Chubby little babies with dreamy and knowing eyes. Ultra-feminine robed and winged creatures. These strike me as some of the most prevalent images of angels today. They are either whimsical onlookers or aloof heralds. The early church struggled against a preoccupation that bordered on worship of these beings. Our own culture struggles between sheer disbelief in the supernatural and a similar preoccupation. Scripture is not silent about angels, but neither is it overly descriptive. What are we to make of all of this?
Are [the angels] not all ministering spirits, sent for the purpose of service on account of those about to inherit salvation?
Hebrews 1:14Hebrews 1:14
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
14 Angels are merely spirits sent to serve people who are going to be saved.
WP-Bible plugin
Cherubim, seraphim, mal’ach, angelos… there are so many words that we translate as “angel” in English. The first two, cherubim and seraphim are both names and imagery that come from the common cultural background of Israel and its neighbors. The cherubim are closely associated with the throne of God, while the seraphim hover above it. These two designations of angels both serve as attendants, defending and proclaiming the glory of God.
On the other hand, Hebrew mal’ach and Greek angelos both mean something of “messenger”, someone sent with a message or a task. You can probably see that the Greek word for angel gives us our English word “angel”. An angel is a being whose primary function is serving God by presenting his messages. They have been sent with a purpose!
The book of Hebrews presents that purpose for us: “ministering” or “serving”. It is offered as a question, “Isn’t it obvious that they are servants?” The author is trying to point out how much greater the Son is. The angels are sent to serve, to attend to someone – and that someone is clearly identified in Hebrews 1:14Hebrews 1:14
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
14 Angels are merely spirits sent to serve people who are going to be saved.
WP-Bible plugin, “those about to inherit salvation”. When it says they were sent “for the purpose of service”, it is using the same word from which we get “deacon”, a servant.
We don’t need to get caught up in a worship of angels. John, in the book of Revelation, is corrected when he attempts to humble himself before the powerful presence of an angel. Nor do we need to avoid the subject or fear them. There is a spiritual war going on around us, and God’s agents work often unseen. Once we understand who they are and why they have been sent, we can thank God for his provision. The angels are here to prepare the way for God’s message to be heard. They have been sent by God so that he can work out his purpose of adopting us into his family. They too share a part in the great chain of “sending” found in Scripture.
If the angels highlight God’s sending, they also highlight the greatness of Jesus. And that is the thrust of Hebrews 1: God’s son was instrumental in creating all that we know about the universe, timeless and matchless. He is the one who has sent the angels, so that we might have a place with him eternally.
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