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June 7 Daily Devotional

The Song of Heaven’s Army

Peter G. Feenstra

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:13–14

Bible Reading

Luke 2:8–14

Devotional

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying...” Suddenly! The gospel writer alerts us to the fact that the events happen with dramatic swiftness. The quiet of the night is broken as an angel appears, full of heavenly brightness, announcing the good news of the birth of the Lord Jesus!

If you were asked to sketch a picture of what took place in the fields of Ephratha, you would draw an illustration of shepherds with sheep on the hillside, a city below, and in the sky a brilliant spot filled with angels. You might make those angels look somewhat human but with wings; and then you’d line them up in the sky like a choir dressed in white gowns. That’s the way most paintings and pictures visualize what happened. But this is where human imagination can interfere with the Biblical message. Notice verse 13 says, “There was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host.” The heavenly host is an army. An army of the Lord of hosts appears in the skies above the fields of Ephratha. The shepherds do not see a choir dressed in white gowns but an army. These angels serve Christ in the coming of His kingdom. They pass through the territory which Ephesians 6 describes as occupied by the prince of the power of the air.

The angels of heaven recognize that Christ’s birth is good news for those oppressed by sin, Satan and death. The Messiah’s coming is a declaration of war against Satan and the kingdom of darkness.

The song of the angels is a battle cry; the Lord of hosts, the Almighty, has made progress in His work of redemption. Christ is born in Bethlehem! Repeatedly, the devil tried to stop the coming of Christ. He did everything that was in his power to abort the birth of our Saviour, but God would not allow it. Jesus is born in Bethlehem for our salvation and redemption. His incarnation will lead to His cross where He will hammer another nail into Satan’s coffin. The army of angels is confident that He who is born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger will be victorious. He will conquer sin and Satan! And that’s why they sing, and we must sing with them, “Glory to God in the highest.”

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