Jump Start # 1393

Hebrews 2:16 “For assuredly He does not hive help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.”

  Angels have always been a curiosity among many folks. Gift stores sell figurines of angels. Most of those are wearing white, with wings and are either females or chubby little babies. People like the thought that they have a special or assigned angel, like a guardian, that is watching over them. Some even give credit for their safety, not to God, but to their watchful angel.

Angels are found throughout the Bible. They rescued God’s people, brought messages from Heaven and gave comfort to the Lord. It was the angels that carried the precious soul of Lazarus to Abraham’s bosom. Some angels disobeyed. They were set aside for a coming punishment. Many think that the Devil started off as one of God’s angels before he turned. I’m not sure about that one.

Our passage today, setting the great place of Christ and mankind, shows what God does for His people. God will do things for the descendant of Abraham that He doesn’t do for angels. The Psalmist said in Psalms 8, “What is man that you take thought of him…you have made him lower than the angels and you crown him with glory and majesty.”

Have you ever thought how we are lower than angels?

• It seems that angels do not age. We certainly do.
• Angels are not confined to the things of this world. We are. We’ve had storms. In the winter, it snows. In the summer, it’s hot. We have bugs. We must eat. We must sleep. We have to go to work. I doubt that there is an “Angel school” in Heaven. Angels are spirits, so they are not affected by physical things. There are no bugs in Heaven. They do not hunger. They don’t have to carry umbrellas.
• Angels do not die. We do.
• We start off little and must learn everything. Angels are created as God wants them. There is no “little angel” who grows up to become a “big angel.”

Although we are lower than the angels, there are many superior things about us that angels do not experience.

• We have Jesus. He is a Savior for us. He died not for angels, but us. He is our example. He is our friend. He is our help.
• We have the Gospel message that was preached to us. The Gospel was not preached to angels. That wonderful message that fills our hope and comforts the weary soul and calms the nervous heart is for us, not angels.
• Jesus went to prepare a place for us in Heaven, not angels.
• God created angels to serve us, not the other way around. We do not serve angels.
• God’s help, as our verse says, is for us, not angels.

These reminders help us to see how valuable and important we are to God. The Lord loves us, cares for us and wants us to walk with Him and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. We are not angels that become human, nor do we become angels when we die. We are the people of God.

God’s thoughts are about you. God’s love is directed toward you. God is working things in your life to bring you closer to Him. God has left footprints, first through the Bible, and now, through living examples of where we should go and what we ought to be doing. It is our prayers that God answers. It is our heart that God seeks.

These reminders are important but must be used with care. Without some careful thought, we may think that we are better than what we really are. Yes, God thinks this much of us, however, we are sinners that have disappointed Him and broken His heart. Worthlessness and pride are two extremes that we do not belong in. Understanding how God views you makes us understand that we are special to Him. However, seeing ourselves in the mirror, will eliminate any pride, because we have failed Him. We need God. Without God, we drift with the current of the times that has no compass and no moral standard. Without God, we become our own god and we decide based upon feelings, what is right and wrong. With God, we have direction, purpose, forgiveness and a standard to love and follow.

Since the first page of the Bible, God has shown that mankind is different. We are not like animals and we are not a part of the animal kingdom. The animal world is not our brother. We are not like angels. We are like God, made in His image. We are to model God and develop His character and His heart.

God gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Help in the form of answered prayers. Help in the form of revealed word. Help in the form of blessings from Heaven. Help by inviting us, including us, and using us in His kingdom. Help in the form of bringing life lessons that ought to awaken us, challenge us, and form us to being the spiritual people that He wants.

We do not journey alone. God is helping us. What a thought that is!

Roger