233 – THE GUARDING ANGEL 2
The Catholic faith says that children have a guarding angel that protects them from evil and from Satan, but the text in Ps. 34:7 is referring to adults, for it says, “The angel of Jehovah encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.” The fear the psalmist mentions here is provoked by the knowledge that a person has about Jehovah; so Solomon said, “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10). Now, every child is curious and careless, as they do not have any wisdom. Ps. 34:7, then, is referring to faithful adults, that is, the angel of Jehovah saves only the ones near him. Jehovah is not a good god to all, but only to his people Israel. Therefore he is a tribal god, not a universal god. Let us see if the angel of Jehovah keeps those whom Jehovah chose for himself:
1. Adam and Eve are not the first human beings created by Jehovah 6,000 years ago, for science proves that men have been on the earth for millions of years. Adam and Eve, though, are the human beings particularly created by Jehovah, and for this reason Adam is the picture of the carnal Messiah that was to come to the world, according to Rom. 5:14. Adam is also a picture of Israel, according to Hosea 6:7.Since Adam and Eve are the first ones whom Jehovah created to start his lineage, the angel of Jehovah should keep them. But he did not. The serpent invaded the Garden of Jehovah and defiled them. The same serpent defiled the people of Israel after the kingdom had been established, and around the year 830 BC, when Hosea prophesied, connecting Adam to Israel. Neither the angel nor Jehovah kept them. Therefore Satan spiritually devoured Adam and Eve, which had no science or wisdom, being in the condition of children, under the passive assent of the guardian angel.
2. Abel is mentioned in the New Testament as a man of faith, in Hebrews 11:4. The blood of Abel is a picture of the blood of the sacrifices and offerings made to Jehovah in the temple of Solomon. And the angel of Jehovah did not keep Abel from the murderous hands of his brother Cain (Gen. 4:1-8). John reveals that Abel was a child of God, and Cain was a child of the devil. The works of Abel were righteous, but the angel of Jehovah did not keep him (1 John 3:10-12). What was so strange about the murder of Abel was the fact that the righteous was not kept by the angel or by Jehovah (Gen. 4:13-15).
3. Abraham is the greatest name in the Old Testament. Jehovah calls him friend. “But you, Israel My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend” (Is. 41:8). Abram was the man whom Jehovah promised to bless and multiply (Gen. 22:16-18). Sarai, the wife of Abraham, was very beautiful. There was a famine in the land, and Abraham went down to Egypt (Gen. 12:10). Who causes hunger? Jehovah does (2 Sam. 21:1). The princes of Pharaoh praised the beauty of Sarai to Pharaoh, and she was taken to his harem. Abraham, very afraid, had advised her to say she was his sister. Sarai was taken by Pharaoh for enough time as to allow Abraham to prosper on account of his wife (Gen. 12:15-16). One thing is certain. The angel of Jehovah did not keep Sarai from prostitution, and so he did not keep Abraham and his household.
4. Jacob had twelve sons: eight from his wives Leah and Rachel, and four from his servants Bilah and Zilpah. Leah gave him the first four sons. Their names were Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah (Gen. 29:32-35). Reuben, the firstborn, committed incest with Bilah, Jacob’s concubine (Gen. 35:22).Shechem, son of Hamor, the Hivite, violated Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. Her brothers were furious. Hamor went to Jacob to ask Dinah for a wife to Shechem, and to offer peace between the two peoples. Shechem offered to pay whatever dowry for Dinah. The sons of Jacob imposed on them the circumcision that Jehovah commanded in Gen. 17:13-14. Hamor and Shechem accepted, and so all the males were circumcised. On the third day, when the pain was more intense, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took each their sword, invaded the city and killed every men, and also Hamor and Shechem (Gen. 34:1-29).Jacob then said to the murderers, his sons, “You have brought trouble on me, by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I shall be destroyed” (Gen. 34:30). The promise of Jehovah to Jacob was: “And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Gen. 28:15). The Canaanites and Perizzites that dwelt in the land before Jacob’s arrival, seeing Simeon and Levi’s crime, became enemies of Jacob. One thing is true. The angel of Jehovah did not keep Dinah from dishonor, did not keep Jacob from fear and anguish, and did not keep a multitude of the people of Shechem, who were converted to Judaism. Poor Jacob was distressed with the incest of Bilah, for the angel of Jehovah did not keep her, in the same way as he did not keep Dinah. Reuben lost his birthright to Joseph and his two sons.
5. Judah, the last of the first four sons of Jacob, also committed incest with his daughter-in-law, named Tamar. The house of Jacob was being destroyed by uncontrolled sex (Gen. 38:6-26). What do we understand by “keeping”? Preventing from death? Preventing from anguish, too. Anguish is the punishment of Jehovah. Seeing the house in dishonor, Jacob was in constant anguish (Jer. 30:7).Jacob’s anguish can be felt in Gen. 37:34-36, 42:36-38. Texts prove that anguish comes from Jehovah. “He sent upon them His burning anger, fury, and indignation, and trouble, a band of destroying angels” (Ps. 78:49). Darby Version: “He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and distress, — a mission of angels of woes”. Young’s Literal Translation: He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress — A discharge of evil messengers. Jehovah fought against Egypt with the squad of Angels of Evil. Young’s Literal Translation translates “messengers,” because the angels are messengers. There are many texts that speak of the anguish that Jehovah sends.
Jacob lived a life of anguish and affliction. It all started with the decision of Esau to kill him. Then Isaac, his father, sent Jacob to the house of his uncle Laban (Gen. 28:1-2). He worked as a slave for 20 years in the house of Laban. After this time he ran away from Laban with his children and his wives. Laban pursued him, very angry (Gen. 31:22-24). Returning, he would have to face the fury of Esau. He sought the blessing of Jehovah, in his fear, during a whole night wrestle, for the blessing would bring him comfort and hope (Gen. 32:22-28). Then came the anguish over the bad behavior of the sons of Leah. Finally his favorite son did not return home, for his brothers had sold him as a slave—all in the project of Jehovah, which was hidden from Jacob.
The man Jacob, blessed along with his offspring with the promise that they would be guarded from all evil, when he arrived in Egypt, said to Pharaoh: “The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty: few and unpleasant have been the years of my life” (Gen. 47:9).
It was necessary for God the Father to send his only-begotten Son to the world to reveal his love, for God is love (1 John 4:7-8).
Jesus brought the peace of God to men. Paul said: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). And in order that men could be relieved from the anguish and afflictions coming from Jehovah and his angels, Jesus revealed with his life and works the nature of the Father. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). And the Father saves all men from the yoke of the curses imposed on them by Jehovah inDeut. 28:15-68; 1 Tim. 4:10.
By PASTOR OLAVO SILVEIRA PEREIRA