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8<\/sup><\/strong><\/span>Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.<\/span> 9<\/sup><\/span>And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.<\/span> 10<\/sup><\/span>Then 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.<\/span> 11<\/sup><\/span>For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.<\/span> 12<\/sup><\/span>And this <\/span>will be<\/em><\/span> the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”<\/span> 13<\/sup><\/span>And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: <\/span>14<\/sup><\/span>“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n May God\u2019s favor rest upon you and bring you peace through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.<\/p>\n The words \u201cstood before<\/span>\u201d in verse nine are translated from the Greek word ephist\u0113mi<\/em><\/span>, from epi<\/em> <\/span>meaning \u201con, above, or over\u201d and hist\u0113mi<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cto stand.\u201d 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 \u2013 because the angel was in the air over them.<\/p>\n In verse thirteen the word \u201cmultitude<\/span>\u201d is the Greek word pl\u0113thos<\/em><\/span>, which is from the noun pl\u0113th\u014d<\/em> <\/span>meaning \u201cfullness.\u201d The implication is that the sky was full of them.<\/p>\n \u201cPeace, goodwill toward men<\/span>\u201d is from, eir\u0113n\u0113 en anthropois eudokias<\/em><\/span>. Literally, this means \u201cpeace to men of favor.\u201d It can be interpreted as “peace to men whom God favors.”<\/p>\n It is amazing that the Creator of everything would become a man. And He emptied Himself of His glory, as Paul says:<\/p>\n but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave,<\/span> and<\/em> <\/span>being made in the likeness of men. <\/span>(Philippians 2:7<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n 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<\/strong>:<\/p>\n “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, to men whom God favors!<\/span>”<\/p>\n Let us celebrate this event as the angels did that night so long ago. Let us praise God and proclaim His message of peace.<\/p>\n What greater gift could you give anyone than the plain, simple, gospel message of the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nSeasonal Blessing<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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