Did the Ten Commandments come through angels or God?
Question:
Dear sir,
Were the Ten Commandments delivered by angels or God Himself? I am somewhat confused by references such as Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19, and Hebrews 2:2.
Answer:
"Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it" (Acts 7:52-53).
"Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made" (Galatians 3:19).
"For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty" (Hebrews 2:2).
None of these references discusses only the Ten Commandments. They are talking about the Old Testament law as a whole.
At the start of Revelation, John tells us how he received the words of Jesus: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John" (Revelation 1:1). In the case of Revelation, there was a chain of communication.
In the Old Testament, it is mentioned: "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness" (Psalms 68:17). When God spoke with Moses at Sinai, He was accompanied by angels. Moses also hints at this when he said, "The LORD came from Sinai, and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; at His right hand there was flashing lightning for them" (Deuteronomy 33:2). God sent an angel to lead Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 14:19; Numbers 20:16). Frequently, we find mention of angels delivering messages from God (Judges 6:12; 13:9; I Kings 13:18; 19:5; II Kings 1:3; Zechariah 1:19).
The message originates with God, but angels were often involved in the delivery. The writer of the Book of Hebrews' point is that the New Testament is superior because the Son of God came to earth and directly taught His message. If God expects men to obey the message delivered by angels, how much more does He expect us to obey the message delivered by the Son of God?
