SHOW NOTES

• • A theophany (thee AH' fuh nee) is a physical appearance of God/ YHWH to a human being. Several theophanies are described in the Old Testament, but all had one thing in common. No one saw YHWH’s actual face.

    Hi everyone.  I’m Tammy Becker and welcome to the Almighty God and Gospel Girl Podcast.  This week’s reading is from the books of Judges chapter 3 to chapter 21.

    When we begin to look at the Scriptures we see that  even Moses, the dominant figure of the Old Testament, did not receive that very privilege of seeing YHWH’s face. Although the Bible lists several instances of Jacob and Moses speaking to the Lord "face to face," that could possibly have been a figure of speech for a personal conversation, because the looking at YHWH’s  Word tells us that God specifically told Moses:

    “...you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20, NIV)

    The phrase "face of God," as used in the Bible, gives important information about God the Father, but the expression can be easily misunderstood. This misunderstanding makes the Bible seem to contradict itself on this concept.

    The problem begins in the book of Exodus, when the prophet Moses, speaking with God on Mount Sinai, asks God to show Moses his glory. God warns that: "…You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20, NIV)

    God then places Moses in a cleft in the rock, covers Moses with his hand until God passes by, then removes his hand so Moses may see only his back.

    We are not sure why this would be a fatal to us, but to avoid such fatal encounters, YHWH appeared as a man, angel, burning bush, and a pillar of cloud or fire. 

    3 Kinds of Theophanies (thee AH' fuh nee)

    YHWH did not limit himself to one type of appearance in the Old Testament. The reasons for the different manifestations are not clearly reveled, but they do fall into three categories.

    • The first is appearance in nonhuman form. In Exodus, God appeared in a burning bush, as a pillar of cloud by day, and as a pillar of fire by night. God appeared as a "whisper" to Elijah and in visions to other prophets. The Lord appeared to King Solomon in a dream, promising to grant what he asked.
    • The second is appearance as a man. The most famous revelation of God in the form of a man happened at Peniel ("face of God"), where Jacob wrestled with a man all night. The wrestling was real but also symbolized Jacob's struggles with men and God. Moses spoke with God "face to face" on Mount Horeb, but Jesus revealed that "God is spirit," (John 4:24, NIV), so any human manifestation of God is not his true form.
    • The third is appearance as an angel. By far the most common revelations of God were as "the angel of the Lord." The term occurs over 60 times in Scriptures. Some Biblical commentators think those Old Testament manifestations were actually Christophanies, or pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus Christ, but that is not spelled out in any of those incidents. The "angel of the Lord" is unique from other angels and is linked to YHWH himself.

    YHWH Made His Will Clear in a Theophany

    When YHWH showed up in a theophany, he made himself very clear to His listener. Just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, the angel of the Lord stopped him just in the nick of time and commanded him not to harm the boy.  I’m sure Moses felt more than just relief from this.

    YHWH also appeared in a burning bush giving Moses detailed instructions on how he would be leading the Israelites from Egypt and bringing them to the Promised Land. He even revealed His name to Moses in Exodus 3:14, NIV: "I AM WHO I AM." 

    Interesting to note, theophanies (thee AH' fuh nee) usually marked a turning point in a certain person's life of the Old Testament.  YHWH would come in one of these forms, if you will, to give orders or tell the person what would happen in their future. Most often the noted person in the Bible didn’t even   realize they were talking with YHWH himself, they were often struck with terror, hiding their face or shielding their eyes, as Elijah did when he pulled his cloak over his head. YHWH usually told them, "Do not be afraid."

    Sometimes the theophany (thee AH' fuh nee) provided a rescue, such as the pillar of cloud moving behind the Israelites when they were at the Red Sea, so the Egyptian army could not attack them. In Isaiah 37, the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. An angel of the Lord rescued Peter from jail in Acts 12, removing his chains and opening the cell door.

No More Theophanies Needed

God intervened in his people's lives through those physical appearances, but with the incarnation of Jesus Christ, there is no further need for such temporary theophanies. Jesus Christ was not a theophany but something entirely new: a merging of God and man.

Christ lives today in the glorified body he had when he rose from the dead. After he ascended into heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Today, God still acts in the lives of his people, but his plan of salvation was accomplished through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is God's presence on earth now, drawing the unsaved to Christ and helping believers live the Christian life.

Using Human Traits to Describe God

Unraveling the problem begins with a simple truth: God is spirit. He does not have a body: "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." (John 4:24, NIV)

The human mind cannot comprehend a being who is pure spirit, without form or material substance. Nothing in human experience is even close to such a being, so to help readers relate to God in some understandable way, the writers of the Bible used human attributes to speak of God. In the passage from Exodus above, even God used human terms to speak of himself. Throughout the Bible, we read of his face, hand, ears, eyes, mouth, and mighty arm.

Applying human characteristics to God is called anthropomorphism, from the Greek words anthropos (man, or human) and morphe (form). Anthropomorphism is a tool for understanding, but a flawed tool. God is not human and does not have the features of a human body, such as a face, and while he does have emotions, they are not exactly the same as human emotions.

Although this concept can be worthwhile in aiding readers to relate to God, it can cause trouble if taken too literally. A good study Bible, a tool like the Bible Hub, and commentators of creditability can provide clarification for this rabbit trail, but remember what I always say, do not take me word for it, mans word for it, take YHWH’s Word for it and the only way to do that is by getting into the Bible yourself and praying for discernment.

Did Anyone See the Face of God and Live?

This problem of seeing God's face is compounded even further by the number of Bible characters who seemed to see God yet still live. Moses is the prime example: "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend." (Exodus 33:11, NIV)

In this verse, "face to face" is a figure of speech, a descriptive phrase that is not to be taken literally. It cannot be, for God does not have a face. Instead, it means that God and Moses shared a deep friendship.

The patriarch Jacob wrestled throughout the night with "a man" and managed to survive with an injured hip: "So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” (Genesis 32:30, NIV)

Peniel means "face of God." However, the "man" Jacob wrestled with was probably the angel of the Lord, a pre-incarnation Christophany, or appearance of Jesus Christ before he was born in Bethlehem. He was solid enough to wrestle with, but he was only a physical representation of God.

Gideon also saw the angel of the Lord (Judges 6:22), as did Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson (Judges 13:22).

Isaiah the prophet was yet another Bible character who said he saw God: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple." (Isaiah 6:1, NIV)

What Isaiah saw was a vision of God, a supernatural experience provided by God to reveal information. All of God's prophets observed these mental pictures, which were images but not physical human-to-God encounters.

Seeing Jesus the God-Man

In the New Testament, thousands of people saw the face of God in a human being, Jesus Christ. Some realized he was God; most did not.

Because Christ was fully God and fully man, the people of Israel saw only his human or visible form and did not die. Christ was born of a Jewish woman. When grown, he looked like a Jewish man, but no physical description of him is given in the gospels.

Even though Jesus did not compare his human face in any way with God the Father, he did proclaim a mysterious unity with the Father:

Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? (John 14:9, NIV)
"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30, NIV)

Finally, the closest that human beings came to seeing God's face in the Bible was the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, when Peter, James, and John witnessed a majestic revelation of Jesus' true nature on Mount Hermon. God the Father masked the scene as a cloud, as he often had in the book of Exodus.

The Bible says believers will, indeed, see the face of God, but in the New Heaven and the New Earth, as revealed in Revelation 22:4: "They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads." (NIV)

The difference will be that, at this point, the faithful will have died and will be in their resurrection bodies. Knowing how God will make himself visible to Christians will have to wait until that day.

God appeared in a cloud and pillar of fire to the Israelites after he freed them from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 13:21-22 describes the miracle:

By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. ( NIV)

Besides the practical purpose of leading the people through the wilderness, the pillar also comforted the Hebrews with God's protective presence. When the people were waiting to cross the Red Sea, the pillar of cloud moved behind them, blocking the Egyptian army from attacking. God gave light to the Hebrews from the cloud but darkness to the Egyptians. 

Burning Bush, Burning Pillar

When God first chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery, he spoke to Moses through a burning bush. The fire blazed but the bush itself was not consumed.

God knew the long trek through the desert wilderness would be exhausting for the Hebrews. They would be afraid and filled with doubt. He gave them the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire to assure them he was always with them.

Some Bible scholars theorize the pillar of cloud shaded the people from the intense desert sun and also contained droplets of moisture which refreshed the travelers and their livestock. The pillar of fire at night would have provided light and warmth if there was no wood available for fires.

The cloud came down on the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the desert tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34). When the cloud covered the tent of meeting, the Israelites encamped. When the cloud lifted, they moved.

God warned Moses not to let Aaron, the high priest, enter the holy of holies in the tabernacle whenever he wanted because he would die. God appeared on the mercy seat, or atonement cover of the ark of the covenant, in the cloud.

• Fire Foretells the Light of the World

  The pillar of fire, illuminating the way for the Israelite nation, was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the Messiah who came to save the world from sin.

  In preparing the way for Jesus, John the Baptist said, “...I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Luke 3:16, NIV)

  Fire can symbolize purification or God's presence. Light stands for holiness, truth, and understanding.

  “I am the light of the world." (Jesus said)  "Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." ( John 8:12, NIV)

  The Apostle John repeated this in his first letter: "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5, NIV)

  The light Jesus brought continues to guide and protect Christians today, just as the pillar of fire guided the Israelites. In Revelation, the final book of the Bible, John tells how Christ's light shines in heaven: "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp." (Revelation 21:23, NIV) 

  The mysterious angel of the Lord appeared dozens of times in the Old Testament, usually as a supernatural messenger, but sometimes as a fierce executioner. Who was he and what was his purpose?

  Angel of the Lord

  • Altogether, the Bible makes more than 50 references to "the angel of the Lord" in the Old Testament.
  • The angel of the Lord is also referred to in Scripture as: The angel of God, commander of the army of the Lord; in Hebrew: malach Yehovah (the angel of the Lord), malach habberith (the angel of the Covenant); in Greek, from the Septuagint, megalhs boulhs aggelos (the angel of the Great Counsel).  
  •  In most instances, the angel of the Lord appeared to Bible characters when something dramatic and meaningful was about to happen, generally with serious consequences, whether good or evil, and often in some way related to God's plan of salvation.

  God or Jesus in Disguise?

  In his appearances on earth, the angel of the Lord spoke with the authority of God and acted as God. It's easy to become confused about his true identity because the writers of those Bible books switched between calling the speaker the angel of the Lord and God. Bible scholars clear things up by suggesting those visits were actually theophanies or manifestations of God in a physical body.

  But why didn't God just show up as himself? Because no human can see the face of God and survive: "But," (God) said (to Moses), "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20, NIV)

  Many scholars think the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was a pre-incarnate appearance of the Word, or Jesus Christ, as a Christophany. Bible commentators caution readers to use the context of the passage to decide whether the angel of the Lord was God the Father or Jesus.

  If the angel of the Lord was the Son of God, he actually wore two disguises. First, he posed as an angel, and second, that angel appeared as a man, not in true angelic form. The adjective "the" before "angel of the Lord" indicates God disguised as an angel. The adjective "an" before "angel of the Lord" means a created angel. Significantly, the term "an angel of the Lord" is used only in the New Testament.

  The angel of the Lord typically appeared to people during a time of crisis in their life, and in most instances, those characters played a major role in God's plan of salvation. Usually, the people did not realize right away that they were talking to a divine being, so we can assume the angel of the Lord was in the form of a man. When people realized he was an angel, they trembled in fear and fell to the ground.

  Angel of the Lord to the Rescue

  Sometimes the angel of the Lord arrived on the scene to bring rescue. He called to Hagar in the desert when she and Ishmael were cast out, and opened her eyes to a well of water. The prophet Elijah also got a visit from the angel of the Lord when he was fleeing evil Queen Jezebel. The angel provided him with food and drink.

   

  Twice the angel of the Lord was seen in fire. He appeared to Moses in a burning bush. Later, in the time of the judges, Samson's parents offered a burnt sacrifice to God, and the angel of the Lord ascended in the flames.

  On two occasions, people had the boldness to ask the angel of the Lord his name. After wrestling with Jacob all night, the angel refused to tell Jacob his name. When Samson's parents asked the mysterious visitor his name, he replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." (Judges 13:18, NIV)

  Sometimes, instead of help or a message, the angel of the Lord brought destruction. In 2 Samuel 24:15, the angel inflicted a plague on Israel that killed 70,000 people. In 2 Kings 19:35, the angel put to death 185,000 Assyrians.

  The best argument that the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was the Second Person of the Trinity is that he did not appear in Jesus' incarnation. While created angels did visit people in the New Testament, the Son of God fulfilled his earthly mission in human form as Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection.

  Make sure to check out my website for corresponding notes, links and sources for this podcast.  I do hope that you will be with me next week and another deep dive into God’s glorious Word.  This is Tammy Becker Bye

  Sources

  • "Who Is the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament." https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_26.cfm
  • "Who is the angel of the Lord?" https://www.gotquestions.org/angel-of-the-Lord.html
  • Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 1.
  • Expositions of Holy Scripture. Alexander MacLaren.
  • Harper’s Bible Dictionary (1st ed., p. 30).