Appearances of the Messenger Jehovah to Abraham and to Jacob.
In the narrative of Abraham's offering of Isaac, Gen. xxii., we read
that "Melach Jehovah called unto him out of heaven, and said, Lay not
thine hand upon the lad, for _I_ know that thou fearest Elohim, seeing
thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from _me_. And Melach
Jehovah called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By
myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, for because thou hast done this
thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, That in blessing I
will bless thee, because thou hast obeyed _my voice_."
At the commencement of this narrative it is said that (_the_) Elohim did
tempt Abraham, _i. e._, try him in respect to his faith and obedience.
"And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest,
and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt
offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And
Abraham went unto the place of which (_the_) Elohim had told him."
There he built an altar, and having bound Isaac he laid him on the
altar, and took the knife to slay him; when Melach Jehovah called to
him, forbade the intended sacrifice, and said, I know that thou fearest
Elohim, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son from _me_. From this it is
evident that the offering was intended to be made, and was virtually
made, to Melach Jehovah. For "By faith Abraham when he was tried offered
up Isaac; accounting that God was able to raise him up from the dead,
from whence also he received him in a figure." Heb. xi. His faith, in
this extraordinary act of worship, had immediate respect to the
delegated Messenger Jehovah, then and ever the resurrection and the
life. He was the Divine speaker on the occasion, his voice it was that
Abraham obeyed, and to him he rendered the highest acts of homage and
obedience. It was in his official name, as well as in that of Elohim,
that he spoke to Abraham, and to him in all respects the scene evidently
refers. After offering the animal provided in place of Isaac, he
discerned an import and a reference in the transaction, which were to be
fulfilled on the same mount at a future day; and he therefore named the
place Jehovah-Jireh, importing that what was signified by his offering
would be realized and witnessed there, and giving rise to a saying
expressive of that result, and pointing no doubt, so explicitly as not
to be misunderstood, to the sacrifice of Christ: namely, "In the mount
of Jehovah it shall be seen;" or, according to Warburton, Book vi. sec.
5, "In the mount Jehovah shall be seen."
In the narrative of Jacob's departure from Laban, Gen. xxi., he says:
"Melach (the) Elohim spake unto me in a dream, and he said, I have seen
all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the El of Beth-El, where thou
anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto _me_." Here the
Messenger Jehovah declares himself to be the God of Beth-El, and that
the vow made there was made to him. In chap. xxviii., where that
transaction is related, he is announced, not by this special name of
office, but by other designations, showing that in his official
character he was familiarly recognized by the various Divine names,
whether employed separately or conjointly. And Jacob awaked and said,
"Surely Jehovah is in this place; this is the house of Elohim: and Jacob
vowed a vow, saying, If Elohim will be with me, &c., then shall Jehovah
be my Elohe."
There is in the history of Jacob another striking illustration of this
usage. On his way from Padan-aram, after his interview with Esau, he
came to Shalem in the land of Canaan and pitched his tent there, and
built an altar which he called El-Elohe-Israel. Subsequently Elohim said
unto Jacob, "Arise, go up to Beth-El, and dwell there; and make there an
altar unto El that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face
of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, Let us arise
and go up to Beth-El, and I will make there an altar unto El who
answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which
I went. So Jacob come to Beth-El, and he built there an altar, and
called the place El-Beth-El, because there (the) Elohim appeared unto
him, when he fled from the face of his brother. And Elohim appeared unto
Jacob again; and Elohim said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall
not be called any more Jacob, but Isra-El shall be thy name. And Elohim
said unto him, I am El-Shadai, (God Almighty.) And Elohim went up from
him in the place where he talked with him." Chap. xxxv. But He who
visibly appeared to, and wrestled with him on the occasion referred to,
Gen. xxxii., and whom he saw face to face, was Elohim in the likeness of
man, and is called by Hosea Melach, the Messenger, even Jehovah Elohe of
Zebaoth.
The above-mentioned appearance of Elohim to Jacob was doubtless a
visible appearance, for after talking with Jacob, Elohim went up from
him and from the place of meeting. And it is clear that the same Person
who before was called a man is here called Elohim. Probably in other
instances, where Jehovah or Elohim is said to appear, as to Isaac, Gen.
xxvi. 2, 24, and to Abraham and others on various occasions, were
visible personal appearances.
Another instance in the history of Jacob, in which the official
designation Melach occurs interchangeably with Elohim, is Gen. xlviii.
15: "And he blessed Joseph and said, (The) Elohim, before whom my
fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, (the) Elohim which fed me all my
life long unto this day, _the Melach_ which redeemed me from all evil,
bless the lads." The identity of Person here is made emphatic by the
article prefixed to each designation.