Under Angelic Protection
We read in Psalm 91:11, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (ESV)
Psalm 91 in its entirety portrays most vividly the protection of God that is available to all those who take refuge in God and make Him their dwelling place. The above mentioned verse describes how God has commanded His angels to guard us in all our ways.
You may have observed the additional security being provided by the government for those who are in high positions, especially if there is a threat to their life. However, as children of God we need to be reminded that our protection comes not from men, but from God Himself. The Lord has given His angels this task or responsibility to take care of His own. Angels are God’s mysterious creation, who are constantly in His presence, worshiping Him. The amazing truth is that these heavenly beings are being sent by God to help human beings who live here on the earth.
In this study we will explore several passages from the Bible where these angels were sent to minister to God’s people under various circumstances. I hope that by the end of this message that all our fears will be replaced with confidence, knowing that God has appointed His angels to watch over us and there is therefore nothing we need to be fearful of.
Lot and his family were saved by angels
We read in Genesis 19:15, “As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” (ESV)
The land of Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot lived was filled with wickedness. It was therefore expected that the judgement of God was to be dealt with justly. Knowing that the cities were going to come under His fierce wrath and judgement, God in His mercy sent His angels to deliver Lot and his family from this great catastrophe. The angels literally dragged Lot and his family out of the city and begged them to flee, before the entire cities were swept away by God’s intense anger.
Our lives are secure in the hands of the Lord. Often we are afraid of all the calamities that surround us. The wrath of God that is being revealed on the world will not come near us, for God will be gracious to us and keep us secure, just like He did for Job and his family.
In Proverbs 11:21 we read, “Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished; But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” (ASV)
Think about those who are evil at heart, they will often find similar minded people to rally along with them, to carry out their wicked schemes. In contrast those who are godly and want to lead a righteous life, will often find themselves all alone. I believe that it is far better to be godly and have God on your side, rather than be evil and have the company of evil men as our support.
Korah rose up against Moses
We read in Numbers 16:2, “And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.” (ESV)
The people of Israel were delivered from cruel bondage to the Egyptians under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. As the people of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, there was a plot by a man named Korah against Moses and Aaron. If Moses had not obeyed God to stand and plead before Pharaoh, if God had not heard Moses’ plea and decided to deliver the Israelites from slavery, they would still have remained in brutal bondage to the Egyptians. However, God in His mercy used Moses to lead these people out of their distressing situation and granted them a life of freedom. Instead of appreciating all the Moses had done for them, there was an Israelite named Korah who became rebellious and questioned the authority of Moses and Aaron.
This Korah gathered together with him two hundred and fifty men of renown whom he allured to himself. Moses was a righteous man and therefore, God stood on Moses’ side while Korah and his cronies stood on the other side against Moses. When God executed His judgement, Korah and his men had to face a tragic end for their evil act of insurgency against God’s appointed leaders. However, Moses continued to lead the people of Israel onward in their journey towards the promised-land.
Sadly, even today, we have many like Korah who are so thankless to those who helped them and are ungrateful to God too. Some of us may have had this experience wherein we went out of the way to help someone and they mustered together a group to turn against us. If it happened to Moses, let’s take heart that we too are not exempt from these wicked plots of men, so let us not grow weary. Let us be reminded from Proverbs 11:21 that though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished and if God is on our side no evil scheme can prevail against us. The second part of the same verse encourages us to know that the posterity of the righteous will surely be delivered.
The angel God sent to help Isaac find a wife
If we read the life of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were the patriarchs, they walked in obedience to God and oftentimes the Lord sent His angels to minister to them.
We read in Genesis 24:7, “He shall send His Angel before you, and you shall take a wife from there for my son.” (LITV)
In this incident God sent an angel before Abraham’s servant, as he went out to find a suitable bride for Abraham’s son Isaac. Isn’t it amazing that God would even be concerned about finding a wife for Isaac and was willing to send His angel to guide Abraham’s servant in the process.
We too are the spiritual children of Abraham because of what Jesus has accomplished for us, and therefore there is no need for us to be fearful, for the Lord will send His angels to guide us through all life’s circumstances.
The angel of God ministered to Elijah
In 1 Kings 19:4, “But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (ESV)
The prophet Elijah was an extremely zealous man of God. This same Elijah also came to a point of being completely wearied and exhausted. Elijah had challenged the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and won an astounding victory for the Lord. However, soon after this triumph, when Elijah was threatened by Queen Jezebel, that she would take his life at any cost, Elijah was totally distraught. Elijah fled from Jezebel’s presence through the wilderness and in complete exhaustion sat under a broom tree and begged God to take his life. As Elijah slept under that tree alone, wearied and fatigued, the Lord sent His angel to provide bread and water to Elijah. This the angel did twice until Elijah was strengthened to carry on with his journey.
There may be those who have come to the end of the rope and feel you have no strength to carry on. We have a loving God who is willing to change our loneliness and our weariness with His loving presence and divine strength. We can be assured that as long as we fulfill the purposes that God has willed for our lives, He will not leave us or forsake us. We should say along with the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (NLT)
The angel of the Lord kept Daniel safe
Another issue that most of us are challenged with is envy from those around us. When we are surrounded by these jealous people, the situation may seem overwhelming, especially when there are those plotting our downfall. This is exactly what Daniel faced as he rose in his position in the kingdom of Babylon.
The ones who worked with Daniel were so filled with jealousy that they schemed against him and had the king throw him into the lions’ den. Though the king thought highly of Daniel and did not approve of this, he had to carry out this cruel punishment because of the edict that he has passed. Daniel had to spend an entire night in the den of these savage and hungry lions.
These are the words of Daniel as recorded in Daniel 6:22, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” (ESV)
As the king approached the lions’ den the next morning and called out to Daniel, this was the response he heard from Daniel from out of the den of hungry lions. The Lord had sent His angel to shut the mouth of those fierce and hungry lions, so that they would do Daniel no harm. Daniel could boldly testify that the protection he enjoyed was because he had lived a blameless life before God and the king. Though Daniel had led an exemplary life before God and men, he too had to face injustice that was meted out to him by vile men. The good news is that God was with Daniel and He brought him unscathed from that perilous situation.
The angels are mighty ministers of God, but observe the simple tasks that the Lord entrusts them with on behalf of human beings. For Lot and his family it was to save them from destruction, for Isaac it was that he find a suitable wife, for Elijah it was to give him food and water to strengthen him and for Daniel it was the task to shut the mouth of those hungry lions. If we want to experience the same protection that Daniel experienced then it is a necessity that we too live without blame before God and men. All these are recorded to encourage us that as long as we live here on earth there is nothing to fear, for the Lord has promised to send His angels to keep us safe and secure.
The angel Gabriel visited Zechariah
We read in Luke 1:19, “And answering, the angel said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you the good news of these things.” (LITV)
The angel Gabriel who stands before the Almighty God, was sent to convey a message to Zechariah who was the priest at the temple. Zechariah ministered before the Lord and his wife Elizabeth was barren and they were both well advanced in years. Zechariah must have led a life that so pleased God that God was willing to send His angel to convey the joyful news that he would soon be blessed with a son, who later became John the Baptist. God could have passed on this message through anyone, but God chose to send His angel to Zechariah.
God is still willing and able to send His angel to minister to us in our various situations. However, on our part we must decide to live the life of holiness and integrity that God requires of us, just like Zachariah and Elizabeth did. Oftentimes we expect great things from God, but are not prepared to do our part as God expects of us.
The angel of the Lord delivered Peter
King Herod persecuted those who belonged to the church and when he found that this was met with approval from the Jews, he ordered to have Peter arrested and cast him in prison with the intention to execute him. Herod also had ordered that Peter be guarded with sixteen soldiers. As Peter languished in prison, the church prayed for his release.
We read in Act 12:6-7, “But when Herod was about to bring him out, in that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, being bound with two chains, also guards were keeping the prison before the door. And, behold! An angel of the Lord stood by, and a light shone in the building. And striking Peter's side, he raised him up, saying, Rise up in haste! And the chains fell off from his hands.” (LITV)
In spite of the fact that Peter was in an adverse situation, his life in jeopardy, bound with two chains and lying between two soldiers, he was still fast asleep that night. Peter could sleep peacefully even in prison, because he knew that his life was safe in the hands of God whom he trusted. One angel of the Lord, sent from God’s presence, was more than sufficient, to handle this situation, though there were sixteen Roman soldiers guarding Peter’s cell. The angel came through the prison doors and stood right next to Peter. There was a bright light that shone in the cell, the angel woke Peter up and the chains that bound Peter just fell off from his hands. No prison, no chains or soldiers could prevent the angel of the Lord from bringing deliverance to Peter, for God was in complete control.
Sometimes Satan will carry out his cunning schemes, to put an end to our lives, but we must rest assured that our lives are secure in the hands of God. The evil one can never pluck us out of God’s mighty hands. There are many people who are unable to sleep because their minds are crowded with innumerable anxious thoughts that rid them of peace and rest. The guarantee we have as children of God is that no evil will befall us, without the Lord permitting it and our life is preserved by our Almighty God.
No man or power of men can hinder God’s presence or prevail against His might. God is Almighty and All-powerful. It doesn’t really matter who rises up against us, if the Lord sends one angel on our behalf that is more than enough for us. No matter how complex the situation that we find ourselves in, God’s word from Psalm 91:11, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (ESV), comes to assure us that God will give charge to His angels to protect us wherever we go. We have seen great examples of angelic intervention in the lives of Moses, Abraham and Isaac, Elijah, Daniel, Zachariah and Peter. Let us rest assured that the Lord is with us, and He will certainly protect us from all harm and dangers. He will certainly keep us safe and secure in His loving care.
Pastor F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by Sis. Esther Collins
