An Alternative Look to Christmas
What if I told you that we should reimagine Christmas? What if I told you a quite scene in a manger wasn’t the full story? You might think I am crazy or you might be curious. However, I would ask for your attention. For the next two weeks we will be doing a close examination to a declaration of the second most important event in human history. Jesus Christ’s birth. Don’t worry! We won’t be taking the normal approach to this, but rather something you most likely have never heard. To be frank, until recently I had never known it either.
Psalm 8 is a wonderful declaration of God’s power. Psalms 8:1-2 “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! 2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.” In this scene the Psalmist, King David, is telling about all the wonder of God and His victory. “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth” King David is making a clear declaration that the Lord is majestic. What does this word “majestic” mean? The Hebrew word is “Ad-deer” or Strongs 117. The word means powerful, famous, gallant, glorious, goodly, lordly, mighty, mightier, one, noble, principal that is worthy. This word describes something that only God can be. He is wanting us to know that God is better than anything that we could ever think. However, King David is setting the stage for revealing a truth bomb which could only be delivered by Jesus Himself. King David explains that God’s spender is above the heavens. The word “above” is the Hebrew word “al” or Strongs 5921 which on the surface can mean “above,” but when you dig deeper you can see it means “above” but with a downward aspect. The word implies something that was set forth outside of time to be displayed, its source from outside the origins of our conscious. In short, King David is saying God has displayed His power in the heavens, “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!” Now we are going to transition to something you most likely haven’t done before so I am asking for patience and see where I am going.
Imagine through the eyes of Satan. You know that Jesus Christ has promised to come to save the world through the line of Abraham to King David. You know that Gabriel the Angel has given the exact years until Jesus would come as the King in Jerusalem to the Prophet Daniel, Daniel chapter 9. You know you are about a 34 years out, and suddenly you receive a report from one of your minions that Gabriel was dispatched to a young woman named Mary. You think back over the old prophecies when God Himself told you, Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” And you wonder if this is God’s play? You wait to see what happens, you visit this Mary and she seems like any typical betrothed Jewish woman. However, looking closer you sense the majestic nature within her womb, God who was boundless, was doing the unthinkable, the incompressible, and adding to what was already limitless. He was doing something you had never seen before, He was adding to Himself. This woman was carrying your arch-nemesis, the heir to the throne of God, God Himself as a man. Yet, what did that mean? Suddenly, you see a star in the sky? Those old scholars from Babylon start to follow making the long track westward to Israel. You know the child will be born before the wise men arrive but you wonder why the star? Out of spite you make sure the frantic soon to be father Joseph cannot find a suitable place for Mary to give birth. This “unborn would be King” would not dare challenge you. When suddenly you hear a cry, the cry is not Mary’s but rather the birth of the child and than you realize what has entered the world, “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.”
Crazy right? Looking at this through the devil’s eyes? But Psalm 8 gives us more to this story. Both verses reveal that the night Jesus was born was a night that was exploding with significance, meaning, and declaration to the enemy of God that their time was coming to an end. The war for the souls of mankind was coming close to its final battle. From the mouth of a nursing infant, strength is established and the adversaries would be dealt with. Psalm 8 starts by giving a unique look at the Christmas story. Two brief verses, but powerful nonetheless. For our adversaries hearing Jesus Christ cry at birth, was the declaration of their impending doom. But do not take my word for it, the other angels, who were witness to the miracle, declared this to the shepherds Luke 2:8-20 “8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”
The Christmas night could be described with many details but “silent night” is not one of them. However, Psalm 8 isn’t done yet. If you doubt this is still talking about Jesus Christ on earth, just wait till next week when we dig into the rest of the chapter and see what Christmas signified for mankind.
Hold until relieved, Our Blessed Hope is coming,
JL