He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:32, 33).
These are the words of the holy angel Gabriel, "He shall be great." He had said these words also of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, but had added then, "in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15). Now he omits this last phrase and adds, "[He] shall be called the Son of the Highest." Could there be any greater title than Son of the Most High? Our Savior is exalted above all the angel hosts, for "he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they" (Heb. 1:4). Through adoption we share with Him and become heirs of the kingdom.
When Prince Oscar Bernadotte, brother of the king of Sweden, a very sincere Christian, was asked to speak to a great crowd, he said: "What have you come out to see? Is it that you wish to see the son of a king? Look well at me then, for that I truly am--a son of the father of your country and a son of the King of kings."
And this king is to "reign over the house of Jacob for ever." Jacob stands for Israel, and his spiritual descendants include all those who believe. We see also that His kingdom is to be eternal. This is almost a direct quotation from Daniel 2:44: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,...and it shall stand for ever."
Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
__Edward Perronet
MEDITATION PRAYER: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre" (Ps. 45:6).
These are the words of the holy angel Gabriel, "He shall be great." He had said these words also of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus, but had added then, "in the sight of the Lord" (Luke 1:15). Now he omits this last phrase and adds, "[He] shall be called the Son of the Highest." Could there be any greater title than Son of the Most High? Our Savior is exalted above all the angel hosts, for "he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they" (Heb. 1:4). Through adoption we share with Him and become heirs of the kingdom.
When Prince Oscar Bernadotte, brother of the king of Sweden, a very sincere Christian, was asked to speak to a great crowd, he said: "What have you come out to see? Is it that you wish to see the son of a king? Look well at me then, for that I truly am--a son of the father of your country and a son of the King of kings."
And this king is to "reign over the house of Jacob for ever." Jacob stands for Israel, and his spiritual descendants include all those who believe. We see also that His kingdom is to be eternal. This is almost a direct quotation from Daniel 2:44: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,...and it shall stand for ever."
Oh, that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall,
Join in the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
__Edward Perronet
MEDITATION PRAYER: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre" (Ps. 45:6).
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