The Angels, the Shepherds, and the Josephs

The truths about God are consistent. He made the universe and has a purpose for it which nobody can change. He arranged salvation/redemption for mankind. The earth has an Expected Date of Destruction. Thereafter, there is an eternity to spend with Him or in Hell. These facts are unchangeable. What is changeable is the estate of man: to be elevated above the level of angels or remain a mortal with certain eternal unpleasant consequences. Those who choose to be elevated and are serious about their choice seem to share some characteristics which we see in the Angels, the Shepherds and the Josephs in the nativity events of the wee hours the first Christmas day (Luke 2). Those who do not choose to be elevated can be grouped with the Demons, the Caesars and World System (Babylon) who consciously and unconsciously try to antagonize the will of God but end up in the now only as fillers and bystanders in the consummation of God’s will and as, at the end, compatriots of the Devil in the dump-site land of the universe called Hell.

The angels, eager to see the elevation process of mankind of which they had believed in God and participated in delivering the promises to the patriarchs and the prophets over millennia were now excited to participate in the annunciation, not just to Mary but to Joseph and now to the Shepherds. They not only knew that the King’s message required haste but felt privileged to participate in this historic event. And their message summarized Christmas. The Lead Angel said ‘’ Fear not, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord’’. The other angels sang the implication of what their lead herald said “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”. The message will not bring fear to the world; it is great joy, in which everybody in the universe can partake; God’s promise of salvation to mankind is actualized in this Anointed who is also Lord. It is to God’s glory that peace has landed on earth and now God looks at men with favour and good intentions.

In their worshipful dedication, the angels showed undivided loyalty to God. They believed God and lived to anticipate the actualization of God’s plans and purposes. They conveyed His message with haste and precision. They devised to make it unforgettable by re-echoing it in a celestial chorus that will stick to memory. They directed the shepherds to confirm it in their human ways.

The shepherds, probably so chosen for having learnt diligence and the sense of responsibility, were in the field at these coldest hours of the harshest weather to protect their flocks from harm. They were intent on recognizing the slightest sound and sight of danger. They were the appropriate recipients of this news. We need to be available to hear God and also be honorable and bold enough to prove what He says. They decided to go check it out and make it known to all what they were told concerning this Child. They did not postpone it till morning despite their exhaustion, the time of night, the distance and the cold. I guess they did not wait till daybreak to tell others; no wonder those who heard it believed and marveled despite the fact that the news bearers were men of lowly estate. Then they returned with praises on their lips for God’s word proven live before their very own eyes.
For Mary, the encounters with the angel Gabriel, with Aunty Elizabeth Zachariah and now with the shepherds were things falling in line for a heart that worshipfully submits to God by the principle of ‘’behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word’’. She accepted and did her human part. The bewilderment of the angel’s visitation was clarified by the prophecies of Elizabeth and confirmed by the story of the shepherds: the events did not leave her in confusion. They were greater revelations that rendered the taunts of ignorant people (mistimed, premarital pregnancy, an abomination) insignificant. Same for Joseph, who was not conquered by cultural practice, peer pressure and religious belief to put her away. An encounter with the Lord brings conviction. So against all facts of lack of accommodation in the houses of relations and the hotels, he traveled as a law abiding citizen to the counted and taxed. And in this situation he could not carry much belongings even if he had them. He was the willing human succourer, the physical guardian of the entrance of God into humanity.

Creation and creatures, other than man, often seem not to lose their spiritual sensitivity when it comes to divine orders. So the sun and moon stood still for Joshua, the dial of Ahaz moved the opposite direction for Isaiah and the red sea carved a dry highway for Moses and the Isrealites. Gideon in his doubtful experiments got a fleece of wool wet or dry against nature to prove it was God’s messenger he heard. For the then little Joseph Junior to be christened Jesus, this has to be because without Him there is nothing made that was made. So the tetanus and other germs in cow dung showed respect; so did the cold, the darkness, the straw, the labour without a midwife, etc. that He was humble would not strip Him of His powers and rights.

Of course the demons, Caesar Augustus and the world system failed and were only fillers in the events. Demons got it wrong when they prompted the Emperor to pass the decree, thinking it was in Nazareth in Galilee that Jesus would be born because they heard that out of Nazareth He called His Son. They made sure no accommodation existed thinking that, as a king, a VIP room was necessary. Till today, those who reject the Saviour keep antagonizing His will and people but they should know that the counsel of God must stand. 

We can now outline the characteristics of those who elect to be elevated to a level higher than angels (and are serious about it) by picking from the characters of the Angel, the Shepherds and the Josephs.

The angels showed worshipful anticipation of the performance of God’s promises and plans. The word of God says that to those who show such character ‘’ the Sun of Rightoueness will arise with healings in His wings, and they will go forth as calves in the stall’’. The angels performed their actions with joy. Those elevated beyond humanhood and angels should learn to carry out God’s assignments with joy. Break this news of joy to the world with joy. Love with joy. Serve humanity with joy. Live righteously with joy. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. They were earnest in carrying out their assignment. The elevated must be earnest in carrying out their assignment, redeeming the time, even in these evil days. They did not add to the message. God’s word in the book of Revelations says to not add anything to God’s message.
The shepherds were united and banded together to carry out their assignment. Jesus prayed for those elevated to be united. The purpose will be clear and discussions will not go wide of them. In Psalms, the writer said in unity God commands the anointing. They made efforts to confirm the message they received and told of it without considering their convenience. They did it, so to say, out of season: did not wait for the morning, did not clean up first, did not have to take breakfast first and did not raise funds for it. They were full of joy even as they returned. The elevated must live with joy for the joy of the Lord is their strength: that joy that is their come what may because sadness will take their attention from the Lord.

The submissiveness to the will of the Lord is the major character of the Josephs. Submitting to the will of God, Jesus laid aside His majesty and gave up all for the elevated. He submitted to human birth, to a life of sorrows and grief, and to death of the most horrendous and humiliating type, the death of the cross. All to elevate mankind that are willing to accept His offer. For the elevated, submissiveness is total – self, sense of pride, possessions, ambitions, etc. that shows total loyalty. It is at the point of total submission that the gravitational pull of sin loses its power over the elevated. At the point of submission, the elevated has exited and is beyond the atmosphere of the world of sin. The Josephs knew their identity. They belonged to Bethlehem and would not be counted in Galilee. Jesus knew His identity: He was the anointed, savior and king. The elevated should know their identity as the chosen, redeemed, saved and elevated. They will not be counted with ungodly, the scornful and the sinners. They should know their boundaries and stay within them.
Let those who choose to be elevated beyond the level of humans and angels to sonship of the Most High be diligent in living out the characters of the Angels, the Shepherds and the Josephs in Yeshua’s nativity story.

Merry Christmas

▪︎ Dah, an Abuja-based medical doctor, sent this via [email protected]