Christopho- wuh?!?
Christophonies in the Old Testament:
What is it?
Christophony is a word you won’t find in the pages of the Bible. You likely won’t even hear it in your average sermon, devotional or podcast. No, this lonely word is only heard echoing through the ivory towers of academia. And that is excatly why I am writing about it. You need to know it because from here on out, you will open the pages of Scripture and read it with intrigue and excitement as you see Christ in a way you never have before.
First of all, what is a Christophony?!? The word is a compound of two Greek words: Christos, meaning Christ, or in Hebrew, Messiah, and phainomai, meaning to reveal, or appear. Together we have a special appearance of Christ or manifestation of his presence in the Old Testament, prior to his birth. A Christophony is like a sneak peek of the Messiah to come.
Why are they Important?
Christophonies are important for a number of reasons:
First, let’s be honest. How many Christians truly get excited about reading the Old Testament? Other than the handful of famous Bible stories like Noah’s Ark and David and Goliath, most of us avoid the OT because it’s long (ahem, genealogies!); it’s hard to understand (here’s looking at you minor prophets!) and even harder to pronounce (Mephiboshepha-wuh?). Sadly, the first 33 books of the Bible have earned this stigma that they aren’t relevant because Jesus isn’t readily obvious in them. But if we look hard, we find these special glimpses of Jesus starting in Genesis and sprinkling their way right up till He is born as a baby in a manger, and we realize He was there all along.
Christophonies change the way you read the Old Testament. Now that we’re actually brave enough to read the Old Testament, we read it looking for Jesus. This protects us from reading the OT as a pop psychology or self-help book. I am not reading it to make myself the hero of the Bible stories. You and I are not King David or Queen Esther- we are the weak, fearful, needy and even rebellious Israel. The Star is Christ.
Most importantly. And this is huge. Christiphonies help prove that Jesus is the Messiah. In order for Him to truly be our savior Jesus has to be 100% man and 100% God - the academic term for this is the Hypostatic Union. Even atheists can get on board with the idea that Jesus was 100% man. He was born, ate, worked, had friends, had enemies, was tempted (yet without sin), and died. The question that matters is was He 100% God? If he had been created, he wouldn’t be eternal and thus, he wouldn’t be YHWH, the self existing one. Christophonies allow us to see Jesus co-existed with God from the very beginning- the first Christophony being Jesus walking in the Garden with Adam and Eve. As we connect the dots of his appearings throughout the Bible, we realize has been walking with mankind ever since.
How Do You Recognize them in Scripture?
Now that you know Christiophonies are there, how do you find them? There are 2 clues to help you recognize Christophonies in the Old Testament.
Clue #1: Most Christophonies are introduced by the use of this key phrase, “an angel of the LORD”. Why this key phrase? Let’s break it down:
In its purest definition “angel” means “messenger.” Christ is the ultimate messenger from God, known as the very WORD of God since Genesis 1.
LORD will also be in all caps. This signifies that the lord being mentioned is not a mere king or dignitary but the God of the Jews, whose proper name is Jehovah, abbreviated to show honor and respect and meaning “the Self existent one.”
In totality, the phrase “angel of the LORD” literally means a “messenger of Jehovah.”
Clue #2: In Christophonies, the Angel and YHWH are one and yet, NOT the same. The Angel has human and divine characteristics that overlap. I love this quote from the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia says it: “While the angel and Yahweh are at times distinguished from each other, they are with equal frequency, and in the same passages, merged into each other”.
Let’s look at one clear example together. Genesis 32: 24-30
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
This mysterious man showed his humanity in a flesh against flesh wrestling match. Like a father play wrestling with his son, he allowed Jacob to struggle with all his might, even letting Jacob have the upperhand. As the sun was rising, the mystery man was ready to call it quits so no one would see him. Why? Not because he was tired, but because no one can see the face of God and live (Gen 34:6). Jacob wasn’t giving up. Why? He had already stolen his older brother Esau’s blessing from his father years ago. Why did he need another? Jacob knew this blessing wasn’t of man, but of God. This blessing was divine.
Here is the merger.
With a flick of his God-Man finger, he touched Jacob’s hip and won the match, hands down. Jacob realized there was something more to this man- he had divine strength to overpower him. He had divine endowment to bless him. He had divine authority to change his name from “Deceiver,” to “Wrestles with God.” This mystery man could change Jacob’s physique, name and destiny. Jacob didn’t receive the mystery man’s name, but he did get his blessing! And Jacob knew this man to be God. For he proclaimed “…I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
Let’s do one more:
Exo 23:20-21 After YHWH gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, he speaks to Moses and instructs him,
“Behold, I send an angel 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.”
The exact phrase, “The angel of the LORD” isn’t explicitly used in this example. From context however, we know that it is YHWH speaking, and He claims this particular angel as His own in verse 23. God tells Moses that He has sent His angel on a special mission: to guard and guide his people out of slavery into the Promised Land. This angel obediently and submissively accepts his assignment from God the Father and sets out to fulfill it. God and the angel are separate, yet united in purpose because, as we are about to see, they are united in Spirit.
Here’s the merger:
Moses is warned to obey this angel. Nowhere in Scripture are we told to obey any other angels- except this angel here in Exodus 23. Even the famous arch angels, Michael and Gabriel, urge obedience not to themselves, but to YHWH. Why does YHWH command obedience to this angel? Because His name- His character, power and authority- are in Him.
Shock factor: Moses’ rejection of or obedience to this angel will determine whether or not Moses’s sins are forgiven! Who is the only One worthy of complete obedience? YHWH. Why does YHWH command obedience to this angel? Because His name - His character, power and authority- are in Him.
How are the Israelites able to enter the Promised Land? Not by Moses, not by keeping the Law, not by Joshua, not even by an angel. Only by the forgiveness of sin. Who can forgive sin? God and God alone. (Exo 34:6; Mic 7:18; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21). Why is this angel able to forgive sin? You guessed it! Because YHWH’s name is in Him.
And the same goes for us. Moses’s exodus, the Promised Land and the fight against the Canaanite’s foreshadow our reality. We can not free ourselves from our own slavery to sin! We can not get ourselves through the wilderness of life! We can not ultimately defeat sin from our life without the Angel of the Lord to bring us and keep us in the place of abundant and eternal life. And we learn from the New Testament, his name is Jesus, which literally means, “YHWH Saves” - His name is in Him!
The Exception to the Rule -
Before I set you off with a list of passages to look for these Christophonies on your own (and of course if/when you do, feel free to post comments, questions, thoughts, or insights below!) lets address two that are exceptions to the Rule -‘cause there is always an exception somewhere, right?!? Two come to mind immediately - Melchizedek in Genesis 14 and also mentioned in Hebrews 7, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (doesn’t that roll off the tongue!) in Daniel 3. The reason these two come into question among scholars are because they don’t fit neatly into the criteria above. They either raise additional questions, don’t provide enough information in the text or use fail to use the standard verbiage, for example in Daniel 3 the phrase “sons of God” versus “angel of the LORD” is used. It doesn’t discredit these examples. It doesn’t mean the Bible isn’t true. It simply means that we need more info.
Christian, it is OK to hold your theology with an open hand. You don’t have to have blind faith. You don’t have to be dogmatic. It simply means you are an open minded, thinking Christian who is still trying to figure it all out - which is precisely how the Lord designed it. If you could read through the Bible once or twice and have it all figured out, you’d be God or at least think you were. Maybe you’d start worshipping the written Word more than the Living Word. Maybe you’d put it down, dust off your hands and walk away. Instead, God has left mystery, discovery and intrigue to keep us coming back. As the Proverbs say, “It is the glory of God to conceal a mystery and the glory of Kings to seek it out” (Prov. 25:2). So my friend- together, let’s keep seeking keep knocking and keep finding more of Him! Go Glo4God!
EXAMPLES:
Old Testament:
Genesis 3: God walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden
Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7: Melchizedek
Genesis 16: Hagar
Genesis 18: Abraham and Sarai
Genesis 22: Abraham and Isaac
Genesis 32: Jacob and the Wrestling Match
Exodus 3: Moses and the Burning Bush
Exodus 14: Moses and Israel
Numbers 22: Balaam
Joshua 2: Israel entering the Promised Land
Joshua 5: Joshua
Judges 6: Gideon
Judges 13: Samson’s mother
1 Kings 19, 2 Kings 1: Elijah
2 Kings 19: Obliterating the Assyrian Army
1 Chronicles 21: Punishing David
Daniel 3: Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego - perhaps, but different verbiage
*This incredibly thorough list and more Theophonies and Chrostophies can be found at: https://www.o-bible.com/BiblicalInformation/index.html#!CHRISTOPHANIES-APPEARANCES-OF-JESUS-IN-THE-OT
New Testament:
Acts 10: Cornelius
Galatians 4:14 - Paul equates “an angel of God” with “Jesus Christ”
