The Angel That Redeems
Jacob’s Deathbed Blessing
PART NINE
As we study Jacob’s experience and knowledge of YHWH, there is one more important passage in the Book of Genesis we need to examine. As we read, remember Jacob has been renamed Israel as a blessing from the angel/man with whom he wrestled.
We also read the words of Hosea, that he affirmed the identity of this Angel:
3b And in his strength he struggled with God.
4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed;
He wept, and sought favor from Him.
He found Him in Bethel,
(And there He spoke to us—)
5 That is, the LORD God of hosts.
The LORD is His memorable name.— Hosea 12:3-5
Today, we are reading from Genesis 48. This takes place after Jacob’s family has settled in Egypt under the protection and provision of his son Joseph. Jacob has been in Egypt for seventeen years and is now dying. Joseph is told about this and brings his sons before Jacob, their grandfather. What we are about to read is part of Jacob’s deathbed blessing upon Joseph and his two sons.
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”
And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”
12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:
“God (Elohim), before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God (Elohim) who has fed me all my life long to this day,
16 The Angel (mal’ak - messenger) who has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
Let my name be named upon them,
And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
Once again, the Biblical writer puts Elohim and the Angel in a parallel position. The scripture teaches that God is eternal and existed before all things, and that angels are created beings. So the writer is making a point in this parallel. The point is not to say imply that God is an angel. On the other hand, the point is to affirm that this This Angel is one with God who in verse 3 he declares to be God Almighty (El’Shadday), the same one who appeared to him in the original vision at Luz..
This point of oneness is emphasized in verses 15-16:
15 “God (Elohim), before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God (Elohim) who has fed me all my life long to this day,
16 The Angel (mal’ak - messenger) who has redeemed me from all evil,
Bless the lads;
The word “bless” is a verb and it is not plural. If it were plural it would indicate that two different persons are being asked to bless the boys. But the word is singular. The author is revealing a tight fusion, a oneness of the two divine beings. In other words, the author had the opportunity to distinguish the God of Abraham and Isaac from the Angel that redeemed him, but instead merges their identities.
This is not a mistake. The God of Israel is The One True God, but in more than one person.
Remember the words of Hosea the prophet:
Jacob met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with him, the LORD (YHWH), the God (Elohim) of hosts (of Armies), the LORD (YHWH) is his memorial name.
— Hosea 12:4-5
In looking closely at the Old Testament scriptures, you may find the interactions between God and the patriarchs surprising. However, it is clear that that the Biblical writers had a much more complex understanding of the LORD God who called them. While affirming The LORD is One, they embraced both The Omnipresent, Omnipotent God of all creation and the visible figure of Yahweh as a man simultaneously.