APPENDIX - THE ONENESS OF
YAHWEH
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 reads,
6:4Hear,
How is Yahweh one? How is Yahweh one in consideration that there are two Yahwehs - two individuals each called Yahweh, the greater Yahweh being the Most High, and the lesser Yahweh being the angel of Yahweh?
The word translated "one" in 6:4 is No. 259 in Strong's Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary.
259. …echad, ekh-awd; a numeral from 258; prop. united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first:- a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any (-thing), apiece, a certain, [dai-] ly, each (one), + eleven, every, few, first, + highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together.
258. …achad, aw-khad; per. A prim. Root; to unify, i.e. (fig.) collect (one's thoughts):- go one way or other.
It is indeed noted that the word echad can also be translated as "united". Using "united" for echad Deuteronomy 6:4 reads, in part, "Yahweh is our Mighty One; Yahweh is united".
Seeing that there are indeed two individuals called Yahweh, and seeing that both of them are called Mighty One, it appears that it is inappropriate to translate echad as the numeral one in Deuteronomy 6:4. It is better to translate it as "united". If it is translated "one" then it should be emphasised that it is the unity meaning of "one" that is applicable, and not the numeral meaning of "one".
Now, it is indeed the case that both Yahwehs are united. There is no division between them. The lesser Yahweh fully submits to the will of the greater Yahweh, seeing that the lesser Yahweh is servant to the greater Yahweh. When Manoah prayed to the greater Yahweh, the Most High, to send the person he had previously sent to his wife, the greater Yahweh sent the lesser Yahweh again. The lesser Yahweh does not go against the will of the greater Yahweh, but abides by it fully. And when Manoah offered the lesser Yahweh a meal, he counselled Manoah to offer it instead as a sacrifice to the greater Yahweh, thereby showing that he teaches humans to worship the greater Yahweh directly. There is no conflict between the greater Yahweh and the lesser Yahweh. They are united and work together in harmony.
The Angel Of Yahweh
Appeared To Moses In A Flame Of Fire
Exodus 3:1-4:18, 27-31 reads,
3:1Now
Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,
and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s mountain,
to Horeb. 3:2The angel of
Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.
He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not
consumed. 3:3Moses said, I will turn
aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 3:4When Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see,
God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses!
Moses!"
He said, "Here I am."
3:5He
said, "Don’t come close. Take off your sandals from off your feet, for the
place you are standing on is holy ground." 3:6Moreover he said, "I am the God of
your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to
look at God.
3:7Yahweh
said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who
are in
3:11Moses
said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I
should bring forth the children of
3:12He
said, "Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you,
that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of
Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."
3:13Moses
said to God, "Behold, when I come to the children of Israel,
and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you;’ and they ask me, ‘What
is his name?’ What should I tell them?"
3:14God
said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM," and he said, "You
shall tell the children of Israel this: "I AM has sent me to you."
3:15God said moreover to Moses,
"You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, the God of your
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent
me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations.
3:16Go, and gather the elders of
Israel together, and tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of
Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have
surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt; 3:17and I have said, I will bring you up out of
the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite,
the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and
honey."’ 3:18They will
listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the
king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews,
has met with us. Now please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness,
that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our God.’ 3:19I
know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a
mighty hand. 3:20I will put forth my
hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst of it,
and after that he will let you go. 3:21I
will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen
that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed. 3:22But
every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who sojourns in her house,
jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your
sons, and on your daughters. You shall despoil the Egyptians.
4:1Moses
answered, "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice;
for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’"
4:2Yahweh
said to him, "What is that in your hand?"
He said, "A rod."
4:3He
said, "Throw it on the ground."
He threw it on the ground, and it became a
snake; and Moses ran away from it.
4:4Yahweh
said to Moses, "Put forth your hand, and take it by the
tail."
He put forth his hand, and laid hold of it,
and it became a rod in his hand.
4:5"That
they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." 4:6Yahweh said furthermore to him,
"Now put your hand inside your cloak."
He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he
took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.
4:7He
said, "Put your hand inside your cloak again."
He put his hand inside his cloak again, and
when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other
flesh.
4:8"It
will happen, if they will neither believe you nor listen to the voice of the
first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 4:9It will happen, if they will not believe even
these two signs, neither listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water
of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the
river will become blood on the dry land."
4:10Moses
said to Yahweh, "Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before
now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of
a slow tongue."
4:11Yahweh
said to him, "Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or
seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh? 4:12Now therefore go, and I will be with
your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak."
4:13He
said, "Oh, Lord, please send someone else."
4:14The
anger of Yahweh was kindled against Moses, and he said, "What about Aaron,
your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he comes
forth to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 4:15You shall speak to him, and put the words
in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you
what you shall do. 4:16He will be
your spokesman to the people; and it will happen, that he will be to you a
mouth, and you will be to him as God. 4:17You
shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."
4:18Moses
went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please
let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are
still alive."
Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
4:27Yahweh
said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses."
He went, and met him on God’s mountain, and
kissed him. 4:28Moses told Aaron
all the words of Yahweh with which he had sent him, and all the signs with
which he had charged him. 4:29Moses
and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. 4:30Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had
spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 4:31The people believed, and when they heard
that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their
affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.
The Angel Of Yahweh Is
Mighty One
Doesn't 3:2 clearly identify the angel of Yahweh as the person who appeared to Moses as a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush? Doesn't 3:4 clearly identify the Mighty One as the person who called out to Moses out of the midst of the bush? Doesn't this clearly show that the angel of Yahweh is indeed Mighty One?
Doesn't 3:5 show that the ground around the angel of Yahweh - Mighty One - was holy? Doesn't this imply that the angel of Yahweh is holy?
The Angel Of Yahweh -
Yahweh - Is The Mighty One Of The Fathers, Abraham, Isaac And Jacob
Doesn't 3:6 clearly show the angel of Yahweh identifying himself as the Mighty One of Moses' father, the Mighty One of Abraham, the Mighty One of Isaac and the Mighty One of Jacob? And doesn't 3:7 show that he is called Yahweh? And doesn't he confirm in 3:15 that Yahweh is his name forever, his memorial to all generations?
The Angel Of Yahweh Owns
The Children Of Israel
Doesn't the angel of Yahweh call, in 3:7, the children of Israel as his people, connoting that he owns them? Doesn't he show in 3:8 that he came down to earth from his habitation to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians? Doesn't he show in 3:9 that the cry of the children of Israel had come to him?
The Angel Of Yahweh Has
Great Authority Over Human Beings
Doesn't he show in 3:10 that he has great authority over human beings - authority to send one human being in service to deliver his people from the midst of another nation?
The Angel Of Yahweh Is Also
Called I AM WHO I AM
Isn't his name also I AM WHO I AM, as he shows in 3:14?
The Angel Of Yahweh Is
Man's Creator
Doesn't he show in 4:11 that he is the one who made man's mouth? Isn't he the one who made man - human beings? Doesn't he show that he has power over the human body, seeing that he is man's creator?
How Yahweh Most High And
The Angel Of Yahweh Relate To One Another
4:15-16 provides an insight into the manner the angel of Yahweh relates to his master - Yahweh, Mighty One Most High. Aaron was to act as Moses' spokesman, as Moses' mouth. Aaron was to be the contact person between Moses and the children of Israel. Aaron was to say only what Moses told him to say. Aaron was to do only what Moses told him to do. He was not to act beyond the authority that Moses bestowed upon him, but within it. In this manner of Moses and Aaron dealing together, Moses' role, in relation to Aaron, was that of Mighty One, and Aaron's role was that of spokesman.
Seeing that the angel of Yahweh is Yahweh's angel, messenger or servant, he is indeed under the authority of Yahweh Most High. He is also the contact between Yahweh Most High and human beings. He is Yahweh Most High's spokesman, speaking the words that Yahweh Most High puts in his mouth. And being Yahweh Most High's angel or servant, he does the works that Yahweh Most High gives him to do. He acts fully within Yahweh Most High's authority and does nothing outside Yahweh Most High's authority. He is completely united and in harmony with Yahweh Most High. And the works that Yahweh Most High has given him to do among human beings are great indeed, including creating human beings and having power and authority over human beings and over the human body. He is man's creator, doing so under Yahweh Most High's authority. And just as Moses was as Mighty One to Aaron, so also is Yahweh Most High Mighty One to the angel of Yahweh, who is also called Yahweh and also called Mighty One!
Yahweh Most High And The Angel
Of Yahweh Are Perfectly United
Seeing that there is perfect unity and harmony between the angel of Yahweh and Yahweh Most High, and seeing that the angel of Yahweh speaks only what Yahweh Most High puts in his mouth, and does only what Yahweh Most High gives him to do, is there really any distinction, for all practical purposes, between the angel of Yahweh and Yahweh Most High? Seeing also that both are called Yahweh, and both are called Mighty One, and both speak alike, and both act alike, is there really any practical distinction between the two? Are not these two one and the same in all their actions and words? Are not these two in perfect unity and perfect harmony? Isn't seeing one virtually equivalent to seeing the other? Isn't it therefore correct to say that Yahweh is united? Isn't it therefore correct to say that Yahweh is one?
Men Worship Yahweh - The
Angel Of Yahweh
Exodus 24:1-2, 9-11 reads,
24:1He
said to Moses, "Come up to Yahweh, you, and Aaron, Nadab, and
Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship from a distance.
24:2Moses alone shall come near to
Yahweh, but they shall not come near, neither shall the people go up with
him."
24:9Then
Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 24:10They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet
was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness. 24:11He didn’t lay his hand on the nobles of
the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.
Seeing that the angel of Yahweh is the Mighty One of the Hebrews, the Mighty One of Israel, isn't it proper to worship him, even as 24:1 shows that the elders of Israel were commanded to worship him? Isn't it therefore the case that it isn't idolatry to worship the angel of Yahweh, seeing that he is also Yahweh and Mighty One? Seeing that all of his words are Yahweh the Most High's words, and all of his actions are Yahweh the Most High's actions, isn't it the case that Yahweh Most High has given him authority to receive worship from human beings? Isn't it the case that Yahweh Most High has given him authority to be both Yahweh and Mighty One to human beings?
Click here to inform a friend about this article
Return to Servants of Yahweh Site Contents page.
© 2000, Isaac Aluochier, All rights reserved. Published by Servants of Yahweh, P O Box 44848, Nairobi, 00100, Kenya. E-mail: servantsofyahweh@serveyahweh.org. Permission is hereby GRANTED to reproduce this and other publications in the Servants of Yahweh web site, http://www.serveyahweh.org, unless otherwise stated.