Saturday, February 16, 2013

Five Bible Passages on Angels

1. Psalm 91:10-11 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

We are given a hint as to the role of angels in Psalms here. We are told that no harm will overtake us. I love the use of the word overtake. We aren't told that absolutely no harm will come to us, but we are told that harm will not overtake us completely. The angels will protect us from it completely overtaking us. We will be protected from disaster. It will not come near us in the night. God is commanding his angels, and they will guard us in all things.

2. Matthew 18:10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

This is called the parable of the wandering sheep. We are told to not despise the sheep that goes astray. This is all well and good until we see a drug user or alcoholic and give them a dirty look. Do not judge! You are to obey this parable . For the guardian angels of that alcoholic or drug addict will see your scorn, and go up to God and tell him. It is never easy, and we have all strayed from the path from one time to another. We are told in this passage that the angels of these wandering sheep see the face of God. They hold counsel with him.

3. Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

I absolutely love this passage in Hebrews. It's such a wonderful reminder! We are told that we should be nice to all strangers. Why? Because some of them can be angels in human form, on their various travels. How wonderful could it be to entertain an angel? Drink coffee with an angel? I think that would be amazing. It's a great passage because in our society we're taught to fear strangers, and avoid them. This is good advice for a child, but for adults? Can we not take care of ourselves? We ought to reach out and connect. Communities are becoming hopelessly separated because of this fear. Always be cautious, but know God will protect you.

4. Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

In Hebrews 1:14 we learn that Angels are sent to minister and serve humanity. They are here to guard us, and help us along in our journeys. They are servants. In fact in another passage we find out that we will judge angels. However, angels do have free will. Many chose to rebel against God during the rebellion in heaven. They joined the forces of Lucifer during the war in heaven. So it's apparent that some angels don't like their role as servants of humanity.

5. Psalm 34:7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

This is another great quote from Psalms. We are told that the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him. This is something that turns off a lot of new Christians. Why should we fear our loving maker? It's a good question. Absolutely it's most important to cultivate a strong love and belief in God through Christ. That is the most important thing. And God's love for us outweighs any power we can imagine. It is impossible for humans to comprehend. The idea of the fear of God is something that turns a lot of people off. I think a healthy fear is important to maintain obedience, after all he is the maker of the universe. That is a fairly humbling thing to realize and understand. We ought to love God, but fear is also useful when looking to be obedient.