Yes — the angel of the Lord is Jehovah, God the Son, the Redeemer of Israel.
Les Feldick teaches that the angel of the Lord is Jehovah — God the Son, the Redeemer of Israel. He says the same divine person who appears as the angel of God throughout the Old Testament is called Christ in the New Testament. He points to Jacob's words in Genesis 48:16 about 'the Angel which redeemed me' as evidence that the angel must be the one Redeemer, God the Son.
Genesis 16:7 — The first appearance of the angel of the LORD in Genesis, showing the angel interacting with Hagar.
Genesis 22:11 — The angel of the LORD calls from heaven to Abraham, stopping the sacrifice of Isaac.
Exodus 23:20-21 — God sends 'an Angel' and says 'my name is in him,' a key text Les uses to identify the angel.
Genesis 48:16 — Jacob calls the angel 'the Angel which redeemed me,' tying the angel to Israel's Redeemer.
The Old Testament records several appearances of the angel of the Lord. In Genesis 16:7, the angel of the LORD finds Hagar in the wilderness by a fountain of water. In Genesis 21:17-19, the angel of God calls to Hagar from heaven and tells her not to fear, because God has heard the voice of the lad, and then God opens her eyes to see a well of water. In Genesis 22:11-12, the angel of the LORD calls to Abraham from heaven and stops him from sacrificing Isaac. In Exodus 23:20-21, God says, 'Behold, I send an Angel before thee... for my name is in him.' In Genesis 48:16, Jacob speaks of 'the Angel which redeemed me from all evil.' These passages show the angel actively speaking, redeeming, and carrying God's name.
Les Feldick consistently identifies the angel of the Lord and the angel of God as Jehovah, God the Son, the Redeemer of the Old Testament. He roots this in Jacob's phrase 'the angel who redeemed me' (Genesis 48:16), arguing that there is only one Redeemer in Scripture, God the Son, who is Jehovah in the Old Testament and Christ in the New. He says whenever the term appears, it is the second person of the Trinity. Les applies this to specific appearances: to Hagar in Genesis 16, to Abraham in Genesis 22, to Moses at the burning bush, to Israel in Exodus 23, and to Balaam. He also connects the name Jehovah to the person of the Godhead who communicates with the human race and is the Redeemer and Savior of mankind.
Les Feldick says yes. He identifies the angel of the Lord as the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, known in the Old Testament as Jehovah and in the New Testament as Christ. He bases this on passages like Genesis 48:16, where Jacob calls Him 'the Angel which redeemed me,' and Exodus 23:20-21, where God says 'my name is in him.'
The evidence clips reference appearances to Hagar (Genesis 16:7), to Abraham on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:11-12), to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), and to Israel on the way to the Promised Land (Exodus 23:20-23). Les also mentions Balaam being confronted by the angel of the Lord. In each case, Les identifies the angel as God the Son, Jehovah.
In Genesis 48:16, Jacob blesses Joseph's sons and calls on 'the Angel which redeemed me from all evil.' Les sees this as proof that the angel of the Lord is the Redeemer — God the Son — because there is only one Redeemer in Scripture.
Hagar, Ishmael & The Everlasting God: Genesis 21 Bible Study
Welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a 30-minute walk through the Scriptures, teaching in-depth Bible truths that change people's lives. Now, here's your host, Les Feldick. And once more, we want to welcome our people on television. And again, we're going to keep reminding you for just another week or so to write to us, let us know if you're watching.
The angel of the Lord as Jehovah the Redeemer
Now Sarai must have really made life miserable for that little Egyptian girl, and she has to flee in order to get out from under Sarai's harsh behavior. Then verse 7, and here we're going to have to quit, I'm afraid. And the angel of the Lord. Now whenever you see that term, the angel of the Lord, again, it's Jehovah.
The angel sent before Israel in Exodus 23
It's Jehovah in the Old Testament, Christ in the New. So it's the same person now that is referred to here then as the angel. Behold, I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. See, now this is Jehovah speaking, and He's going to lead them. Oh, let's see. Verse 23. Now, I'm going to skip a few of these just for sake of time.
The angel of God is always God the Son
Now, this is so clear now in Exodus chapter 23. Now, ordinarily I don't like to read too much, but on the other hand, sometimes people have told me that as I read, they'll see things they never saw before. So we'll just trust that the Word will speak as I read it. Beginning with verse 20. Now, we may skim some of this.
The angel who redeemed me (Genesis 48:16)
You've got Genesis 48, and now Jacob is speaking in verse 16, verse 16, where Jacob says, "...the angel who..." What's the next word? "...redeemed me." In other words, the redeeming angel. Now there is only one Redeemer in Scripture, and who is it? It's Christ. See? He's Jehovah in the Old Testament, the Son of God. He's the angel of God, but it's always the second person of the Trinity.
The angel of the Lord calls to Abraham
And here we have that term again, and the angel of the Lord. Who is it? It's God the Son. I don't want to call him Jesus in the Old Testament because the Bible does it. But it's God the Son. It's God the Son. God the Son called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham. And Abraham said, Here am I. Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do anything unto him.
The angel of the Lord appears to Hagar
Now, I think it's certainly a basic statement that there is only one Redeemer in Scripture. And who's the Redeemer? God the Son. Not some angel, not anyone but God the Son. And so whenever you see that term as well throughout the Old Testament, and you'll see it rather often, I think I mentioned last week that Balaam, the false prophet you remember, was confronted by an angel of the Lord.
Jehovah as the communicator and Redeemer
Now the Lord, L-O-R-D, is the word that we're going to be later introduced to, Jehovah. So it could be read that in the day that the Jehovah God made the earth and the heavens. Now the very name Jehovah, and we'll look at that more in detail probably in our next half hour, the name Jehovah is that person of the Godhead who is always involved with the human race.
Genesis 16:7: And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
This verse records the angel of the LORD meeting Hagar in the wilderness.
Genesis 21:17-19: And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
The angel of God speaks from heaven, comforts Hagar, and God opens her eyes to a well.
Genesis 22:11-12: And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
The angel of the LORD intervenes to stop Abraham from sacrificing Isaac.
Genesis 48:16: The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Jacob calls the Angel 'the Angel which redeemed me,' connecting the angel to redemption.
Exodus 3:2: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
The angel of the LORD appears to Moses in the burning bush, a scene Les identifies with Jehovah.
Exodus 23:20-21: 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.
God says He sends His Angel and places His name in him, a key verse Les uses for identification.
Les Feldick teaches that the angel of the Lord is Jehovah, God the Son, the Redeemer of Israel. He says whenever the term appears in the Old Testament, it refers to God the Son, the same person who is called Christ in the New Testament.
Les is careful not to call the Old Testament angel 'Jesus,' but he teaches that he is the same divine person — God the Son — who appears as Jehovah in the Old Testament and Christ in the New.
In Genesis 48:16, Jacob speaks of 'the Angel which redeemed me from all evil.' Les uses this phrase to show that the angel of the Lord is the Redeemer, since there is only one Redeemer in Scripture, God the Son.
According to Les Feldick, the angel of the Lord is not a created angel. He identifies the angel of the Lord and the angel of God as Jehovah, God the Son, throughout the Old Testament.
Watch the Teaching: Hagar, Ishmael & The Everlasting God: Genesis 21 Bible Study