July 1 - The Son and the Angels

July 1 – Hebrews 1:1-14 – The Son and the Angels

While we are uncertain as to the authorship of this letter to the Hebrews, it is generally attributed to Paul, Apollos or Barnabas. The men worked together and knew each other well, so while exact authorship isn’t specifically claimed, we can be sure that God’s hand was at work in the lives of the writer.

The Israelites had a history of spoken prophecy which they counted on as being God’s word translated for their ears. With the end of that age and the coming of the Messiah in Jesus Christ, the Israelites needed to know who would speak for God.

Before we learn about faith, which is the primary topic of the book of Hebrews, we have to know who it is in whom we place our faith. There are a few things right at the beginning of this book that tell us about Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:1-4

He is identified as God’s Son, the heir of all things and the co-creator of the universe. This identification informs us that He is greater than any prophet that came before Him.

The Son radiates God’s glory.

The Son represents God’s being.

The Son sustains all things by His word.

The Son offered purification for sins.

The Son is seated at the right hand of the King of heaven.

The Son is superior to the angels and inherited a name that is superior to them.

All of these things come together in one man, Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we have confidence to place our faith.

Hebrews 1:4 stated the fact of the superiority of the Son, and backs this up with seven Old Testament scriptures found in Hebrews 1:5-14.

Psalm 2:7 is used to show us that God never offered the title Son to any angel. While they were created by God, Jesus is the Son of God. 2 Samuel 7:14 is quoted and is a prophetic passage regarding the Messiah as coming from the line of David. (Hebrews 1:5)

Deuteronomy 32:43 is used to establish the fact that angels should worship the Son. In our contemporary translations, this line “and let all the angels worship him” is not translated. It is however, found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint. (Hebrews 1:6)

We find a list of things that God controls in Psalm 104. The angels are within that list as ministering servants. (Hebrews 1:7) In direct contrast to that is the Son, who is worshiped as Sovereign and is found on the throne because God has set Him there above everyone. (Psalm 45:6, 7; Hebrews 1:8-9).

The text from Psalm 102:25-27 refers to Jesus as Creator. The angels were part of creation, but Jesus Christ was there before time began and will remain the same throughout eternity. (Hebrews 1:10-12).

It is mentioned many times in the New Testament that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father (Matt. 22:43–44; 26:64; Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33–34; Rom. 8:34; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22). Angels minister before the throne as well as to those who will inherit the salvation offered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:13-14)