Exodus 23:20: Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

As Pastor Sumpter has emphasized this morning, Yahweh promises to send His angel ahead of Israel. This Angel is an early appearance of the Last Adam, who comes to guard and lead us to the place where He is.

This passage reveals the promise of baptism. By baptism, we are made children of God, members of His household. As Son of the household, Jesus guards and guides His Father’s children.

Baptism is a promise of safety. Baptism says that the God of heaven and earth is our kind and protective Father. Baptism is a promise that His name is so near that it is actually engraven on us. Baptism is the Father’s pledge that He gives His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.

Baptism is also a promise that Jesus will lead us. He has gone ahead to prepare a place for His people, a final home for His family. But He doesn’t leave us alone. He sends the Angel of His Spirit to go before us through the wilderness until we reach the promised land.

Today your daughter is marked as God’s daughter; today, God promises to guard and guide Miriam. Miriam Amadea Joy: It is a beautiful and deeply meaningful name. Miriam, Mary, Marah – all are names that connote bitterness and pain. Amadea – a girl beloved of God. Joy – the end of her journey.

Remind Miriam often to stay true to her baptism. But remind her too that her given name traces the path of her life as a daughter of her heavenly Father, for God promises that He will lead His beloved daughter through all the bitterness of life until she reaches the eternal joys in the presence of her Father.