Day 128: Bossing the Angels (Psalm 29:1-2)

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness

Psalm 29:1-2

At first glance, Psalm 29-1-2 is exactly like Psalm 96:

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
    tremble before him, all the earth!

Other than the line about bringing an offering (8b) and all the earth trembling before him (9b). They are word for word the same.

With the exception of the first line:

• Psalm 96: Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations
• Psalm 29: Ascribe to the Lord, O Heavenly beings

It is one thing to command all the nations. That in itself is stunning. But God has given us the authority to command the angels!

I get to tell the heavenly beings what to do! Here, the Psalmist commands the heavenly beings to ascribe to God the glory due his name. Because I am a son of the King of the Universe, I can speak to the angels and say, “Hey! Show my Father some respect!”

You see, the angels are messengers. That’s what the word means. “Angelos: Messenger; envoy, one who is sent.” And the message they bear is the angellion. This is where we get the word evangelism. The eu-angellion. The good message.

So angels are the bearers of God’s message. The are not the beneficiaries of it! But we are! Consider all the things we get to do as God’s children that angels don’t get to do as God’s messengers:

• Angels don’t get to call God “Father” (Hebrews 1:5). I do!
• The angels are messengers. They aren’t heirs (Hebrews 1:6). I am!
• Angels don’t get help from God (Hebrews 2:16). I do!
• Angels have not had the good news proclaimed to them (1 Peter 1:12). I have!

Beloved, we get to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:2)! I don’t know what that means, exactly. But maybe a clue is here in Psalm 29. If I get to command them to ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name, then maybe I get to call them out on it if they aren’t doing it right. After all, its not a given that they will. Lucifer certainly had a problem with it (Isaiah 14:12-17). He fell from heaven, and according to Revelation 12:3-4, took a third of the angels with him.

So let’s take seriously our role. We command the angels to give God the glory due his name! Maybe it will be our job in Heaven to make sure Lucifer’s rebellion is not repeated.

And dear friends, if we are to insist that the angels ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name, let’s set an example for them to follow. They will be looking to us to show them how.