13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” – Luke 2:13-14
Angels
When Zechariah was serving as priest before God, an angel appeared to him and told him his prayer had been heard. Accordingly, he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son. John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus. The one who would make ready for the Lord a people prepared (Luke 1:17).
When Mary was told that she had found favor with God, the angel Gabriel was sent to her in Nazareth to tell her she would give birth to Jesus. Mary would be overshadowed by the power of the Most High and bear a son. He would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32).
When Jesus was born, an angel appeared to some shepherds in the region. The angel was commissioned to bring the shepherds “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10) for all people. The Good news? A Savior, Christ the Lord. They would find Him lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloths. But before their eyes saw the Savior, their ears would be filled with God’s praise.
Doxa
One angel was sufficient to tell Zechariah of the birth of his son John. One angel was sufficient to tell Mary of the birth of Jesus. Likewise, one angel was sufficient to tell the shepherds of the birth of Jesus. But when God was to be praised, it took a multitude of heavenly host to sing His Glory. “Glory to God in the highest!”
In the original Greek, the word translated glory is doxa. According to Zodhiates’ Word Study, it can mean appearance, reputation, or glory. It refers to the recognition belonging to a person, honor, renown. It is related to the verb dokeo, to think, recognize a person or thing for what it is. For such we were born. For such we were saved.
In the last writing, we looked at Isaiah 61:1-4, the Words that Jesus read in the Synagogue and then pronounced their fulfillment. In this passage of the promised Messiah we saw that the Jews were in a dire state. As we looked at, the text refers to them as poor, brokenhearted, captives, bound, mournful, and faint spirited.
But there was hope of a Messiah.
According to Isaiah, the promised Messiah would bring good news for the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, liberate the captives, free the bound, comfort the mourning, replace their mourning with gladness, and replace their faint spirit with praise.
The Messiah did all of this to make the people oaks of righteousness. But that was not the end. He made them oaks of righteousness so God would be glorified (Isaiah 61:3).
excelsis
Gloria in excelsis Deo. When we sing these words at Christmas, we are singing the message of the multitude of heavenly hosts in Latin. Glory to God in the Highest! When we sing these words, do we ponder their meaning? Do we take to heart the Greek verb dokeo, to think, recognize a person or thing for what it is? It is why God liberated you and bound up your broken heart.
In order to give God the glory He deserves, we need to recognize Him for who He is. We truly must be thinkers. We must believe what we sing, in excelsis Deo. God is in the heights; high and lifted up.
If I can word it this way, we must “practice” excelsis. We must “raise” God to the level He deserves in our lives. Certainly He must be elevated to a level above ourselves. Perhaps the best way to raise God up, is to follow the angels to the manger and get on our knees before the Babe.
On Earth
The heavenly host not only praised God in the highest, but they also proclaimed peace on earth. Peace on earth is only possible because in the form of the Babe in the manger, the God in the highest condescended to our level. Jesus wasn’t just a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, He was God incarnate; God wrapped in flesh and blood.
“O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.”
Many of our Christmas Hymns are steeped in theology. As we sing, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, we are spiritually uniting ourselves with ancient Israel. Like those in Isaiah chapter sixty-one that we have looked as, we admit our true condition. Lonely mourning captive exiles desperate for Emmanuel. Thank God the Son of God appeared in the manger!
If you want a clear revelation of the character and glory of God, take a good look at the Savior wrapped in swaddling cloths.
Worship
Although Zechariah was a priest in the service of the Temple, he was merely a man in need of a Savior. After the birth of his promised son he worshiped in prophecy,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David…- Luke 1:68-69
Although Mary was favored by God to bear the Savior of the world, she too needed to be saved. When Elizabeth heaped praise on her, she rightly deferred worship to God,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…-Luke 1:46b-47
Although the shepherds had the privilege of being among the first to see the promised Savior, they did not boast in their privilege. Like Zechariah and Mary, they too felt compelled to worship God.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. – Luke 2:20
Sing It
You have been redeemed for the glory of God. Some day you will join the heavenly host in worshiping around His throne. It is a good time to reflect on what He has done for you, and more importantly who He is. You might as well start with the Babe in the manger.
Angels we have heard on high
Singing sweetly o’er the plains:
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Come to Bethlehem, and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heav’nly song?
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
See him in a manger laid
Whom the choirs of angels praise
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid
While our hearts in love we raise
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Merry Christmas!