The Face of God:

Theophany in the Old Testament

by

The Rev. Michael Bittle

Student Number 8943314

Old Testament Literature and History

OT 1A03
Professor: Dr. Paul Evans

Submitted March 22, 2010

Long and Dillard read 100%

Old Testament: read 100%
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Seeking God’s face, God will hear from heaven, a man after God’s own heart,

sitting on the right hand of God – since the very beginning of our ancestral relationship

with YHWH, we have defined God in our own image. Of course, we also know that

YHWH has appeared in any number of other forms: a burning bush, a pillar of fire, a

cloud of smoke, a breath of wind, and more.

Such events are understood to be a theophany (from the Greek theophaneia, or

"appearance of God"), defined as a “manifestation of deity in sensible form.” The

sensible form may be visual or auditory or neither, in the case of a vision or dream.

Throughout the Tanakh, YHWH manifests Himself in a variety of forms,

invariably in a manner which allows humans to recognize or perceive Him. Each such

theophany is unique, each has its own purpose, and each reveals more to us about the

nature of God, and His relationship with us. Yet, even given their uniqueness, it would

appear that through these interactions with humans, God is intentionally revealing various

aspects of His being to us, in order to deepen our relationship with Him.

For the purposes of this paper, we are going to characterize theophanies as either

anthropomorphic (appearing in corporeal form as human), or as an inexplicable natural

event (eg fiery cloud), or as a supernatural or prophetic event (eg a dream or vision).

We will first outline what a theophany is within the context of the Old Testament.

We will then examine a specific illustration of each type which, for the purposes of this

paper, will be referred to as: the “Angel of the Lord” (God appearing as human); “the

Glory of the Lord” (God appearing as an inexplicable natural event); and “the Spirit of

the Lord” (God appearing in a dream or a prophetic vision). Next, one example of each of

these three types will be drawn from all three parts of the Tanakh to demonstrate both the
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diversity and the continuity of this theme throughout the Old Testament. Finally, the

paper will culminate in an exploration of the possible relationship between specific

theophanies in the Old and New Testaments.1

What is a Theophany?

Unlike the incarnation of God in Christ, where God dwelt for an extended period

among humans as a human, or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within a believer, the

specific identifying feature of a biblical theophany is that God suddenly and temporarily

appears. It is this suddenness and temporariness of God’s appearance – and not the

specific form or manner of appearance – that defines a theophany in the Old Testament.2

Throughout the Tanakh, although primarily in the Torah, God appeared repeatedly in

human form (usually as an angel, whether identified as such or not), as a seemingly

natural event (as a cloud or fire), or as a supernatural event (as a dream or vision).3 In

every such instance, the appearance was unexpected and of short duration, and was

apparently manifested by the will of God alone.4

The “Angel of the Lord” (mal’ak YHWH or mal’ak elohim) is a very specific

anthropomorphic manifestation which occurs thirteen times in the Tanakh; he makes his

first appearance in Genesis, and his last in Zechariah. He appeared to Hagar, Abraham

------------------------------
1
See Kuntz, The Self-Revelation of God, 17 for a delightful exploration of the various modes of
theophanic expression in the Old Testament.
2
It is not simply that God appeared in human form that makes an event a theophany; it is the
appearing in human form to someone else, allowing His presence to be visible and recognizable.
3
The use of these three categories is completely arbitrary and intended to be simplistic for the
purposes of this paper. Feinberg, for example, theorized five forms of theophanies. See Feinberg, The
Prophecy of Ezekiel.
4
Savran, Encountering the Divine explores the “narrative” aspect of theophany. For an interesting
study on the “poetic” aspects, see Shnider, “Psalm xviii: Theophany, Epiphany, Empowerment.” For dream
theophanies, see Gnuse, The Dream Theophany of Samuel. He suggests à la Ernst Ehrlich that “Dream
reports … differ from theophanies in that the recipient is theoretically asleep prior to the theophany.
Israelites believed that they encountered reality in their dreams”, 57
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and Lot, Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Joshua, Gideon, Manoah and his wife, and David.

The Angel of the Lord is very different from other angels. Not only does he carry

the name of the Lord – the presence of God within his own name - he speaks on behalf of

God in the first person and acts at times with Divine authority. In each of these passages,

the Angel of the Lord would normally appear unexpectedly, always in human form,

inspiring awe – or fear - in any who saw him.5 In each of these passages, his role always

showed divine attributes – yet his purposes were as diverse as prophesying the future,

forgiveness of sin, receiving worship, or rebuking Israelites for disobedience to God.

Furthermore, the title “Angel of the Lord” is at times used interchangeably with the title

“God” yet, when speaking, he frequently also refers to God in the third person.

The term “Glory of the Lord” also reflects a theophany.6 Although “appeared" is

the most common verb for the manifestation of the Glory of the Lord, the pillar of cloud

and fire leading the Israelites through the Sinai desert performed a similar function,

impressing upon them the assurance of God’s presence, protection and guidance.

The Shekinah (meaning “to dwell” ) Glory of the Lord is a variation of this

theophany. It is most often used to describe the visible manifestation of God's presence

when inhabiting the Tabernacle, although the term equally applies to specific (often fiery)

manifestations connected to critical points in Salvation History, generally to strike awe

into the observer. Its most specific use is to be the seal of a covenant or commission. For

example, when God's Glory "settled" upon Mount Sinai in a cloud with fire, the Israelites

clearly understood this as a manifestation of God’s presence among them, providing them

------------------------------
5
The Angel of the Lord appears both to bless and to judge. The last time it is known to have
appeared is in the New Testament, at the birth of Christ, as in “The Angel of the Lord came down and
Glory shone around.” There is considerable discussion among scholars whether the Angel of the Lord was
in fact the pre-incarnation of Christ, and there is exceptional circumstantial evidence to support this claim.
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with a sense of God’s awesome majesty and power.6

The Spirit of God or the “Spirit of the Lord” is considered to be theophanous

when it comes upon someone, transforming them and equipping them for divine service.

The Lord appears to people in visions and in dreams to reveal His plans for them or to

unveil mysteries for the future. The “vision/dream” methodology was therefore a way in

which the Lord communicated to chosen people.7

All three types of theophanies – Angel of the Lord, Glory of the Lord, and the

Spirit of the Lord - may be found throughout the Tanakh, in the Torah, the Nevi’im, and

the Kethuvim. The next three sections of this paper will provide illustrations of each.

The Angel of the Lord

Illustration drawn from the Torah:

7
The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring
that is beside the road to Shur. (Genesis 16)

Hagar, the Egyptian slave of Abram and Sarai, has discovered she is “with

Abram’s child” and runs away (we suppose) in shame and anger. Sitting by a well, with

nothing but desert (and death) facing her journey, the “Angel of the Lord” appears for the

first time in the Old Testament (emphasis mine) and engages her in conversation; she is

then commanded to return and submit to Sarai.

The Angel then pronounces a great blessing on Hagar, prophesizing the birth of

her son, naming him Ishmael, and declaring that the he “will increase your descendants

that they will be too numerous to count."8

--------------------------------
6
Meredith Kline wrote a delightful little book, Images of the Spirit, in which he explores facets of
the “Glory-cloud”. See Kline, Images of the Spirit.
7
For a general outline of the theological issues highlighted by the Sinaitic event, see Longman and
Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament, 72-76.
8
This annunciation is similar to those bestowed upon Saint Elizabeth (through Zachariah) and the
Virgin Mary in the New Testament. In both of those later instances the angel was clearly identified as
Gabriel and, in both of those instances, the angel clearly articulated that the blessing came from God.
 5

It is astounding that the Angel of the Lord seems to be speaking from his own

authority: the text does not say, “The Lord says … ”. Indeed, the blessing given to Hagar

is almost identical to the blessing God gave to Abram!

In response, Hagar does three things: first, she calls the Angel of the Lord “a God

of seeing”; then, she goes on to remark "Have I even remained alive here after seeing

Him?"9 and to name the well “Beer-lahai-roi” (“the Living One who sees me”)10; third,

she obeys the Angel and returns to Sarai. This encounter points out several key factors in

the nature of the relationship between the Angel of the Lord and YHWH, the relationship

between the Angel of the Lord and humans, and the responses which humans have as a

result of their communion with the Angel of the Lord.

In the first instance, the Angel of the Lord pronounced a blessing on Hagar – on

his own, without invoking the name of YHWH, which previously only YHWH had

promised to Abram. In the second instance, the Angel of the Lord appeared, in this

instance, to help and inspire Hagar. In the third instance, Hagar’s act of naming the well

is of itself an act of worship, as is her calling the Angel a “God”.

It must be noted that, in every other instance when a human attempts to worship

an angel (other than the Angel of the Lord), they are immediately rebuked: the Angel of

the Lord does not do so. Between the Angel bestowing a blessing on Hagar similar to that

of the Abrahamic covenant and Hagar’s reaction to her encounter with the Angel of the

------------------------------------
9
Curiously, where did Hagar get the idea that to see the Lord meant death? Possibly a post-Mosaic
redaction? Much later in the Old Testament we are informed that one possible (likely?) consequence of
seeing the Lord face to face was death, but at this time the only person she knew who had seen the Lord
was Abram, and he was certainly alive and well. For an exploration of this topic, see Wessner, “Toward a
Literary Understanding of Moses”.
10
For example, after his stairway dream, Jacob names that place “Bethel” (Genesis 28); similarly,
after wrestling with God, Jacob states “I have seen God face to face”, and names that site “Peniel”,
meaning, “the face of God” (Genesis 32).
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Lord, there is considerable evidence, circumstantial at least, for the deity of the Angel of

the Lord.11

Illustration drawn from the Nevi’im:

11
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 in a
winepress to keep it from the Midianites. (Judges 6)

Here we have Gideon, making preparations against what he considers to be the

upcoming victory of the Midianites. The Angel of the Lord came to where Gideon was

working, and then subsequently allowed Himself to appear to Gideon, greeting him

gently so as to minimize his reaction to the surprise visit. The Angel declares that the

Lord is with Gideon, and in response to Gideon’s questioning whether in fact the Lord is

actually with him, the text then identifies the Angel as the Lord, who instructs Gideon to

go battle with the promise that He will be with him. With his faith strengthened by this

encounter, Gideon then prepares a meat and grain sacrifice.12

In this interaction between Gideon and the Angel of the Lord, we again see the

Angel being addressed by, and answering to, the name of YHWH. We again see the

Angel promising action on his own authority, and not “in the Name of the Lord”, and

giving instructions (a commission) to Gideon which he obeys. And we again see the

human response to this interaction as one of worship: Gideon offers and indeed

subsequently prepares a sacrifice which the Angel consumes; he next builds an altar and,

like Hagar, gives the place a special name, “Jehovahshalom” (“the Lord is Peace”).

-----------------------------------
11
See, for example, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary., “Who is The angel of the Lord"?
12
Gideon appears to be thinking that he is preparing a meal for the Angel/YHWH, who of course
has other plans. His act of consuming the offerings by fire is perhaps prescient of the future sacrifice cult of
Israel; where other cults prepared such foods believing them to be eaten by their gods, YHWH seems to
just like the smell. For a short discussion on this, see Wilson, “Conversations”, 33-46.
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Illustration drawn from the Kethuvim:

15
And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the
LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who
was destroying the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the
LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
(1 Chronicles 21)

In this illustration, we see a completely different aspect of the Angel of the Lord.

David had been disobedient to God and in response the Angel of the Lord was sent by

YHWH to destroy Jerusalem. Seeing the Angel standing with drawn sword, David’s

reaction was quite naturally one of terror. To his credit, David repented for his previous

actions and, in response, the Angel ordered the prophet Gad to instruct David to build an

altar to worship the Lord, and David complied.

A number of interesting items in this illustration highlight its differences with the

preceding two examples. In both of the other two examples, God had a message which he

wished delivered directly to the individuals, and a response which he wished to elicit

from them. In both cases, the Angel of the Lord approached the human gently, offering

words of encouragement, gaining their trust, before giving them instructions. In both of

those instances, the human response was reverence and obedience.

With David, however, the situation was completely reversed: David had already

taken an action in defiance of the Lord, and the Lord took action against David and his

people. The Angel of the Lord was fierce and destructive, and the human response was

extreme fear. YHWH had already decided not to continue the destruction of Jerusalem

before David’s repentance. Even then, YHWH refused to speak directly to David. Instead

the Angel of the Lord, again speaking on his own behalf and without reference to YHWH,

directed Gad the prophet to order David to construct an altar to worship God. In both of

the previous two examples, the natural joyful human response was to worship the Lord;
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in David’s case, he had to be instructed what to do, and obeyed this instruction out of fear.

So, each of these examples serves to illustrate that throughout the Tanakh, the

Angel of the Lord is shown at times to act in a manner independent from YHWH, yet at

other times he is in fact identified as YHWH, that He appears to obtain obedience from

humans either gently through awe or forcibly through fear, and the culmination of each of

His visitations is the worship of God.

The “Glory of the Lord”

Illustration drawn from the Torah:

16
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick
cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp
trembled. (Exodus 19)

This passage sets the stage for one of the most dramatic moments in the Old

Testament – the Sinaitic revelation - the giving of the Law. It is interesting to note that

the words used to introduce one of the most memorable Divine-human moments in

history should convey the scene in such a calm and simple description. It is also

interesting that the imagery provoked by this text subsequently dominated Israelite poetry

for a millennia after the event: an incorporeal God descends from heaven as cloud and

fire – the Shekinah Glory – to rest among his chosen people “face to face” from the top of

Mount Sinai.13

God’s intent was to ratify the Abrahamic Covenant. His message was clear: obey

My commandments, keep My law, uphold our covenant, and you will be My people. The

purpose of the Shekinah Glory was equally clear: to strike awe into the people so they

would remember the giving of the Law.

---------------------------------------
13
The mountaintop theophany is a very popular topic among biblical scholars. One of many, many
books on this is Kingsley, The Theophany Topos and the Mountain of God.
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Illustration drawn from the Nevi’im:

38
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood
and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
(1 Kings 18)

Ahab, son of Omri, had married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, and daughter of

the priest of Tyre. She strongly encouraged Baal worship in Israel and dedicated an altar

to him on Mount Carmel.14 Baal is the god who gives the rain and the fruits of the earth.

Elijah is chosen by God to lead the people of Israel back to their covenantal relationship

with Him.

A long famine due to a lack of rain brings into sharp relief the question of who

might be the true God - Baal or YHWH. Elijah offers a test to be performed on Mount

Carmel: prepare two sacrifices for the respective divinities, and invoke them in turns;

"and the God who answers by fire, he is God”. The result is nothing short of humourous;

despite the combined machinations of 450 Baal priests, "no one answered".

In contrast to their agitated efforts, Elijah offers a simple, calm prayer: the fire of

the Lord15 fell and fully consumed the offering.16 The people see the error of their ways,

and recommit themselves to their relationship with YHWH.

Once again, we see the use of fire as a theophanic vehicle to demonstrate the

presence of God; once again, we see the Divine Glory strike awe into the hearts and

minds of the observers; and once again, we see God draw them back to their faithfulness

to their convenant with Him.

------------------------------------
14
For a detailed study of the YHWH versus Baal competition, see Rowley, Elijah on Mount
Carmel.
15
Notice the similarity between the expression ‘fire of the Lord’ (es ha'elohim in Hebrew) and
Elijah's epithet as ‘man of the Lord’ (is ha'elohim): the prophet who burns with zeal for the Lord God
Almighty. (1 Kings 19, 10-14)
16
Again we see the Lord totally consuming the meat offering, similar to Gideon’s experience in
Judges 6.
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Illustration drawn from the Kethuvim:

1
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the
burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
(2 Chronicles 7)

At long last, God’s Holy temple had been built and the people of Israel were

preparing the new place of worship to replace the Tabernacle in the Tent of Meeting,

which they had used since their time in the Sinai wilderness. The Ark of the Convenant

was brought into the Holy of Holies in the new Temple, containing the two tablets God

had given Moses.

Then, as Solomon was completing his prayers over the sacrifices they had

prepared for the Lord, fire came down to consume the offerings and the Shekinah Glory

appeared as a cloud inside the Temple, thereby sanctioning the event as Holy and

confirming His acceptance of this new dwelling place.17

As in the previous two examples, we again see the use of fire as an expression of

the presence of God; we again see the Divine Glory strike awe into the hearts and minds

of the observers; we again see God consume the sacrificial offerings; and we again see

God use this event to enable Israel to reaffirm its faithfulness to their convenant with Him.

The “Spirit of the Lord”

Illustration drawn from the Torah:

16
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this
place, and I was not aware of it." (Genesis 28)

Jacob was on the run. He had deceived his father, stolen the blessing intended for

his brother Isaac, and was heading to Haran to “hide out” until the situation “cooled

down”. At dusk, he stopped by the side of the road and used "one of the stones" there as a

--------------------------------
17
The description of the theophanic cloud descending upon the temple is very similar to the scene
on Mount Sinai.
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pillow to make a bed. In a dream, God appeared to him from the top of an angel-filled

stairway and confirmed that the blessing was indeed his. When Jacob awoke he was

afraid because he realized that the Lord was in that place; at dawn he set up the stone as a

memorial, named the place Bethel, "the House of God," and vowed to worship there

when he returned to his father's house in peace.18

Why would God appear in a vision rather than send the Angel of the Lord? In

each of the three instances described earlier, the Angel of the Lord appeared in order to

change the behaviour of someone: Hagar to return to Sarai; Gideon to battle the

Midianties; and David, to become more obedient.

In Jacob’s situation, God was dealing with someone who was exceptionally self-

centered, and only concerned about his own sense of security and well-being. God

needed to transform the entire direction of Jacob’s life and, for that to occur, Jacob had to

convince himself of God’s purpose: Jacob needed to experience a revelation, not just an

epiphany. God used the dream to establish His holiness to Jacob, and to identify Jacob as

a special individual singled out for a special purpose. The dream transformed Jacob’s life,

and was the springboard for a lifelong personal relationship with God.19

Illustration drawn from the Nevi’im:

8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go
for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6)

This is the great commission of Isaiah, where God appears in a dream, sitting high

upon a lofty throne. All that Isaiah can see of Him, though, is the hem and train of His

--------------------------------------
18
Jacob’s stairway/ladder dream is the particular study of several scholars, including Yitzhak
Peleg, who interprets this “dream theophany” at two levels, the one as an explanation of how Bethel
became a sacred place, and the other as a “sacred dream” where the angels climbing up and down the
stairway to heaven symbolizes the “path” for patriarchs entering and leaving the Promised Land. See Peleg,
“Going Up and Going Down”.
19”
Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road
you're on.” Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven”.
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majestic robe. What do we know of Isaiah, other than he was the son of Amoz? By his

own words, he declares, “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of

unclean lips.” In response, one of the Seraphim touches his lips with a burning coal taken

from God’s altar, and by the Grace of God Isaiah’s sin is forgiven. Thus purified, Isaiah

is ready to respond whole-heartedly when God asks: “Whom shall I send?”

Again, we see the hallmark of a self-centered man: Isaiah receives a vision of the

throne room of God, and his first response is “Woe to me!” Fortunately for him, this

particular vision of God allows Isaiah to develop some humility – he is not allowed to see

God face-to-face, but only the hem of His robe. He is immediately troubled by his

unworthiness but, in reaction to an act of God’s Grace, of having been cleansed of his sin,

he responds fearlessly to God’s request by declaring “Here am I. Send me!” Whatever

life Isaiah might have been lead up to this point, it is now dedicated to doing God’s will.

Illustration drawn from the Kethuvim:

16
Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and
began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with
anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. (Daniel 10)

Daniel knew that the Cyrus decree had given truth to Jeremiah's prophecy that the

seventy years' captivity for Judah was over, and they could return home. Two years later,

very few of them had returned to Jerusalem – they had become “Babylonionized”. Daniel

felt a responsibility for the spiritual welfare of his people; he wanted the worship of

YHWH to be reestablished, and he did not understand why God had allowed the people

to stay in Babylon. He prayed for understanding and, not receiving an immediate answer,

he went into a period of fasting.

After three weeks of this, he finally received his answer in a vision. Seeing a

supernaturally beautiful and richly dressed man engulfed in fire, Daniel was overcome by
 13

the vision and collapsed. Even when the strange man revived Daniel with gentle words of

encouragement, Daniel was still weak with fear, and humbled himself before the stranger.

Daniel eventually received sufficient strength from the stranger’s encouragement so that

he could listen to what the stranger had to say.

The prophesy given to Daniel covered a lengthy span of time, perhaps to the end

point of Revelation. It certainly outlined a coming history that went well beyond Daniel’s

immediate concerns. It gave him a full understanding of events occurring on Earth and,

perhaps more importantly, an insight into the spiritual warfare underway between God

and Satan, plus a promise from God that His angel Michael would serve and protect

Israel against all foes.20 By granting Daniel this vision of the future, it gave him peace for

his concerns about Israel.

This contrasts with the previous two examples, where we saw two spiritually-

challenged individuals have their spirits awoken and their lives radically changed by a

vision of God. In return, God received two champions for His people.

In the case of Daniel, we have a person with great faith and dependence upon God

for all things. When faced with the dilemma of what to do, he naturally turned to prayer.

In response to his faithfulness, God gave him far more than he could have imagined, and

Daniel received the benefit of God’s Grace.

In all three examples, we see an example of God delivering a message directly to

a specific individual through a dream/vision, and even then, their initial reaction was fear

but their subsequent response was faithfulness to God’s will.21

-----------------------------
20
There is an old expression: be careful what you pray for, you might just get it.
21
Berkovic calls this type of meeting a “holy intrusion”. Berkovic, “Aspects and Modalities of
God’s Presence in the Old Testament”.
 14

Conclusions

So far, we have examined nine different examples of theophany in the Tanakh,

drawn from each of its three sections. We have seen similarities among them, and we

have seen differences. In each case, however, we have seen the same result: obedience to

God’s will. Ever since the expulsion from the Garden of Eden for disobedience to God, it

seems that He has been repeatedly engaging us throughout history, to encourage us to

align our will with His.

But has God succeeded? After all, Jesus told us: “If they do not listen to Moses

and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke

16:31) Prophetic words indeed.

For our purposes, it is safe to say that the Old Testament theophanies as discussed

in this paper continued to appear in the New Testament – with one exception: the “Angel

of the Lord”. Other angels come and go, the Glory and Spirit of the Lord abounds, but the

Angel of the Lord is nowhere to be seen. Or is He?

In John 8, we read that “the Jews said to [Jesus], and you have seen Abraham!"

and in response we read, "I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born,

I am!" No one present failed to notice the true meaning of those words: Jesus had just

announced that He was God. He was a living, incarnate theophany, unique from all other

manifestations of God. He was not God in heaven, He was not the Spirit of the Lord, and

He was not the Glory of the Lord. So, just who was He?

Many scholars are convinced that Jesus was and always has been the spiritual

guide, the blesser, the redeemer, the sanctifier, the judge, the forgiver, and the Word of

God, moving in and out of the lives of the people who became known as Israel. He
 15

appeared at times when special people needed guidance and encouragement; He appeared

at times when Israel needed salvation; He appeared at times to grant peace. He appeared,

not as the incarnate Immanuel – God with us - but as the corporeal mal’ak YHWH – the

Angel with God within – the Angel of the Lord. The Angel who speaks for God – the

Logos – the Word of God.

Twice in the Bible, this Angel took on a different title. The first time it was as

Commander of the army of the Lord. We see Him on the night before the Battle of

Jericho: Joshua falls on his face and calls Him Lord. The Commander accepts this

worship and He instructs Joshua to remove his sandals since he is standing on Holy

Ground. The only other time this command is heard is when given by God to Moses.

Since only God can sanctify, the Commander is a corporeal form of God. Why is the

Commander present at the Battle of Jericho? He is fulfilling God’s covenant with the

people called Israel and He is leading the army of the Lord to prepare for their entry into

their new spiritual home, the Promised Land.

The next time we see the Commander, He is riding a white horse, and his name is

Faithful and True. He is leading the army of the Lord to prepare for our entry into our

new spiritual home, the New Jerusalem:

12
His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name
written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped
in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were
following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15
Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.
"He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of
the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name
written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:12-16)

The covenantal relationship initiated by God with Abraham, nurtured by His

Angels, His Spirit, and His Glory, ultimately finds its fulfillment in His Son.
 16

Bibliography

Berković, Danijel. “Aspects and Modalities of God’s Presence in the Old Testament”.
Evangelical Journal of Theology. Vol.3 No.1 (2009) 51-71. Online:
http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/58092

Feinberg, Charles Lee. The Prophecy of Ezekiel: The Glory of the Lord. Chicago: Moody,
1969.

Gnuse, Robert Karl. The dream theophany of Samuel : its structure in relation to ancient
Near Eastern dreams and its theological significance. Lanham, MD: University
Press of America, 1984.

Kingsbury, Edwin C. “The Theophany Topos and the Mountain of God.” Journal of
Biblical Literature. Vol. 86, No. 2 (1967) 205-210. Online:
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