The birth of Isaac to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was surely a well known miracle in their life times. The very fact of Isaac’s name, meaning “laughter,” testifies to the phenomenon that this birth was to both the family and to the world. Sarah, after all was too old to conceive and Abraham had already acquired a son through agar, Sarah’s servant. That Sarah should bear a child was sheer miraculous grace from God, foretold by an angel to Abraham. Isaac’s birth, Samson’s birth, the birth of Samuel, and the birth of John the Baptist were all remarkable gifts of grace from God.

Nevertheless, at none of these births did God empty heaven of His angels to sing as a choir to human beings and trumpet the announcement of the birth of His own son , to shepherds , the decedents of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David, on a hillside near Bethlehem.

The angels paid close attention to the baby they had heralded as he grew up. They ministered to him following his temptation (Matthew 4:11) at the beginning of his ministry . Near the end of his life Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”( Matthew 26;53)

Charles Spurgeon, a famous British preacher in the nineteenth century, once wrote that what surprised him about angels was that they were clearly not jealous of the fact that God had brought His son into the world of human beings, instead of angels; but at Christmas the angles shared and conveyed God’s joy. From the manger to the tomb, the angels facilitated God’s plan for His son, and Jesus was conscious of their ministering,. Jesus said to Nethanael, “Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open up, and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51)

The Appearance of he “Host of Heaven” on the birth night of Jesus was not kept secret by the shepherds: “ When they had seen the baby Jesus they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. . . but Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:17) Heaven had opened it’s doors to a whole host of angels at the birth of Mary’s son. In the midst of her joy at the birth of her first born, Mary knew the joy of the shepherd’s visit relating their experience with angels when they were in the field. It was confirmation to Mary that through her, heaven itself visited earth.

Love in Him,

Prue