Hebrews 1:13-14

Summary retelling of Hebrews 1:13-14

The author then reminds us that God has never asked an angel to sit at His right hand in ruling authority.  Neither has God promised to make the enemies of an angel a footstool under their feet.  The angels are ministering beings sent out to accomplish God’s will, not to determine it.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Angels do not rule.  They have a wonderfully blessed purpose as God’s messengers, but they do not rule.  It is Jesus who was given the call to sit at God’s hand.  {For the record, note that it wasn’t us, either.}  Jesus is the one who has God’s authority.  Jesus is the one who holds God’s scepter.  Jesus is the one who was sent into this world to establish His kingdom.  Jesus – neither us nor the angels – is in charge.

Do you live this way?  Do you submit to Christ?  Is Jesus really in charge in your life?

Second Thought:

I’m going to make a bit of a stretch in this point, but I really think it is valid.  The author tells us that God has never said to an angel that He will make the enemies of an angel a footstool.  Here’s the stretch: could that be said because the angels don’t have enemies?  Now, I don’t mean to imply that angels don’t have beings that are working against them.  Clearly scripture – especially Daniel and Revelation – indicate that there are very real opponents to angels.  But here’s my more subtle point.  Are not the opponents of angels really enemies of God?  Is not anyone who opposes that which God is trying to do an enemy of God?  What this really means, then, is that none of us have “personal enemies.”  Those that we typically think of as our enemies are not really “our” enemies if we are doing the work of God.  So long as we are doing the work of God, people who oppose us are God’s enemies.

Does it make a difference whether someone is “my” enemy or “God’s” enemy?  If someone or something is an enemy of God, then who is ultimately responsible for fighting the battle?  What can this point tell us about the importance of doing God’s will all the time?

Third Thought:

The angels have a specific task.  They are the messengers.  They are the ones who bring God’s will from the throne of God to creation.  They are the ones who fight the spiritual battles as we see in Daniel and Revelation.  To make an analogy, they are the spiritual worker bees.  Their role is important, but like us their role is not to rule but to obey. We obey in the physical realm; the angels obey in a more spiritual realm.

When you think about angels, do you think of them as rulers or as workers?  Do you think of them as leaders or as followers?  Are they beings of great power?  What can we take away from this passage about how beings of great power can still be humble servants?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 2:1-4