“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”  Psalm 34:7

          In our Thursday morning Bible class, we are studying the book of Hebrews and the first couple of chapters emphasize the superiority of Christ over angels.  Yet, it is still fascinating to consider what the Scriptures say about angels, these “ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.”  Like most everything God has made, we can love them too much AND/OR not love them enough.  In Romans 1:25, Paul warns about “worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.”  Angels are creatures of God who worship Him constantly and whom He sends to do His bidding.  When John worships one that the Lord sent to him in Revelation 19, he is sternly rebuked for it.  One extreme is being obsessed with angels so that we turn them into an idol, but the other extreme is not loving them enough.  If we totally ignore God’s Word about His messengers imagining that they don’t really exist or don’t have anything to do with us, we miss out on some great comfort God offers to us in His Holy Word.  Read again Psalm 34:7.

            How often do you think of the Lord and his angels/messengers encamping around you?  This is just a metaphor, right?!  Not so fast!  Sometimes when we have passages like this the Lord gives us a literal fulfilment of it so that we truly believe His words and promises to us.  For example, in Isaiah 43, He says, “When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, the flame shall not consume you.”  Consider those words and then go and read Daniel chapter 3 where three men are thrown into a fiery furnace, but the angel of the Lord delivers them and the four of them walk around in the fire and then come out without singed clothing or even smelling of smoke.  Or, consider 2 Kings 6:8-23.  In this account, the king of Syria sends an army to seize and capture the Lord’s prophet, Elisha.  Elisha’s servant rises early in the morning and goes out to discover that they are surrounded by the horses and chariots of their enemy.  He says, “Alas, my master!  What shall we do?”  To this, Elisha replies, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  Then, Elisha prays that the Lord open his servant’s eyes so that he can see.  The Lord opens his eyes and he sees that the mountains around them are full of the Lord’s chariots and horses of fire.  I’ll let you read the rest of the account, but the Lord delivers Elisha and his servant and even their enemies as well. 

            It would sure be nice in the scary/difficult moments of our lives to get a glimpse of the Lord’s messengers surrounding us, but we have the Lord’s promise that they do!  Last Lenten season we learned about when the children of Israel camped in tents surrounding (and facing) the Tabernacle.  They were encamped around the LORD, but it was the LORD and His messengers that were actually encamped around them.  The greatest messenger of the LORD, who is superior to angels came and tabernacled among us in order to save us.  The Lord and His hosts are encamped around you that whatever you face in life or in death, He will deliver you.  Those who are with us are more (and are greater!) than anything that can oppose us!  Cherish this!  Rejoice in the Lord’s angel messengers who guard you in all your ways.  In closing let’s pray the last line of Luther’s morning prayer, “Let your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.  Amen.”