LET US GO TO BETHLEHEM

In the incarnation of the Son of God we see all the great perfections or properties of God concentrated, it being one of the greatest wonders and mysteries we find in our Bible. Paul says to Timothy: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Not only do we see all the properties of God wonderfully displayed in the incarnation of the Son of God: but in and through Him, Whose name is Wonderful, shall all these great properties of God, desecrated by our great disobedience, be honored and glorified. It may be that our eyes are blind for it, but the angels have seen and believed it, and they sang above the fields of Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

The shepherds of Bethlehem’s fields have seen and believed it after they had been in Bethlehem and had seen the Sun of Righteousness in His glory: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.” Luke 2:20. After bitterness came sweetness: after sorrow, great joy. Christ has been the joy and happiness for time and into all eternity of all the mourners in Zion. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Peter has written, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.”

O blessed shepherds! How much have they seen in this Sun of Righteousness, and how much did their poor, hungering souls receive out of this Fountain of salvation! It was bitter and painful for them to see and know an unsatisfied righteousness in the great infinite God of heaven and earth; but how sweet and joyful to see and know a satisfied righteousness in God through Christ Jesus and faith in Him. Then a poor and needy soul, instructed by the Holy Ghost, may understand by instruction and experience what the Psalmist already understood before Jesus appeared in the flesh: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other,” Psalm 85:10.

The shepherds were in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night when Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. God is faithful. His word was fulfilled, Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” O dear Immanuel Who came from heaven, Who left His heavenly throne to be Immanuel, God with us; not to destroy, but to save from sin and curse. Immanuel upon earth, Immanuel in His Church, Immanuel in the filthy and unworthy soul. Immanuel in life and in death: Immanuel, all honor and glory! Dear reader, do you know this Immanuel savingly? Do you need Him to be with you as your journey forth to the great eternity? You may rejoice in the worldly things, you may be seeking your happiness in these things, and walk forth in false peace and rest, but what will your experience be if you stand before death and a righteous God without this Immanuel?

The shepherds have received a wonderful message from heaven. An angel brought it to them.

But were these Godfearing men first filled with fear, they soon were filled with wonder, however. Fear, and holy wonder are known by all our traveling pilgrims upon the narrow way. Wonderful visits and wonderful messages they receive: they, who are such unworthy ones, such worms of the dust! Considering their sins they see and feel themselves to be so hellworthy and are afraid the message will come: “Go away from Me, ye cursed! away forever!” O, what a surprise if it is not a judgment they receive, but a blessing!

The shepherds received the message and heard the angels sing. Soon they also will sing and praise God, but all on God’s time. Mourners will be comforted and will sing as the angels cannot sing. And why so? Angels can sing of the Redeemer, but these shepherds and all those that feel a need of a Savior in the depths of their misery and fears, may and can sing, on God’s time, of their Redeemer. Yea, they will do so eternally. Job lias said, “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” And Thomas exclaimed “My Lord and my God!” In this respect a poor, struggling and bound Thomas, who perhaps believed that he could never sing and rejoice any more, was above the angels. Reader, is this also in your heart? Keep courage!

It is my firm belief that the shepherds were very concerned men, that there were many concerns in their hearts, as it is in the heart of every quickened soul. Concerns about God, about reconciliation with Him, and possessing Him as their God and Father: about the forgiveness of sin and punishment; about Jesus, Whom they see by faith, but do not possess: how to accept and embrace Him, how their nakedness shall be covered before a righteous God: and also about the attacks of Satan, etc.

Faith was given in the hearts of the shepherds to believe the word of God, and He, who lies in a manger, is their Teacher and Leader: the mighty Breaker Who will go before them. O, how easy it is then to enter into Bethlehem, the House of Bread, and to find in Bethlehem the best Food the Lord has prepared for His hungry people in the Kingdom of Grace. They may find a time in their life that the void and the need of their soul can be satisfied with nothing less than the Savior in Bethlehem. This must have been the case with the shepherds. They understand each other when they say: “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” Has He not said to the poor and needy shepherds: “For unto you is born this clay in the city of David a Saviour. which is Christ the Lord.”

It seems that the shepherds have forgotten their sheep, as the Samaritan woman once has forgotten her waterpot. The heart is filled with wonderful thoughts of Jesus, holy desires after Jesus, is being drawn to Jesus, holds out the arms to Jesus.

“I look for Him to drive away my night, Yea, more than watchmen look for morning light.”

The shepherds came to Bethlehem accompanied by their three friends: Faith, Hope, and Love. Do you know what Faith was doing? What Hope and Love were doing? Faith is a grace by which a soul sees Christ, goes out to Him, lays hold on Him, receives Him, relies on Him, and lives upon Him. Hope is a grace to give courage, to wait for what is promised and seen, and rejoices in the believing views of what is hoped for, even Christ, eternal glory and happiness. Love is a grace to draw strongly to Christ, and denying all things without Him, to say: “But it is good for me to draw near to God. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee.” Ps7 73.

The moment now arrives that the shepherds have come to Bethlehem. With what haste have they come to that village! No wonder! Faith, hope, and love are in lively exercises. It may be so different at times in the life of a child of God: faith may droop and hang its wing, hope may not be lively, and love may wax so cold.

The shepherds soon find the Savior, their Savior in Bethlehem: the babe lying in a manger, in the stall of the inn. They were given to see this babe in the light of God’s Word: as the Savior, as the Christ, as the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings, as the great Gift of the Father. This Savior and Sun of light and glory enters their heart, drives away all darkness and concerns, delivers of sin and guilt and curse. Their whole heart is filled with Jesus and His salvation, with great happiness and joy. Jesus is the greatest joy and happiness of the mourners in Zion. Jesus in His humiliating incarnation and meditorial work is the open door for the believing shepherds to God and peace with Him.

Holy wonder fills the hearts of these shepherds: Jesus the Savior, the King of kings, has descended into a filthy stall in swaddling clothes: but it is also a holy wonder for them that this same Jesus has descended into the filthy stall of their heart to deliver of sin and curse and to fill it with the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. I cannot find words to describe what these shepherds have seen in this born Savior and received out of His fulness cf salvation. Staring at Him in faith, hope, and love, they must say with the spouse: “Yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend.” How low do they bow for this King of kings.

Being delivered of their miseries and concerns at that time, yea, for that time, and being filled with Jesus and His salvation, the shepherds now made known abroad in Bethlehem what they had seen and tasted, and what was told them concerning this Child. And in all this, God was glorified. Time and space forbid to extend the words about that wonderful Christmas feast of the shepherds.

“Let us go to Bethlehem.” How few are they in our days of formality, worldliness, and superficiality, that know by heavenly instruction and experience what it is to go to Bethlehem with the shepherds. How does all that worldly ado and superstitious religion, on the contrary, darken that great and glorious Gift of the Father. How many run with their children to that idolatrous Christmas tree to get something for the flesh, but nothing for the soul. How many have their hearts set upon worldly gifts, and forget about the unspeakable Gift, Christ Jesus. O, that the mighty Savior of the manger may keep us and our children from, or purge us of such carnality and idolatry. May He teach us by Word and Spirit to run back to God begging, “God, show mercy to me a sinner!” May He lead us to Bethlehem and to behold Him Who is the Lord of Righteousness and salvation. Without Him, there is only hell and damnation forever!

May the born Savior, and Teacher and Leader, prepare His people for a Christmas feast and fill the mourners in Zion with that same joy and happiness, that same holy wonder and admiration as we have se?n in the shepherds. Going to Bethlehem in faith, hope, and love will make our soul a watered garden and cause us to exclaim with the psalmist,

And blessed be His glorious Name,

Amen, Amen, forevermore!

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