John 1:1 and the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Episode 8, The Angel of Yahweh

“…and the Word was with God…” (John 1:1)

God can be with God?  Is John introducing a new concept about God?  No, there are clear hints in the Old Testament about plurality in God, such as the Angel or Messenger of Yahweh.

During the Exodus of Israel from Egypt, Yahweh told Moses:

“Behold, I send an angel [messenger] before you to guard you on the way and to bring
you to the place that I have prepared. 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.  “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. (Exodus 23:20-22)

This angel or messenger is protecting and leading Israel and must be obeyed. If he is rebelled against, he will not forgive Israel. Yahweh’s name is in him. He is to be viewed as Yahweh Himself. Obeying the messenger’s voice is obeying Yahweh. This seems to be the same person who has appeared to Hagar.

Our next encounter with the Angel or Messenger of Yahweh is in Genesis 22, where Abraham has traveled with his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac.

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there
and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of
the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the angel of Yahweh called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Genesis 22:9–12)

The Angel or Messenger of Yahweh calls to Abraham from heaven. Though he is Yahweh’s
messenger, he says to Abraham that Abraham has not withheld his only son from him, as if he, the messenger, is God, the one who told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1,2).

And the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By
myself I have sworn, declares Yahweh, because you have done this and have not
withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your
offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:15–18)

Here the Angel of Yahweh identifies as Yahweh (“By myself I have sworn,” “declares Yahweh,” “I will surely bless you,” and “you have obeyed my voice”). We could argue, perhaps, that as the one speaking for Yahweh (but why does Yahweh have someone speaking for Him?) the Angel or Messenger speaks as Yahweh, because he faithfully speaks Yahweh’s message. But we will see in Exodus 3, our next encounter with the Angel of Yahweh, that there is actual identity of the Messenger with Yahweh Himself.

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and
he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of
God. And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a
bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And
Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When
Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him from the bush, “Moses,
Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals
off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:1–6)

Whereas it says the Angel of Yahweh appeared to Moses in the flame inside the bush, it then says that God Himself called to Moses out of the bush. And the place is made holy ground by the presence of the Messenger of Yahweh in the bush. Moses is afraid to look at God.  The messenger sent from Yahweh is Yahweh, is God. They are separate and distinct, the One sending the other, yet to see the messenger is to see God.