During the Holiday Season there is always one text in the scriptures that rises in my heart and affects me above all other verses ; it is Luke 2:8-14 "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."
There are few places in the Word of God that bring such joy and good will to my heart as these verses; they move me and stir me. To me they are like the Hallelujah chorus of Handel's Messiah, it is the very crown of the body of work. Handel said after he wrote the Hallelujah chorus: "I did think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God himself.". This can in a literal sense be said of these verses because here we are seeing the Great God Himself! This verse bespeaks not of the God of vengeance and wars seen in the Old Testament or the God of judgment that will be seen at the Second Coming but rather the God of Goodness, such goodness in fact that He opens the door to man and shows Him the way out of his deplorable condition, misery and woe "... And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people ". He goes on to proclaim that in the city of David is born a Savior which is Christ the Lord! He is the one who will lift man up and save mankind from their sin and bring peace.
These verse remind me that our God is not by nature an angry God, He is full of peace and good will! The only reason we find in the scriptures at all for God to be angry is because of sin (in its simplest form it is man to manifest characteristics of Satan rather than Christ) otherwise He is full of charity and goodwill. His goodwill is not just a benign characteristic He posses for all in a general sense, no His goodwill has in these verses a very specific direction..." and on earth peace, good will...toward men." It is directed towards the earth and more specifically towards men. I am currently writing a commentary on the book of Hosea and in it we see the trouble and woe that comes upon Israel because they have departed from the Lord but when I consider these verses in Luke I see the true Spirit of our God; He is not pleased to be angry His true nature is goodness, mercy, peace and joy towards men.
Let me close this little essay with drawing your attention to this beloved text; even now it warms my heart and can bring a mist to my eyes. Let me convey to you at this joyous Holiday Season...His goodwill is directed to you! If you know Him then take the time to tell Him you love Him and you deeply appreciate His goodwill towards man. If you do not then why not turn to Him in this hour and tell Him you want to walk in the light of His favor and goodwill, why not surrender your heart and life, not to the God of judgment or the God of wars, but to the God who will do everything in His power to bring peace to your troubled soul.
Peace and Good Will!
Pastor Frank Anderson
