0680. An Angel Announces His Birth

An Angel Announces His Birth

"And the angel of the Lord came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women" (Luk_1:28).

God’s purposes and plans in the redemption of man, was very interesting to angels. They had observed, as the ages passed, the preparations for the coming of Christ to the earth. They had seen the many typical blood offerings that pointed toward the suffering of the Saviour. Into these very things the angels desired to look. They marveled at the grace of God; they watched Him, as, step by step, He worked out the plans, predestinated from before the foundation of the world.

When, at last, Christ came, as "God manifest in the flesh, justified in spirit," He was "seen of angels."

1. First of all, the angel of the Lord came unto Mary, and after he had saluted her, as described in our Key Verse, he told her that she was to bring forth a son, and that "thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David."

What a wonderful thing is this! For four thousand years the world had awaited the coming of the seed of the woman. Now that the fullness of time had come, God commissioned an angel to prepare the heart of Mary for the great honor which was to be hers.

2. Later on an angel was sent to Joseph to console him, concerning Mary his espoused wife. Joseph was mindful to put her away, but the angel said unto him, "Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife" (Mat_1:20).

Dwell upon the fact that the birth of this wonderful Child, God’s Son, which brought the wise men from the East, with their frankincense and myrrh, certainly interested the angels of God. When the star guided the wise men, the angels saw it. The angels were filled with wonder and with joy. The advent of the Babe of Bethlehem was marvelous in their sight, for they knew that the little Babe was "God, manifest in the flesh." They knew how different this Child was, to any other which had ever seen the light of day.

Around the manger hovered the wise men; over the sleeping infant clung the mother; close at hand stood the wondering husband of Mary; far above was the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who "so loved that He gave;" and, in the stable, and, all about, were glittering ones, the angels, unseen to mortal eye, but all-rejoicing and filled with wondrous, worshipful praise.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR