September 15 | Hebrews 2:5-8a; Psalm 8

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DAILY READING

Hebrews 2:5-8a

Psalm 8

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REFLECTION

How Amazing!

By Dave Mann

In the first chapter of Hebrews, one of the writer’s main points is to show how Jesus is superior to angels.  He emphasizes that when the 2^nd person of the Trinity was made human in the incarnation, even then he was superior to the angels, because all of humanity is destined eventually to be superior to the angels.

This may seem strange.  On the one hand, angels are God’s messengers, and they have abilities that we humans do not have.  They appear suddenly and then disappear.  They seem to be fearsome warriors in the spiritual realm.  Humans are often frightened to be in the presence of an angel.  When an angel appears to humans, his first words are often, “Do not be afraid.”

However, this position of humans being lower and weaker than angels is temporary.  In Hebrews 1:7 (quoting from Psalm 2), the writer states:  You made them [humans] a little lower than the angels.”  Checking the footnote, we see that an equally valid translation of this verse is: “You made them [humans] for a little while lower than the angels.”

Nevertheless, humans are clearly the apex of the creation on earth. The writer of Hebrews states (vv. 7-8): “...you crowned them [in the earthly creation] with glory and honor and put everything under their feet.”  Of all that God created – the sun, moon, stars, land animals, birds, fish, etc. – humankind is the high point of his creative work.  Though we do not understand all that God created, it seems that the Lord’s mind is set on redeeming humanity through the cross and resurrection.

At the culmination of God’s redemptive purposes on earth, humans will have a higher position than the angels.  Redemption on the cross is such an amazing and transformative event, reserved uniquely for humans, that angels long to look into such things (1 Peter 1:12).  The apostle Paul says that human believers will participate in judging the world and even the angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

You and I may not feel that we are qualified to be valued higher than the heavenly bodies that are light years away, nor to be wise enough to judge the world and all the angels.  But God’s purposes are his to decide.  We are not worthy of God’s sacrificial act on the cross.  Nor are we worthy of the power of the resurrection.  But he has chosen to give us faith, through the Holy Spirit, to believe and to appropriate the benefits of his plan.  When the time comes at the consummation of the Kingdom of God, his work of complete sanctification and glorification of what he has claimed – i.e., those who believe – will be sufficient by his grace that we serve him well as we are called (Romans 8:28-30).

PRAYER

Lord God, Creator of all the worlds, I find it difficult to believe that I am part of the high point of your creation.  But the fact that you became incarnate to be one of us gives me pause to think that you and I share the same physical home, a human body.  By grace through faith, you have brought me to believe in you.  Therefore, by this same grace through faith, I rely on you to make me qualified to serve you into eternity, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.