Written by Efe Abbe
The Word
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?Or again,
“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
7 Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”Hebrews 1:5-7 ESV
Reflection
In this letter to early Jewish believers, the author’s unmistakable point is: In the matter of our salvation, Jesus is God’s final word to humanity (Hebrews 1:1-2). In the letter’s opening the author acknowledges that God had spoken “at many times and in many ways” through human prophets to their Jewish ancestors, and explains that Jesus supersedes all the prophets because
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high[.]
Hebrews 1:3 ESV
After making the case for Jesus’ superiority over earthly messengers, the author uses God’s word (given through the prophets) to explain Jesus’ superiority over heavenly messengers – the angels.
Notice that there is no appeal to any other ideology or sentiment other than what God already revealed in His word about His Son and the angels. The author quotes Psalm 2:7 (v. 5), Deuteronomy 32:43 (v.6), and Psalm 104:4 (v.7) to explain that Jesus (God’s uncreated Son) is to be worshipped as God even by the angels – who are created spiritual beings.
Application
The best application of learning about how God’s Word points to His Son comes from Jesus in Luke 24:13-27 where He corrects two disciples’ misunderstanding of His identity as God’s Messiah and what God’s saving mission would look like. Luke records that “…beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).
We cannot know God without Him revealing Himself, and He has mercifully done so throughout history through His Word, and finally through His Son. We also cannot know the truth about God’s created beings (human or heavenly) and their God designed purpose, apart from what God has revealed about them, otherwise we fall into error. Our faith in God, through Jesus and our view of God’s creation must be grounded in God’s word.
Prayer
Dear Holy God, thank You for mercifully revealing Yourself to us in Your word. Thank You for desiring to be in relationship with us, and that You revealed and gave Your Son Jesus as the only way for us to know You, amen.
City Life Starter 
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