Christ, The Angel of the Covenant, Who Always Sees Me and Supplies My Need; Genesis 16

"And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur" (Genesis 16:7).

I pause here to remark that this is the first account we meet with in the Bible of the ministry of an Angel.

Reader! Observe how kind his ministry. And then call to mind how very precious the services of those celestial guardians have been, upon innumerable occasions, in the Church!

And if so, how very gracious must He be who hath appointed them! cf. Hebrews 1:14; Matthew 18:10.

Reader, do you know anything of wilderness mercies, like Hagar? cf. Hosea 2:14; 1 Samuel 15:7; Exodus 15:22.

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"And the angel of the Lord said unto her, 'I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude" (Genesis 16:10).

Reader! I entreat you to remark with me, the peculiarity of the expression.

The angel doth not promise in another's name, as would certainly have been the case had he been a created angel, but in his own.

He saith, 'I will multiply thy seed ...'

And who then could this be but the Angel of the Covenant, even the Lord Jesus Christ. cf. Malachi 3:1.

It is very gratifying to the true believer in Jesus, to discover the Lord in places where we least expected Him.

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"And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, 'Thou God seest me': for she said, 'Have I also here looked after Him that seeth me?'" (Genesis 16:13).

It is but just to set up tokens of praise, where God hath set up banners of love.

Reader! pray pause over this verse.

Then remember that the same eye which looked on Hagar looks on you, on me, on all.

An all-present God must be an all-seeing God.

And is the eye of Jesus indeed upon me? Surely then it is upon me for good. For though my secret sins are in the light of His countenance; yet doth He not also see my sorrow for them, my trouble under them, and my desire to be freed from the guilt and dominion of them?

Precious Redeemer! how ought a sense of these things to endear Thy blood and righteousness to my soul.

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Let us again remark, how very sweet and refreshing to the soul are wilderness visits from Jesus, when for the exercise of faith and patience, His people are at any time brought there.

Dearest Lord! do Thou visit me when there, and then the wilderness will rejoice and blossom as the rose.

Let me in every dispensation, and in every place, carry with me this memorial: Thou God, my Saviour, seest me; and the consciousness of Thy presence will comfort my heart in the most solitary desert.