What does Hebrews 1:14 mean?
Verse 13 made it clear that God has never said words like those quoted from Psalm 110:1 to any angel. Rather, the Bible consistently portrays angels as servants. They are not shown as authority figures, but merely as obeying the will of God under His direction (Judges 6:11–18; Psalm 103:20; Daniel 6:22). This is important for the point the writer of Hebrews is making in this passage. God is not giving rule and authority to angels, but to Christ.Chapters 1 and 2 are mostly a collection of Old Testament Scriptures, meant to prove that Jesus is a higher authority than any angel. God once spoke to man through prophets (Hebrews 1:1), and now He is speaking through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:2). As a result, the readers of this letter ought to listen to the message of Jesus just as intently as they would the Old Testament message of God. The first verses of chapter 2 are, in fact, the first of several warnings in Hebrews about the consequences of rejecting this message.
These verses all combine to prove that Jesus is unchanging, eternal, and full of authority. He is not a created being—He is identical to God.
Hebrews 1:5–14 uses a collection of Old Testament quotations. These are used to support the claims made in verses 1 through 4. In particular, the writer is explaining that Jesus Christ is not merely some angelic being or a created spiritual power. He is the exact nature of God and above all other authorities. Since this letter is written to a Jewish audience, this use of Old Testament material is crucial and would have been especially effective. This explanation continues through the entire second chapter of Hebrews.
Chapter 1 starts off with an immediate appeal to God's communication with mankind. It also establishes the divinity of Jesus Christ. Hebrews describes Jesus as superior to all other beings and all other claims. The first area where Jesus is elevated is with respect to angels. Using direct quotations from the Old Testament, this chapter clearly demonstrates that Jesus is above, beyond, and far more than every angel. This theme will continue through chapter 2.
