Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE ANGELS SOUND GOD’S PRAISE: GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO”
Luke 2.10-14
We know that Mary’s Magnificat, recorded for us by Luke in 1.46-55, was uttered by the just become pregnant Virgin Mary three months before the birth of her cousin Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, and almost nine months before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Further, we know that Zacharias’ Benedictus was uttered on the day of his newborn son’s circumcision, which would be the eighth day after his birth, and just about six months before the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, Luke 1.68-79.
Thus, within a nine-month time frame, God spoke to His people through chosen vessels for the first time since the close of the Old Testament canon of Scripture, breaking a silence of 392 years.[1] And when He did break the silence, He did so, not using prophets, but first using a very young woman and then using a very old man.
We now turn to our first consideration of the two incarnation hymns occurring after the birth of Christ, with the third hymn, the angelic praise referred to as Gloria In Excelsis Deo, sounded out to a very small audience of men and an audience of untold millions of angels some hours after the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem.
Turn in your Bible to Luke 2.1. When you find that verse, I invite you to stand. As we read verses 1-14, pay attention to the fact that Luke’s record provides for his readers no details about the precise time of our Lord’s delivery and no details about the precise place of our Lord’s delivery:
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And 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, good will toward men.
What we are told, after He was born, is that He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and He was laid in a manger for lack of accommodations. We are then taken in the narrative to a setting outside the village, at night, where shepherds were tending to their flocks when they were informed by an angel what had happened earlier, and how they could identify in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. The text reads,
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.”
A 19th century Jewish Christian named Alfred Edersheim, who wrote Life And Times of Jesus The Messiah, said,
“It was, as if attendant angels had only waited the signal ... , so, when the Herald-Angel had spoken, a multitude of heaven’s host stood forth to hymn the good tidings he had brought. What they sang was but a reflex of what had been announced. It told in the language of praise the character, the meaning, the result, of what had taken place. Heaven took up the strain of ‘glory’; earth echoed it as ‘peace; it fell on the ears and hearts of men as ‘good pleasure’:”[2]
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.”
Edersheim continues:
“Only once before had the words of the Angels’ hymn fallen upon mortal’s ears, when to Isaiah’s rapt vision, Heaven’s high Temple had opened, and the glory of Jehovah swept its courts, almost breaking down the trembling posts that bore its boundary gates.”[3]
Of course, Edersheim refers here to Isaiah 6.1-4:
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
What Edersheim refers to is the sound of one seraph crying to another seraph “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory,” and Isaiah heard those words uttered.
Is it not interesting that the two places angels sang hymns of praise to be heard by men were both in connection with God’s glory and the eternal Son of the living God? What Isaiah heard was praise in connection with the pre-incarnate Christ,[4] while the shepherds heard praise in connection with Christ’s incarnation.
Our concern at this time is Luke 2.14; the angelic praise referred to as Gloria In Excelsis Deo. At first glance, it might look to be a verse that is most properly divided into three phrases, but what closer examination reveals is that we have two parts; we have glory and peace, we have heaven and earth, and we have God and men.
Consider these two parts of what the angelic host declared for the shepherds (and vast legions of unseen angels) to hear:
First, THAT WHICH PERTAINS TO GLORY, TO HEAVEN, AND GOD
“Glory, from a Greek word from which we get doxology, can have one of two meanings in the Bible. It may refer to an attribute of God, describing His majesty, or it may be used to ascribe praise to God. The latter sense of praise is more likely here since this concept appears in 2:13.”[5] Verse 13 reads, again,
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.”
As for heaven, verse 13 describes those speaking as “the heavenly host.” As well, verse 14 reads, “Glory to God in the highest,” with the word “highest” translating a Greek word meaning “the highest way” or “the highest place.”[6]
Then, of course, there is mention made of God:
“Glory to God in the highest.”
This phrase declares that God is praised in the most exalted locations, in the highest of realms, with heaven being the only reasonable inference drawn from this comment. Couple this notion with Isaiah 66.1:
“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.”
What must not be forgotten is that this is all said by the angelic host in connection with the announcement of the birth this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
Next, THAT WHICH PERTAINS TO PEACE AND GOOD WILL, ON EARTH, TOWARD MEN
While angels offer praise to God throughout heaven, mankind is to have peace. Of course, this is the Old Testament concept of peace, which is shalom.[7] That is the Hebrew word for peace. And how can peace break out between God and mankind? Only through the peace with God that results from being justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5.1:[8]
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In contrast to God being glorified in heaven, the place where peace is found and good will is extended here on earth. This is the place where the Peacemaker came to do His work. This is the main arena of conflict in the ongoing war against God waged by rebellious mankind, so it is only reasonable for God’s Son to bring the fight to where the center of the war is to make peace, this planet earth on which we live, this same planet on which God’s Son will rule in His kingdom when He is seated on the throne of His father David, when He returns to establish His millennial kingdom.
And who are the beneficiaries of this outbreak of peace that so glorifies God that is to be wrought by this Savior, Christ the Lord, only minutes before born in Bethlehem? Men, which is to say mankind. You say, “But, pastor, not everyone will be saved. So, how can you insist that everyone benefits.” My friends, even those who die without Christ and spend all eternity suffering eternal torment will have benefited from Christ’s coming and His saving work, since the whole human race has enormously benefited in every conceivable way from God’s gracious dealings with all mankind, and most especially with respect to the forgiveness of sins and the changed lives of those who respond to the Gospel and trust Christ.
Isn’t God great? Isn’t God wonderful? I was watching a YouTube video the other day in which the comment was made regarding a political faction in our country who have spent the last century working to create among their supporters’ dissatisfaction for everything. But if you take note of Romans chapter one, you notice that the sin of ingratitude is something God hates. He really can’t stand it. He despises it. He devises and implements a strategy that not only results in Him being greatly glorified but also vastly improves the lot of every single man and woman who have lived from that day to this. I think we ought to cultivate a thankful, grateful attitude toward God because He devises a strategy that not only results in Him being greatly glorified but also vastly improves the lot of every human being who has lived from Christ’s day to this.
No wonder the angels burst forth in praise. They are not time-bound creatures. They saw the consequence of God sending His Son. Glory to God in the heavens, and at the same time and by the same means, peace, and goodwill on earth toward men. Who could devise such a plan but God? Who could implement such a strategy but God? Who else displays the power, the majesty, the grace, the mercy, and the love to do such a thing but God?
To be sure, as I said before, not every sinner will respond to the Gospel of God’s grace and trust Christ to the saving of his or her eternal and undying soul. And to die without Christ is to enter eternity without hope and face endless punishment. But though the finally lost have rejected God’s only remedy for their eternal salvation, from Christ’s time to this time the lot of every unsaved person has been improved because God sent His Son.
How Christ has changed the world how the Christian faith has resulted in all mankind’s improvement, bad though it obviously remains. The relative settling of civilizations and the clear taming of men’s passions, though things are still very, very bad, is undeniable.
But for those who embrace the Gospel message, who turn from their sins to trust this One placed in a manger, Who suffered, bled, died, and rose from the dead for my sins, all eternity will testify of God’s goodness, God’s greatness, God’s graciousness, and God’s glory for sending His Son. And I’ve said nothing of the Savior to this point.
What can be said about this One who is altogether lovely, Who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, the death of the cross of Calvary? Words fail me. What remains for those of us who have been so wonderfully blessed through faith in Christ is for His Own to bend the knee, bow the head, and confess with the mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, and to live like we believe that.
This brings to a close our third consideration of the incarnational hymns; the angelic praise referred to as Gloria In Excelsis Deo.
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[1] Edward Reese, The Reese Chronological Bible, (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1977), from 397 B.C. To 5 B.C., pages 1247 and 1257.
[2] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah: New Updated Version, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1993), page 132.
[3] Ibid., page 133.
[4] John 12.41
[5] Darrell L. Bock, Luke Volume 1: 1:1-9:50 - ECNT, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994), page 220.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Psalm 29.11; Isaiah 26.3; Jeremiah 16.5; Ezekiel 34.25-31
[8] Luke 1.79; 10.5-6; 19.38, 42
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Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church