Jesus: The Praiseworthy King Who Created

It is important to remember that we are not merely reading the author’s random devotional reflections when he references different sections of the Old Testament. Through the author of Hebrews, the Holy Spirit is providing his own inerrant, infallible commentary on the Old Testament. In other words, we are learning from the author of Hebrews himself the importance of reading Scripture in the light of the rest of Scripture, specifically in the light of the New Testament. We have here the Holy Spirit’s own commentary on the very Old Testament Scriptures he inspired.

The Old Testament passages quoted are each taken from one of the major divisions in the Hebrew Scriptures: Psalm 2:7 from the Writings, 2 Samuel 7:14 from the Prophets, and Deuteronomy 32:43 from the Law. Through a rhetorical question, the author makes the point that God never makes any claim of sonship for any of the angels. An angel may serve as God’s agent, messenger, and witness, but not as God’s Son. The quotation from 2 Samuel 7 shows this sonship refers not only to Jesus as the eternal Son of God, but to Jesus as the messianic Son—the fulfillment of the Davidic promises.

The final quotation, from Deuteronomy 32:43, is particularly interesting. In its original context, the statement about the angels bowing down in worship is in reference to Yahweh, whom the writer of Hebrews now identifies as Jesus! The argument is clear. The angels worship Christ; it is not Christ who worships the angels. The angels declare the birth of Christ; it is not Christ who declares the ministry of angels. The angels are not called sons, but that is the very name that Christ himself, the Davidic Messiah, has inherited.

Hebrews 1:7-12

The Old Testament quotation in verse 7 comes from Psalm 104:4. The psalmist uses exalted language to describe the angelic host. They are a flame of fire; they enjoy God’s presence and carry out his purposes. However, they are only “servants” in God’s court. The contrast is made even more explicit in verses 8-11. Yahweh says that the angels are only servants, but the Son is divine (1:8)! The words in verses 8-9 are from Psalm 45:6-7. Angels may surround the throne of God, but the Son sits on the throne. Angels may be sent, but Christ is the Anointed One.

The quotation in verses 10-12 comes from Psalm 102:25-27. Again, in their Old Testament context these verses are about Yahweh. Yet the Holy Spirit, through the author of Hebrews, identifies the Son with Yahweh. The only explanation for this logic is a Trinitarian theology beneath the surface of the text. The notion that the Son laid the foundation of the earth revisits the fact that it was “through” the Son that God created the world.

This passage also highlights the distinction that exists between the creature and the Creator. The contrast is specifically between things permanent and things temporal. Creation will perish. It will “wear out like clothing.” The Son, on the other hand, will not. The Son is eternal and permanent. Whereas the created order is subject to change, decay, and ultimate destruction, the person of Christ is unending and unchanging. His years have no end. He knows no change.

Hebrews 1:13-14

The final Old Testament citation comes from Psalm 110:1. The author ends his argument the same way he started it: with the rhetorical question, “to which of the angels has he ever said . . . ?” (cf. 1:5). Psalm 110 communicates that Yahweh promised the Messiah utter dominion over the world. He is the singular Son of God. He is the agent of creation and redemption.

Again, verse 14 draws a contrast between the reigning Christ and angelic servants. Yet it also speaks of the role of angels in the lives of God’s people. They are “ministering spirits” who are sent out for our good. What is this ministry that they have among God’s people? A good short course in “angelology” might be helpful here, especially since American Christianity is often confused by the unbiblical, pop culture portrayal of angels. The commercialized, cute, chubby, cupid-like angels seen in get-well cards could not be further from the biblical portrait of angelic beings. When an angel shows up in Scripture, people fall down in sheer terror. Just think about the response of the shepherds to the angelic visitation in Luke 2:9. Clearly we need to recover a biblical doctrine of angels.

Both the Old and the New Testament make clear that angels are creations of God. While they may have distinct privileges and even extraordinary powers, they are by no means divine. Angels reside in the heavenly assembly and are part of the throng worshiping before the throne of God. The Bible also indicates that angels are messengers of God and that they carry out his purposes. The angels function as witnesses of major redemptive-historical events, such as the birth of Christ. They are also agents of God’s justice. After the fall, God placed an angel with a flaming sword at the border of the garden of Eden to exact vengeance on anyone who would try to eat from the tree of life ( Gen 3:25). Revelation indicates that Christ will lead an angelic army in the last day to execute his just judgment on the world. Hebrews 1:14 underscores the glorious reality that for those of us who believe in Christ, angels are sent from God’s throne room to work for the good of the church. We may not know exactly how angels are engaged in spiritual warfare on behalf of the church, but we can be confident that these agents of God’s throne are sent out for that very purpose. God works all things for the good of his church (Rom 8:28). This includes the ministry of angels.

Yet while this passage gives us a clearer understanding of the function of angels in God’s purposes of redemption, we must not miss the main point. Angels are spirits that minister to the body of Christ and are thus sent out by Christ himself. Angels are indeed remarkable. But they pale in comparison to the glory of the Redeemer, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He is superior to every angel—indeed to the entire angelic host.