University of the future

 UNIVERSITY OF EXCELLENCE

RABBI 2

    Commentaries from ancient Jewish Rabbis who lived righteous lives point to and identify The Man:   the Messiah of Israel.

    Although not Scripture, the writings of various Targums and the Sanhedrin confirm the identity of the Messiah.  Both appearances of  Messiah are clearly identified by ancient rabbinical writings.

    God called one man, the man Abraham, to bring forth a nation.  And He called that nation, Israel, to bring forth The Man:  the Messiah!

Genesis 16:7

    The Old Testament (Hebrew Tenach) teaches about an uncreated Angel to Whom honors and titles are ascribed, like unto God.  The "Angel of the LORD", called in Hebrew "Malach-Jehovah" is Jehovah, the LORD; who revealed Himself at different times in the garb of an angel and generally in the form of man.

    This Angel of the LORD is not a messenger sent from God, but a theophany:  a manifestation of deity.  Jehovah, the "I AM" is the Son of God.  And so we have in repeated appearances of the Angel of the LORD very interesting pre-incarnation manifestations of the Son of God.  In each case where this Angel of the LORD is mentioned we have the "marks" of God.

    Great Jewish writers say of Him that He is not an ordinary angel, but that He is the ONLY Mediator between God and man, that He is the author of all revelation, and these writers gave Him the name "Metatron". 

    These great Jewish writers speak of Him as "The Angel of the Countenance" [Isaiah 63:9] because He always sees God's face; and they speak of Him as the highest revelation of the unseen God, a partaker of His nature and His majesty.

    They speak of Him as the "Shechinah".   The Talmud teaches that this "Metatron", the Angel of the LORD, is united with the Most High by oneness of nature.  One great Jewish writer speaks of Him   as "having dominion over all created things".

    The very ancient Midrash known as Otiot deRabbi Akiba makes the following declaration about the Angel of the LORD:

"The Metatron is the Angel, the prince of the face, the prince of the law, the prince of wisdom, the prince of strength, the prince of glory, the prince of the temple, the prince of the kings, the prince of the rulers and of the high and exalted."

    The ancient Jewish writers therefore teach that the Angel of the LORD is the MEDIATOR between man and God, the Messiah, and as one with God.

    See also:  Exodus 14:19 / Isaiah 63:9 / Malachi 3:1 / Genesis 16:7-13 / Genesis 17:20-22 / Genesis 17:1-5 / Genesis 18:1-18 / Genesis 18:16-22 / Genesis 19:24-25 / Genesis 22:11-12 / Genesis 26:1-5 / Genesis 32:24-32 / Genesis 35:9-15 / Exodus 3:13-16 / Exodus 32:34 / Joshua 5:13-15 / 2 Kings 19:35 / Psalm 34:7.

        <<< BACK

 RABBI  2  Genesis 16:7  -  The Angel of the Lord.