Christian Art | Fidelity To Christ | Angels In The Old Testament
Luke 12: 8-12 – Week 28 Ordinary Time, Saturday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
We are called by Jesus to acknowledge our Christianity to others, not to be afraid of physical threats or of other discomforts. In our own time, this encompasses a broad range of Christian experience, ranging from real physical, and mortal, danger at the hands of fanatical extremists of other faiths, to, in more civilized territories, the snide denigration of Christian faith by anti-theists, and such social embarrassment as might follow from this.
If we are loyal to Christ, Christ will stand by us, rewarding us for our faith with every true goodness. We will be acknowledged by Christ before the angels. And, should we falter and, perhaps, argue with Christ, or misrecognize him, failing to know him as he truly is, we can be forgiven this.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is, however, a different order of denial. This may mean a deliberate and known rejection of the Spirit, as the Spirit is manifest in Christ’s ministry and in our own time. It may mean maliciously attributing to the devil God’s actions, as when the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out devils in the name of Beelzebub. Blasphemy is a perversion of truth, whereby those who do reject the Spirit put themselves beyond the reach of salvation, shutting a door upon themselves.
As Jesus teaches his disciples, the Holy Spirit is our natural guide. When we admit the Spirit into our lives then we find ourselves on sure ground. Jesus tells his disciples that they will be accused and brought to various trails, and that then the Holy Spirit will be with them, guiding their words.
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Eternal Father, loving God,
Who made us from the dust of earth,
Transform us by the Spirit’s grace,
Give value to our little worth.
Prepare us for that day of days
When Christ from heaven will come with might
To call us out of dust again,
Our bodies glorified in light.
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
Angels In The Old Testament
Here are examples of angels in the Old Testament:
- In Genesis 3:24, after Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden, God places cherubim at the entrance to guard it: ‘So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.’
- In Genesis 16:7-14, an angel appears to Hagar in the wilderness and tells her that she will have a son: ‘And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur… And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly… And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me.’
- In Genesis 19:1-22, two angels come to Sodom to warn Lot and his family of its impending destruction: ‘And there came two angels to Sodom at even… And they said, Stand back… And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides?… And the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire.’
- In Genesis 28:10-17, Jacob has a dream in which he sees a ladder reaching up to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it: ‘And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it… And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’
- In Exodus 3:1-6, an angel appears to Moses in a burning bush and tells him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt: ‘And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush… And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground… I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
- In Exodus 23:20-23, God tells Moses that he will send an angel to lead the Israelites into the promised land: ‘Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared… Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.’
- In Numbers 22:22-35, an angel blocks the path of Balaam and his donkey, causing the donkey to speak: ‘And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field… And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?’
- In Judges 6:11-23, an angel appears to Gideon and tells him that he will save Israel from the Midianites: ‘And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour… Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?’
- In 2 Samuel 24:16, an angel stretches out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, but God relents and stops the angel: ‘And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand.’
- In 1 Kings 19:5-7, an angel wakes Elijah up and gives him food and water when he is exhausted and fleeing from Jezebel: ‘And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat… And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.’
- In 2 Kings 19:35, an angel kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night: ‘And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand.’
- In Daniel 6:22, an angel protects Daniel from the lions in the den: ‘My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.’
- In Malachi 3:1, the prophet speaks of a messenger who will prepare the way for the Lord: ‘Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.’ This verse is seen as a prophecy of John the Baptist, who prepares the way.
- In Psalm 34:7, the psalmist says that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him: ‘The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.’
- In Psalm 91:11-12, the psalmist speaks of angels who will protect those who trust in God: ‘For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways… They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.’
- In Zechariah 1:9-14, the prophet sees a vision of angels who patrol the earth and report back to God: ‘I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white… Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem?’
- In Daniel 6:22, an angel shuts the mouths of the lions when Daniel is thrown into the den: ‘My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me.’
- In Daniel 9:21-27, the angel Gabriel appears to Daniel and gives him a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah: ‘And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding… Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.’
- In Tobit 12:15-16, the angel Raphael reveals his true identity to Tobit and his son Tobias: ‘I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.’
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The Carrefour will be open, where I can buy nuts for the red squirrel, who lives in Campo Grande. The red squirrel is Valladolid’s best bit. Even as a child, I had never seen one before, apart from in picture books. It was last term’s discovery. The most beautiful encounter. I didn’t know it was there – in the park. A complete surprise. The tiny little thing bobbled and hopped, as it received in its little hands a nut from the man’s hands. Each surprising instant – it was childlike. I whispered: ‘Oh my wow.’ I walk toward the El Cortes Ingles. There is, for now, that settled feel of friends in bookshops. Though a null-affect, neutral day – it won’t glean, it is not to be scratched at. The queues are long in the Carrefour. Though, as it might be, on relatively modest incomes, many people live centrally. Their behaviours neither pinched nor stark. Yet the shop so busy while the street so empty… An error in the simulation, a glitch in the code. I potter about the aisles, which are pleasant enough, then at the tills I flinch at how expensive a little bag of up-sold nuts can be. Nonetheless, I queue for a packet of almonds. Two English men queue directly ahead of me. They are stocky, and have gay voices, their wheelie-bucket piled with soft drinks and party food, while they bitch to one another about the obviously terrible party they’re going to. The air heaves relief as I wander up the way to the broad plaza fringing Campo Grande. This is a place to see – a piece of Spain. There is a tourist information office, though unopened. At these fountains, three girls take selfies. Pompous-looking buildings, the military offices aside, line the park’s nearest vicinities. Hotel-bars have their patches. Liveried doormen idle time, for there are no paying customers, in and out the doorways’ shadows. A mixed group of kids play at the hoops on the pedestrian boulevard, and two boys practise on skateboards, working the thing out. I pass by them, touched by the thought, and happy that they are there. Wistful, I smile at the odds of the ball spilling over to me, and play in mind the agreeable scene of a fleeting connection. Then I am through the park gates. An air now – of humanity become self-selecting. Modestly understated. Understatedly modest. Campo Grande is nice but it isn’t grande… I walk slowly, and very soon hear for a second time English voices. Not them – it is an English family, just a little way ahead, a Dad and a Mum and a younger boy and an older girl, and theirs are Midlands accents. Dad seems to have been here and to know the place. He gestures panoramically. Mum wants her lunch. The girl at a difficult age. She carries a balloon-on-a-stick. Though she is sprouting – yet wears a loud dress. Then leggings, trainers. Her hair is nice… Maybe she is being okay about it. And not horrific. It’s okay once they get into it, but those months… Yet then, they mostly blossom, if they come from a good home, and become rounded personalities, entering into their womanhood. It was that… when yet they weren’t… I shudder to think of it. They walk toward the pond, and I trail, and would follow had I not been going that way. I wish I could say something so they might hear I am English too. (Fake a phone call?) How my voice might sound – there’d be all college hurling around in such matter I… a demented thing, ludicrous blurt – of Henry, Geoff, and all of them – not to mention the personal predicament. Maybe they’re a nice family. She is letting him explain what he needs to explain. And it would blow his fire, me being English. Mum and Dad. You’d probably see them all having their lunch in a little while. All sat round the table. With napkins and the menus out. Dad looks safe. I look into the pond. Terrapins live in there. But not today. 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The National Sculpture Museum would be – just up there, this archway, this next…They are bleached and forgotten-looking walls, and the smoothed paving could be medieval. Not that it is making Tomàs anxious – I follow the map. A kind of place – uneasy credit-cards, and modern vaccinations, and a phone, might not help much. I fancy I feel the back-wall of a church, and that – fancifully – pressure-release drawn out of me. Only I am playing games in a nice way – making play-scared on the uncertainty – with only myself to see. The National Museum is there, modestly signed on stencilled plexiglass stuck to the stone wall. A uniformed lady sits just a little way inside the doorway. She reassures me there is no money required, and directs me over the courtyard into the planned route, showing me where I can pick up a free map. I get my […]
