We want to establish that the angel of Yahweh was the same one with the Israelites from the Burning Bush all the way into the land of promise. But first, let us establish some keys to identify him.

Keys

The Angel of Yahweh is

1. The Presence of Yahweh

1. The one who wrestled with Jacob
   1. Jacob called him “Peniel” [Gen 32:30,24-29], i.e., the Face or Presence of God
   2. Hosea called him “the angel” [Hos 12:3-5]
2. The one who saved them from Egypt was called
   1. “Yahweh’s Presence” [Deut 4:37-38] and also
   2. “an Angel” [Num 20:15-16]
3. The one God sent with Moses and Israel in the wilderness and into Canaan
   1. “An Angel” [Exo 23:20-23]
   2. “My Presence” [Exo 33:14]—in his intercession, Moses asked to know (the name of) the Angel God was sending with him and the Israelites [Exo 33:12] and God answer “My Presence”.
4. Isaiah combines both titles into one calling him “the Angel of His (i.e., Yahweh’s) Presence” [Isa 63:9]

2. The One in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire

1. We see this from the events at the Red Sea where
   1. Both the Angel and the Pillar of Cloud and Fire shared the same position [Exo 14:19]
   2. That the Angel had been traveling before the Israelites is introduced or mentioned as a fact we should have already known. However, before this it was not plainly stated that an Angel traveled before Israel but that “Yahweh went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way…” [Exo 13:21-22]
2. The one who travelled before the Israelites
   1. God called him an angel [Exo 23:20-23]
   2. It was the Pillar of Cloud and Fire [Exo 13:22]
   3. He was Yahweh in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire [Deut 1:33; Neh 9:19]
3. It may be helpful to remember that the Angel of Yahweh is called Yahweh [Gen 16:13; Exo 23:20-21]. And so we realize that the Yahweh that went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud was in fact that Angel of Yahweh.

3. The Glory of Yahweh

1. The one in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire is referred to over and over again as “The Glory of Yahweh” [Exo 16:7,10-11; Lev 9:6,23-24; Num 14:10-11; Num 16:19-20; Num 16:42-44; Num 20:6-7; Exo 24:16-17 ;Deut 4:24].
   1. When Moses asked to see the Glory of Yahweh, “show me Your Glory” [Exo 33:14], God’s answer that Moses could not see His face but only his back shows us that seeing the Glory of God was seeing God. In other words, the Glory of Yahweh in the Cloud was actually Yahweh.
   2. Because the “Glory of Yahweh” appearing in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire was in fact Yahweh and not just some phenomenon, it could be said that Yahweh was seen by the Israelites “face to face” [Num 14:14]—he was actually there.

Having established some of his representation in the exodus and journey of Israel in the wildernesss, let us now see scriptures identifying him from the Burning Bush all the way into the land of Canaan.

The Angel of Yahweh from Sinai into Canaan

We will be following the Angel of Yahweh through the record of Scriptures from the Burning Bush to Canaan. We will be considering the following periods,

1. At the Burning Bush—this is where he first appeared to Moses to
2. In the land of Egypt—where Moses performed great signs and wonders, to
3. The Exodus—by this I mean their journey from the moment of leaving Egypt to Mount Sinai where they were brought into the Old Covenant
4. In the Wilderness—by this is meant their time in the wilderness from after coming into the Old Covenant till Joshua took over from Moses.
5. In the Land of Canaan—by this I am referring to the counquest of Canaan onwards.

The Angel of Yahweh

1. At the Burning Bush
   1. He was the one who appeared to Moses at the Burning bush [Exo 3:2]—Exodus
2. In the Land of Egypt
   1. He said he had come down to deliver the Israelites from Egypt [Exo 3:8]—the AoY
   2. He said that he was going to be with Moses [Exo 3:12]—the AoY
   3. It was through an Angel that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt [Num 20:15-16]—Moses
3. The Exodus
   1. He was in front of the Israelites as they left Egypt [Exo 14:19]—Exodus
   2. He said he had come down to deliver the Israelites from Egypt and bring them into the promised land [Exo 3:8]—the AoY.
      This means that he would have been with them in the wilderness. This is confirmed by God's threat of not going with the Israelites [Exo 33:3]
4. In the Wilderness
   1. God said he was sending the Angel of Yahweh with Israel [Exo 23:20-23]
   2. He hindered Balaam from cursing Israel [Num 22:22-35]. This agrees with one of the stated purposes of his going with them which is to protect them [Exo 23:20].
5. In the Land of Canaan
   1. He said he had come down, not just to bring them out of Egypt but to take them into the land of Canaan [Exo 3:8]—the AoY
   2. The Angel of Yahweh sent with Israel was to give them Rest [Exo 23:20]—Yahweh
   3. After the conquest under Joshua, long after Moses, he spoke to Israel [Jdg 2:1-5]—Judges

The Presence of Yahweh

1. At the Burning Bush
2. In the Land of Egypt
   1. God brought Israel out of Egypt by His Presence [Deut 4:37-38]—Moses
   2. He delivered them from Egypt [Isa 63:9,10-14]—Isaiah
3. The Exodus
   1. God brought Israel out of Egypt by His Presence [Deut 4:37-38]—Moses
4. In the Wilderness
   1. God promised to send His Presence with Moses [Exo 33:14; Exo 33:17,15-16]—Yahweh
   2. (since Moses did not enter the promised land, it is certain that was with Moses in the wilderness)
5. In the Land of Canaan
   1. God promised to do what Moses asked which was to send His Presence with the people of Israel [Exo 33:17,15-16]—Yahweh

The Pillar of Cloud and Fire

1. At the Burning Bush
2. In the Land of Egypt
3. The Exodus
   1. The Pillar of Cloud and Fire was in front of Israel as they left Egypt [Exo 13:21-22; Neh 9:12 , Exo 14:19]—Exodus
4. In the Wilderness
   1. The Pillar of Cloud and Fire was led Israel all through their journey in the wilderness [Deut 1:32-33; Neh 9:19]—Moses, Nehemiah
5. In the Land of Canaan
   1. Hundreds of years later, he was with the prophet Samuel [Psa 99:6-7 cf., 1Sa 3:10,21,4-14,19-21]—Psalm

The Glory of Yahweh

1. At the Burning Bush
2. In the Land of Egypt
3. The Exodus
   1. As the One in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire, he was in front of Israel as they left Egypt [Exo 13:21-22]—Exodus
4. In the Wilderness
   1. In the wilderness, “the Glory of Yahweh” was often seen appearing in the Pillar of Cloud and Fire to the Israelites [Exo 16:7,10-11; Lev 9:6,23-24; Num 14:10-11; 16:19-20; 16:42-44; 20:6-7]—Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers
5. In the Land of Canaan
   1. On account of the sins of Jersualem, the Glory of God left the temple in the time of the Babylonian exile [Eze 1:26-28; from the holy of holies to the temple threshold Eze 9:3; 10:4; to the east gate of the temple Eze 10:19; to the east side of Jerusalem, Mount of Olives Eze 11:23]