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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
November, 1940
n . T he R esponse (15-18)
18 And suddenly there was with the an* gel a multitude of the heavenl) *».. L ing God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us ,now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 1« And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the hahe lying In a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard It wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But M ary kept all these things, and pondered them In her heart. 20 And the shepherds *•«»'«'•* , Ing and praising God for all the things that they had heard ami seen, a., unto them. G OLDEN T E X T : “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to ward men” (Lk. 2:14). D E V O T IO N A L R E A D IN G : Isa. 9:6, 7. Outline and Exposition L T h e R e p o r t (8-14) B S THE shepherds kept the night watches over their literal flocks, L. the Lord was keeping watch over the spiritual flock. And suddenly the spiritual took precedence over the literal, and the supernatural appearance of the angel filled the shepherds with fear. The message of the angel was in three.parts: The first part was intended to remove the shepherds’ fear by means of good tidings of great joy for all peoples. The accompanying glory was the manifestation of the presence of the Lord, and the fear of the shepherds was an evidence jof human sinfulness and dread of judgment. The second part of the angel’s mes sage contained the announcement of the Saviour’s birth. The time, the place, and the Person were announced. In the third part of the angelic ut terance, a sign was given whereby men might have visible proof of the divine truth. It was stated that the Babe would be found wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Swad dling clothes were the sign of royalty, and the manger the place of poverty. The swaddling clothes were not the child’s inner garments (every babe had these, and they would constitute no sign) but they were certain garments used by high nobility and royalty. Mary’s informant (Lk. 1:31-33) had told her that this Babe was of royal character, however humble His sur roundings might appear. The use of the swaddling clothes, therefore, was the sign of her faith in what had been told her. As soon as the angel’s message was delivered, a'multitude of the heavenly host burst into praise to God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’’
The shepherds responded willingly, promptly, and in faith, as indicated by their words: “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem” (v. 15). They did not doubt the truth of the message; they knew it was from the Lord. Hence, they did not go to see whether it was true, but they went to see “this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” Their decision to go was followed by their action; “they came with haste” (v. 16). Faith that does not act is a dead thing, unreal and useless, impossible of yielding joy or satisfaction. Having seen the Babe, the shepherds testified as to what was told them "con cerning this child” (Va IT). That is all the Christian has to do today, merely to tell what has been revealed “con cerning this child,” the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we give forth the mes sage, we will find, as the shepherds found, all things just as they have been divinely told us. Thus we shall enter into the joy of Christmas and the sat isfaction which the shepherds knew. III. T he R ejoicing (20) ' Whatever might have been the recep tion of their testimony, the shepherds themselves were wholly satisfied that they had seen the Lord, and in that faith they returned "glorifying . . . God.” They glorified Him, not the an gel nor the heavenly host, nor their ex perience. Their experience had been marvelous, but not so marvelous as the revelation that God had come to earth. And they returned “praising God,” not the angel nor the heavenly host; they had a subject of praise that far tran scended any created being. They believed the message, rejoiced in it, and gave glory to God; in the giving of glory to God their, hearts were filled with joy. By this simple
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