What Are Angels? Pt. 1
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Main Question for today
What is an angel/ what are an angel's characteristics?
Based upon your understanding of the Old Testament alone, what is an angel?
Words for Angels
There are several words used within the Old Testament to reference angels...
מלך
מלך pronounced "ma-la-k" means "messenger" or "envoy." This can refer to both human and celestial entities.
The Greek version of the Old Testament--known as the Septuagint [LXX]-- often translates מלך as αγγελος "ang-gel-os". αγγελος is where we get our English word "angel."
"Sons of God"
Examples include:
Job 1:6; 2:1, 38:7 which our English often translates as "angels."
Genesis 6:2,4 may be a reference to angels. However, this topic of the Nephilim are often widely debated.
Psalm 29:1 and 89:6 translates "Sons of God" as "heavenly beings."
"Holy Ones"
Examples include:
Psalm 89:5,7 which is likely a reference to celestial entities as they serve as an "assembly" and a "council" to God.
"Hosts" or "Army" + "Ministers" or "servants"
Examples include:
Psalm 89:8 which our English often translates as "Lord Almighty" [Lit. Lord of Hosts].
Psalm 103: 21 where both "Hosts" and "ministers/ servants" are used.
Pre-Exilic Time Period
There are three major categories in the pre-exilic texts that are used to describe angels and their functions:
1) Divine council–Gen. 28:12; Psalm 89:6-9; and 1 Kings 22:19-22
2) Heavenly Army– Deut. 33:2; Joshua 5:14; and 2 Kings 6:16-18
3) Agents and messengers that:
Announce births (of Ishmael in Gen 16:11-12 and Isaac 18:9-15)
Give reassurances (to Jacob in Gen 31:11-13)
Commission a person to a task (Moses in Exod. 3:2; Gideon in Judges 6:11-24)
Communicates God’s word to prophets (Elijah in 2 Kings 1:3; Isaiah in Isaiah 6)
Intervene at crucial moments to change or guide a person's actions (Abraham in Gen 22:1-12; Balaam in Numb 22:31-35)
Agents of protection (Isaac in Gen 24:7; Israel in the desert in Exod. 14:19-20)
Agents for punishment (Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 19; Against Israel/David for the census in 2 Sam 24)
Take the time to read the following passages and ask yourself this question:
What is the relationship between the angel of the Lord and YHWH Himself?
Genesis 22:11-12
Genesis 31:11-13
Exodus 3:2-6
For more examples of the angel of the Lord, check out these passages...
Genesis 16:7-13
Genesis 21:15-21
Judges 6:11-24
Exilic Time Period
There are two books with a lot of angel activity: Ezekiel and Zechariah. Let's take a look to see what these books have to say.
Ezekiel
There are two major categories for celestial entities that exist within Ezekiel: Cherubim and Seraphim
Cherubim
Found in Chapters 1 and 10 of Ezekiel
As you read along, listen and think about the descriptions of these Cherubim
"Winged creatures with human and animal traits"
Ezekiel 1:5-13
Ezekiel 10:12-16
"Watchdog Guardians"
Genesis 3:24
"Winged mounts that the Lord rides"
Psalm 18:10
2 Samuel 22:11
"Throne bearers that God sits upon or above"
2 Kings 19:15
2 Samuel 6:2
1 Samuel 4:4
Seraphim
Found in Isaiah 6:2-7
Seraphim do not seem to be described as Fiery-winged serpentine-snake-like entities that are associated with the worship of YHWH.
Additionally, the same Hebrew word is used in Isaiah 14:29; 30:6; Numbers 21:6-9; 2 Kings 18:4 to describe venomous snakes that bite as well as the bronze snake that was used to cure the people of Israel as they wondered the desert.
NOTE: None of the words used for "angel" (מלך , Sons of God, Holy ones, Hosts, army, ministers, servants, angels) are ever used to describe Cherubim and Seraphim.
This isn't to deny the celestial importance of what these entities are. However, there seems to be a difference between a group of celestial entities known as "angels" and other entities known as Cherubim and Seraphim.
Zechariah
Zechariah seems to describe angels as those with Horses, riders, and chariots that roam the earth and return back in order to report to the angel of YHWH about a new restructuring of the earthly and cosmic orders
Zech. 1:7-17 and 6:1-8
Additionally, the Angel of YHWH is further described as
-a sort of Guide or interpreter (Zech. 1-6)
-an intercessor for Israel (Zech. 1:12-17)
-a presider and judge in a council (Zech. 3)
-a commander of angelic patrols (Zech. 1:11; 6:7)
Post-Exilic Time Period
Many angelic references are found in the Book of Daniel.
Angels in Daniel are described as those who:
Protect the pious–3:25,28 (Shad, Mesh, Abed);
Execute punishment– 4:13-26– cutting down the tree of Babylon;
Keeps records– 7:10;
We are finally given names of Angels for the very first time
-Gabriel– 9:21
-Michael– 10:13, 21; 12:1
Images of Fire, Metal, and precious stone.
Dan. 10:5-6
Take Away
How has this study changed your understanding of Angels?
Does this complicate things? If it does, is that necessarily a bad thing?
Is it better to have a biblical understanding of angels or should we force angels to fit into neat, clean categories that' we've created?
What does this mean for us today? How will this information help us for next week's discussion on angels in the New Testament?