I love that Christmas Hymn, “Silent Night.” But, let’s think about something for a moment. That night when Jesus was born was anything but silent. The town of Bethlehem was so full of people that Joseph and Mary could find no room in the Inn. The area around the manger was probably pretty loud – at least for a while – with animals and all the foot traffic.
But, think about the shepherds. You see, we have this picture of two or three angels appearing to these shepherds in the hills around Bethlehem, and it all just being so being so “quaint.” No way – this was the birth of the Son of God.
It starts out like that – let’s visit those shepherds again in Luke 2:9, where the Bible says:
“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.”
This tells us that one angel – just one – stood before the shepherds, and they were greatly afraid. So, you have the picture, right? One angel – and they were “sore afraid” as the King James Translation recounts. The word “sore” means greatly affecting the mind and causing fear. It had a tremendous emotional impact on them seeing one – just one – angel. Take a look at the description of angels sometime in Isiaah 6:2 ad that might help get an idea of what the shepherds saw. But, that may be another post.
But, then, all of a sudden, while they are listening to the one angel – this happens, according to Luke 2:13-14:
“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, good will toward men.”
A “multitude.” How many? No one knows – but many, many, many. Listen to the way Revelation 5:11 describes the many angels around the Throne of God:
“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,”
Too many for the human mind to fathom. Even the term “host” gives us an idea of the massive number as the term used to describe an army encampment. An ENTIRE army encampment.
So, let’s think about that “quaint” little hillside outside of Bethlehem on that “Silent Night.” A multitude of God’s army had appeared out of nowhere to these shepherds, and they were ALL – each and every one – all the army – praising God saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
That would not be silent at all. I would bet it rang throughout the countryside. Let the Glory of that sink in. Sing “Silent Night” – we will at Maple Grove. But remember that God had an army of His angels announce to the World the birth of His Son. He wanted – and still wants – the World to know that unto us was born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. No, the Lord burst upon that otherwise silent night with the greatest proclamation the World had ever known – the Savior was born.
Don’t be silent – tell the World! The World still needs to hear!
Merry CHRISTmas.
Bro. Parks