GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
PSALM 103:19-22
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
This isn’t the only time the Lord is depicted as sitting on his throne in heaven (cp. 2 Chronicles 18:18; Psalm 11:4; Isaiah 6:1; Lamentations 5:19; Revelation 7:10), and it is so satisfying a picture that we usually think of him that way. A throne is a seat, and God as a Spirit needs no seat, but we should think of his throne as the symbol of his seat of power. It is the place before which we will gather to worship him: “They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them” (Revelation 7:15). The throne of God needs no gold, silver, precious stones or alabaster to make it beautiful. It is lovely because God is there; if it were a wooden three-legged stool it would be glorified by God’s presence beyond any throne in human history.
David employs a curious phrase here: “his kingdom rules over all.” The kingdom of God is not a place. It is neither a land nor a palace nor anything that could be contained within walls. His kingdom is the holy Christian church, the communion of saints. Therefore, David is only anticipating what Jesus said again and again: We, God’s people, will reign with him: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). And again: “They will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). This is not because of the power any of us has, nor a power we all have collectively, but only the authority given to us, his church, because of the merits of Christ and by his grace.
20 Bless the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his voice, his word.
21 Bless the LORD, all his heavenly army,
his servants who do his will.
22 Bless the LORD, all his works,
in all places in his dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
These verses are among some key passages in the study of angels. We see here that the angels are powerful (“mighty ones”), they do what God wills them to do, that the good angels are obedient to God’s voice, and that they are a vast, heavenly army.
Angels are creatures of God, but the Scriptures say nothing positive about their creation. We know that they are not eternal but were definitely made by God (Colossians 1:16). They are not made from God’s personal essence because they are not absolutely like God; some of them were able to choose to rebel against God and fall into sin.
▪ Angels were created during the Six Days of creation, although we do not know on which day. Augustine and our Lutheran father Abraham Calov proposed the first day (Calov Systema IV), many ancient theologians proposed the second, fifth or sixth day. More recent Lutherans such as Baier proposed the fourth day on account of Job 38:7. I have personally advocated for the third day based on Ezekiel 28:14-17. Any of these is possible.
▪ Angels are unchangeable. They do not grow or perish or reproduce.
▪ Angels are immortal and eonian (they endure onward from their creation); they cannot be destroyed (Luke 20:36).
▪ Angels are invisible, unseen (Colossians 1:16).
▪ Angels are illocal. They do not take up space the way a physical body does, yet they are ‘somewhere.’ They move here and there, but they do not exist everywhere at once as God does.
▪ Angels, including the wicked angels and the devil, cannot read our thoughts. Only God knows our thoughts and reads what is in our hearts (1 Kings 8:39; Luke 16:16; Romans 8:27).
▪ Angels are quick, that is, they move rapidly. They do not move ‘suddenly’ by means of their wills, but they move quickly by the will of God (Matthew 4:5; 4:8; Acts 8:39; 1 Peter 5:8).
▪ Angels are powerful creatures. This is seen in their titles: Mighty ones (Psalm 103:20), “fully armed” (Matthew 12:28-29), etc. But they are not all-powerful, and they do not raise the dead. Angels only do what God makes it possible for them to do.
▪ Angels are knowledgeable. Their knowledge is not infinite, like God’s knowledge (Mark 13:32), but it is very great. The Scriptures do not touch on the way in which angels perceive things (Gerhard Loci IV). Angels learn about God’s will and about God’s plan through the Scriptures, just as we do (1 Peter 1:12).
▪ Angels have a natural will and have the ability to grasp objects and interact with God’s created universe, both that which is seen (Acts 12:7) and that which is unseen (Daniel 10:13). They can and do speak with human beings at times (Daniel 10:21; Luke 1:13) and can (if they wish) be seen by both men and animals (Numbers 22:23-31).
▪ Angels (that is, the good angels) are holy. They no longer have the ability to fall into sin (1 Timothy 5:21). They serve man at the will of the Father according to the three estates in the church: (1) They protect the family’s property (Psalm 34:7) and members (Matthew 18:10). (2) They serve the state and the government by assisting (Daniel 6:22) and by protecting against danger (2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36). (3) They accompany the church as it worships (1 Cor. 11:10; 1 Timothy 5:21), as its members go about their lives (Matthew 18:10; Acts 10:30), and care for us even as we die (Luke 16:22).
Angels give glory to God in everything that they do, and in this way, they serve as examples for us. These mighty beings do not reject God or set their own wills and opinions against his but serve God in all things. We who are so much weaker than they are should happily do the same. We should, as Luther says so simply, “Fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” Do not worship the angels; worship God alongside them. Do not pray to the angels. Pray to God as they do. Do not neglect or damage your faith which the angels work at God’s bidding to reinforce; put your faith in Jesus Christ, trust in him for everything, and know that you will be raised in the end to live and give glory to God with his angels and with the whole Christian Church forever in heaven.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: www.wlchapel.org/connect-grow/ministries/adults/daily-devotions/gwfy-archive/2019
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Psalm 103:19-22 Bless the LORD, O my soul