13 But to which of the angels has He ever said,
“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
Psalm 110:1
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES
A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.
The Source of the Quote – Psalm 110
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honour at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”
2 The LORD will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies.
3 When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.
4 The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts.
6 He will punish the nations and fill their lands with corpses; he will shatter heads over the whole earth.
7 But he himself will be refreshed from brooks along the way. He will be victorious.
Psalm 110:1-7
This is the seventh quote in the first part of the author’s case related to the difference between the Son and angels. If you still have your wits about you, you will realise this is the conclusion, the summary statement of his opening argument. But not only that, you will see the connections in this Psalm to much of what is still to come in the letter to the Hebrews. This is a significant Psalm in the context of the letter. It is a Royal Psalm, a Coronation Psalm, a Dedication Psalm, the ratification for future ministry. It is the most frequently quoted psalm in the New Testament and it is central to the author’s case. This psalm is a proof text of the supremacy of Jesus Christ as Messiah, King and Priest. Little wonder that he cites it as the closing part in the opening statements of his argument. Not only that but it reiterates many of the points he has made already. Did you spot them?
It ought to be clear to you that this closing portion flows from what has gone before it. He continues the adversative use of ‘But. . .” The writer is still comparing the Son with angels. Verse 13 flows on from verse 5 and the rhetorical question or statement related to “To which of the angels did God ever . . . ?” It also follows on from verse 8 and the matter of how God addresses the angels.
- Has God ever called an angel “The Son”?
- Has God ever told an angel to sit at His right hand?
Once again these questions are written in such a way that expects the answer “No, never has He done that!” The question “Has God ever said that?” begs a search of the TANAKH to check as to whether that is the case. Search it out for yourself! Has God ever made statements like that in the context of addressing the angels. No! Have you seen for yourself that this quote proves the Son has been addressed as Son and Lord and was invited to sit at God’s right hand? Did you pick up on the fact that this feature of sitting at the right hand of God has come up before? Verse 1:3 contains that exact statement.
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
How can the writer be any clearer in his argument?
Sitting at the right hand of God, the Majesty on High, expresses co-equality with God. Notice he sat down [aorist tense – at a point of time in the past] but THIS SON is sitting still ([Present indicative participle indicating he is still sitting at the right hand of God]. Notice also the writer has not stopped with the thought of sitting at the right hand of God but has continued the thought of the psalmist to the point of the subjection of all else. He carries the Psalm 110 quote on into “UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”. He could have just quoted the first line to make his point related to Christ’s positional equality with God. But he intends the meaning which lies behind the phrase ‘sitting at the right hand’. The right hand is the place of power related to a ruling monarch. Because He has the place of power, he therefore has all the authority. All subjects were to bow before him and all enemies were to offer their neck in subjection. This is a cultural word picture of the ancient custom of conquerors putting their heel on the necks of their vanquished foes as a symbol of their subjection. It was a graphic image used across the Ancient Near East of the foot on the neck. The footstool symbolised exactly that. A conqueror would have a footstool made for his feet to rest on. There is a footstool in the Cairo Museum in Egypt taken from Tutankhamun’s tomb which has caricatures on it depicting people of different ethnic origin conquered by the Egyptians. Every day the Pharaoh could place his feet on the images of his subjects to feed his ego.
In Bible Gem 1940 I used the example of Tutankhamun’s walking cane which I borrowed from one of my favourite authors, Rick Renner. King Tut’s cane has a rolled tip with images of foreign people falling prostate before the king. You can read the full quote from Rick Renner’s reading by clicking the above link. King Tut’s footstool is also in the Cairo Museum and on it are depicted people falling at the feet of King Tut. These images are behind the statements related to the power of the king (sitting in the place of power) but also the symbolism of the foot of the king on the neck of foreigners vanquished by him.
Now there is one more strand of meaning left for me to draw out for you. The writer makes it clear that the angels are in a subordinate position to the Son. After he makes the supremacy of the king clear, he emphatically outlines the position of angels in contrast.
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation. [NLT]
‘Ministering spirits’ is an interesting expression. The words in Greek are [leitourgikos pneuma] ministering spirits. The first word is the word from which we get the term liturgy. It refers to the liturgical practice of the priests in the temple, going through their prescribed acts of service in the temple process of serving God. But there is another word added to this verse. it can be seen in a more literal version of this same verse.
14 Are they not all ministering spirits for service, being sent out because of the ones being about to inherit salvation? [LITV]
This word for service is the word [diakonia] from which we get the word ‘deacon’, one who serves the church spiritually and practically. The concept of service has been expressed twice in two different words. The writer is emphasising the fact that angels are merely spirit beings who act as servants to serve the needs of those who will inherit salvation. Let me sum it up for you. Angels are servants to carry out the LORD’s bidding for the saints on the way to salvation to gain ultimately the Life of the Age to Come (eternal life).
Angels are God’s servants who:
- Meet physical needs (Matt 4:11, Mark 1:13)
- Give strength when needed (Luke 22:43)
- Give supernatural Guidance (Matt 2:13, 19-23, Acts 10:3)
- Provide protection and deliverance (Ps 34:7; Ps 91:11, Acts 5:17-20; 12:7)
- Perform superhuman feats (Matt 28:2, Rev 20:1-3)
No matter how spectacular any of these actions described in the above verses may seem, the bottom line is angels are servants of God for the people of God. The Son is the King, the Priest and God. The writer of Hebrews will make that clear as he develops his argument. Oh you can bet there is more to come.
I would love to append an amazing story to this Gem to demonstrate the truth of all of the above. But I don’t feel I can do it openly at this time given what is going on in the Ukraine. It is not one of my stories; it’s another of Rick Renner’s stories which I would love to share with you but don’t feel I should openly share it in this present political climate given the nature of the story and where Rick and his family are at the moment. However if you would like to read the story email me – [email protected] and I will send it to you. Also I don’t wish to flood this Gem with stories, rather to keep the point of what the author of the letter has intended.
With these opening seven quotes the author has made it clear This Son is far above angels by virtue of the fact that:
- The name Son and the term angel set them apart. (1:4)
- God has never called any angel “Son”. (1:5)
- God has made it clear the angels role is to worship the Son. (1:6)
- Angels are merely spirits, wind, fire to act as servants in whatever form God, the Son chooses to send them. (1:7)
- God addresses the Son as God, LORD; He has never said that of the angels. (1:8-9)
- The Son is the creator of the heavens and the earth; the angels merely observers. (1:10)
- The Son will remain forever whereas the angels will not. (1:11)
- The Son sits at the right hand of God, co-equal with God; no angel ever has. (1:13)
- The Son is the all conquering King; the angels are merely spirit servants (1:14)
What more can this writer say as to why THIS SON is so much greater than the angels?
A lot more. He continues his comparison into the next chapter, Robert Estienne’s next chapter. The author never intended his letter to be divided into chapters.
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
Hebrews 13:2
Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.
Ian
Angels can fly because they carry no burdens.
Eileen Freeman
But angels held their breath when God created people, seeing them turn their back on such a God of love.
Ellis Deibler
For the complete lyrics of Ellis Deibler’s song “I Heard The Angels Sing”