The Songs of Christmas: Gloria
Luke 2:8-14
As we approach this third message in our series of “songs” from Luke’s gospel, I must begin today by confessing some of the discoveries made in preparation for today. A lot of my preconceived notions have been shaken, and my opinions have had to take a back seat to the truths of Scripture. As we examine this passage together today, I hope that you will consider these things with me. Together, may we learn more about God as we study the message of the angels.
My first discovery was that the angels do not sing. Those of you holding a Good News or Living Bible today will be the first to contradict me on this matter. I listened with fascination to Dr. David Jeremiah on Thursday morning as I drove to school, and I found out in my own study that he is right! Everywhere in the Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible, the angels may worship God or praise God or serve God, but nowhere in the Bible do the original languages say that the angels sing. What our modern translators have done is to interpret Scripture rather than simply translate it. I hope your faith is not crushed by this discovery.
The second discovery falls in line with “the glory of the Lord” mentioned in verse nine. This reference is important as well. The glory of the Lord in Scripture represented the presence of God prior to the giving of the Holy Spirit. It rested on Mt.Sinai while Moses received the Ten Commandments. It came down on the tabernacle. The glory of the Lord was so great in Second Chronicles that the priests in Solomon’s temple could not stand up. Something terrible happened later in Israel’s history, though. Ezekiel 10:18-19 tells us of the departure of God’s glory from the temple. It has never returned. Only in moments like the appearance of the angels that first Christmas night has God’s glory been seen by human eyes since that time. The glory will not return permanently to the earth until the new Jerusalem descends from heaven at the end of the age.
I suppose the most interesting discovery came as I read a discussion on angels in the Holman Bible Dictionary. Basically, it said that there are three defined classes of angels in Scripture. The first are the seraphim, whose name literally means “flaming ones.” They are the ones who covered God’s glory in Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6. The second are the cherubim. We see them as the guardians of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. They are also the winged figures set on top of the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 25. The Angel of the Lord who appeared to Mary in Luke 1 was called Gabriel, whose name means, “the warrior of God.” Many scholars think that this angel was the same one who appeared to the shepherds. If this was the case, I have a hard time believing that “the warrior of God” was a blonde-haired girl wearing white satin with giant wings like a dove. More likely, the angel was wearing body armor and carrying a flaming sword. Furthermore, if he had the glory of the Lord around him, I can easily see why the shepherds were so afraid.
When we come to the issue of the heavenly host, then, our perception is also changed. Instead of a thousand white robes and halos, picture a full army dressed for combat. They are grouped into calvary and infantry units, covering the hillside nearby. This song, then, is their victory chant. If they spoke in Hebrew for the shepherds to hear, they probably shouted:
Hallelu-Yah!
La’elohim maroam chavoad! Wuh-shalom barrets, la-anashim caphets!
Hallelu-Yah! which translated means:
“Praise the LORD! Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, God’s kindness to men. Praise the LORD!”
Now that all our mental pictures of Christmas have been sufficiently shot down this morning, let’s pause and consider the real gist of the message: the words of the angels. These three phrases represent a beautiful exclamation of praise and worship, along with powerful proclamation of the truth of God’s nature and plan. We would do well to take heed to the angels’ words and apply them to our lives today.
The first phrase, “Glory to God in the highest,” is a clear statement of praise. The word for glory is chavoad in Hebrew, or doxa in Greek. Either way, the meaning is “to draw attention to, to assign value to.” When the angels said, “Glory to God,” they were proclaiming that God is worthy of notice by the world. 2 Corinthians 8:9 builds the reason for this proclamation when it says, “Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.” We are compelled to give glory to God today for His unspeakable gift.
The latter portion of the angels’ proclamation clarifies the object of their praise. This glory they speak of does not go to just any old god. This proclamation goes to God “in the highest.” This was not the God of Israel alone, or the god in some pagan temple. This was not some unknown remote idol in a dark temple. This epxression of praise went up to the God of heaven, the Most High. Psalm 91 tells us, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” When Abraham left Ur and moved to Canaan, the Bible tells us he built and altar there and called on the Lord. He did it to see if God had come with him to this new land.
Our God is worthy of glory today. He deserves attention from his people. He deserves respect and a place of importance in our lives. God is great and greatly to be praised! He is not the kind of deity you can leave at home if you don’t feel like taking him along. The Most High God is ruler of heaven and earth. There is not a thought, or a word, or an action that escapes the eyes and ears of God. Psalm 139 tells us, “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” He is God in the highest. There is none above our God. If you and I imagine the greatest thing our minds can conjure up, God is above them. The purest thing we can think of is a dingy brown compared to the purity of God. Mt. Everest, the highest geographical point on the earth, is untold billions of miles below the heights of God’s throne.
When the angels shouted, “Glory to God in the highest!” they were ascribing to God the worth that He alone possessed. There were no doubts in the minds of these heavenly messengers. They were in the army of the victorious king! There was no fear of defeat in the hearts of these spiritual warriors. They knew their Master was preparing to defeat sin and death for all time!
The second phrase, “peace on earth,” is not wasted on us today. In a day when the Russian prime minister reminds us that his nation still has a full nuclear arsenal, when ethnic cleansing reaches new lows, when Cubans take to the streets for an anti-American protest which in some ways is justified, when 1.5 million future Americans are aborted prematurely each year, when leaders can call a lie the truth, when thousands die without every hearing the name of Christ, we stand in desperate need of peace.
The Scriptures say of Christ, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;” (Ephesians 2:14). The only true peace to be had in the world today is the peace that Christ gives. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” This peace of which the angels spoke was not just some ephemeral wisp of hocus pocus smoke for the shepherds some two thousand years ago. It was a proclamation of what was accomplished in the incarnation of Christ.
God took on human flesh in Christ. The pure Son of God left the splendor of heaven for the squalor of a stable. He who knew no sin became sin for us. How terrible it must have been for him to leave behind the freedom of His heavenly existence for the pangs of hunger, the sorrows of loneliness, the limitations of human flesh, the cold in the winter and the heat in the summer. Jesus experienced every temptation we experience, but he never once sinned. He worked, walked, taught, slept, ate, and participated fully in his humanity. But Jesus never sinned.
Because of his sinlessness, Jesus was counted worthy to suffer for our sins. He offered the perfect sacrifice for sins, settling once and for all times the sin debt of humanity on a cross at Calvary. Because of the impact of his death, the Bible tells us that the veil in the temple in Jerusalem split in two from top to bottom. The secret dwelling place of the presence of God was laid bare. Peace with God was obtained. There would no longer need to be a sacrifice for sins. Jesus had made peace with God.
This is the peace the angels shouted about that night! Not just an absence of struggle or a general feeling of good will was at stake. No, this peace was the rest of God granted to man. The only people who struggle now to make peace are those who have never known peace with God. It is no wonder that Billy Graham’s evangelistic tract is entitled, “Steps to Peace with God.” This lies at the core of every man’s being. The peace on earth of Luke 2:14 is only found in the person and work of the baby born in Bethlehem. He is the Son of God and the King of Kings. He is our Savior, and He is our peace.
The last phrase of the angels’ declaration is translated in various ways. Some translations choose to ignore it altogether, but this is not a wise decision on their part. “Good will toward men” literally means, “This is the time of God’s favor.” It is the time prophesied in Isaiah 49:8, where the prophet writes, “Thus saith the LORD, ‘In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee:” Paul finishes this thought in 2 Corinthians 6:2 with the words, “Behold, today is the day of salvation.”
With these words, the advent of God’s season of grace arrived on the earth. We are still in that age of grace, where God is patiently pleading with the souls of men. It is with the angels’ words in mind that we sing, “The Savior is waiting to enter your heart. Why won’t you let Him come in?” This day of grace is seen in the words of Christ in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” The time of God’s favor is at hand.
What will you do with this good will from God? Will you receive the grace he extends to you? Christian, will you live a life a gratitude for God’s grace? What will you do with the favor God has shown you? No doubt many will squander this good will. Some will deny that it exists. Many are too smart for this religious nonsense. The real Jesus would never have believed the stories we tell about God’s judgment today, they say. They like their kinder, gentler Jesus without all the judgment and death and Hell.
If the Bible is true, and I believe it is, and God is true to His Word, and I believe He is, then we can be certain that this day of God’s favor will not last forever. Even in the days of Noah, God said, “My spirit will not always strive with men” (Genesis 6:3). Revelation tells us that, in the last days, men who have not received Christ will even try to kill themselves rather than suffer through the plagues of the Tribulation, and they will not be able to die (Rev. 9:6). So what is the moral of the story? Simply this: trust Christ now while we are in the age of grace.
We have covered a lot of ground in this message, even though it focused mainly on six verses. We have learned three lessons of particular importance: 1) God is the only true god and He is worthy of praise, 2) God offers us the only true peace in the person and work of Jesus His Son, and 3) God has extended His favor to us for a period of time which will one day end. So what are we to do with this truth? Simply this: We must render grateful praise to God for His unspeakable gift. We must trust in Christ for peace in our lives. And we must take advantage of God’s offer while the time is still good.
Christians, where do we place our trust when it comes to peace in our world? If our trust is in Washington, then we must open our eyes and see the futility of such a thought. If our trust is in ourselves, then we must indeed wake up and see the uselessness of self-dependence. It is only in the person and work of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, that we find peace. No other source can bring it about. Christ alone is the giver of peace. Do you know him today?
