Words, to me, are fascinating. Weird, huh? What is their root and what do they mean? Recently, I thought of the prefix “en”, and what it means in words like “enjoy” and “encourage”.
First used in about 1785, “en” drives from the French, meaning, “to put into or placed in.” Examples are “en-large” or “en-tomb”.
I looked in God’s Word and the very first scripture I found was Psalm 34:7: “The Angel of the Lord ENCAMPS around those who fear Him and He delivers them.”
This verse is not talking about just one of God’s ministering or guardian angels. It refers to the transcendent Son of God. He places Himself “en” in the stem word, “camps”. Camps mean occupy for rescue and deliverance.
This is the pre-incarnate Christ. He visited men before He was born! In John 8:58, the Jews attempted to stone Him because of His words…”before Abraham was, I am.”
In the Old Testament, He spoke as God, Himself, not just as a messenger. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham and stayed his hand before Isaac was sacrificed. He promised Abraham descendants that numbered the stars. THAT is a God promise.
He met Hagar when she fled into the wilderness. “I have seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13).
He appeared to Moses in a bush that burned, but was not consumed. Moses hid his face as the Angel of the Lord declared, “I am the God of your Father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:2).
The Angel fo the Lord does not appear in the New Testament because, after Bethlehem, after Jesus came in the flesh, there was no need for a visitation from the Angel of the Lord.
We now have a habitation of God, incarnate, who dwells within us – who ENcamps around us daily to guard us with sleepless eyes, protect us as the Captain of the Host and to show us the way forward.
By Vickie Richey
Christ Fellowship