It’s hard to imagine Christmas without the classic carols that begin taking over the airwaves soon after Thanksgiving. Each of us has our personal favorites—both secular and sacred. “Carol of the Bells” gets me in the Christmas spirt as does “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch,” “O Holy Night,” and “Sweet Little Jesus Boy.”
Recently, the wildly popular music-streaming service Spotify released a list of the top 25 most popular Christmas songs that users from all over the world requested. You can see the whole list here, but you may be surprised what songs made the top of the list. Mariah Carey’s 1994 chart-topper “All I Want for Christmas Is You” took the #1 spot. Followed by the 1984 hit “Last Christmas” by British pop-stars Wham! and “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grand. Also in the top 10 were Michael Bublé’s rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas,” “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber, and Brenda Lee’s toe-tapper, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”[1]
Did any of those make your playlist? As I looked over that list, the thought occurred to me that not one of those songs mentioned anything about the Christ child, the Nativity or the Biblical reason for the season. It just goes to show how the secularization of Christmas is nearly complete. According to recent research done by Pew, today less than half of Americans (46%) say they celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday.[2] I am reminded of a quote from a Scottish preacher of yesteryear named Alexander Fletcher who understood the power of music to shape people’s thinking, “Let me write the songs of a nation—I don’t care who writes its laws.”
The world and the Enemy have done its dirty work of gradually taking Christ out of Christmas. However, there are a few songs that our Adversary has not been able to corrupt yet. The Psalms are known as “The Hebrew Hymnbook.” David, Moses, Asaph and a host of other writers penned these ancient poems, which were meant to be sung to the Lord and accompanied by music.
Many of the Psalms were prophetic, meaning that the symbols and lyrics pointed forward to Christ hundreds of years before His coming. A few years ago, I compiled a list of these “Messianic Psalms” and come up with at least 16 that prefigured some aspect of Christ’s ministry. Of course, there could be more that I missed. One discovery that emerged in that study was how a few of these Psalms picture the Christmas message in surprising ways.
If you are looking for a unique angle on the Christmas message, then check out these three psalms and how they previewed the coming Messiah.
1.
Christ the
Son and His Incarnation
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he
said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you
prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no
pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is
written of me in the scroll of the book.’” Psalm 40:6-8 as quoted in Hebrews
10:5-7
Psalm 40 was written by David during a time of adversity and great trouble. Whether it was penned while David was running from the wrath of Saul or Absalom, we cannot be certain. Either way, David was grateful for God’s delivering hand out the danger that threatened his life.
In the middle of David’s declaration of praise, he made a prophetic statement of double fulfillment; meaning that it not only applied to his current situation, but looked forward to Christ. A careful student will notice that the writer of Hebrews quotes David’s words from Psalm 40:6-8 in chapter 10 of his book.[3] David had spoken it 1,000 years earlier, but Christ in heaven took it so as to describe His inner dialogue when He came into this world.
The pre-incarnate Son quoted Psalm 40 as being descriptive of His thoughts when the moment had finally arrived for Him to take on the limitations of a human body. David Jeremiah added this insight, “The Psalmist reports a conversation between the Father and Son where salvation is discussed. I can almost picture Christ standing on the threshold of this Earth, about to leave heaven’s glories for Mary’s womb and His humble birth in Bethlehem saying, “Father I am willing to do Your will. I am ready to take on the body that you have chosen for Me.”[4]
And so, the Creator assumed a body as one of His creatures. God had an umbilical cord and suckled from a teenage girl. He who was from eternity stepped into time. From the cradle He moved everyday inexorably towards the Cross. If you ever wondered what Christmas meant to Christ, then there’s an amazing clue. Jesus came, not as a reluctant sacrifice pulled at the end of a tether, but as a willing offering to make the ultimate atonement for sin.
2. Christ the Sovereign and His Coronation
7 The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” Psalm 2:7-9
Psalm 2 is a royal song, also attributed to David by the apostles (Acts 4:24-26). Many believe that this psalm was recited at David’s coronation when he finally assumed the crown to rule over Israel. In this psalm we see how the pagan nations scoff and threaten to overthrow God’s chosen King. Yet the Lord laughs at man’s pride because His king will never be dethroned.
Of course, this Psalm is also prophetic of Christ’s coming. There have always been rulers of the earth taking counsel together against the Lord and His plan. King Herod did it shortly after the first Christmas by trying to kill the Christ child in a murderous purge of all Bethlehem’s young boys (Matt. 2). Yet it was Herod whose kingdom crumbled while Christ lives forevermore.
Like Psalm 40, this psalm is a conversation within the Trinity as the Father and Son dialogue. In the middle of this psalm we see a subtle hint at Christmas, especially in verse 7, “today I have begotten you.” This makes us think of John 3:16 where Jesus echoes a similar thought, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . .” Christ is the unique, one-of-a-kind, Son of God. Jesus isn’t begotten in the sense that He began at a moment in time, but that He and the Father have the same essence—eternality, omnipotence, omniscience, etc.
Then notice that the Son is promised an inheritance upon His coronation—that He would rule over the nations of the earth. There were several allusions to Jesus' kingship in the Christmas story. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that the child growing in her belly would sit on “…the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). When the wise men showed up at Herod’s palace they asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matt. 2:2). And one of the gifts the magi presented to the Christ child was gold, symbolic of His claim to sovereign royalty (Matt. 2:12).
Of course, this psalm was not totally fulfilled at Jesus first coming. He never sat on David’s throne and never ruled over the nations. He was crowed, but only in mockery with sharp thorns. This psalm will be fulfilled upon Christ’s second coming when He establishes His reign on the earth. The question is—do you recognize His kingship? We didn’t elect Him, and friend, we’ll certainly not impeach Him. You cannot just tip your hat to Jesus, you must bow your knee—and you will choose how, as either a willing servant or a conquered foe (Phil. 2:9-11).
3. Christ the Savior and His Exaltation
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Psalm 98:4-6
Psalm 98 is one of many songs that expresses praise and joy for the Lord’s salvation and promised judgment. Upon a first read, you would not see any connection to Christmas at all.
The story goes that a young Isaac Watts (1675-1748) was challenged by his pastor father to write a hymn, because Isaac was profoundly bored with the church music of his time. Instead of feeling defeated, Isaac took up his father’s challenge. Isaac Watts looked to the Scriptures for inspiration and came upon Psalm 98. After a few days work, Watts penned the words to what would become one of the most beloved Christmas hymns of all time—Joy to the World.[5]
Indeed, we see the theme of joy present in the Christmas story. Mary broke out in a praise-filled song called “The Magnificat” after she learned from the angel that she would bear the Son of God (Luke 1:46-56). On the night of Jesus’ birth, the angels broke out in joyful praise over the Bethlehem skies as bewildered shepherds watched (Luke 2:13-14). Don’t forget Simeon at the Temple when he shouted for joy upon finally cradling the Messiah in his arms (Luke 2:27-32).
But here’s the interesting thing about Joy to the World and Psalm 98. If you notice the lyrics of the carol, you will see nothing about shepherds, a manger, wise men, angels, or any other element that we normally associate with the Christmas story. The reason is that Isaac Watts did not write Joy to the World specifically to be a Christmas song. Watts correctly recognized that Psalm 98 actually pointed forward to the universal jubilation which would break out as a result of Christ’s second coming and Millennial Kingdom! Perhaps, we will sing this hymn one day in the Millennial Kingdom and every word of it will be literally fulfilled before our eyes.
Until then we can carry
the joy of Christmas in our hearts every day, knowing that Immanuel has come
and is coming again! -DM
[1]
Rendee Dawn, “Here Are the Top 25 Christmas Songs of All Time, According to
Spotify,” Today, 25 November 2020 <https://www.today.com/popculture/spotify-s-list-25-best-christmas-songs-all-time-today-t200138>
[2] MICHAEL LIPKA AND DAVID MASCI, “5 Facts About
Christmas in America,” Pew Research, 18 December 2017
<https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/18/5-facts-about-christmas-in-america/>
[3]
You will notice that the writer in Hebrews renders David’s words differently
than they appear in Psalm 40:6, “My ears you have opened.” Hebrews 10:5 reads, “but
a body you have prepared for me.” The reason for this difference is because Hebrews
is quoting from the Septuagint (LXX) – that is the Greek translation of the Old
Testament produced in the 3rd century BC. Scholars have suggested
this change may be because the Greek translator regarded the creation of ears
as part of fashioning the whole body.
[4]
David Jeremiah, Hebrews: The Supremacy and Sufficiency of Christ, vol. 2
(San Diego, CA: Turning Point, 2013), 82-83.
[5] Robert
J. Morgan, Come Let Us Adore Him (Nashville, TN: Countryman, 2005),
20-21.
No comments:
Post a Comment