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The principle of agency, also known as the law of agency, is an important precept that helps us better understand Scripture as a whole and, more specifically, who Yahushua is, his ministry, and his relationship to Yahuwah. Those who traverse the halls of academia have long known about this principle. Unfortunately, those charged with instructing the Christian in the pew either do not know about it or have neglected to share it with those in their care.
An agent is described as one who has been “authorized to act for or in the place of another.”
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What, then, is the principle of agency? An agent is described as one who has been “authorized to act for or in the place of another.” In Hebraic terms, the agent or the “one sent” is called the shaliah (also shaliach, saliah, salah). The word comes from the verb shelach, which means to send. James McGrath, professor and New Testament scholar, writes:
Agency was an essential part of everyday life in the ancient world. Individuals such as prophets and angels mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures were considered ‘agents’ of God. The key idea regarding agency in the ancient world appears to be summarized in the phrase from rabbinic literature so often quoted in these contexts: “The one sent is like the one who sent him.”1
We find the principle of agency exemplified throughout Scripture. It’s important to remember that a text does not necessarily have to specify that someone was “sent” per se in order for the principle to be in operation.
Adam and Eve
The first example we have in Scripture of someone who is commissioned to act on behalf of Yahuwah is Adam and Eve:
Yahuwah charged Adam and Eve (and, by extension, all of mankind) with ruling Creation on His behalf.
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Genesis 1:26-28 26 Then Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 Elohim created man in His own image, in the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Elohim blessed them; and Elohim said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
The word “rule” in Hebrew is radah, and it means to have dominion, to rule or subdue.2 Yahuwah charged Adam and Eve (and, by extension, all of mankind) with ruling Creation on His behalf. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology states:
The kingdom of Yahuwah is a concept that links the original command that humankind, as his agents, should subdue and take dominion of the earth.
In addition, The Spirit-Filled Bible says, “Yahuwah created man to be His kingdom agent, to rule and subdue the rest of creation…”3 . As an agent of Yahuwah, Adam was called “the son of Yahuwah.”4
Eliezer, Servant of Abraham
A common saying in the rabbis was “the one who is sent is like the one who sent him” or “a man’s agent is equivalent to himself.”
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Another example of agency is found in Genesis 24. Abraham makes his servant, whom many scholars believe is Eliezer, promise that the patriarch’s son, Isaac, won’t marry someone from a heathen nation. To ensure this, Abraham sends Eliezer to his ancestral country to find a wife from among his relatives. In doing so, Abraham is effectively authorizing Eliezer to act in his stead. Biblical scholar, Marianne Meye Thompson, writes about the principle of agency and how it could be used in various legal transactions, including arranged marriages:
In the rabbinic writings there is reference to the figure of the saliah [shaliah], which literally means “one who is sent”… A saliah was a surrogate sent on a task or a mission with specific instructions and authority to carry it out. According to the Talmud, a saliah could, among other things, carry out business transactions, make binding treaties and arrange marriages. A common saying in the rabbis was “the one who is sent is like the one who sent him” or “a man’s agent is equivalent to himself. Because the saliah may act on behalf of the one who sent him, when one deals with the saliah it is as if one is dealing with the one who sent that person.5
Joseph, Son of Jacob
Another example of agency is found in Joseph, son of Jacob. As a youth, Joseph was sold into slavery by his deceitful, murderous brothers. Through divine providence, however, Joseph rose to prominence as second in command in the court of the pharaoh of Egypt. When famine forced his brothers to plead for grain before the court, they unknowingly came face to face with the brother they had betrayed. One of the brothers, Judah, stood before Joseph and said, “Do not be angry…for you are equal to Pharaoh” (Genesis 44:18; emphasis added). The Hebrew brothers understood that even though Joseph was not Pharaoh, he was the king’s agent and, as such, was seen as his equivalent. In other words, when you dealt with Joseph, it was as if you were dealing with Pharaoh face to face. Amazingly, Joseph forgave his brothers because he understood that through their treachery, he had become an agent, not only of Pharaoh but of Yahuwah:
The Hebrew brothers understood that even though Joseph was not Pharaoh, he was the king’s agent and, as such, was seen as his equivalent.
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Genesis 45:4-8 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 “Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for Elohim sent me before you to preserve life. 6 “For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 “Elohim sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. 8 “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but Elohim; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
The word “sent” in each instance is the Hebrew word shalach. Joseph was sent to Egypt ultimately by Yahuwah as His agent to preserve the Hebrew people.
The Angel of Yahuwah
As McGrath stated earlier, in addition to individuals, “…angels mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures were thought of as ‘agents’ of Yahuwah.”6 The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament agrees:
“The word [salah] is used to describe God’s sending forth or away in a providential manner or purpose; even an angel or a divine messenger can be sent by God…”7
We see an example of an angel acting as Yahuwah’s agent in one of the most well-known passages from the Old Testament:
Exodus 3:1-6 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of Elohim. 2 The angel of Yahuwah appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When Yahuwah saw that he turned aside to look, Elohim called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He also said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, afraid to look at Elohim.
First, the Bible never explains or identifies Yahushua as the angel of Yahuwah. Second, in his sermon before the Sanhedrin, Stephen identified the being in the burning bush as an angel, not a pre-incarnate Christ. Third, the author of Hebrews writes that Yahushua is not an angel.
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Verse 2 tells us that the angel of Yahuwah appeared to Moses from the midst of the burning bush. The focus changes in verse 4 from the angel amid the bush to Yahuwah. Some may wonder who exactly was present in the bush. Was it the angel of Yahuwah or Yahuwah or both? Some even believe it was a pre-incarnate Christ since the angel speaks in the first person–“I am the God of your father…” To resolve this dilemma, we must turn to Scripture.
First, the Bible never explains or identifies Yahushua as the angel of Yahuwah. Not in this instance, nor any other for that matter. Second, in his sermon before the Sanhedrin, Stephen identified the being in the burning bush as an angel, not a pre-incarnate Christ.8 Third, the author of Hebrews writes that Yahushua is not an angel:
Hebrews 1:13 But to which of the angels has He [Yahuwah] ever said, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?
The author’s point is that Yahushua is better than the angels, as evidenced, partly, because Yahuwah never exalted an angel to sit at His right hand like he did Yahushua. Thus, a pre-incarnate Yahushua is not the angel of Yahuwah.
The answer as to who was in the burning bush is found when we apply the principle of agency. It helps us understand how an angel could speak “as Yahuwah.” The Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion explains agency this way:
The main point of the Jewish law of agency is expressed in the dictum, “a person’s agent is regarded as the person himself.” Therefore, any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principal…9
Therefore, as Yahuwah's agent, the angel of Yahuwah was to be regarded as Yahuwah himself. Some scholars believe the “angel of Yahuwah’s presence,” spoken of later in Exodus and the book of Isaiah, is the angel that met with Moses.
Moses, as an Agent of Yahuwah
In a continuation of the conversation from the burning bush, Yahuwah tells Moses that He has heard the cries of His people and He is going to deliver them from Egyptian captivity:
Exodus 3:10 “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
Moses claims he cannot go because he is “slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The Lord’s anger burns against His reluctant agent:
Exodus 4:13-16 But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.” 14 Then the anger of Yahuwah burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 “You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. 16 “Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as Elohim to him.
A second time, Yahuwah spoke to Moses, reiterating his commission:
In Semitic thought this messenger-representative was conceived of as being personally-and in his very words-the presence of the sender.
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Exodus 7:1 Then Yahuwah said to Moses, “See, I make you as God [Elohim] to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
How can Moses be Yahuwah? This seems like blasphemy until we realize that Yahuwah is the one speaking. Once again, the answer is agency. The word “God” in this exchange is elohim and it means god or God. It can be used of angels, gods, Yahuwah and even humans, particularly rulers, kings and judges who serve on Yahuwah’s behalf. Therefore, Yahuwah sent Moses as His agent and called him elohim or Yahuwah. Moses wasn’t literally Yahuwah but he would speak for Yahuwah and thus be considered Yahuwah’s representative. A.R. Johnson, Biblical scholar and author, writes:
In Semitic thought this messenger-representative was conceived of as being personally-and in his very words-the presence of the sender.10
As God’s shaliah, when Moses spoke, it was like being in the very presence of the God who sent him. One scholar articulates it this way: “The Jewish principle of shaliah” corresponds to the maxim, “the one who is sent represents the full presence of the one who sends.”11
In summary, those who are sent by Yahuwah to perform a task or to take on a role on Yahuwah’s behalf are called shaliah, agents and even god (elohim). As such, when they interact with those they are sent to, it is like “being personally…in the presence of the sender.” This may be a strange concept to the Western mind, but to the Hebraic mind, it was normative. Understanding this principle helps us unlock the meaning of specific passages like the angel of Yahuwah in the burning bush and Moses being called Yahuwah.
1 James F. McGrath, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in its Jewish Context, (University of Illinois Press, 2009) p. 14.
2 radah, #7287a, New American Standard Greek-Hebrew Dictionary
3 The Spirit-Filled Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), p. 5.
4 Luke 3:38
5 Marianne Meye Thompson, “Gospel of John,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Joel B. Green, ed. 1992 (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1992), p. 377.
6 McGrath, Ibid.
7 “salah,” #7971, The Complete Word Study Dictionary Old Testament, Warren Baker, (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), p. 1146
8 Acts 7:30-32
9 “Agent” (Heb. Shaliah), The Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowsky, G. WiYahuwaher, (New York: Adama Books, 1986), p. 15.
10 angel of Yahuwah’s presence: Exodus 23:20-23; 33:14-15; Isaiah 63:9.
11 “as God” in Exodus 4:16 and 7:1. The word “as” is not in the original but was added by translators. It literally reads, “you will be god to him” and “make you god to Pharaoh.”
This is a non-WLC article. Source: https://onegodworship.com/the-principle-of-agency-in-the-old-testament/
We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team
