Psalms 104:4 “Who makes his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:”
Let me just say at the outset that I do believe in angels as we traditional understand angels. I mean I am a big fan of the old TV show Touched by An Angel. Every Christmas I cheer Clarence on as he tries to earn his wings helping out George Bailey inIt’s A Wonderful Life, and I am the first to say “Amen” when someone tells a story of a ten foot tall angel in combat boots chasing off a would be mugger. But I am also aware that the Hebrew word for angel is Mala’k which comes from the root word la’ak and means a number of things, priest, prophet, worker, messenger of God, one who is sent, a laborer, wealth and even cattle. It is where the name Malachi (Messenger from God) comes from and we know he was just a man, a prophet and not a supernatural angel. All these possible renderings have the idea of a messenger. Cattle were a symbol of wealth and wealth sent a message that a person is a diligent laborer.
For this reason you will find that most our modern translations will render Psalms 104:4 not as “Who makes his angels spirits, but “He makes winds His messengers.” The word for spirits is rauch which also means winds. Modern translators opt for the nontraditional rendering of “winds His messengers” rather than “angel spirits” because making angels spiritssuggest they were something else before becoming spirits. This is where the belief that someone who was a real servant to others and a God fearing person while alive would become an angel after they died. Since many modern translators do not adhere to this belief they go with the alternative rendering of making the winds His messengers. This is an example of how one’s theological position becomes a determining factor in a translation and it is also an example of why Christians need to learn how to study the Bible in the original languages themselves.
I tend to lean toward the more modern rendering of making winds His messengers not to limit the role of angelic beings but to understand that there are many more messengers out there than just supernatural angels. Most people will go through life never have an angelic visit, but all will at one time or another receive a personal message from God, for God will even make the winds His messengers.
I have never taken a drink of alcohol in my life. The reason is not so much a spiritual reason as a more down to earth and practical reason. You see my father was a man who had a passion for the homeless and down and out people in Chicago. He helped a former alcoholic establish a Rescue Mission near Madison and Halstead in Chicago. The mission is no longer there as it was removed to make the way for Urban Renewal but when I was a child, this was the heart of what was known then asSkid Row. During the summer months when I was out of school I would go with my father to this mission where he would preach at the noonday service and I would play the piano for these homeless men, most if not all, who were alcoholics and many who were already drunk by the noon hour. I vividly recall the stale smell of alcohol in that little chapel at the mission. Well, if anything at least the mission had a very intoxicating atmosphere.
One day after the service one of these men, an old alcoholic, came up to me. He was the poster child of one who had spent his life abusing alcohol. His hair was matted and uncombed, his clothes were filthy, wrinkled and smelled of urine. His face, was pocked marked, he had a bright red nose, blood shot eyes, and had not shaved in at least three days. He said. “Kid, look at me.” I was about eleven years old at this time and I obeyed and took a good look at him. He then asked: “Am I pretty?” I shook my head and said: “No.” He then said: “That is what whiskey will do to you.” He then turned and walked away. Since that moment, I have never been tempted nor even came close to taking a drink of alcohol. To this day I consider this man aMal’ak, a messenger from God. Do you want to plug in the word angel for Mal’ak? Be my guest, maybe he was. But I do not know that, I only know he was a messenger from God.
I have since met many Mal’aks in my life. A day does not go by that I do not encounter a Mal’ak. A day does not go by that you who are reading this do not encounter a Mal’ak. The problem is that most people are not even looking for them or listening for them. I believe David is saying in this Psalm that God even uses the wind to be a Mak’ak. The most common thing that everyone feels, be it a gentle breeze or a stormy blast, if you tune into your heart, you will hear a message from God.
Yesterday I drove one of our senior citizens home from a doctor’s appointment. On her porch was a little bird, just standing there waiting for her. I pointed the bird out to her and she simply said: “Oh, he will fly away.” But, he did not, even as she climbed the stairs. As she reached the top of the stairs she shouted to him, “Scat!” and he scatted. She looked at me and said, “See?” But I did not see with my physical eyes. I saw with my heart. I saw that little bird give me a sad look as he flew away. With my heart I heard him say: “I only wanted to give you a message of peace from God. No matter what that doctor told you, God is still here.”
God is always speaking to us, He is always sending His Mal’aks. But if you listen with your physical ears, look with your physical eyes, you will not just see a little varmint who will poop on your porch, but if you look with the eyes of your heart and listen with the ears of your heart, you will see a little Mal’ak with a message from God.
Mal’aks do not have to be ten foot tall supernatural beings in combat boots, it may just be the rauch or wind, or even my next door neighbor’s pit bull Sparky. Yeah, to be honest, when he gets into his barking mood I only hear with my physical ears and tell him to shut up. I usually fail to listen with the ears of my heart and ask, “What were you saying Sparks old boy?”
I loved reading this. It lifted my morale and I enjoy your writing so very much. I’ve been suffering a drought of good spiritual food/sharing for a long while. I eventually got tired of using Strong as my word study resource. Have used various word study books/dictionaries on Kindle but your books and daily devotionals hit the mark. Thank you again.