Luke 2:13,14 – And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
I am not sure that the angels could quite understand the magnitude of what the birth of Jesus the Messiah meant. They knew something unprecedented had happened when the Lord took on a human body but redemption was beyond their comprehension. As a matter of fact humans can’t understand it either no matter how much they think they can, after all the plan of redemption is part of God’s mystery only understood as the Spirit brings revelation Himself. We were all walking in darkness until the day the glory of the Lord dawned on us and gave us understanding of His beautiful plan of redemption. The Lord did not become an angel to redeem fallen angels, He became a man to redeem fallen man. That’s why the angels were singing on the outskirts of Bethlehem that night, Christ had come, the Savior was born and they were bringing good news to all people who would hear their song. Here is how Martin Luther describes the song of angels.
“But what happens in heaven concerning this birth? As much as it was despised on earth, so much and a thousand times more is it honored in heaven. If an angel from heaven came and praised you and your work, would you not regard it of greater value than all the praise and honor that the world could give you, and for which you would be willing to bear the greatest humility and reproach? What exalted honor is that when all the angels in heaven can not restrain themselves from breaking out in rejoicing, so that even poor shepherds in the fields hear them preach, praise God, sing and pour out their joy without measure? Were not all the joy and honor realized in Bethlehem, yes, all joy and honor experienced by all kings and nobles on earth, to be regarded as dross and abomination, of which no one likes to think, when compared with the joy and glory here displayed?”
The angels had seen amazing things in heaven since the day they were created but they had never seen anything like this. This was different, God Himself had entered His creation, He had become one of the sons of men. The angels had no other recourse, they simply could not hold this song in.
