Luke 2:8-14 – Promised Peace
8Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13And 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, goodwill toward men!”
Seasonal Blessing
May God’s favor rest upon you and bring you peace through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.
Behind the Words
The words “stood before” in verse nine are translated from the Greek word ephistēmi, from epi meaning “on, above, or over” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Hence, rather than standing before the shepherds, this angel stood above them or over them. That is why the glory of the Lord shone around them – because the angel was in the air over them.
In verse thirteen the word “multitude” is the Greek word plēthos, which is from the noun plēthō meaning “fullness.” The implication is that the sky was full of them.
“Peace, goodwill toward men” is from, eirēnē en anthropois eudokias. Literally, this means “peace to men of favor.” It can be interpreted as “peace to men whom God favors.”
Meaning Explained
It is amazing that the Creator of everything would become a man. And He emptied Himself of His glory, as Paul says:
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and being made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7)
Almighty God incarnate as a little baby! But this was a necessary act on the part of God if He was going to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world.
It was not to the rulers, to the rich, to the learned, or to the mighty that this incarnation was announced. It was announced to shepherds, the lowest of all society.
Throughout the Bible we see angels appearing in two forms; either as normal looking people or as the glorious spiritual beings they are. The angel making the announcement to the shepherds was definitely the latter. When the angel first appeared over them, they were afraid. Well, duh! How would you feel if you were sitting in the middle of a field at night and a bright, glorious angelic being suddenly appeared above you?
And once the announcement was made, the night sky was suddenly filled with angels. But, contrary to popular belief these angels were not singing. They were saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, to men whom God favors!”
Application
Let us celebrate this event as the angels did that night so long ago. Let us praise God and proclaim His message of peace.
What greater gift could you give anyone than the plain, simple, gospel message of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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