NOTES for Tob 12:17-18

A person's first reaction at the sight of a higher being is religious worship. It is not surprising that people who recognize an angel as an angel fall on their faces. Of course, ordinary fear is almost always present here too, not the fear of God, which should rather be called sacred awe, but that fear of punishment which often darkens relations between God and a person. Indeed, who knows whether this messenger has been sent by God for punishment? It is no accident that among almost all peoples of the earth there exists an idea of one called the angel of death or the destroying angel, and even biblical authors sometimes pay tribute to these popular ideas when they write about natural cataclysms or social disasters. But the messenger of God meanwhile calms those to whom he is sent, greeting them as friends greet one another. He is sent not for punishment, but for help. And further: he forbids those to whom he is sent to worship him as some higher being. Only God is worthy of worship. And all angels, all messengers of God, are created beings just like people. Yes, in some respects they are more perfect than people; their capacities surpass human capacities in many respects, and most importantly, unlike people, they have not experienced the fall. Fallen angels are no longer angels, but demons. But God is as infinitely more powerful and wiser than angels as He is infinitely more powerful and wiser than people. He is infinite, and all of us, angels or people, are finite. Therefore, if we want to remain faithful to God, worship of anyone except Him is impossible for us, even if that someone were much stronger, wiser, and even better than we are. Otherwise there is paganism and the end of all hopes for the Kingdom and for salvation.