Glory to God in the Highest

GOLDEN TEXT: “O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” —Psalm 95:6

PSALM 148:1-3,11-13; MATTHEW 1:18-25

THE birth of Jesus to be the Redeemer and Savior of the world was an outstanding evidence of divine love for the fallen and sin-cursed human race, for “God SO loved … that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) To be conscious of this is therefore abundant reason to “bow down” before the “Lord our Maker,” to kneel before him in praise and adoration.

Throughout the nineteen centuries since the birth of Jesus countless millions have in one degree or another praised God for his “unspeakable gift,” even though the majority have not had a clear conception of what actually occurred that night in Bethlehem, nor the full scope of the divine purpose represented thereby. In our lesson the psalmist calls upon all creatures in heaven and in earth to praise the Lord for his goodness, and the Scriptures assure us that the time will yet come when they will do so.

It was our Heavenly Father who sent his Son into the world to be the Redeemer, and his Son willingly laid aside the glory he had with his Father, and humbled himself to become a man and a servant in order that he might manifest his Father’s love for his fallen human creatures. Thus he is the One referred to in Revelation 5:12,13 as being “worthy” to share the honor and glory which has always been proper to ascribe to God, the Creator. So we read:

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”—Rev. 5:12,13

While our Heavenly Father was always worthy of such praise being ascribed to him, with Jesus it was first necessary that he prove his faithfulness by becoming the “Lamb that was slain.” Jesus was born perfect, and during his maturing years he remained holy and separate from sinners. Respect was due him for his righteousness, but not until he had proved his faithfulness to the divine purpose by laying down his life on Calvary was he proclaimed worthy to share the worship and praise ascribed to his Father.

Hebrews 1:1-9 sets forth this truth very clearly, although a faulty translation of the 6th verse could indicate that the angels were bidden to worship the child Jesus. The marginal translation reads, when Jesus was “again brought into the world.” This clears the matter up, indicating that it was when Jesus was raised from the dead that the angels received the command to adore and worship him.

It is interesting to note in this connection, that no mention is made that the Shepherds to whom the angels announced the birth of Jesus worshiped the babe when they found him in the manger. They returned to their fields praising God for what they had seen, but so far as the account reveals, they did not praise or worship Jesus. The wise men, on the other hand, following the eastern custom of worshiping kingly dignitaries, did bow down and worship the young child, Jesus, whom they found in a “house.”—Matt. 2:11

Matthew’s account of the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the birth of Jesus is well known, and establishes the fact that he was not the son of Joseph, but of God. Matthew quotes from Isaiah 7:14 in which the virgin birth of Jesus is prophesied and where the prophet instructs the mother to call his name Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”

The Old Testament assigns various names and titles to the Son of God who was “made flesh” in order that he might be the Redeemer of the world. Each of them is intended to reveal a particular aspect of his ministry in connection with the divine purpose toward the human race, the name Immanuel signifying that in a very special sense he would represent God among men.

Psalm 8:4 refers to God’s plan to “visit” man, and Jesus came to earth to fulfill this design and thus to manifest God’s interest in the dying race. A king is represented in a foreign nation by his ambassador, so Jesus came to earth to represent the great and eternal King of the universe.

This was true in a very real sense, so much so that Jesus reminded his disciples that he spoke and did only what was commanded him by the Father. He wanted them to realize that what they heard him say were not his own words, but words which the Father had given him to say.

Jesus did not claim to be the Father, but to represent him. “My Father is greater than I,” he said. (John 14:28) True, he also said “I and my Father are one,” but he explained this when he prayed that his whole church might be made one with him in the same manner.

QUESTIONS

What great attribute of the Creator was manifested through the birth of his Son, Jesus?

When will “every creature” praise and honor both the Father and the Son?

Does the name Immanuel, applied to Jesus, imply that he was God, or merely that he represented God?

What did Jesus mean when he said, “I and my Father are one”?

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