Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Humans are unique. Although the LORD used the spun molecules of DNA in us and in much of the life here on Earth, we have something that is greater than DNA. We were created in God’s image. We are witnesses to the creative nature of God in a way like no other.
We are corporeal and spiritual. We have a body and a part that endures beyond death, our spirit and soul. We don’t know the exact mechanisms of this fusing of body and soul, but we can now that it exists none the less. It is this spirit and soul that has communion with God through Jesus.
Our text tells us a bit about angels, spirit beings who, as far as we can tell, don’t have physical bodies as we do. They are creatures as well, having been made by the LORD. But the exact nature of angels is not known. It hasn’t yet been made clear to us.
But one thing we can know is that angels are God’s servants sent to help us out. We don’t know how often this happens, but that does not stop them from helping. From the Scriptural accounts of angel encounters, when they do show up, their presence makes quite a stir.
It this sense, we are greater than they are. They serve us, not the other way around. We both serve God, or at least we have the choice to serve Him.
This chapter in the book of Hebrews outlines the place of angels in the hierarchy of created beings with the emphasis on Jesus as Son. Jesus is above all angels in the eternal hierarchy. And then our text. They are spirits sent by the LORD to do His bidding.
And they don’t seem to show up very often, at least they are not seen and the interaction recorded very often. I think this is because they are just here on behalf of the LORD. They don’t want to draw attention to themselves. They are here at the LORD’s direction and mission.
I don’t think I have ever seen an angel during my life. They might have been present, but I didn’t see them. One time in particular stands out.
During my military career I sponsored an outside ministry group to come and do a presentation. We had all gathered in a large metal framed tent. We just about to get started with the ministry when a violent storm came at us. A rare tornado spun up, breaking trees and ripping the roof of a building right in the line of the storm immediately in front of the tent.
The tent shook, swaying side to side, not something it is supposed to do on a normal day. We survived. But what we witnessed afterwards increased our faith.
When we looked at the damage outside the tent there was a pattern. The damage moved all around the tent as if a hand had been placed over the tent for protection. The trees were broken in a path that went around the tent.
Now I don’t know if the LORD sent angels to protect us from this storm, but something or Someone protected us. You could see the results of the wind being shifted away from the tent where we were standing. Angel intervention? I’m not sure. But something happened that defies human explanation.
This incident would surely fit within the framework of being a ministering spirit sent to serve those gathered in that tent. Our lives were spared. God received the glory.
The Arnold Journey 