Christ – worshiped by Angels

For the Lord’s Day:  the 19^th of January. 2003

 

Hebrews:  1: 6

“And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’”

 

Introduction:  There are all manner of diverse teachings on the source of this verse and even the construction of the sentence itself.  One school of though supposes that the word again limits the subject to the second and final coming of the Lord in glory at the end of the age.  Commentator F.F. Bruce compares several translations and tells us “the adverb ‘again’ marks this as a further quotation setting forth the preeminence of Christ.”  So let this sense of the text lead us on to more important matters.

 

Commentator John Brown observes that this third quotation now before us “seems to refer primarily to His official superiority, though this, when rightly understood, necessarily supposes His essential superiority.  The substance of this argument is this:  The Messiah, is the supreme Administrator of the government of the universe is the appointed object of religious homage for the angels; and therefore, He has, on being invested with this office been made much better than they.”

 

The Old Covenant sources for the quotation from the Father in this text are two, and they both derive from the LXX translation of the original Hebrew texts.  Let us begin with the LXX translation of Deuteronomy 32: 43 according to the scholarly reports of F.F. Bruce.  Be certain to follow along in your own translation to sense the very important differences:

 

“Rejoice, ye heavens, along with him,

                And let the sons of God worship him;

Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people.

                And let all the angels of God ascribe strength to him;

For he avenges the blood of his sons, and will avenge it,

                And will recompense punishment to his adversaries;

Even to those who hate him will he recompense it,

                And the Lord will cleanse His people’s land.”

 

There are several pages of discussion on the obvious omission of the “quoted” text in most of our common translations.  The LXX is presumed to be flawed in this regard.  However, in a footnote, Dr Bruce tells us that “A Hebrew manuscript with the longer text of Deuteronomy 32: 43 (previously known only from the LXX) has been identified in the material from Qumran Cave 4.”

 

However, this important observation does not seem to be good enough for the translators of many contemporary Bibles.  In this regard, I am familiar with a psalm, whose LXX translation had a line or two that the ordinary Hebrew text lacked.  Again, it was the Qumran material that sustained the work of the Greek translation.  And in this case we have the attestation of the Apostle to the Hebrews as well.

 

Development:  Never mind the ongoing discussions about the Deuteronomy text, because we have another better text in Psalm 97: 7 which reads:  “All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him all you gods!”  Again, the LXX, as in our Deuteronomic text translates the gods as angels instead.  And in so doing, the “seventy” literate Greeks of tradition, do not thereby stretch the Hebrew out of proper proportion.

 

Commentator John Brown much prefers this precious Psalm portion to the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy.  “It is plain that the subject of the 97^th Psalm must be the ‘bringing in of the only begotten into the world.’”  As evidence, he argues that the 97^th Psalm “is a poetical celebration of the reign of Jehovah.”  However, he insists – “It is plain that the reign there celebrated is neither the natural dominion of Deity over the universe, nor His particular sovereignty over the Jews, but that order of things which is so frequently in the New Testament called:” The Kingdom of the Spirit!

 

Now, I hope you are all familiar with my personal idiosyncrasy in using that term to describe what the New Covenant variably reports as the kingdom of God, Christ or heaven, all three of which Brown mentions in the ending of the last quotation.

 

John Brown reaches greater heights of eloquence here in celebrating the nuances of Psalm 97: 7 - “The Psalm is a beautiful description of ‘Messiah the Prince,” who is the Lord of hosts, taking possession in the exercise of divine power, of the kingdom assigned Him; and it is while He is thus engaged that the divine mandate comes forth, ‘Worship Him, all ye His angels.’”

 

The sense of the Psalm that we must capture in the context of both chapters is that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming into His proper inheritance.  This sense leaves us, as well as all of the New Covenant believers in heightened tension.  The Kingdom is here, but not yet final.  It is sort of like this, some hopeless people have often been described as having one foot in the grave.  We who are a part of the spiritual Kingdom of our Lord and our Christ do indeed have one foot in heaven – but however much we desire to be there, we are not there yet.

 

One of the signs of a growing Christian maturity is the realization of how imperfect and even corrupt is every worldly institution because of the presence of fallen humanity in the present age.  You may sense this today as you look around the various churches who worship Jesus Christ, even our own denomination and congregation is finally and always will be in this life corrupt in some sense.

 

I believe we had been working together here in Christ Covenant for about two or three years before we really got to know each other.  Suddenly it hit me one Lord’s Day – what could the Lord do with this really odd and eccentric body of sinners?  And at the same time, I am told – the members were beginning to realize that the Pastor was just as great a sinner as they were.  What hope did we have except in the greater glory of our God and Christ!

 

My first year on the inside knowledge base of the Presbytery office led me to the same conclusion – what could the Lord do with paltry lot of ministers, elders and churches that I suddenly knew more about than I really wanted to know.  Yet, in our first year the Lord added 6% to our membership collectively, and in the second year another 4%.  Truly, He is growing His church – even as we realize here in our own local group.

 

This critical analysis of realized imperfection is more obvious in the worldly institutions of business, government and education.  How wise we have become when we once realize that the only real difference between The United States and every other nation in the world is the solid biblical foundation that once informed the Republic and her leaders in years past.  Thankfully, that foundation was firmly built and with some hope of revival – the present structure may again be righted to affirm the rightful rule over us of the God of Creation through His only Son Jesus Christ.

 

Once you truly realize that spiritual sense of Christ’s rule – then you are really growing in Christ and will be of some importance to the ongoing increase of the Kingdom.

 

Application:  But I have digressed into a consideration of the citizenship of the kingdom when the text before us clearly focuses our attention upon the superiority of the Lord of Life.  One of the things that surprised me in reading up on our text for today, is the fact that not one commentator considered the theme passage printed in your bulletin for today:  “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.!’”  (Luke 2: 13-14)

 

More than any other text – this seminal event seems to fulfill the heartfelt desire of the psalmist:  ‘Let all God’s angels worship him’.  We of course could just as easily to look into the Revelation record of heaven finally established to sense the glories of the continuous choral praise of the only begotten Son of the Father – who there in the finality of glory sits established on the very throne of the Father.  There the elders, the apostles, the whole of the glorified church and indeed all of creation including the angels will praise and honor our Lord forever and ever.

 

John Brown summarizes the glories of our text in these words:  “The meaning of the passage plainly is, - ‘While God is establishing the kingdom of His Son in the world, - while He is putting all things under His feet, - while, by the exercise of divine power, all opposing powers and authorities are in process of being subjected to Him, whom He has appointed heir of all things, the first-born or ruler of the whole creation, and who ‘must reign till all His enemies are made His footstool,’ - it is the revealed will of God the Father to the angels, that they honour the Son as they honour Himself.’

 

If you will have it, it is the very tension of becoming that sounds through this passage, and we see as Paul tells us through a glass darkly.  The Kingdom of Heaven is indeed present and we are learning to live and move as if it were all finalized.

 

Two centuries ago, the United Colonies boldly declared their independence from the minions of old King George. That freedom began on the fourth of July in 1776, but and this is an important but – that freedom was not wholly realized until some years of desperate fighting had taken place.  The rebels were free indeed, but not yet finally free until it was all accomplished.

 

In this old world, there was very early on a revolution against the lawful rule of the Triune Creator God, and yet God persisted and promised a final restoration of His eternal kingdom.  Abraham and countless Old Covenant saints yearned to see that great day when paradise would be restored.  Finally after centuries and even a millennium and more went by - the only begotten Son came into the world accompanied by the singing of the heavenly angelic chorus.  He is still coming into possession of the everlasting kingdom and may our constant hope be that we have already one foot in that Kingdom even as we worship Him who was adored, honored and worshiped by the angelic beings to the end of time and forever on top of that.  May the superior Christ be yours today and always.  Amen.

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PREACHING RESOURCES

 

Brown, John.  A Geneva Series Commentary: Hebrews.

Brown, Raymond.  The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Hebrews.

Bruce, F.F. The Epistle to the Hebrews.

Owen, John:  Commentary on Book of Hebrews.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version

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