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Friday, June 26, 2015

If Yeshua Isn't G-d, Why Does the Bible Say the Angels Will Worship Him?


I was reading through a book about the Deity of Yeshua yesterday and wanted to share an interesting point that the authors made:

"Not only did human beings worship Jesus when he was here on earth, but all of God's angels are required to worship him.  According to the book of Hebrews, 'And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him' (1:6).  This statement is very difficult to explain away as meaning something less than worship given to God.
     First...Given that human beings in the ancient Mediterranean world were accustomed to bowing down before dignitaries and powerful leaders, it is possible to rationalize the practice of bowing down before Jesus as reflecting that custom...Angels, on the other hand, have no such custom.
     Second, God commanded angels to worship Jesus.  Hebrews 1:6 is not saying that angels happened to worship Jesus, rightly or wrongly, but that God told them to worship Jesus.
     Third,the directive for angels to worship Jesus is a quotation from the Old Testament that in its original context refers to the worship of the Lord God himself.  We know this to be the case even though there is some slight uncertaintly about which of two texts the book of Hebrews is quoting.  While some scholars trace the quotation to Psalm 97:7 (96:7 in the Greek Old Testament or 'Septuagint,' abbreviated LXX), a majority now think the quotation derives from a particular version of Deuteronomy 32:43.  Here are the texts:

Worship him, all his angels. (Ps. 96:7 LXX; 97:7 English Versions)
proskunesate auto pantes hoi angeloi autou

And let all God's sons worship him.  (Deut. 32:43 LXX)
kai proskunesatosan auto pantes huioi theou

And let all God's angels worship him.  (Odes 2:43)
kai proskunesatosan auto pantes angeloi theou

And let all God's angels worship him. (Heb. 1:6b)
kai proskunesatosan auto pantes angeloi theou

....Regardless of whether Psalm 97:7 or Deuteronomy 32:43...is the text quoted in Hebrews 1:6, the text refers to the worship of the Lord God.  In Psalm 97:7-9 the psalmist is shaming those who worship idols and telling the 'gods' to worship the Lord who is exalted far above them.  The Septuagint substituted 'angels' in place of the Hebrew 'gods,' reflecting the understanding that pagan religions sometimes wrongly deified angelic beings.  In Deuteronomy 32:34-43 the Lord is claiming that he alone is God (vv. 37, 39; see also vv. 12, 17, 21) and that he will take vengeance on his enemies and rescue his people.  The broader them of the Song of Moses is a warning to Israel not to abandon the Lord for any other god (see the introduction of the song in Deut. 33:24-30).  Since both texts in context are speaking of angels as giving worship to the Lord God, the writer of Hebrews, in applying his quotation to Jesus, is affirming that God commanded his angels to worship Jesus," Bowman, Komoszewski, Putting Jesus in His Place:  The Case for the Deity of Christ, pgs. 42-43

3 comments:

  1. The book of hebrews??.
    it is almost as bad as the logos chapter of john.
    Do a word study on GOD and LORD in the tanach.
    You will find no association with Yehoshua in connection with El, YHVH or YAH or Adonai.
    Yehoshua is described as "adon" in psalms 110;1 and in malachai.

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