For a little while...

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(Hebrews 2:5-9 ESV)
It is always interesting to see the slight modifications the New Testament writers make in quoting the Old Testament in order to help us better understand what God has said and done.  In helping us to wrap our minds around the fact that the Messiah was both God and Man, and that he came as the Incarnate Word of God, he makes it clear that this application of Psalm8, written by David, was "for a little while." Paul speaks about this in Philippians 2 as His setting aside the manifestation of His full Glory.  However you put it, the reality is that we have not yet seen the full Glory of Christ. We anticipate it at His second Advent. The important thing for us at this point is to understand the "why" of the incarnation. Why did God have to become man. That is clear: to "taste death", to die in our place for our sins.  That truth should lead us to place Christ where he belongs: above the angels, above all people and powers we know, as King of our lives.  He deserves the glory and honor.

Have a Seat...

The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
(Psalm 110:1-2 ESV)
The Messiah, anointed and appointed to rule and to reign.  He watches until that time.  David lived that - watching and waiting until he was on the throne. Jesus has done that.  It is a picture that affects us. It's not just about eternity.  It's about now.  Are we making Him wait for us to acknowlege His rule and reign in our lives?  Are we living like His enemies? Is His seat in the back seat?

Much More than an Angel...

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God's angels worship him.”
Of the angels he says,
“He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.”
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment,
like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will have no end.”
And to which of the angels has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
(Hebrews 1:1-13 ESV)
The Son.  Six Letters, one space, eternal difference.  As powerful as Creation, this One who was there when it began speaks to the world, and especially to us, His people.  The Word-made-flesh speaks endless volumes about the person of God, the power of God, and the plans of God for the sons of men - you and me. Will we listen?  The Old Testament people of God had a tendency to NOT listen to the prophets; will we NOT listen to the Son, who has come to speak to us? The Psalms, several of which are quoted here in this chapter, gave hint after hint about Who the Messiah would be, yet they were often sung without meditation, without a thought about Who He would be, why he was coming, how we should respond.  Let's pay attention to the Coming King, Who He is, why He came, and how we should respond to Him.

Thank you, Lord, for making me a part...

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
(Psalm 8 ESV)
David looks over the wonder of God's creation, and what does he see? In the midst of it all, the greatest wonder is that God has a place for us to fit in. The son of man. What a thought - each one of us has a place that we fit into God's plan and moving picture.  David understood the wonder, but never ceased to be amazed by it.  Sadly, many of us miss it completely, thinking we are the director, screen-writer and solo star of the show.  David as well understood that The Star had not yet been born, that The Son of Man was yet to come, but that he himself also had a strong supporting role in the Son of David, Son of God show.  When David got a glimpse of the big picture he said: "Who am I?" Here he says "What am I?"  In the few moments of quiet we have today, let us be thankful that God has a part for each one of us, not only in this grand and glorious world, this set HE has constructed, but that it we have a role to play in the Story of Eternity we get to play out here and now.

How to be Blessed...

Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
(Psalm 2 ESV)
Tomorrow we celebrate the blessings of God, giving Him thanks for His provision of all good things.  But how do we live the other days of the year? Are we more characterized by the rebellion described in the beginning of the Psalm? Do we expect God to be our Benefactor, but turn away from "The King on the Hill"?  The way to blessing is not that complicated. It is found in the last line. Taking refuge in Him.  Submitting to Him as King, as the One who forgives, as the One with the character we lack.  It is in joyfully serving Him.  Take it from the king who wrote these words, David. He understood who he was as king, and Who was his King.  Though a king, he saw himself as the LORD's servant, put where he was for HIS purposes.  He knew blessing; he had blessing; he felt safe. Do we?

Why are we doing this again???

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
(Luke 24:44 ESV)
You're walking through the mall, fighting the crowds, listening to "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" for the twenty-seventh time, and you begin to wonder "why all the fuss of Christmas?" Do you really want to know?  As the apostles recovered from the craziness of the crucifixion and resurrection, they had a lot of questions about the Christ. They had to look back - all the way back, to the promises given since the garden, the prophecies made throughout the kings and thereafter, and, a job requiring more diligent study - the Psalms. Their quest? To see what God has been saying throughout history about The Christ, and how Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, has and is fulfilling those scriptures.  It may seem time-consuming, but it is timely, if you really want to know "Why are we doing this again?"

What did you say???

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD! (2 Samuel 7:12-19 ESV)
Forever is a long time.  Kings come and kings go.  David had seen that in his own life.  As Nathan here shares with Him God's words, he is taken back, made speechless, totally humbled.  What kind of promise was this?  He had plenty of sons to choose from - too many, in fact.  But this promise was beyond that.  Sometimes it seemed to David that the promises of God went beyond the immediate, or even the near future, like his son being the one to build the temple.  It was if God was looking much further into the distance toward eternity, to a time when One of his offspring would have a kingdom that was bigger than any one could imagine. David could sense that, he says.  And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD! (v. 19) This promise was bigger than David or Israel or any nation. It was for all mankind.  What a King!  What a promise.