Angel Messengers

   Throughout history God has sent his messengers (Angels) to make announcements of great importance to people. Sometimes these messengers are seen as heavenly beings, at other times they appear as normal men, but the message is just the same, moving.

Abraham met three men at his tent

     Take for instance the day that three men show up at Abraham’s tent in Genesis 18. In traditional Bedouin hospitality, Abraham says, “Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.” after the traditional informalities, one of the men asks, “Where is your wife Sarah?” and follows up with the statement, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Farm fields in Israel

     In a more dramatic fashion a man of God who looked like an angel of God came to Manoah’s wife in Judges 13. He likewise announced the birth of a son who would “be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
     The Bible says, “the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.” (Ex 3:2) Joshua “looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.” (Josh 5:13) “The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat.” (Judges 6:11) “David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth.” (1 Chronicles 21:16) and the Angel of the Lord met Elijah the Tishbite. (1 Kings 1:3)
     When an angel speaks to a person, it is always life changing. But, beware, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” (1 John 4:1; 1 Kings 13:18; Jer 14:14; 23:16; Mt 7:15). Paul said, “even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:8) Check the message before you believe it!
     John did check the message of the Angel. He asked, “How can I be sure of this?” And even though the angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God,” John dubious until the baby, John the Baptist, was born. But history records he was born, and all things occurred according to the word of God. (Deut 18:18)

Advent Devotions, Walk the Bible

     You can read more about the meeting between Zechariah and Gabriel in the book Advent Journeys, available as a book, as a Kindle e-book, and readable through Amazon Prime) Order, or read the book today!

Angelic Messages

“Behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” (Luke 2:9) Today, in the book Advent Journeys we talk about angels, angels who came and made an announcement to the shepherds.  For this Blog, I decided to start with a questionnaire to see how much you know about angels.

1. What is the translation for the word “angel”?
2. Where is the first use of the word angel in the Bible?
3. Who are the two named angels of the Bible?
4. What is the name of the angel who told Daniel the meaning of the 70 weeks?
5. What is the name of the angel who spoke to Zechariah, father of John the Baptist?
6. What is the name of the angel who spoke to Mary telling her she was pregnant?
7. What angel spoke to Joseph concerning the birth of Jesus and the anger of Herod?
8. What was the message spoken by the first angel which appeared to the shepherds?
9. What message was spoken by the multitudes of angels to the shepherds?
10. What do angels tell us about Christmas?

Here are the answers to the above questions:

1. The words מַלְאָךְ (mal'ak - Hebrew) and ἄγγελος (aggelos - Greek) mean “messenger.”  Angels serve God and do His bidding.  One of the areas of service is to bear messages.
2. The first use of the word מַלְאָךְ is found in Genesis 16:7, telling Hagar to go back to Sarah.  Some people see the angels gathering with God in Genesis 1:26, which says, “Let us make man in our own image...”  In Midrash Rabbah Rabbi Yochanan taught angels were created on the second day with the heavens (Psalm 104:3-4), but Rabbi Chanina argues it was the fifth day when God made the winged creatures.  Another early reference to angels is found in the first chapter of Job.
3. Gabriel (warrior of God) and Michael (who is like God).  There is also the mysterious “man clothed in linen”
4. Gabriel
5. Gabriel
6. Gabriel
7. This angel is identified as “the angel of the Lord”  … possibly Gabriel
8. “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12)
9. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)
10. The angels tell us Christmas is about Christ.  They are looking to Christ in Luke 2:14; and also in Psalm 103:21; 148:2; Mt 18:10; 25:31; Luke 15:10; Hebrews 1:6; 12:22; Revelation 5:11-147:11

The angels worship God and serve Him.  There are many wonderful passages about angels in the scripture.  There are also some not so wonderful passages: such as Ezekiel 28, which displays what happens when we place the focus on ourselves rather than heaven.

May this Christmas be for you, as it was for the angels of Heaven, who, when the great news was shared, said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

The Place of Elijah in Jewish Tradition

Elijah is a favorite Bible character for every Jewish child and most adults.  He is often remembered most quickly as the person of the fifth Passover cup, for near the end of the Passover observance children get up from the dinner table, open the door of their home for the prophet to enter and when they return to the Seder table they find Elijah has come and drank a once full cup which was especially prepared for him.

In the process of this observance the Passover leader explains that Elijah is a Bible hero who never died, and he was one of only two people ever taken alive to heaven.  He rode to heaven, according to 2 Kings 2:11, with a chariot of fire and a whirlwind.  Because Elijah is alive, and never died, he can come back to earth.  And Elijah returns in order to alleviate poverty, save people from troubles, and to answer difficult questions for the Rabbis.

The Talmudic tractate Kiddushin [40a] that tells about the virtue and the poverty of a certain Rabbi Kahana. He told a powerful woman who had made advances toward him that he had to get himself ready for their tryst; instead he went up to the roof and hurled himself off to avoid sinning. Enter Elijah, who caught him and then reproached him: "You have troubled me to come a long distance to save you." When the rabbi replied, "I was forced to do it due to my poverty," Elijah gave him a basketful of dinars.

Elijah was a prophet who was not afraid to speak for God.  He spoke openly to King Ahab and Queen Jezebel about their sins.  As a result of their sins Elijah told them (and it was fulfilled) it would not rain in Israel for three and a half years.  He also challenged the prophets of Baal to call down fire from heaven.  Elijah won the challenge.  Elijah cared for the poor, feeding a poor widow.  He also raised the dead.  He was a great prophet.

At the end of the Old Testament in the book of Malachi there is a prophecy about Elijah which says, “But I will send you Elijah the prophet before that great and terrifying day of the Lord’s judging. Elijah will help parents love their children and children love their parents. Otherwise, I will come and put a curse on the land.”

It is through these traditions that the Jews and many Christians believe Elijah will return.  He will return to announce the Messiah, and it is believed he will return at the end of time.  As Moses is a representative of the law, Elijah is the representative of the prophets.

The tradition of Elijah was recognized in the New Testament, for Matthew 17 says,  “Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, up on a high mountain by themselves. While they watched, Jesus’ appearance was changed; his face became bright like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus.”

Zechariah the priest of whom we are reading today in Advent Journeys was told by the Angel Gabriel that his wife would give birth to a son, and Zechariah was to name him John.  The angel further told Zechariah, “ He will help many people of Israel return to the Lord their God. He will go before the Lord in spirit and power like Elijah. He will make peace between parents and their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the right way of thinking, to make a people ready for the coming of the Lord.”

Jesus says of John the Baptist: “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!  … And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11)

Chosen by Lot: Isaiah 6

The Bible, New Testament and Old Testament, contains a wonderful mosaic of wonderful interconnected passages.  Many people miss these connections due to lack of familiarity with the wide scope of scripture passages, through skim over and get through reading style, or because of cultural or doctrinal limitations.  But God wants us to see where dots connect and stories correspond.  The interrelationship between Old and New Testament is a source of seeing the truth and authority of a book given by God.

The first chapter of Luke is a great example of an interconnected passage which is an easy skim over to an untrained eye; but a passage of great depth both culturally and spiritually to anyone who desires to dig deeper.

The passage begins with what appears to be a simple priest … but even with the first glance, the reader understands there could be more!  “There was a priest named Zechariah.” Yes, that name is familiar, for Zechariah is one of the final prophetic books of the Old Testament.  Zechariah the prophet tells of the future which includes the coming of the anointed one, the messiah.  Zechariah the priest forms the connection, for the name Zechariah means “God has remembered.”

Zechariah is of the order of Abijah, one of twenty-four courses into which the priesthood is organized.  Week one of the book Advent Journeys gives a bit more information on this organization and what it means for the New Testament story.  Abijah means “God is my Father.”

In the course of his work Zechariah is chosen by lot to tend the altar of incense.  What the reader does not understand is the uniqueness of the selection process.  Indeed there are at least six positions chosen daily by lot, but to serve the altar of incense is a special drawing for a task which is only allowed once in a lifetime.  (Tamid 5:2 of the Jewish Mishnah).  The posting for this work takes a common priest as close as possible to the Holy of Holies.  A point made (and highlighted between the lines) is how God (“God is my Father”) waited until just this moment to call Zechariah (God has remembered) to this important appointment.

Zechariah approaches the altar of incense, and as Isaiah (“God saves”) sees God “on a very high throne. His long robe filled the Temple.”  He is met by an angel (Gabriel) who announces his wife’s pregnancy.  Zechariah’s lips question God, “How can this be?” [He probably should have said, “Here am I, send me.”]  And Zechariah is struck dumb.

But the message was heard, and Zechariah names his son John (“God shows mercy”).  In a symbol reflecting Isaiah 6:6-7 Zechariah’s lips are healed, and he begins to talk again.

Thus begins the Christmas story in Luke.  The story, and the entire Gospel are a continuation of the Old Testament inspiration which brings Immanuel (God with us) into the picture with spiritual forgiveness and healing.  The story goes on, as can be seen through the prophetic quotes of Zechariah, Mary, Simeon and Anna.

Psalms of Ascent, Going to Jerusalem

During the first week, in our new book Advent Journeys, we walk with Zechariah the priest.  Zechariah was the husband of Elizabeth and the father of John the Baptist as recorded in Luke 1 of the New Testament.  In the introduction we learn Zechariah was a priest of the order of Abijah and he and his wife were without children.

As I wrote the chapter on Zechariah, the first thing I noted was that he was of the order of Abijah.  Abijah is one of twenty-four orders of the Levitical priesthood of Israel.  These divisions of priests first organized by King David are called Mishmarot & Ma'amadot.  In the times of Jesus each division of priests would serve five weeks per year (three weeks of harvest festivals where all Priests were to serve and two other weeks served in a rotation of divisions). {more on this tomorrow}

We are told that Zechariah and Elizabeth are advanced in age and can not have children.  This bears similarity to the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel, and Elkanah and Hannah.  According to the Torah Zechariah was advanced in age, but he was still serving in the Temple.  This means he must have been about fifty years of age (Numbers 8:25).  And as all of the other aged parents, Zechariah was a man who was faithful to God.

Because Zechariah was faithful to God, it can be read between the lines that he enjoyed his week of service in the Temple.  I tried to capture this joy as I wrote the first week of journals for Zechariah in the book Advent Journeys.  On his way to the Temple for his work duty Zechariah would have recited (or sung) the Psalms of Ascent: Psalms 120-134.  These Psalms, as I read them, captured a sense of things which impacted the life of Zechariah.  I placed one or two Psalms of Ascent as a scripture reading each day during the first week of Advent. The journal of Zechariah will often reflect something in these Psalms.

In our twenty-first century world I hope we, as believers, can reflect the joy Zechariah felt as he approached the Temple.  I hope this joy is evident as we attend worship service each week, and also in our daily lives as a reflection of our love for the Lord.