The Angel of the LORD...

“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. --Exodus 23:20-23

Dear Girls,

This Angel that God sent before them was none other than Jesus Christ.  He would go before them...He would keep them in the way and He would bring them into the land God had prepared for them.  The Angel had the name of the Lord in Him.  This Angel had the power to forgive sin.  

Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.

That is a beautiful picture in itself.  None other than Jesus could fit that description.  Jesus, Himself, said here on earth that if we knew Him we would know the Father also.  It is Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life...No one comes to the Father, the bible says, but through Him.  

When the word LORD is in all caps it is the translation of the Hebrew personal name of God which cannot be pronounced.  YHWH.  In fact the actual pronunciation is not known.  We pronounce it Yah-weh or Ya-ho-vah.  Look up "Angel of the LORD" and see how many times it is used in the OT.  This was the same Angel that appeared to Abraham and also to Moses in the burning bush and the One that wrestled all night with Jacob.  Jesus said this in John 8:

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”  Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”  

The Lord Jesus Himself was with the Israelites as they journeyed.  He was with them in the cloud and fire providing shade and protection from the rays of the sun during the day and warmth and light in the evening.  The pillar of cloud also led the children of Israel...when it moved, they moved.  It was God's sign to them of His presence and His guiding. What would be the key to the Israelite's victory over their enemies?  

But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

It was their obedience to His voice and His presence that would bring them victory. The same is true for us today.  As we surrender to His word...His voice in our hearts...we draw near unto Him and His presence goes before us and is with us as we journey.  No matter what the storm that surrounds us looks like...He is there with us in the storm...guiding, directing, protecting and keeping.  It is Jesus who bring us safely into the land God has promised.  

Love

Mom