November, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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themselves the One who was Christ, the Lord. This attitude has ever been mani fested on the part of the majority of hear ers when the truth concerning Christ is made known. But “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (v. 19). , “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God” (v. 20). Whatever might be the reception of their words, they them selves were content to recall what they had seen and heard. Their joy was wholly in dependent of the acceptance of their mes sage. Nothing could dim the glory of their personal experience; they had seen the Lord! W e need this lesson also lest we become disheartened because we see so little effect of our speaking concerning the Saviour. We need to learn that whatever response our message may receive, our own hearts may be filled with rejoicing. Like the shepherds, we may well deliver the message—again and again if need be—and return to our places “glorifying and prais ing God for all” that we have heard and experienced of divine grace. Points and Problems 1. “ Shepherds . . . keeping watch over their flock by night” (Lk. 2:8). It has always seemed to me, from reading the Word, that God has an especial regard for the shepherd and his work. Over and over in the Bible, God pictures His love and care for His people under the figure of the. shepherd’s care for his sheep. David, the great king and ancestor of our Lord, was taken from “ the sheepfolds” to become the “ shepherd of Jacob his people” (Psa. 78:70, 71, R.V.). What is justly regarded as the most precious portion of the Old Testament was written by a shepherd, and it pictures God as the Shepherd-God (Psa. 23). When our Lord desired to bring to His own the highest assurance of His faithfulness, He said: “ I am the good shep herd” (John 10:11). It may be pure specu lation, but I cannot help feeling that there is an evidence of God’s regard for the shepherd in the fact that the glorious an gelic announcement came to men of this calling on the Judean hills. The more we know about the faithful Oriental shepherd and his work, the more we may know about the Lord our God. 2. “ The angel of the Lord” (Lk. 2:9). There is no definite article before the word “ angel” in the Greek. Therefore it should be “ an angel.” The great personage of the Old Testament known as “the angel of the Lord” was undoubtedly none other than the Second Person of the Triune God. Therefore, if we look for Him in Luke 2, He will not be found among the angelic throng, but in the manger at Bethlehem. The language of Luke is very precise. 3. “ On earth peace, good will toward men” (v. 14). The American Revised Version, following the weight of manu script evidence, adopts the reading, “ On earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.” Certainly, this reading is more in harmony with the prophetic description of the age in which we live. During the present age, God not only has not promised peace to men in general, but He has defi-
speaks, and which is illuminated by the Holy Spirit to any trusting heart, is all that is needed to meet the need of any true inquirer today. The word to the shepherds was a per sonal message, coming “ unto you.” The danger today is that the message be gen eralized to the exclusion of personal ac ceptance. Moreover, it was a message con cerning a personal Saviour. He is the Re deemer of all who recognize themselves as being sinners. He is Messiah, Christ, the One promised by the prophets. He is also the Lord, with authority and power to exe cute the will and mind of God concerning the earth and all its inhabitants. He is the One to whom all Scripture points and to whom all the promises and prophecies related. He is the promised Seed and Sac rifice, Judge and Deliverer, Redeemer and Saviour, Christ, the Lord. T o the shepherds who heard the heavenly message, a sign was given (v. 12). They would find the Babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger— and that Babe would be Christ the Lord. Surely a manger is a strange place for Messiah, the King, to be found! In the very announcement, an invitation was given for the exercise of simple trust in the message given. - Suddenly, as though unable to restrain themselves longer, the heavenly host burst forth in praise (vs. 13, 14). It is impor tant that we observe the order which is followed in their jubilation: first, glory to God, and then blessing to man. In the measure in which this order is followed in human experience will true blessing come to man. II. T he E ffect upon the S hepherds (IS, 16) The shepherds manifested the decision of faith, saying, “ Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see . . . which the Lord hath made known unto us.” The “ let us” tells of their willingness, the “now” of their promptness, and the “which the Lord hath made known” reveals their faith. They did not go to see whether the thing was true; in their attitude the event already had taken place. The trouble with many people today is that they “go” to see wheth er the Lord’s word is true, whether He is the Saviour, whether He has power to for give, and so on, instead of simply believ ing that, concerning Christ, the message is true, just as the Bible declares it to be. The proof of faith is always found in an act of obedience, and the shepherds, having faith, “came with haste,” and their trust was turned to sight. III. T he D eclaration of the S hepherds (17-20) Returning, the shepherds made known what had been told them (v. 17). They did not speak of the angel, the heavenly host, the glory and the praise, but they told of “this child.” Christ overshadowed all the mystery of that marvelous night. This Christmas season we may well learn from the shepherds this important lesson: to con fine ourselves to telling of “this child»” But the effect of the shepherds’ words upon the people was one of mere wonder (v. .18). Astonished at. what they heard, the people made no move to go to see for
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