The Angels
By Susan Klein
"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. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
Luke 2:9-10 (KJV)
Scripture tells us that angels were created by God, to carry out His purposes, and to be His messengers. They are spiritual beings which, at God’s choosing, can sometimes take on a physical appearance in order to appear visible before man. And, sometimes that appearance can be frightful!By Susan Klein
"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. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
Luke 2:9-10 (KJV)
In the first two chapters of Luke, we find three specific occasions where God sends His angels to appear before man: first to Zechariah, then to Mary, and finally to the shepherds. In each case, the recipients were struck with fear at the sight of these glorious beings. They knew that angels had come to earth before, and not always with good news! They knew the stories about the angels of wrath who destroyed whole armies and cities. Yet they were also aware of the angels who saved their ancestors in the wilderness, and also King David’s life.
Just for a moment, let’s try to imagine the scene from an angel’s perspective.
Who would have guessed when He created us thousands of years ago that this day would come?!! We’ve been very busy fighting His battles, protecting His people and delivering His messages... but never one like this! He says it’s a message of hope and good news, the most important message ever! God has just informed us that now is when He is going to step down to earth in the form of a man and dwell among His people! He has a wonderful plan of salvation for all. Won’t they be excited?!! Oh, how long they’ve been waiting for the Messiah! We can hardly wait to tell them the wonderful news! Of course, we’ll have to reassure them that we have not come to issue a warning or bring judgment upon them so they need not be frightened. But, once they hear what we have to say, they will surely burst out in praiseful song right along with us!
After the initial shock of the visit wore off, I imagine the awe and wonder settled in for the shepherds, Mary and Zechariah. A personal visit from a messenger of God, Himself! Both Mary and Zechariah (after his speech returned) indeed responded in praiseful song! How gracious of our Father to create these very special messengers to fight for us, to protect us, and to touch our lives with good tidings of great joy!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you filled with awe and wonder at the message of the messengers? Praise God for their invisible presence in your life today!
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 91:11; Matthew 25:31; Hebrews 1:14
Susan is our Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study Coordinator and one of its teachers. She is also involved in youth outreach ministry.
