Wednesday 24th
Hebrews 1:1-4
NIV (v4) – ‘So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.’
ESV (v4) – ‘. . . having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.’
This verse is a continuation of what has already been said in the previous three verses, but at the same time it also takes us into the next train of thought. This is that Jesus is superior to the angels and has a name that is more excellent than theirs.
Angels are important in the purpose of God, but we need to remind ourselves that they are created beings, whereas Jesus is eternal, he always has existed as the Word of God. Angels have been created to fulfil a particular role, we see this in various places in Scripture, where firstly we are reminded they do the bidding of God, they are God’s messengers, Psalm 103:20-21 ‘Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!’ they are also represented in Scripture as being assigned to protect God’s people and to bring deliverance, ‘For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.’
Psalm 91:11, ‘But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”’ Acts 5:19–20. In the Old Testament they were involved in giving the law to the children of Israel, Hebrews 2:2 ‘For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution . . .’ (see also Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19)
Angels are involved in the revealing of God’s will, we see this in Daniel 9:20-23 where the angel Gabriel comes to bring an answer to the prayer that Daniel had made, he said to Daniel, ‘I have come to give you insight and understanding.’ In the book of Revelation we see how the angels are going to be involved in the bringing about the wrath of God upon the nations for example in the context of the seven trumpets (see Revelation 8:6). Because they are created beings, angels are not to be worshipped, rather they worship God, Revelation 7:11-12 ‘And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”’
As we can see the angels are amazing creatures, but they are not on the same level as the triune God, they are not to be considered on the same level, and in regards to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Hebrew writer is reminding us that although Jesus humbled himself and became a man, that is in his manhood, he was made a little lower than the angels, (Hebrews 2:7) after he had provided purification for sin, he ascended to sit at the right hand of God and is exalted far above the angels, he has been crowned with glory and honour. There is not one angel who will ever be exalted to such a position or place, as I mentioned yesterday, the place of highest honour belongs to Jesus, it is his by sovereign right.
As we continue this theme tomorrow, we will see through the rest of Hebrews chapter one and through chapter two why Jesus is superior to the angels. For today as we close, our text says that regarding the angels he has a name that is superior, (NIV) more excellent, (ESV, KJV, CSB) greater than (NLT) they. His name is Jesus, he is the Christ, he is the King of King, He is the Lord. And one day every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Ephesians 1 tells us that after God had raised the Son from the dead he seated him at his right hand ‘far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.’
‘Far above all, far above all, God has exalted him far above all, crown him as Lord at his feet humbly fall, Jesus, Christ Jesus, is far above all.’