At His birth the Angels sang… At His baptism the God of all Creation spoke… This voice from heaven symbolized the truths that Jesus was in direct communication with heaven, and God the Father wanted everyone to know the nature of His relationship with Jesus.
He said, “This is my beloved Son.” The words beloved and Son are both preceded by definite articles in the Greek text. Jesus is THE beloved and THE Son. These articles identify Jesus as unique… There is no one on earth or in heaven like Him. There is no one in such a relationship with the Father as this Jesus. Those who follow Jesus are following the very Son of God. He is The Beloved. The Greek Scholar Friberg gave this definition: “pertaining to one who is the only one of his class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished.” We also should love Jesus as the only one of his class, and the one who we particularly cherish.
The Father said something else that could only be said of Jesus:
“in whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus stands above us all in moral perfection, and alone pleases God! Let us fall at His feet.
I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but your first statement about "singing angels" is not "according to the scriptures". NO where in the Word of God is there even a hint that angels sing. Written in love...I hope you receive it in the same way it was written.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting. I am thankful that some folks read my writings critically. It helps keep me Biblically accurate. I have modified various articles as friends have notified me of gaffs. I have also engaged in lively discussions as to the accuracy of some of my statements, perceived by others as inaccurate.
ReplyDeleteThere are three Biblical justifications for saying the angels sang at the birth of Jesus. The first is the use of the word translated praise, Luke 2:13, in both the Greek New Testament and the Septuagint. This word was commonly used for praising with melodious tones and instruments. One notable location is 1 Chronicles 23:5, “Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.” The translators of the Septuagint used the same word in this passage that Luke used in 2:13. Thayer gives “to sing praises to God” as one definition of the word.
The Greek word psallo means to sing with melodious tones with or without a musical instrument. The point being that the vocal tones are always melodious. But the Greek word transliterated Hymn includes, by definition, a recitation of praise to God with or without melodious vocal tones. This angelic event was an anthropomorphism and, therefore, a prepared, staged event. The Angels, a multitude of them, recited prepared words in unison, therefore it can be literally implied that they sang a hymn of praise. If it was not a recitation, then it could be categorized as a religious exclamation which would qualify under the Hebrew use in Job 38:7.
It can also be said that the poetic use of the English “sang” is allowed by Scripture. The word translated in Job 38:7 “When the morning stars sang together” is a poetical use of the Hebrew verb -!r".. This word does not normally include the idea of melodious tones, but is supported here as a poetic use by every translator I can find.
I am very comfortable with saying the angels sang at the birth of Jesus. Thanks for commenting. Hope this is written well enough to understand. I’m on vacation and only had a little time to respond.
Larry