That’s where Tobi finds himself in the Book of Tobit. Blind, disheartened, yet still clinging to faith. It’s a powerful image, isn't it?
So, Tobiyyah, Tobi’s son, has found someone to accompany him on his journey. He excitedly tells his father, "I have found a good man of our brethren to go with me!" Naturally, Tobi, ever the concerned father, wants to vet this individual. "Call him to me," he says, "that I may know of what place he is, and whether he be trusty to go with thee."
Enter the angel, who approaches Tobi and greets him with, "Peace be unto thee, thou man of God." A standard greeting, right? But Tobi, in his blindness and despair, responds with a gut-wrenching question. "If it is peace to me, why then hath all this befallen me, for I see not with mine eyes, but I sit blind in darkness?" Can you feel the raw emotion in that question? He’s questioning the very nature of divine justice.
The angel, patient and reassuring, replies, "He who hath deprived thee of light, the same shall heal thee, for thou art a righteous man." This is a crucial point. The angel acknowledges Tobi's suffering but also reminds him of his righteousness. It's a promise, veiled in a statement of fact. "Let the Lord say so," Tobi replies, a mixture of hope and skepticism in his voice.
Then Tobi gets down to business. He asks the angel, "My brother, my son Tobiyyah seeketh to go to Media, canst thou go with him? …and I will give thy wages." The angel, without hesitation, says, "Yea, I can, for I know all the ways, and have traversed all the boundaries, and know the mountains." This is no ordinary traveler! He’s got experience, that's for sure.
Tobi, still playing the cautious patriarch, wants more information. "Of what place art thou, and of what tribe art thou, and of what city art thou?" He wants to know the man's lineage, his background. The angel deflects a little, "Dost thou still enquire, when thou hast a hired man to go with thy son according to thy wish?" A fair point! But Tobi is persistent.
"My brother, I wish to know thy name, and of what family thou art." Finally, the angel relents, revealing a carefully chosen identity. "I am Azaryah, the son of Hananel, of the family of the great Shelomith, of thy brethren."
So, what do we make of this exchange? Tobi, in his vulnerability, is searching for reassurance, for proof that he's not alone. And the angel, in the guise of a traveling companion, offers not just practical help, but a reminder of faith and a glimmer of hope in the darkness. It’s a reminder that even when we feel most lost, most forgotten, there may be unseen forces guiding us, offering help in unexpected forms. And sometimes, all it takes is a little faith and a willingness to ask for help to find our way back to the light.