Glory to God in the highest
For to which of the angels did he ever say, You are my Son; today I have become your Father, or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son? Again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says, And let all God’s angels worship him. And about the angels he says: He makes his angels winds, and his servants a fiery flame. Hebrews 1:5-7 CSB
Continuing on from yesterday’s theme on how Jesus Christ is in a superior position over the angels, the author of Hebrews uses some Old Testament verses to further back this point. “You are my Son; today I have become your Father,” comes from Psalm 2:7, which is the coronation of the king of Israel. Paul later uses this verse in Acts 13:33, “God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm: You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” Jesus is described as royalty through His resurrection. The second quotation in verse 5, “I will be his Father, and he will by my Son,” comes from 2 Samuel 7:14, “I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals.” These words of God were spoken through the prophet Nathan to David, stating that David’s line will continue, leading to Jesus Christ coming from the line of David. So, to answer the author’s rhetorical question if the angels ever had such an elevated position as Jesus, “No.” In verse 6, the author shows that when Jesus entered the world physically, the angels worshipped Him. We can see this alluded to in Luke 2:13-14 after the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds about Christ’ birth and where to find Him, “Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!” Finally, the author states a final quotation from Psalm 104:4, “and making the winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” The angels served as God’s messengers to do certain tasks according to God’s will. Jesus, though, ultimately fulfilled God’s plan for redemption for the world. Through the evidence presented of the quotes, we can see that although the angels are these amazing beings, they are in a lower position when compared to the Messiah, who is truly deserving of our worship and praise, especially during this Christmas season, where we remember His birth.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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