Hebrews 1:14 says about angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Angels are serving spirits
This verse teaches us three things about angels. The first thing is that angels are spirits. They do not have a body. They may appear to people in human form, as they did after Jesus’ resurrection (see Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). Yet normally their presence is hidden from human eyes, as may be seen from the story where Elisha prays that his servant’s eyes will be opened for the presence of angels around the city (2 Kings 6:15-17).
Secondly, angels are ministering spirits. The nature of angels is to serve. There is hierarchy among the angels, and some have elevated titles: thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities (see Colossians 1:16). Yet their nature is to serve. They serve God. But they also serve the believers.
God protects us with His angels
Thirdly, angels are not serving everybody, but especially God’s children. The Bible is not very clear about what exactly their service consists of, for we should focus on God, and not be overly interested in angels. Yet we can find at least two ways how angels serve God’s children.
- In Hebrews 1:14 the service of the angels seems to be linked to how believers inherit salvation. So the angels play a role in organizing circumstances in such a way that God’s elect will hear and respond to the Gospel.
- In 2 Kings 6:15-17 angels surround a city to protect God’s prophet. So angels play a role in protecting believers from bodily harm. The same is found in Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”
What we can be sure of
Only in heaven will we know the exact way that the angels have served us. But we know it happens continuously. In Matthew 18:10 Jesus says: “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.” Angels stand always ready to receive God’s instructions to help the believers.
It is a tremendous privilege to know that God is sending mighty angels to serve us. It shows how much He loves and treasures us.