JESUS SUPERIOR TO ANGELS
Opening Prayer
As I read the Word today, Holy Spirit, plant its truths deep into my mind and heart; inspire me with new reasons for wonder and thanksgiving.
Read HEBREWS 1:5–14
The Son Superior to Angels
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father”[a]?
Or again,
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son”[b]?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”[c]
7 In speaking of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire.”[d]
8 But about the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”[e]
10 He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.”[f]
13 To which of the angels did God ever say,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet”[g]?
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Footnotes
- Hebrews 1:5 Psalm 2:7
- Hebrews 1:5 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chron. 17:13
- Hebrews 1:6 Deut. 32:43 (see Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint)
- Hebrews 1:7 Psalm 104:4
- Hebrews 1:9 Psalm 45:6,7
- Hebrews 1:12 Psalm 102:25-27
- Hebrews 1:13 Psalm 110:1
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Join today with the angels in worshipping the risen, exalted Christ.
Think Further
Yesterday’s reading ended with an allusion to Psalm 110:1 and concluded that Jesus’ exaltation to God’s right hand signaled his superiority to the angels. The measure of his superiority is the exalted name he has inherited. This is the ‘name that is above every name.’1 Today’s reading is a chain of Old Testament quotations establishing that.
There is enough here for a week’s readings, so we can only scratch the surface. The quotations begin and end with a rhetorical question, ‘To which of the angels did God ever say …?’ (vv. 5, 13), implying that God only spoke these words to his exalted Son and not to angels. Several quotations are from psalms originally spoken to the Israelite king, including the first and the last.2 Psalm 110:1 is also reflected in verse 3, where the Son is seated at God’s right hand. King David ruled God’s people with the power and authority of God. What I call ‘ancient Near Eastern royal court hyperbole’ has now found its true fulfillment in the risen Christ, who rules the entire universe with that same power and authority.
The third quotation and its introduction (v. 6) are complex, but ‘firstborn’ reflects Psalm 89:27, where it is implied that God announced he would make the son of David, the firstborn, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. This verse is not about the birth of Jesus but, along with the rest of the chapter, it is about his exaltation to God’s right hand, his introduction to the world to come3 as Ruler of the kings of the earth. Since Jesus is now reigning over all things, we live in the overlap of the ages. We live in the present evil age, but the age to come is already here.
Apply
If the age to come is already here, how should we conduct ourselves in the present evil age?4
Closing prayer
Jesus, my Redeemer and Rock of my salvation, I come to you in thanksgiving and praise. With all of the heavenly host, I worship you.
1 Phil 2:9–11 2 Pss 2:7; 110:1 3 See Heb 2:5 4 See, for example, Rom 13:11,12
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