An Angel Goes Before You

Moses spoke to the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness to the promised land. He outlined to them how God expected them to live and the laws that they needed to follow. Moses then gave them instructions about their entry into the promised land. Along with the instructions came a promise of protection from an angel (ministering spirit). This angel would go before the people to guard and protect them and to give direction.

God also warned the people, “Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him”(Exodus 23:21). While the angels act as guardians and ministering spirits, they also execute vengeance and judgement for sin. The angels are fierce warriors and fight battles for God’s children against his adversaries. “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out” (Exodus 23:23).

At the end of verse 23, when God says, “and I blot them out,” it is the angel who would act on God’s behalf to wipe out the enemies before God’s people. Unfortunately in this story the Israelites were too afraid of the inhabitants and did not enter the promised land. They did not always see the physical presence of the angel of God, but needed faith to know that he was there guarding and protecting them.

As christians there are angels assigned to stand guard and protect us. They carry out the answer to our prayers and are here on earth to minister to us. We do not always see them and if we did, we would understand the power that is available to us. Elisha once had to pray for God to open the eyes of his servant to see the mountain of angels on chariots of horses and fire. They were there in great numbers to protect him against the army that had come against him (2 Kings 6:17).

Our faith requires us to see into the invisible realm what we cannot see with our natural eyes. To see angels surrounding us to protect and to help us win every battle. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7).

A.P.-Y.