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Luke 2:15
What is this thing which is come to pass? What deep secrets of divine wisdom, justice, and love lie here, wrapped in these poor swaddling clothes? Mary holds in her arms what draws the wondering eyes and inspires the loftiest song of angels. We bend over the infant in the manger, and strange scenes in his afterlife rise upon our memory. Those little tender feet are yet to tread upon the roughened waters of a stormy lake, as men tread the solid earth. At the touch of that little feeble hand, the blind eye is to open, and the tied tongue to be unloosed, and the diseases of all kinds to flee away. That voice, whose gentle breathings in his infant slumbers can scare be heard, is to speak to the winds and the waves, and they shall obey it; is to summon the dead from the sepulcher, and they shall came forth; is to implant words of wondrous grace in the hearts of men, and they shall turn from sin and self to serve the Living God. Who, then, and what was he, whose birth the angels celebrate in such high strain? For answer and for our Christmas season meditation, we shall consider some of the words of the inspired Prophet Isaiah who, anticipating the heavenly host, proclaims with exalted eloquence a Divine Plan which is to culminate in “glory to God in the highest” and “great joy to all people.”
Using Rotherham’s translation throughout, we commence with chapter 59, verses 12-20:
For our transgressions have multiplied before thee, And our sins have witnessed against us, -- For our transgressions are with us, And as for our iniquities we acknowledge them; Transgressing and denying Jehovah,
And turning away from following our God, -- Speaking oppression and revolt, So then there hath been a driving back of justice,
Conceiving and muttering from the heart words of falsehood And righteousness afar off standeth, -- For truth hath stumbled in the broad-way, And right cannot enter, And the truth hath been found missing,
And he that hath turned away from wrong is liable to be despoiled.
And when Jehovah looked then was it grievous in his eyes that there was no justice;
When he saw that there was no mighty man
Then was he astonished that there was none to interpose. -- So his own arm
brought salvation,
And his own righteousness the same upheld him; And he put on righteousness as a coat of mail,
And a helmet of victory upon his head, --
And he put on the garments of avenging for clothing, And wrapped about him as a cloak -- jealousy! According to their deeds accordingly will repay. Indignation to his adversaries, Recompense to his enemies, -- To the Coastlands--recompense will he repay: That they may revere -- From the West the name of Jehovah, And from the Rising of the Sun his glory. For he will come in like a rushing stream. The breath of Jehovah driving it on; So shall come in for Zion a Redeemer, Even for such as are turning from transgression in Jacob, -- Declareth Jehovah.
Here, in primary reference to the iniquity of the Jewish nation, with words remarkable for beauty and strength, is described the moral condition of the world. The Lord is represented as seeing this state of deep guilt -- a state where there was deep conviction of that guilt and a readiness to make confession -- and a wondering that there was no intercessor, and as himself interposing to bring 2 deliverance and salvation. It was the earnest wish of the Lord that there should be a deliverance, and in order to effect that he himself produced it. The characteristics of the Glorious One who should accomplish these purposes were righteousness, salvation, vengeance, and zeal. He would come to take recompense on his foes and to reward the wicked according to their deeds. The effect of this would be that the Name of the Lord would be feared from the rising to the setting sun. Of this Deliverer the Prophet further speaks in chapter 28, verse 16:
Therefore thus saith my Lord Jehovah, Behold me! Founding in Zion a stone. A stone of testing, The costly corner of a well laid foundation, He that trusteth shall not make haste!
So, says the Prophet, shall be laid -- and so, add the Apostles (Rom. 9:33, 10:11, 1 Pet. 2:6) has been laid – in the coming of Christ into the world, the enduring foundation of which the whole system of truth and of salvation for mankind is to arise. Whosoever believeth on him shall not “hasten away” or “hasten about” (distractedly). He is the sure foundation, on which whosoever builds will not be confounded; but he is also a stone of stumbling, against which whosoever stumbles will be broken, and which will crush to powder whomsoever it falls upon. “This Child is set for the fall and rise of many.” The Prophet continues (chapter 7, vs. 14):
Wherefore let my Lord Himself give you a sign, Lo! a Virgin, being with child and giving birth to a son, Thou wilt call His name Immanuel.
A miraculous conception - the evidence of divine power! For how else could a virgin conceive? Two great and fundamental truths concerning the Messiah are here shown forth--his life was not received through Father Adam, and second, the fact of his prehuman existence! “The Logos became flesh.” Only one virgin and one child Immanuel are spoken of-- namely, the virgin Mary and the child Jesus (Matt. 1:22,23). “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman” (Gal.4:4).The Prophet speaks further concerning this child (ch.9, vss. 6,7):
For a Child hath been born to us, a Son hath been given to us, And the dominion is upon his shoulder, And his Name hath been called Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God, Father of Futurity, Prince of Prosperity.
Of the increase of dominion and of prosperity there shall be no end-- Upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdom,
By establishing it and by sustaining it, With justice and with righteousness, From henceforth even unto times age-abiding: The jealousy of Jehovah of hosts will perform this!
From the context we note how here the message changes with a striking abruptness, from the midnight of sorrow to a daybreak of hope and joy; from the Assyrian and Chaldean desolations to the times of Immanuel, the great hope of Israel, and the heir of David’s throne. “A Son hath been given to us,” one worthy to bear these significant names, each indicative of the effect of his glorious reign--a reign destined to endure so long, evermore fraught with blessings to the filling of earth’s cup. What can be more magnificent; what can
more completely fill out the answer to the divinely prescribed prayer, “Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”? And now does the Prophet speak further of the personal character and qualities of the promised Prince (chap. 11, vss 1-5):
There shall come forth a shoot from the stock of Jesse, And a sprout from his roots shall bear fruit; And the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might,
The spirit of knowledge and reverence of Jehovah; So will he find fragrance in the reverence of Jehovah, And not by the sight of his eyes will he decide; Nor by the hearing of his ears will he decide; But he will judge with righteousness them who are poor, And decide with equity for the oppressed of the land, And he will smite the land with the scepter of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips will he slay the lawless one; And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins And faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Omitting the next four verses, so beautifully descriptive of the Millennium, the tenth verse reads:
And there shall come to be in that day a root of Jesse, Which shall be standing as an ensign of peoples, Unto him shall nations seek, And his resting place shall be glorious.
Of this Prince it is truly said, “Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” The scepter of his dominions is grace- -grace displayed in the Gospel. Grace communi-cated by the spirit, the grand instrument of maintaining his empire. He reveals his glory and imparts his benefits, and thereby attaches his subjects by ties at once the most forcible and the most engaging. A lovely assemblage of qualities characterizes the spirit and genius of his administration; an incomparable majesty, united to a most endearing condescension--a spirit of benign goodness, joined to impartial justice, distinguishes his conduct. In his personal qualities, he is one endowed with the highest intellectual and moral gifts by the direct influence of the divine spirit. Descended of the lineage of David, he yet becomes the sustainer and life- giver to all his forebears. (See also Matt. 22:42-45; Rev. 22:16; Psa. 45:16.)
Only in Jesus Christ have the terms of this prediction verification. Of him, the Lord through the Prophet further speaks (chapter 55, verses 4,5):
Lo! as a witness to the peoples have I given him, As a leader and commander to the peoples;
Lo! a nation thou shalt not know shalt thou call,
And a nation which hath not known thee unto thee shall run, For the sake of Jehovah thy God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because he hath adorned thee.
The essential meaning of these verses is that the Messiah is to be the Savior not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. This is in accord with chap. 49, vs.6: “I will give thee to become a light of nations, that my salvation may reach as far as the end of the earth.” Now with still more directness does the Lord speak concerning his Chosen One (chap. 42, vss. 1-7):
Lo! my Servant--I will uphold him, My chosen--
well-pleased is my soul,--I have put my spirit upon him, Justice--to the nations will he bring forth:
He will not cry out nor will he speak loud, Nor cause to be heard in the street his voice: Cane that is crushed will he not break,
And wick that is fading will he not quench, Faithfully will he bring forth justice: He will not fade nor will he be crushed, Until he establish in the earth justice, And for his instruction Coastlands wait.
Thus saith God himself--Jehovah--
Creator of the heavens, that stretched them forth, Out-spreader of earth and the products thereof, Giver of breath to the people thereon, And of spirit to them who walk therein I--Jehovah have called thee in righteousness And will firmly grasp thy hand, and will keep thee
And give thee as the Covenant of a people:
As the light of nations: To open eyes that are blind, To bring forth out of the dungeon, the captive, Out of the prison the dwellers in darkness
As if in immediate response to the wonderful commission of these verses, the great Personage, the Blessed of the Lord, the Messiah himself appears, and in strains of exalted rejoicing announces his mission and its grand result--the restoration of a ruined world (chapter 61, verses 1-3):
The spirit of my Lord Jehovah is upon me,
Because Jehovah hath anointed me to tell good tidings to the oppressed,
Hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim to captives liberty,
To them who are bound the opening of the prison; To proclaim the year of acceptance of Jehovah And the day of avenging of our God:
To comfort all who are mourning; To appoint unto the mourners of Zion
To give unto them a chaplet instead of ashes, The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of the spirit of dejection, So shall they be called the oaks of righteousness,
The plantation of Jehovah that he may get himself glory.
Thus, and much more did the inspired Prophet speak concerning the little Babe of Bethlehem. Rather, thus spoke the Infinite One, through the lips of a mortal, the sublime message of salvation as it centered in him of whom he testified, “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” And shall not these glorious promises be fulfilled? Thus saith the Lord: “My word that goeth forth out of my mouth, it shall not return unto me void, but shall accomplish that which I please, and shall prosper in that whereunto I have sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
O weary and careworn souls, at this Christmas season look up and behold the glorious vision! It is no mere dream of delight to be presently swept away by the never-failing stream of woe: nay, it is the joy that is set before us. And, if we but cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart, he, by his almighty power, will bring us safely to it, though perhaps, through much tribulation. Does not the very thought of his promises lighten the burden of the cross? Sorrows, conflicts, and perplexities may be thickening around us; let them only cause us to cry out with greater earnestness: “Thy Kingdom come!” In the sick chamber, or the place of heartbreaking toil; in the lonely garret, or the full house in which we may sojourn as strangers among ungenial spirits; by the newly opened grave, or in the forsaken home; wherever the load of human anguish presses most heavily, let us, even in sorrow, rejoice that the time of suffering will soon be over, and then God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and death shall be no more,
neither shall there any more be mourning, nor crying, nor pain. For all God’s promises are Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus.”
“ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." Luke 2:15
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