For to which of the angels did He ever say, "You are My Son, today I have begotten You"? And again, "I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to Me"? And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, "And let all the angels of God worship Him." And of the angels He says, "Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire." But the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above your companions." And, "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a garment, and like a mantle You will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end." But to which of the angels has He ever said, "Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet"? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
the angels - The word "angel" means "messenger." It usually refers to an order of spirit beings, rarely to human beings (as in Lk 7:24; James 2:25). All angels were originally created in a holy state, but some followed Satan in his revolt against God and became the demons. Angels are created beings who must ultimately answer to their Creator (Col 1:16). Since they are spirit beings, they are not bound by some of the restrictions that limit us (Acts 12:5-10). They are organized and ranked (Isa 6:1-3; Dan 10:13; Eph 3:10, Jude 9). Angels ministered to Christ often during His first advent and will accompany Him at His return (Matt 2:13; 4:11; 26:53; 28:2, 5; Lk 22:43; 2 Thes 1:7-8). They observe believers (1 Cor 4:9; 11:10) Michael is the only one designated an archangel (Dan 10:13, 21; Jude 9), though Gabriel also has an important position (Lk 1:19, 26).
"...the question arises, Why does the inspired writer bring in a comparison between the Son and angels? The answer is as follows: The entire Old Testament dispensation is related to the New Testament dispensation as the angels are related to the Son. In the former dispensation, mankind and God are separated by sin. The angels stand as mediators between God and man. Here there was a chain of two links, Moses, and the angel of the Lord. In the former, we have a mere man raised above his fellows by being given a commission to lead Israel, and brought nearer to God. But he is a sinner like his brethren. In the latter, we have God revealing Himself in angelic form to Israel, but without becoming Man. There was no real union of the Godhead and Manhood.
"How different it is in the New Testament dispensation. God and Man become personally One in the Son incarnate. God no longer accommodates Himself to the capacities of man in an angelophony or theophony, but has revealed Himself in the Son become incarnate. The writer's thesis throughout the letter is that the New Testament is better than the First Testament. If he can show that the One Mediator between God and man of the New Testament is superior to the mediators of the First, the angels, then he has shown that the New Testament takes the place of the First. And this he proceeds to do." (Kenneth S. Wuest)
did He...say? - quoting 2 Sam 7:14 and Ps 2:7 - Never to an angel did God say that he was a son, only to and of Christ. 2 Sam 7:14 was addressed to Solomon, and Ps 2:7 may have been sung to a monarch on the day of his coronation. Christ, explains the writer of Hebrews, is the ultimate fulfillment of these words.
and when He again brings the firstborn into the world - this refers to the second coming of Christ. A combination of Ps 97:7 with Deut 32:43.
winds - a quote of Ps 104:4 and is part of the creation account. This places Christ at the creation as does Col 1:16 and does not have anything to do with the ministry of angels today.
your companions - beyond all others
The cross references for verses 8-9 are Ps 45:6-7, which give absolute assurance to the reader that Christ is in fact the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Verses 10-12 quote from Ps 102:25-27. Christ is the Creator of all things and the One who, in the midst of change, is unchanging.
"Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet?" - Ps 110:1 is applied to the Lord Jesus's final victory over His enemies. We are still waiting for Christ's enemies to be made His footstool, and Heb 2:8 declares "But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him." The point of the verse is that none of the angels were told to "sit at My right hand" as testified in Ps 110:1.
"Here the writer sums up the function of the angels as compared to that of the Son. He is the highest dignity, a co-ruler with God. They are His servants, appointed to minister to the heirs of redemption." (Kenneth S. Wuest)
the angels - The word "angel" means "messenger." It usually refers to an order of spirit beings, rarely to human beings (as in Lk 7:24; James 2:25). All angels were originally created in a holy state, but some followed Satan in his revolt against God and became the demons. Angels are created beings who must ultimately answer to their Creator (Col 1:16). Since they are spirit beings, they are not bound by some of the restrictions that limit us (Acts 12:5-10). They are organized and ranked (Isa 6:1-3; Dan 10:13; Eph 3:10, Jude 9). Angels ministered to Christ often during His first advent and will accompany Him at His return (Matt 2:13; 4:11; 26:53; 28:2, 5; Lk 22:43; 2 Thes 1:7-8). They observe believers (1 Cor 4:9; 11:10) Michael is the only one designated an archangel (Dan 10:13, 21; Jude 9), though Gabriel also has an important position (Lk 1:19, 26).
"...the question arises, Why does the inspired writer bring in a comparison between the Son and angels? The answer is as follows: The entire Old Testament dispensation is related to the New Testament dispensation as the angels are related to the Son. In the former dispensation, mankind and God are separated by sin. The angels stand as mediators between God and man. Here there was a chain of two links, Moses, and the angel of the Lord. In the former, we have a mere man raised above his fellows by being given a commission to lead Israel, and brought nearer to God. But he is a sinner like his brethren. In the latter, we have God revealing Himself in angelic form to Israel, but without becoming Man. There was no real union of the Godhead and Manhood.
"How different it is in the New Testament dispensation. God and Man become personally One in the Son incarnate. God no longer accommodates Himself to the capacities of man in an angelophony or theophony, but has revealed Himself in the Son become incarnate. The writer's thesis throughout the letter is that the New Testament is better than the First Testament. If he can show that the One Mediator between God and man of the New Testament is superior to the mediators of the First, the angels, then he has shown that the New Testament takes the place of the First. And this he proceeds to do." (Kenneth S. Wuest)
did He...say? - quoting 2 Sam 7:14 and Ps 2:7 - Never to an angel did God say that he was a son, only to and of Christ. 2 Sam 7:14 was addressed to Solomon, and Ps 2:7 may have been sung to a monarch on the day of his coronation. Christ, explains the writer of Hebrews, is the ultimate fulfillment of these words.
and when He again brings the firstborn into the world - this refers to the second coming of Christ. A combination of Ps 97:7 with Deut 32:43.
winds - a quote of Ps 104:4 and is part of the creation account. This places Christ at the creation as does Col 1:16 and does not have anything to do with the ministry of angels today.
your companions - beyond all others
The cross references for verses 8-9 are Ps 45:6-7, which give absolute assurance to the reader that Christ is in fact the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Verses 10-12 quote from Ps 102:25-27. Christ is the Creator of all things and the One who, in the midst of change, is unchanging.
"Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet?" - Ps 110:1 is applied to the Lord Jesus's final victory over His enemies. We are still waiting for Christ's enemies to be made His footstool, and Heb 2:8 declares "But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him." The point of the verse is that none of the angels were told to "sit at My right hand" as testified in Ps 110:1.
"Here the writer sums up the function of the angels as compared to that of the Son. He is the highest dignity, a co-ruler with God. They are His servants, appointed to minister to the heirs of redemption." (Kenneth S. Wuest)
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