Advent Devotions – December 19th

Luke 2:18 “and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”

To hear: to attend to, consider what is or has been said. The Greek translates amazed as the word wondered, and the dictionary defines wonder as to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel.

In his study on Luke 2:1-20 entitled, “Acclamations of the Birth of Christ”, Hampton Keathley, III, Th.M. writes:

The news about the angels and the message about the birth caused a sense of amazement and wonder in the minds of men. What can we learn from this?

(1) The shepherds became like salt causing interest and maybe even thirst in some. The amazement of some may have bordered on skepticism while others may have marveled with a sense of joy and biblical expectation, for after all, this should have been anticipated among Jewish people. Our Lord told His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” God wants us to be like salt. The kind of response we experience from people will vary as we share the truth of Jesus Christ, but this should never affect our willingness and desire to share it. Much depends on the preparation of the hearts of men, but we should always look for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

(2) What is our response to truth when we hear it? Are we like some who want to be entertained, who look only for the sensational, the curious, the extraordinary, for that which excites or amazes? Or are we simply those who love God and His Word and find simple but profound satisfaction in worship of Him and in the study of the basic truths of Scripture because to us they are like hidden treasure?

Something else to consider is the fact that the shepherds simply shared what they had seen and heard. That is what we are called to do – to tell what we know, to tell of Jesus, His free gift of salvation, and how He has saved us and changed our lives. It is the Holy Spirit who works in the lives of those who hear our story. Only He can open their eyes, their ears, and their hearts to God’s word.