REFORMED WITNESS
Volume XV, December 2009, Number 12
The Shepherds
A meditation by Rev. G. Vos
From the December 15, 1955, issue of The Standard BearerSee more articles by this author
Also in this issue: Celebrating the King's Gifts (With Gifts) by Prof. Barry Gritters
"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them." - Luke 2:15-18, 20
A few shepherds... We do not know their names... But, "It came to pass"!
Yes, the hour of God's everlasting counsel struck, and the Christ Child was born.
How strange are the ways of God. We have meditated on the strange happenings of Christmas; we have heard the strange things enumerated; we have read over and over again the résumé of the strange happenings by eminent authors... and still, every succeeding Christmas we are struck again and again by the wonderful ways of God.
Someone must be told about the glorious event of the Incarnation. But who?
Shall it be the princes of Judah? Shall we tell it to the Sanhedrin, that august assembly of all that is studious and pious in Israel?
Shall we prepare pomp and circumstance? What momentous preparations shall we make for the event of all events?
The event is great enough. God shall be manifested in the flesh! God shall come very nigh unto man. He is going to dwell in man in unity of the Person of the Eternal Son.
It shall be an event which will make the halls of everlasting delight reverberate with music and dancing unto all eternity.
Whom shall we first tell of this wondrous story (that is, apart from the mother, foster-father, and an obscure aunt in the hill country of Judea)?
The angelic host stands ready; they are very willing to be the heralds of such wondrous joy, which shall be to all the people of God ...and from everlasting God has His answer ready: After My Son is born, you host of angels shall go to the fields of Ephrata, and it will be in the dead of night, and you will find a group of obscure and lowly shepherds keeping watch over their flocks, and it is decreed by Us that you shall tell them in word and song of My eternal love for the elect people of the good-will of God.
And it came to pass...
There are the shepherds, having the watch over their flocks. It is night. We do not know what they said, what they thought at this hour of all hours. It will not do to speculate too much. We do not know.
But suddenly there shone a light round about them, which caused them to become sore afraid, and not only because they were sinners such as you and I. Oh, no. But it was so strange, so unearthly, so blinding, so wondrously beautiful. Oh yes, even the beautiful can strike fear in your heart. Attend that this beauty was the beauty of God.
Then they saw the comely face of the angel, and they heard the soft, sweet voice of the angel talking to them. "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord."
Then the angel is lifted up among his fellows that hovered over the strange scene, and they heard the singing of a song that was inspired by God Himself , Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward man!
Oh yes, the angel had also said (and it is important), "...and this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
And then the angels went away from them, back to heaven where they belonged.
* * * * *
These simple shepherds belonged to the few who were waiting for the redemption of Israel. They are of a kind with Simeon and Anna, Mary and Joseph, Zacharias and Elizabeth. That is plain from their behavior after the angels returned to heaven. Oh yes, they were believers. You will see them and recognize them when you go to heaven. They will stand out as the exalted company of men unto whom the Lord first preached the Christmas Evangel.
That they were believers is so plain that it almost seems like an insult to your intelligence when I try to prove it. Every word and every action of these men proclaim to the whole world that they believed God.
Let us now go! And let us go and see the thing which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they go now in the dead of night. They hasten to go.
Yes, they identify themselves with the Gospel which the Lord had preached through his host of angels, and once more listen to the angel: Unto you is born! And this shall be a sign unto you.
Brother, if such language were spoken unto me, I would sing of it to my dying day. Wouldn't you? But what am I saying? It was said unto me, and to you, and we are gloriously glad on Christmas day.
So, what is the content of the shepherds' faith, not much in words, but an eternity of truth and gladness? This it is: A Savior is born; a Christ is given; the Lord has come!
It is enough. For this Savior is their Jesus: He will die for them, and this Christ is their Substitute. He will do the work for them, ordained and authorized by the Father. He is their Lord. He will buy them, has already bought them in the Counsel, and being His property, He will lead them to their everlasting Home.
It all shows that they knew the plight they and Israel were in. They knew that this Gospel meant that salvation had come for those whose home was death.
Isaiah prophesied of these humble shepherds: The people that sat in darkness shall see a great Light. Literally it has been fulfilled.
Christ's day will end in a three-hour darkness, but the shepherd's night was illumined as the day, but then as the Day of God's good pleasure.
Great joy was first of all to these humble shepherds. How I envy them, the believing shepherds of Bethlehem. Can you not see them running through the streets?
They are in a hurry. Faith works that way. When you are really hungry and thirsty for righteousness, you hurry to the well of living Water.
Faith leads these simple men, and what did they find? To tell the truth, it is very disappointing: a stable, with its attending scene of poverty, bad smell, and company of beasts.
What else? A quiet mother; a common little infant; squalid circumstances. There was no "layette" for the new arrival, not even a clothesbasket covered with nicely colored cloth. HE lay in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes... amazing circumstances!
Was that now the great and glorious event which had taken place? For that, angels must come from heaven with Divine and glorious Light? All the shepherds see is in one word: POVERTY!
Is that the Savior of the world? Is that Jesus: Jehovah-Salvation? A little baby? What is more helpless than a little babe?
Is that the mighty Christ, the Office Bearer, Who is going to go to work - and what a work! We broke the Law of God. A Christ is He who will fulfill the law for us, for millions. Is that God Almighty? A Babe in swaddling clothes? God in a foul smelling manger?
See it, brother; ponder it, sister, and marvel for the rest of your life and for eternity. Such are the mysteries of the Kingdom.
The world never saw it.
* * * * *
But evidently the shepherds do not share our confusion... and why not? They came to see a SIGN!
There is the answer.
What they see is exactly adapted to faith. Faith can see and interpret the sign of the marvelous grace of God.
Let us see.
There was no room for Him in the inn of the world. No, there is no room for Jesus in the camp of the arch enemy, the devil. Later, much later, they will even take that manger-bed away from Him, and nail Him on the accursed tree.
Swaddling clothes, a manger, a stable, yes that is the poverty of Him who became poor to make us rich. It fits.
The shepherds see the Hero of God, unto whom no place must be given, but who would fight and wrestle with evil and the curse and the world and the devil until He would emerge the Victor over all, and would prepare a place, a wondrous place for the redeemed earth and people.
And what a place! That place will be a new heaven and a new earth. How much of all this they saw I do not know. But that they saw it in principle, I am sure, for they return to their fields gloriously glad because of what they saw and had heard.
They first heard, and then they saw, and what they saw filled them with a joy which they could not keep. They left the stable singing.
Blessed shepherds.
* * * * *
Blessed shepherds... they made known abroad.
A simple lesson is gleaned from that statement: faith will not keep still. Neither will it keep the glories for itself. Faith is very unselfish. It loves to give, and give they do.
Although it is night, they go from house to house, carefully choosing their audience. They know the ones who were waiting with them for the redemption of Israel. Evidently they did not knock on unwelcome doors. They found their audience. What am I saying? God also prepared them an audience!
If there is one thing to note in this whole wondrous history, it is this: everything is prepared beforehand: the truth of the Incarnation, the angelic host, their word and song, the shepherds, the stable, the manger, the swaddling clothes, Mary and Joseph, and the audience of preaching shepherds, as well as their final song of praise.
For that is the testimony: praising God!
Beloved reader, do praise Him!
He is so worthy of it. Amen.
- G. Vos
Celebrating the King's Gifts
(With Gifts)By Prof. Barry Gritters
From the December 15, 2006, issue of The Standard BearerTo the King who enriches His subjects with great wealth, the people bring gifts. Celebrating the birth of the King, whose birth itself brings richest gifts for the people under His reign, is appropriate. To celebrate the birth by worshiping the King (with gifts) is obligatory.
Our brethren of Presbyterian background in Northern Ireland, Australia and elsewhere, do not celebrate Jesus' birth on December 25. They commemorate His birth, but not with a special worship service on a special day. The history of Presbyterianism excludes worship on special days. These brethren will not think ill of us if we take time to call the church to honor King Jesus - with gifts.
The Royal Son of David has given us gifts.
King Jesus has fulfilled God's covenant, God keeping the promise to be Emmanuel, God with His people (Isaiah 7:14; see Matthew 1:23). That the King Himself would come down to live among His undeserving people is the surprise of greatest joy. What delights them is not so much what He would give them as what he would be for them. His birth is their boon. He came to them as poor among poor, joined them in their suffering, united with them in their woe, assumed their responsibility to make right what they had wronged.
Those for whom He comes are all those and those only, who were given Him by the Father (John 6:39; John 17:2,9,11,24, etc.). So His commission was not to look for subjects who might be willing to be His. It was to gather to Himself the elect citizens by giving them willing hearts. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power" (Psalm 110:3).
To accomplish all this, God the Son must come among His people. He descends among His subjects. He is born. Being born, He can suffer as one of His own to satisfy the strictest justice of Father - who would otherwise discard us, find us as repulsive as a faithful husband would a filthy whore. King Jesus accomplishes His saving, covenant work.
This is news worth celebrating!
By this suffering, which satisfies God's justice, King Jesus established His kingdom. By it He also earned and "gathered up" gifts - kingdom gifts. Since then these gifts have overflowed from His hands and heart to His own. First, to each of His family He gives membership in His kingdom (church!). Second, each receives the essential (do not minimize that word!) blessing of righteousness, justification, the "forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). Third, not one of His children misses out on the gifts of faith, victory over sin, holiness, hope, charity (read Luke 1:67-79 for the blessings this newborn King will bring). Fourth, for all but the fewest, He grants lengthy membership in His kingdom on earth (the church institute). Those other few are granted heaven before or at birth, or perhaps are isolated by persecution, where oppressive governments suppress Christianity. Fifth, according to His perfect wisdom, King Jesus even gives to each one ability to live a full and rich life in the world - in family, church, school, business, and the earthly state. Finally (although this list does not exhaust His gifts), by trying His children as with fire He places in their hearts the growing hope for His return: "Someday soon our King will perfect His kingdom in the glory of heaven!"
If we know this about King Jesus' gifts, what are a few large or small gifts of earthly possessions? Who should care about a set of titanium golf clubs, or a shiny Kitchen Aid mixer to replace the yellowing Wal-Mart set, or even a studded diamond ring? What joy does a new bike give that even comes close to the joy of knowing God is with us?
The King has gifted us. These are His gifts.
For them we give thanks.
But not everyone is satisfied with these gifts from the King. Some in the church would excite you with the hope of different gifts, better gifts (according to them). They turn up their noses at the "old gifts" of faith, righteousness, hope, and church membership, like a school boy would at the gift of a pack of new underwear for his birthday.
Instead, they would have the King's citizens anticipate the boon of earthly power over earthly enemies, the wealth of silver and gold, the joy of a Christianized world, and this for thousands and thousands of years. Along with this hope, these teachers (in churches, Christian colleges, and Christian day schools) call the King's citizens to put "earthly power in government" on their wish list to the King. They urge the citizens to ask for the gift of strength to eradicate poverty, clean up slums, eliminate diseases, and restructure society according to justice. They even dare to hope for (and because hope is not doubt, they really expect) the gift of a Christianized entertainment industry. These are the gifts newly desired from King Jesus.
Although they would deny it, those who hope for these gifts show by their writings and by their prayers to the King that they esteem lightly the other gifts - forgiveness, strength to overcome unholy desires, power to live godly in marriage, families at peace, and churches where elders rule in wisdom and preachers skillfully wield the Sword for the King's name. I take this opportunity to celebrate King Jesus' birth by giving thanks to God for preachers who hold before the people of God the Christian's true hope. I thank God for the teachers in our many Christian grade schools and high schools who teach antithetically about world-views and the future. I call us to praise God for administrators who point the teachers to good literature that makes clear the difference between the prevailing world-view and the old Reformed world-view, and the proper view of God's kingdom (readers may ask the Standard Bearer for a list of such articles). In these days when many of our school teachers are trained in secular institutions, and the others are trained in institutions that have this new view presented as the Reformed view, we ask God for this gift: preachers and teachers who know their way on the "old paths," and can lead us on that "good way."
To the King who enriches us so, we give gifts. To the King!
That people would celebrate Jesus' birth by giving gifts to each other is another matter. True, for believers to exchange gifts in celebration is not unheard of in Scripture. In the time of Esther, the Jews memorialized their victory over their would-be destroyers at a feast of "Purim" by exchanging gifts. Mordecai mandated that the people rejoice that their sorrow was turned to joy and their "mourning into a good day." The celebration included "sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor" (see Esther 9:16ff.). But this kind of celebration was unusual.
More common was the giving of gifts to the king.
In the days of godly Hezekiah (but there are other examples, too) when Sennacherib invaded God's Judah and threatened to destroy Jerusalem and all God's people there, wise king Hezekiah comforted the people... and then kneeled in prayer with prophet Isaiah. God answered their joint prayer with a miraculous deliverance. An angel "cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains of Assyria." Sennacherib returned "with shame of face to his own land." The wicked king was butchered by his own family. Judah's response to this deliverance was wonderful: They "brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah... so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth" (II Chronicles 32:1-23).
We rejoice in King Jesus' deliverance of us and in His giving us the spoils of His victory. So believers today bring Him gifts. They are thankful for His beneficence and wish to promote His name among the nations. Let all the earth magnify King Jesus... with gifts!
Bring the gift of worship, the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of your lips, confessing Him (Hebrews 13:15). Psalm 72 indicates that appropriate gifts for the king are that men "fall down before him; all nations... serve him."
One gift laid at the feet of the King is praise in public worship. Protestant Reformed (and other) congregations gather on December 25 to spend the morning in celebration of Christ's birth. As in a normal assembly for worship, they sing Psalms, give offerings, and hear a sermon on a particular aspect of the birth-usually the history. What better activity than this on a day when most of the members are relieved of their obligation to work? They awake with the consciousness that this is a day of praise in the sanctuary with believers of like faith. It is one gift to the King.
Bring the King the worship-gift of battling for His cause: with the spiritual Sword of the Word against evils within the PRC and without, against both moral and theological sins. The worshiping Christian is a battling believer. These are the activities of a people that honor him for His coming.
Let your celebration of His birth be the offering of love for His kingdom-for His church and for His rule in our hearts. Let it be love that shows itself in a liberal support of the kingdom's causes, Christ-like care for the poor, humble devotion to the needy in the congregation. (Why gifts for the rich?) Even Mordecai's mandate for exchanging gifts in Esther's day was to give "gifts to the poor."
Return to Him the life he gave you. The "reasonable sacrifice" (Romans 12:1,2) is your body, and the whole of your life.
Celebrate His birth with gifts to the King!
In my judgment, such celebrations of the King's birth by Reformed believers would go a long way toward gaining a hearing from our Presbyterian brethren on the matter of commemorating Christ's birth on a special day. That is, celebrations on the day which focus on God's gift to His people and theirs to Him. If we are too optimistic in our wish for a hearing, certainly we can pray for a better appreciation of our engaging in a God-centered activity.
Giving gifts to each other lasts a day. Gifts of thanks to God go on all year, and the next. Till the King returns; then into eternity. Imagine!
Every morning of December 25, congregations of believers gather to offer the gift of singing (joining hosts of saints who have already gone on). Maybe this year some will offer the gifts of these Psalms:
Let all to Him their presents bring,
To Him Whom all the world should fear;
Ye kings and princes, own your king,
With rev'rence and with awe draw near. (1)
Vow, and pay ye to Jehovah,
Him your God forever own;
All men bring your gifts before Him,
Worship Him, and Him alone. (2)Give gifts to the King. "Praise is thy holy duty." Why would we not?
FOOTNOTES
1. The Psalter #208, a versification of Psalm 76.
2. The Psalter #207, a versification of Psalm 76.
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