Hebrews 1:4-14 quotes 7 OT texts to show that Jesus is superior to the angels (6 are psalms, 1 is from Deuteronomy). This may seem like a strange argument to make. But it actually fits well into the overall theme of Hebrews, which is to show Jesus is superior to every facet of the old covenant. Angels played a huge role in the old covenant, so if Jesus is superior to them, the author is well on his way to making his overall case that they should leave the old covenant behind and stick close to Jesus.
Angels were key figures in the old order. For example, angels guarded the way back into the Garden of Eden after the fall. If Jesus is greater than the angels, he’s the one who can get us back into the sanctuary (cf. Hebrews 10:19ff).
Further, angels delivered the 10 commandments to Moses (Acts 7:53, Galatians 3:19, Hebrews 2:2). Jesus is greater than the angels because, whereas they only handed over the law, Jesus actually fulfills the law.
Or, consider this aspect of angelic activity in the old covenant: Angels ruled over the nations as principalities and powers in the old world (Deut. 32:8, Dan. 10). The old creation was an angelocracy (and demonocracy); the new creation is a Christocracy (Hebrews 2:5). Angels are not heirs of the nations, Jesus is. But for people living in the old creation, angels and demons were incredibly important as mediatorial princes. Showing Jesus’ superiority would be crucial to their embrace of him as King and Savior.
Most of the OT quotations used to show Jesus’ superiority to angels in Hebrews 1 are straight forward.
The quotations in Hebrews 1:5 point out that Jesus is called “Son of God” in a way no angel ever has been. The Father speaks to the Son as an equal, as the express image of his person (cf. Hebrews 1:3); by contrast he speaks to angels as his creatures. Jesus has a better name than angels.
Hebrews 1:6 cites a passage from Deuteronomy 32, treating it as messianic prophecy, and showing that angels will worship the Messiah, proving his superiority. The lesser worships the greater, so obviously Jesus is above the angels.
Hebrews 1:7-8 cites Psalm 45, a wedding psalm. The angels do not get to marry, but the Son does – he marries the church, and rules over the kingdom with her forever. Obviously, he has a glory angels do not. The angels do not get a wedding, whereas Jesus does. (Note: This text militates against the interpretation of Genesis 6 that claims fallen angels married human women.)
Hebrews 1:10-12 uses Psalm 102. In this psalm, it’s possible heavens and earth refers not to the physical creation but the covenantal and social order set up under Moses (cf. Isaiah 51:6, 10, 13, which treats the exodus as a new creation). That old covenant order is wearing out and will perish like an outdated garment. But Jesus reigns forever and he does not change.
Hebrews 1:13 quotes Psalm 110 – all things will be put under the feet not of any angel, but the Messiah. No angel gets seated on the throne at God’s right hand, but the incarnate Son has been so enthroned. This brings closure with the opening declaration of Christ’s reign in Hebrews 1:1-3; the same themes are echoed at the beginning and end of chapter 1.
An eighth quotation, Psalm 8, is added in chapter 2. The point is that man was made lower than the angels, but this was only going to be a temporary state of affairs. God’s long range plan from the beginning was to exalt humanity above the angels, so that humanity would be served by angels and even judge angels. In Christ, the exaltation of humanity above the angels has happened, in principle. Angels are now our ministering spirits (1:14).
But one quotation that is very odd is the use of Psalm 104:4 in Hebrews 1:7. What does it mean for angels to be wind and fire? What does this have to do with the argument?
Even apart from its use in Hebrews 1, Psalm 104:4 is a strange text. We live in an age of age of scientific discovery. We are quite impressed with our own knowledge of the physical world. We think we can explain gravity, hurricanes, electricity, and other physical phenomena. I do not dispute those explanations (for the most part). But they are incomplete.
Historically, Christians have believed God uses angels to “run” the physical world. This does not have to cancel out our scientific explanations; it can complement them. The physical and the spiritual are not at odds in a biblical worldview; we must not compartmentalize them. For example, think about the interaction of your soul/mind with your brain. Your thoughts have a chemical aspect, but that’s not what your thoughts are, nor what causes them. Or think of the conversation between Eustace and Ramandu (a retired star-angel) in Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader:
“In our world,” said Eustace, “a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.”
“Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is but only what it is made of.“
So what does Psalm 104:4 mean? It means God uses angels to control wind and fire. Perhaps there are wind angels that make cool summer breezes and F5 tornadoes. We are not given a full explanation, but the clues we are given are tantalizing. And further, if God uses angels to carry out his decrees concerning wind and fire, why not other physical phenomena? This was not just a medieval conception. It carried over to the Reformation; see, for example, Calvin’s commentary on Ezekiel 1. Even if we think Christians of the past (lacking our scientific awareness) took this too far in their cosmology, there is no question the Scriptures at least gesture in this direction. God’s universe is full of mystery, as Shakespeare noted in Macbeth: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
But we still have to figure out how this psalm serves the purpose of the argument, which is to demonstrate Jesus is superior to angels. There are several possibilities, but I’ll just mention two.
Perhaps is the point is that angels are creatures, who do God’s bidding within the creation, whereas the Son is the agent through which creation was made and is governed (cf. Hebrews 1:2-3). Jesus is superior to the angels because they are his creatures, at his disposal. The angels are on the other side of the Creator/creature divide. As glorious as angels are, their glory is nothing compared to the radiance and splendor of the Son.
Or, perhaps the point is that whereas angels are “incarnated” in the world as wind and fire, the Son is incarnated as a man, who was the crown of creation from the beginning. The Son is incarnated in the world in a higher form than the angels. Angels get to be wind and fire; the Son gets to be a man.
Whatever the case, Psalm 104:4 and its use in Hebrews 1:7 make for a fascinating study in biblical theology.
TPC Pastor's Page 