So on that day, the Lord made a promise and an agreement with Abram. The Lord said, “I will give this land to your descendants. I will give them the land between the River of Egypt [88] and the great river Euphrates.
But my master said to me, ‘I serve the Lord, and the Lord will send his angel with you and help you. You will find a wife for my son among my people there.
The Lord, the God of heaven, brought me from my homeland to this place. That place was the home of my father and the home of my family. But the Lord promised that this new land here would belong to my family. May the Lord send his angel before you so you can choose a wife for my son.
He was the Angel who saved me
from all my troubles.
And I pray that he will bless these boys.
Now these boys will have my name
and the name of our ancestors,
Abraham and Isaac.
I pray that they will grow to become
great families and nations on earth.”
Then the angel of the Lord moved to the back of the people. (The angel of the Lord was usually at the front of the people, leading them.) So the tall cloud moved from in front of the people and went to the back of the people.
Those people will be filled with fear
when they see your strength.
They will be as still as a rock
until the Lord’s people pass by,
until the people you have made pass by.
Lord, you will lead your people
to your mountain.
You will let them live near the place
you prepared for your throne.
Master, you will build your temple!
{God said,} “My angel will lead you through the land. He will lead you against many different people—the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I will defeat all of those people.
So now, go down and lead the people where I tell you. My angel will go before you and lead you. When the time comes to punish the people who sinned, then they will be punished.”
So I will send an angel to go before you. And I will defeat the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites the Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will force those people to leave your land.
The people had many troubles,\par but the Lord was not against them.\par The Lord loved the people\par and felt sorry for them.\par So the Lord saved them.\par He sent his special angel to save them.\par He picked them up and carried them,\par and \{he will take care of them\} forever.\par
But the Lord will protect the people in Jerusalem. Even the clumsiest person will be a great soldier like David. And the men from David’s family will be like gods—like the Lord’s own angel leading the people.
The Lord All-Powerful says, “I am sending my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then suddenly, the Master you are looking for will come to his temple. {\cf2\super [16]} Yes, the messenger of the \{New\} Agreement that you want really is coming!
Balaam was riding on his donkey. Two of his servants were with him. While Balaam was traveling, God became angry. So the Lord’s angel stood in the road in front of Balaam. The angel was going to stop [284] Balaam.
“Then the king will say to those good people on his right, ‘Come. My Father has given you great blessings. Come and get the kingdom God promised you. That kingdom has been prepared for you since the world was made.
But the Lord your God will force the people living there to leave. You will take that land. The Lord will force the people living there to leave! The Lord your God promised to do this for you.
When Joshua was near Jericho he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to the man and asked, “Are you a friend to our people, or are you one of our enemies?”