proclaiming the gospel to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Shalom and welcome to the Everlasting Nation, a radio ministry of International Board of Jewish Missions. This is Mark Oshman with the International Board of Jewish Missions, bringing you another radio Bible broadcast. We remain with our series about angels in the Bible, noting how God sometimes used them as guides. In that capacity, angels served as divine agents. directing the paths of godly individuals as God would have them to go. One of the earliest examples of this ministry occurred in the 19th chapter of the book of Genesis. Two angels who came to visit the city of Sodom announced their intent to destroy that city. They warned Lot to, quote, arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters, which are here, lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city, unquote. These angels had to grab Lot, Lot's wife, and his two unmarried daughters, and bring them out of Sodom. Another illustration of angelic guidance occurred in Genesis chapter 24. Abraham had sent a servant to find a wife for his son Isaac, traveling to Pad and Aram to seek her amongst that patriarch's kindred. Before the servant departed, Abraham informed him that God, quote, shall send his angel before thee, unquote. The servant later acknowledged this divine leading when he arrived in Mesopotamia and spoke to Laban about his commission. God also sent an agent to guide the Jewish nation during its earliest days in the wilderness. According to Numbers chapter 20, Moses sent messages to the king of Edom informing him that, quote, when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice and sent an angel and hath brought us forth out of Egypt, unquote. God continued to lead the Israelites in the wilderness through his angel, as stated in the 23rd and 31st chapters of Exodus, leading them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Examples of angelic guidance appear in the New Testament as well. After the angel of the Lord told Joseph to flee Egypt, Joseph complied with that directive. Later, quote, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, arise and take the young child and his mother and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead which sought the young child's life, unquote. Joseph did as that angelic messenger commanded. Acts chapter 10 offered another incidence involving angelic guidance. God dispatched an angel to a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius, directing that soldier to send men to Joppa and call for Peter. Once he did so, the angels continued, Peter would, quote, tell thee what thou oughtest to do, unquote. Note that it was not the angel himself who preached the gospel to Cornelius, but rather directed Cornelius to seek Peter to do that job. Jesus Christ had committed the task of spreading the gospel to people, not to angels. Some years later, an angel rescued Peter from prison and certain death at the hand of Herod Agrippa, an incident described in Acts chapter 12. In the process, he instructed Peter to don his sandals and wrap his cloak around him. The angel knocked off Peter's chains, leading him away from the two soldiers guarding him and accompanying him into the nearby city. Once Peter realized what had taken place, he remarked, quote, Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews, unquote. Peter understood that God had deployed an angel to both deliver him from death and to guide him afterward. This is Mark Oshfin with the International Board of Jewish Missions, bringing you another radio Bible program. You've been listening to The Everlasting Nation, a ministry of International Board of Jewish Missions. For more information, you can contact us at 423-876-8150 or go online to ibjm.org. Until next time, may God bless and Shalom!