Sip Saturday
Week #7 Hebrews 1:7
**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, - A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.
Cornerstone Scripture:
Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
-Hebrews 1:7 ESV
Have you ever been so confused by a passage of Scripture that you had to find notes about it? I definitely have, and that is the case with this particular piece. After reading descriptions of angels in Ezekiel and Isaiah, I couldn't find any reference to them being "wind" or "flame of fire." So, utterly lost, I did a brief search and stumbled upon this interpretation of the passage:
"...the quotations contrasts Christ’s supremacy as Son to the angels’ obligation to worship him, his royal enthronement to their role as servants, and his divine, immutable eternity as Creator to the angel’s identification with the perishable heavens and earth (as “winds” and “a flame of fire,” 1:7)" (Johnson for The Gospel Coalition).
Suddenly, this passage made sense! Praise the Lord for wiser men and women than myself who are able to interpret the Word of God. I am so grateful for the numerous resources available to Christians all over the world, aren't you?
I've written all this to show you that you are not alone when studying the Bible. Even I, who have been humbly asked by God to write a Bible Study-Devotional on Hebrews, often have to go to people who are wiser than me for help. So, when you read these devotionals, know that, just like the angels, I am merely a servant for God.
If we take Johnson's words and interpretation, this passage is pointing out that angels are as perishable as the wind and fire. This immediately reminds me of a passage in Isaiah:
"We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away."
-Isaiah 64:6
In this passage, Isaiah points out that good deeds are not what God truly wants. Other passages with this one show that God truly wants His people's hearts, not their meaningless offerings and lip-service. He still desires our hearts over our supposedly righteous deeds.
Yet, the reason this passage came to mind is not because of that portion, but because it points to the mortality of human beings, that they "fade like a leaf" and "like the wind" will eventually perish. Taking this then back to angels, the author of Hebrews may be pointing out that angels are limited in power and scope. They may not die, but they certainly do not have the ability to control wind or fire like the God they serve.
Jesus, on the other hand, has full control over Creation. One proof is when he calmed a storm with his mere words (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25). He literally commanded the wind to stop, and it did. Angels cannot do anything like that.
Control over fire is also associated with God. In the Old Testament, God appeared as a cloud during the day and a column of fire during the night (Exodus 13:17-22). When Jesus showed John a vision of the end times, he appeared with eyes of flaming fire (Revelation 1:14). Angels are incapable of controlling or representing fire.
Again, the author of Hebrews is dismantling every argument that Jesus was a mere angel. He was and is the Son of God, a Supreme Being with control over creation. Angels are spirits that do not have the power of flames and wind. They are created, not the Creator. These verses continue to solidify the position of Jesus and remind us to revere him.
Let's pray.
Lord, help us to remain humble as we realize that we are created beings, not the Creator like you. Remind us to give our whole hearts to you. Amen.