Exodus 23:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What is this? Let him delve into these texts, no longer as a Manichaean, but rather as a Jew, and let him determine whether God declared about any angel, "My name is in him" (Ex. 23:21), except for the one promised as a leader to the land of promise. Next, let him investigate among the followers of Moses to find who would guide the people, ultimately discovering Jesus, known by that name not from the start but after a change of designation. For the one who proclaimed, "My name is in this Jesus," is indeed the true Jesus, the Sovereign and Guide of the people toward the inheritance of everlasting life, as established by the New Covenant, whose archetype was the Old Covenant. Therefore, nothing could be more prophetic than what has been declared.

In the book of Exodus, Moses intriguingly declared, as we are also aware, that the very name of God, which he claimed had not been disclosed to Abraham or Jacob, was Jesus. It is written, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to this people, Behold, I am sending my angel before your face to guard you on the way, to bring you into the land I have prepared for you. Take heed to him, and obey him, and do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive you; for my name is upon him.’” Now, who led your ancestors into the promised land? Ultimately, it was a man named Jesus, previously identified as Abijah (Numbers 13:17).

The Angel designated to guide Israel is far more than simply an angelic being. This enigmatic figure, endowed with the capacity to grant forgiveness and bearing the Name of Jehovah, is the Lord Himself in the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Such is the consensus among scholars regarding the interpretation of this passage, which defines Israel's unique position among the nations. We recall the words of Exodus XXXIII (vv. 2-3), where the Lord, in His displeasure with Israel, declares His intention to send an angel to lead them into the promised land, but states that He will not accompany them, ‘lest He should destroy a hard-hearted people on the way.’ As long as the Lord remains with Israel, that nation embodies a covenant of law and promise.