therefore, when God says that “my name is in him,” He is saying that this Angel is also part of the Godhead. This is not the first time that the divine Angel is mentioned in the Scriptures. Let us consider some other examples.
When we compare Exodus 13:21 with Exodus 14:19 we see that the angel and the Lord are the same person. Exodus 13:21 states, “And THE LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” Exodus 14:19 states, “And THE ANGEL OF GOD, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them.”
We see the same truth in Genesis 22:15-17. “And THE ANGEL OF THE LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, BY MYSELF HAVE I SWORN, SAITH THE LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.”
We know that there is one God and three persons in the Godhead. Which person of the Godhead is the Angel? In Numbers 20 messengers from Moses are asking the king of Edom if they can pass through his land. Verse 16 states, “And when we cried unto the Lord, He heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt.” In the very next chapter we read that the children of Israel were very discouraged and spoke against God and Moses. Numbers 21:6 says, “And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.” Now let us read 1 Corinthians 10:9. “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.” Therefore, the Angel is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice also the grace that was shown even in the Old Testament. If those bitten by the serpents would look to the brass serpent that was set upon a pole, then they would live. The Lord Jesus refers to this in John 3:14-15. These verses state, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Is the Angel of the Lord your Savior? The Lord Jesus loves you, desires to cleanse you from your sins, and give you eternal life. Trust Him today. (234.6) (DJ)