The Bible references angels and celestial beings quite a bit throughout Scripture. Angels gave the law to Moses (Acts 7:53), appear in dreams (Genesis 28:12), herald the actions of God (Revelation 8:2), and sometimes prompt a donkey to argue with its owner (Numbers 22:22-41).
It’s surprising then, that for all we’ve heard about angels in the Bible, we know shockingly little about them. I’ve sat in numerous classes (and taught several myself) on the subject of angels, and the most we’ve ever been able to say is that a lot of it is unknown. They’re messengers, of course, but what else do we really know about them?
Honestly, it’s probably for the best that we don’t know more than we’re told. Mankind has a tendency to idolize and exalt beings, so worshipping angels seems like it would be par for the course (Colossians 2:18). I’d rather not know and keep the focus where it belongs—on God.
All that being said, God is pretty explicit when he says that he will send an “angel before” the Israelites to guide them into Canaan. Israel is to “obey his voice” because he “won’t pardon their transgressions.” Failure to heed what he says will cause them to receive covenant curses instead of covenant blessings.
At first glance, that seems to imply that this being will be an equal with God. After all, who else has the authority to hold man in obedience?
Remember though, just because a messenger has authority, it doesn’t mean that it’s his authority. Any authority that messengers have is derived from the one who sent them, so obeying the messenger’s voice is the same as obeying the master’s voice. On his own, the messenger doesn’t carry much weight.
In other words, it’s not a given that this angel is Jesus (as so many people assume). It could just be an angel.
It could also be a man. A lot of early commentators took the view that this being was Joshua, especially since his name and that of God are so similar (Joshua and Yehoshua). This falls right in line with the statement from God in Exodus 23:21 where He says that He will “put His name in him.”
I don’t think we should get hung up on identity, though. The focus in this Text is not on the messenger himself, but on what the messenger will do. He will go before them and clear the way, and they are to follow his lead. There is a blessing if they do well and a curse if they don’t. It’s as simple as that.
