What is a guardian? A tutor is the legally appointed person to be responsible for the protection of the children that are not yet responsible for themselves. The difference between the guardian and the one who is guarded is vast. In the absence of the father, the guardian, if he wills, can corrupt the child, in his own interest, for he is not the father.
The guardian is a preceptor, which gives instructions and precepts. He is the custodian, the counselor of the children. Curator is the person, which, by judicial determination, administers the possessions, and guides individuals who are not able, such as the mentally ill, the retarded, the children, etc.
Israel, in the beginning of its history, was a child, in the eyes of Jehovah — “When Israel was a youth I loved him” (Hos. 11:1).Paul, the Apostle, confirms that Israel was a youth — “Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father” (Gal. 4:1,2).
Who were the guardians and curators of Israel? Israel was the vine of Jehovah — “For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His delightful plant” (Is. 5:7).The Levitical priesthood, established by Jehovah, could not constitute the guardians and curators, for they were like the people, made of the same material and committing the same sins — “‘For both prophet and priest are polluted; even in My house I have found their wickedness,’ says Jehovah” (Jer. 23:11). The prophets and priests were not better than the people, and guardians and curators have to be superior to the ones who are protected. Guardians and curators could not be men, for Jehovah said, “Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Ps. 14:2,3). No man can be a guardian or curator of another man, his equal. If the guardians of Israel were the priests or the kings, Jehovah would be condemning his people to destruction, because “if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matt. 15:14). Jehovah would be doing a huge and unjust distinction, for in the New Testament the guardian of the sons of God is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches all things (John 14:26), puts words in the mouths of the newborn Christians (Matt. 10:19,20); the Holy Spirit guides (Rom. 8:14; John 16:13). The guardian, in the absence of the father, establishes patterns of behavior, that is, appropriate laws for the instruction of his protected. It was the Holy Spirit who gave the new commandments of the New Testament (Acts 1:2).
Back in the Old Testament, the one who taught was Jehovah himself, not the Holy Spirit; and the one who put words in the mouths of men was Jehovah “And Jehovah said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it no I, Jehovah? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say’” (Ex. 4:11,12). “Now Jehovah said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction’” (Ex. 24:12). “To you it was shown that you might know that Jehovah, He is God; there is no other besides Him” (Deut. 4:35,36). “Thus says Jehovah, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; ‘I am Jehovah your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go” (Is. 48:17). Jehovah was the guide of Israel: “Jehovah alone guided him, and there was no foreign god with him” (Deut. 32:12). “And with the pillar of cloud Thou didst lead them by day. And with a pillar of fire by night to light for them the way in which they were to go” (Neh. 9:12). “You shall therefore love Jehovah your God, and always keep His charge, His statues, His ordinances, and His commandments. And know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of Jehovah your God — His greatness, His mighty hand, and His outstretched arm” (Deut. 11:1,2).
Everything done by the Holy Spirit, in the New Testament, was made by Jehovah, in the Old Testament. Well, the Holy Spirit comes from the Father, and the Father would not personally do any work that could be inferior to the work of the Holy Spirit. The law and the precepts of Jehovah did not make anyone perfect (Heb. 7:19). It was, for this cause, abolished, there is, cancelled for being useless (Heb. 7:18). The law was changed, and the priesthood was changed (Heb. 7:12). The will was changed (Heb. 9:15), because the Old Testament was abolished, as it was transitory (2 Cor. 3:13,14).
The Apostle Paul reveals that the Israelites were in the hands of the guardians and curators until the advent of Jesus Christ, but Jehovah was the tutor, and the tutor is not the Father (Gal. 4:1-3). What makes the performance of Jehovah worse is that, with all of the precepts, ordinances, judgments and statutes, the people was left to slavery and to the rudiments of the world. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, would forcibly have to say that Israel was under the care of the Father, not under tutors. A guardian will never care as well as the father. It was Jehovah, though, who guided and taught the people. Therefore, he was a guardian, and so he is neither the Father, nor Jesus, but a bad guardian, for the people became perverted and was lost, as it is written that only a remnant will be saved (Rom. 9:27).
As Jehovah is a tutor, not the Father, nor the Son, he can only be an angel. Let us look at Stephen’s words, “This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘God shall raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together WITH THE ANGEL WHO WAS SPEAKING TO HIM ON MOUNT SINAI” (Acts 7:37,38). This declaration of Stephen refers to Ex. 19:19, where we can read, “Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.”
As the Father established a time to send his only begotten Son, and no one goes to the Father except through Jesus, the guardian who came before tried to deceive the people, making them believe he was the Father (Gal. 4:1-4; John 14:6).
By Pastor Olavo Silveira Pereira