Angels, God's Servants On Our Behalf

As  I said in my previous blog, the writer to the Hebrews concludes the first chapter with a sentence of comfort and encouragement about angels.

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? - Hbr 1:14 ESV

In other words, their work is to serve us who are chosen to inherit salvation, the resurrection of the dead and the new heavens and earth.

I'm sure you realize that the word angel means simply messenger. So we read, for instance,

And Jacob sent messengers (mal'akim)  before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, - Gen 32:3 ESV

Moses sent messengers (mal'akim) from Kadesh to the king of Edom: "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: - Num 20:14 ESV 

Even the elements and storms are called God's messengers.

He makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. - Psa 104:4 ESV

Before His incarnation, as I have frequently written, the LORD Jesus Himself appeared as the Angel of the LORD. There are many examples in the OT. All in all The angel of the LORD in the Bible occurs 56 times and the angel of God occurs 10 times. He appears to Abraham, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob, Manoah and his wife, Moses, Joshua and many others.

• But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." - Gen 22:11 ESV

• And the angel of the LORD appeared to him (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. - Exd 3:2 ESV

• Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. - Num 22:31-32 ESV

• And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?" - Jdg 13:17 ESV

• And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. - 2Ki 19:35 ESV

• The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. - Psa 34:7 ESV

• And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. - Isa 37:36 ESV

If you have questions about how it can be that the term the angel of the LORD could refer to Jesus, read my blog: JESUS—Angel of the LORD and God's Right Hand Man Is At Our Right Hand. I concluded that study with these words:

This Angel, this Messenger of the LORD is the same One who came among us in flesh and blood to endure our shame and deliver us from eternal death. Like the sacred bread set week by week before the LORD, Jesus is present to feed us with His own body and blood. Taste and see. The LORD is good, kind and rich. He will indeed deliver each one of us who trusts Him.

The ministering spirits the Hebrews writer speaks about however are not men sent as messengers, nor are they to be confused with Jesus, the Angel of the LORD. They are the heavenly host that praised God and announced the birth of Jesus.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" - Luk 2:13-14 ESV

They are spirit beings of great power. Exactly what that means we do not know. They can and do appear in human form from time to time. As noted earlier, they appeared with the Angel of the LORD to visit with Abraham and again at Lot's door in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:1-28). They number in the thousands upon thousands, as David wrote,

The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. - Psa 68:17 ESV

The significant fact for us, however, is not what or how many they are. The important truth is that they are ministering spirits sent out to serve us who believe and trust in Jesus. So we read in the Psalms that

. . . he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. - Psa 91:11-13 ESV

Wherever you go, whatever you do, when you walk in faith, you have nothing to fear. The LORD's angels are with you. Find in that great promise comfort and encouragement. That is their ministry, their service and as they perform it, they rejoice.

Angels, God's Servants And Ours

Angels remain a favorite topic of interest around the world. I have written about them many times in this blog, e.g.

• Who are the angels? 
• The dark side of all the talk about angels 
• What is an angel anyway? 
• Jesus, Angel of the Lord 
• A glimpse of glory

The writer to the Hebrews begins his letter by reminding us that Jesus is

"as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs"(Hebr. 1:4).   

Jesus' name, LORD (YHWH), is

"the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11)

Angels, however, are great and wondrous beings. They are mentioned throughout the Bible. Already in the days of Abraham we read of two of them accompanying the LORD Himself to visit Abraham to announce that Abraham and Sarah are to finally have a son. Together with the LORD Himself they appear as three men standing at the door of Abraham's tent in the heat of the day (Gen.18:1-16).

In the referenced blogs listed above you may learn more about angels, those wondrous beings through whom the LORD governs the world. In Holy Scripture we learn that they are not mere humans who have died and gone to heaven, etc., but are powerful spirits through whom the LORD governs the world. They

• excel in strength, Ps. 103:20
• are God's ministers - Ps. 104:4 
• serve the Ancient of Days - Dan. 7:10  
• are holy and sinless - Matt. 25:31 
• surround God's throne - Rev. 5:11 

Billy Graham has written an excellent books about them, published first in 1975 and now republished as

• Angels: Ringing Assurance That We Are Not Alone

As Graham points out, angels never lost their original glory and spiritual relationship with God. They do not share our sinfulness—nor our need of redemption. One thing they cannot do: testify personally to the salvation God achieved by grace, the salvation we receive through faith in Jesus Christ.

Nor does the Holy Spirit indwell angels as He does redeemed people. The Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of all believers already on the earth to perform His unique ministry of making them inwardly holy even while they live here below, shaping and conforming them into the image of God.

Dr. Graham has much more to teach in his book. Read it yourself, but heed the warning of the writer to the Hebrews. Angels are not to be worshipped. Some have had such a tendency. Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Colossians (Col. 2:18). This is precisely what the rebel angels would have us do (Matt. 4:8-10). But the holy angels will not permit it:

And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God." Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. - Rev 19:9-10 ESV

This week we'll take another look at the angels, as revealed in the Bible and especially in the words of the Hebrews writer. We are comforted by knowing that we are all served by these spirits. More next time.