Better Promises : WK 1 - TUE
(Hebrews 1:5-14)
For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
God also said,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son.”
And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,[d]
“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
Regarding the angels, he says,
“He sends his angels like the winds,
his servants like flames of fire.”
But to the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
He also says to the Son,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
They will perish, but you remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
You will fold them up like a cloak
and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.”
And God never said to any of the angels,
“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.”
Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
I know someone who is really into angels. She has different representations of angels all over her house. They are really quite beautiful. She is so into angel I am surprised she didn’t name one of her children Angel. That would have been cool.
The Bible is filled with stories of angels serving the will of God. And they do it in such cool ways. They wield fiery swords. They blind evil people with light. They scare donkeys. They smite armies. They bring messages to virgins about having babies. They sing in choirs. They show up in dreams. They bring food to tired prophets, even Jesus himself. And I haven’t even mentioned everything they do in the book of Revelation!
Even though angels are cool we must never forget that they can never take the place of the Son of God. As we read in Psalms 103:20-22,
Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
So even the angels worship Jesus.
The statements made by the author of Hebrews hint that the people valued angels more than they should. And you would think that this kind of religious fervor for a subordinate being seems silly. But let’s not judge so fast.
Part of my personal journey has been putting spiritual value in religious ideas and practices that never deserved it. How many times did I think that listening to certain preachers speak would make the difference in my life? Or that attending some grand conference in sunny San Diego would help me find the strength to resist temptation? Or that reading a certain author’s book would give me the secret to finding spiritual success? None of these things are bad per se. But just like angels, they serve a higher calling.
When we put all our spiritual and emotional energy on these things we are settling for an inferior power. Angels, just like books, seminars, preachers and retreats, are meant to serve a greater power. Jesus is that power. And if Jesus determines to use these tools to help us walk closer to him, we worship Jesus not the tools.
For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
God also said,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son.”
And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,[d]
“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
Regarding the angels, he says,
“He sends his angels like the winds,
his servants like flames of fire.”
But to the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
He also says to the Son,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
They will perish, but you remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
You will fold them up like a cloak
and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.”
And God never said to any of the angels,
“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.”
Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
I know someone who is really into angels. She has different representations of angels all over her house. They are really quite beautiful. She is so into angel I am surprised she didn’t name one of her children Angel. That would have been cool.
The Bible is filled with stories of angels serving the will of God. And they do it in such cool ways. They wield fiery swords. They blind evil people with light. They scare donkeys. They smite armies. They bring messages to virgins about having babies. They sing in choirs. They show up in dreams. They bring food to tired prophets, even Jesus himself. And I haven’t even mentioned everything they do in the book of Revelation!
Even though angels are cool we must never forget that they can never take the place of the Son of God. As we read in Psalms 103:20-22,
Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
So even the angels worship Jesus.
The statements made by the author of Hebrews hint that the people valued angels more than they should. And you would think that this kind of religious fervor for a subordinate being seems silly. But let’s not judge so fast.
Part of my personal journey has been putting spiritual value in religious ideas and practices that never deserved it. How many times did I think that listening to certain preachers speak would make the difference in my life? Or that attending some grand conference in sunny San Diego would help me find the strength to resist temptation? Or that reading a certain author’s book would give me the secret to finding spiritual success? None of these things are bad per se. But just like angels, they serve a higher calling.
When we put all our spiritual and emotional energy on these things we are settling for an inferior power. Angels, just like books, seminars, preachers and retreats, are meant to serve a greater power. Jesus is that power. And if Jesus determines to use these tools to help us walk closer to him, we worship Jesus not the tools.
- What approach has Jesus used to help you walk closer to Him?
- What spiritual tools have you found helpful in your spiritual walk?
- What are some good things that have taken your attention from Jesus?
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