2-10 VISIT / Lord God of Hosts

- "The Lord visited Sarah as He had said" (Gen. 21:1)- it was an Angel who made the promises to her about Isaac and whom Abraham entertained at that time. Similarly in 1 Sam. 2:21 "The Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived"- most other cases of barren women conceiving are related to an Angel, and so this visiting of Hannah was most likely also Angelic.

 

- Joseph prophesied to Israel :"God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land" (Gen. 50:24; see Ex. 13:19 too)- a promise alluded to by the Angel in the burning bush who was sent to fulfil it (Ex. 3:16,17; 4:31).

 

- The Angel who made the promises and spoke to Israel from Sinai explained that He would punish them for their disobedience. Many times this punishment is described as God visiting Israel for their sins (e. g. Hos. 9:9-note the Angelic context).

 

- Ps. 59:5 "O Lord God of Hosts, the God of Israel (both Angelic terms), awake (language of Angelic limitation) to visit all the heathen". See Is. 29:6; Zech. 10:3; Jer. 11:22,23; 50:31; Amos 3:13,14 for other examples.

 

- Ps. 80 has many Angelic references. In this context we find (v. 14):"O God of Hosts (Angels): look down from Heaven (the Angels are God's eyes; note the language of limitation), and behold, and visit this vine" (Jesus-v. 17).

 

- Jeremiah pleads "Visit me. . O Lord God of Hosts" (Angels)- Jer. 15:15,16.

 

-  The Angel shepherd of Israel  promised to "visit upon you the evil of your doings" (Jer. 23:2).

 

- The Jews were to remain in Babylon "until the day that I visit them, saith the Lord; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place" (Jer. 27:22). "After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you and perform My good word toward you" (Jer. 29:10). This visiting to bring about the restoration was clearly the work of Angels (see 'Angels and the Restoration').

 

- Acts 15:14: "Simeon (Peter) hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His Name". Peter had explained the story of Cornelius' conversion, which the record in Acts 10 emphasizes was the result of Angelic  work.  The  visiting of the Gentiles with the Gospel was therefore arranged by Angels. 'Angels and the end of the Law' (see Chapter 12) suggests that there was  a group of Angels whose task it was to end the system of spiritual prejudice towards the Jews and open the way for salvation based on faith rather than race.

 

- Mic. 7:4 tells us that the day of Israel's visitation will be executed by her watchmen- the Angels (Is. 62:6 AVmg. ; Dan. 4:13,17,23; and see Chapter 8 for an explanation of how the Angel eyes of God watch over the outworking of His word with Israel).

 

- The Jews knew not the time of their visitation- by Christ and the Angels in AD70 (Lk. 19:44; 1 Peter 2:12).

 

- The book of Job speaks of Job's trials as a result of God visiting Job (e. g. 35:15)- when in practice those trials were brought by his satan-Angel (see Chapter 9).

 

- One of the characteristics of the Angel that declared God's Name to Israel was that He would visit "the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation" (Ex. 34:7). The fact this was not always done because it depended upon the response of individuals indicates that such language cannot be true of God Himself. It is more relevant to the Angels, who are capable of changing their decreed intentions.