MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
4/4/2026 9:40 AM
My
Worship
Time Focus: PT-2 “The Proclamation of the Good
News”
Bible
Reading &
Meditation Reference: Luke 2:8-10a
Message of the verses: “In
the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping
watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were
terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid;
for behold, I bring you good news of great joy (2:8-10a).
I continue looking at
the commentary on these verses in this morning’s SD as John MacArthur
writes: “Throughout Scripture, God’s
glorious presence was manifested in brilliant light (e.g., Ex. 24:17;
33:22-34:5; Deut. 5:24; 2 Chron. 7:1-3; Ezekiel 1:27-28; 43:2; Luke 9:28-32;;
Rev. 21:23; cf. Ex. 34:29, 35; Psalm 104:1-2; Hab. 3:3-4; Rev. 1:13-16). The glory of God first appeared in the garden
of Eden, where Adam and Eve had intimate fellowship with God and enjoyed His
presence. But after they sinned, God
banished them forever from the garden and posted an angel with a flaming sword
at the entrance to keep them out. God’s
glory manifested itself to Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 34:16-17),
especially at the dedication of the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35), as it would
later appear at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).
“But
after centuries of sin and rebellion, the glory of God left the temple (Ezekiel
9:3; 10:4, 18, 19; 11:22-23), symbolizing its withdrawal from Israel. It would not appear again until this very
night, where it signified that God’s presence had once again entered the world
through the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Later in His life Jesus would reveal His divine glory to Peter, James,
and John on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-2). The next visible manifestation of God’s glory
to the world will be at the second coming, when ‘the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in the sky, and…all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great
glory’ (Matt. 24:30). Heaven will be
lit by the all-pervasive glory of God throughout eternity (Rev. 21:10-11,23).
“The
shepherds understandably were terribly frightened by the appearing of
the angel and the manifestation of God’s glory.
Fear was the normal response whenever anyone in Scripture either
encountered an angel (cf. Dan. 8:15-18; 10:7-9, 16-17; Matthew 28:2-4; Luke
1:12, 26-30) or saw the glory of God manifest (Isa. 6:1-5; Ezek. 1:28; 3:23;
Matt. 17:5-6; Mark 4:41; 5:33; Acts 9:4; Rev. 1:17). Those who experience the presence of the Holy
God are acutely aware of their sinfulness.
Isaiah cried out, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of
unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen
the King, the Lord of hosts’ (Isa. 6:5), and Peter exclaimed after
witnessing a miracle performed by the Lord, ‘Go away from me Lord, for I am
a sinful man, O Lord!’ (Luke 5:8).
“Seeing
the shepherds’ obvious terror, the angel said to them, ‘Do not be
afraid.’’ The sequence of events in
the angel’s appearance to the shepherds is the same as in Gabriel’s appearances
to Zacharias and Mary: the angel appeared, those to whom he appeared were
frightened, the angel spoke words of comfort, delivered his message, and promised
a sign.
“There
is a sense in which it is right to fear God; the Bible declares that ‘the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Prov. 9:10; cf. 1:7; 15:33;
Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10; Mic. 6:9), and godly men are marked by reverence for
Him (Gen. 22:12; 42:18; Ex. 18:21; Neh. 7:2; Job 1:9; Ps. 66:16; Eccl. 5:7;
8:12; 12:13; Matt. 10:28; 1 Peter 2:17).
But the redeemed need not be terrified of God. ‘For you have not received a spirit of
slavery leading to fear again,’ Paul reminded the Romans, but you have
received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’’’ (Rom
8:15; cf. Gal. 4:6-7). God says to
His people, as He did to Abraham, ‘Do not fear’ (Gen 26:24; cf. Judg.
6:23; Isa. 43:1, 5; 44:2; Jer. 46:27-28; Lam. 3:57; Dan. 10:12, 19; Matt.
14:27; 17:7; 28:5, 19; Luke 5:10; 12:32; Rev. 1:17).
“The
shepherds did not need to fear, for the angel had come bearing good news. His message was not one of judgment, but
rather that ‘the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world’ (1
John 4:14). Euangelizo (‘to
proclaim good news) is one of Luke’s favorite terms; he used it more
than any other New Testament writer (cf. 1:19; 3:18; 4:18, 43; 7:22; 8:1; 9:6;
16:16; 20:1; Acts 5:42; 8:4, 12, 25, 35, 40; 10:36; 11:20; 13:32; 14:7, 15, 21;
15:35; 16:10; 17:18). The good news of
the gospel is that the saving God sent the Savior to redeem sinners. That news produces great joy; the joy
that Peter described as ‘inexpressible and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8), which
is reserved for those whose sins have been forgiven through faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ.”
Spiritual
Meaning for My Life Today: Now as I
look at all of the verse references that MacArthur included in this section it
just shows me that the Bible is true and the best commentary for the Word of
God is the Word of God.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: I am
thankful that God has given me 78 years, as I begin the 79th year
that He has given me today, and it is my desire to live a life this year that
will be pleasing to Him. Trusting that
the Lord will deal with my wife and me with goodness and grace.
4/4/2026 10:21 AM
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