Earlier this week, I wrote about my love for the so-called “Christmas hymns” but there are too many in my heart to leave my thoughts with just one article. Let’s talk about “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!” Specifically, verses two and three…

[v2]
Christ by highest heaven adored!
Christ, the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus our Immanuel

 

[ref]
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King”

 

[v3]
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace
Hail the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth

 

[ref]
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King”

Talk about poetry! I love how the song mixes both unbridled praise for God with words and a tone that you can’t help but shout. This is not a song meant to be sung somberly or tepidly. This is a song you must STAND to sing, and sing loudly. The opening of v2 reminds us that Jesus is adored by all of Heaven. Before we ever had the chance to love Him, the whole host of the Divine Realm loved Him. I especially love the line: “Pleased as man with man to dwell” because it beautifully conveys the ministry of Jesus. He was God who became flesh, dwelling in perfection, but willing to descend to our sin-stricken world. He came, not begrudgingly or bitterly, but was “pleased” to dwell with us. What a thought!

And then there’s the third verse, which echoes the prophesy of Malachi, who said that the Messiah would come like a sunrise of righteousness with healing in His wings (Malachi 4:2). And then the verse ends with a marvelous bit of wordplay and rhyme: Born so that we might not die; born to raise us from the dead; born to give us a second life.

Just marvelous.

~Matthew