And the angel said unto them; fear not
For he was not a messenger of bad, but of good tidings:
for behold, I bring you good tidings;
tidings, that were both wonderful and amazing, and therefore a
"behold" is prefixed to them, as well as to excite to attention;
and which were good news, and glad tidings, for such the birth of
Christ of a virgin is: in which the good will and amazing love of
God to man are displayed, and the promises, and prophecies
relating to him fulfilled; and the work of man's salvation, his
peace, pardon, righteousness about to be accomplished, and so
matter
of great joy:
not carnal, but spiritual; not feigned, but real; not temporary,
but lasting; even such as cannot be taken away, nor intermeddled
with; and not small, but great, even joy unspeakable, and full of
glory:
which shall be to all people;
not to every individual of mankind; not to Herod and his
courtiers, who were troubled at it; nor to the greater part of
the Jewish nation, who when he came to them, received him not,
but rejected him as the Messiah; particularly not to the chief
priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, who when they saw him, said,
this is the heir, let's kill him, and seize on the inheritance;
but to all that were waiting for him, and were looking for
redemption in Israel; to all sensible sinners who rejoice at his
birth, and in his salvation; see ( Isaiah 9:3 Isaiah 9:6 ) to all the
chosen people of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, whom God has
taken to be his covenant people, and has given to his Son, as
such, to redeem and save; to these the incarnation of Christ,
with all the benefits resulting from it, is the cause of great
joy, when they are made a willing people in the day of Christ's
power.