I think we could all agree that the hymns of Christmas are one of the most edifying and enjoyable parts of our annual celebration of Jesus’ birth. We love to sing the old familiar carols, reminding us of the story of Christ’s first advent to the earth, but what about the songs of the holiday, which are less familiar? In this article, I would like to present RR readers with some of the “hidden treasures” from the hymns of Christmas. As you read and meditate on these lesser-known lyrics, I pray that this humble offering will add to your adoration of our Lord and your enjoyment of the true meaning of Christmas.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing (verse 4)
Theologians delight to point out to us what they call the “proto evangelium,” the “first gospel.” It is found in Genesis 3:15 where God tells Eve that,
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Also, 1 Cor. 15:45-49 says this:
“So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.”
These two passages are what Charles Wesley and George Whitfield must have had in mind when they wrote this verse…
“Come, Desire of nations, come! Fix in us Thy humble home:
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring seed, Bruise in us the serpent’s head;
Adam’s likeness now efface, Stamp Thine image in its place:
Final Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love.”
For more teaching on this rich topic, see:
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-second-Adam.html
https://www.modernreformation.org/resources/essays/jesus-the-second-and-greater-adam
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (verse 3)
What I love about this verse is that, more than any other seasonal carol I know, it declares the essence of our celebration of Christmas succinctly and joyously! This is what Christmas means for US if we are willing to believe it and receive it.
“Fear not then, said the Angel, Let nothing you affright
This day is born a Savior of a pure virgin bright
To free all those who trust in Him from Satan’s pow’r and might
Oh tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, Oh tidings of comfort and joy!”
O Holy Night (verse 1a and 2b)
These lyrics are sung often enough, but do we take time to really think about them as we sing? If you are like me, you are worrying so much about what to do with the high note at the end of the chorus that you may forget to rejoice in the meaning of the verses leading up to it! Meditate for a while on the sweetness of the bold-faced words below… you may never sing this hymn the same again.
“O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine! O night when Christ was born!
O night divine! O night, O night divine!”
“…the King of kings lay thus in lowly manger;
in all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!”
Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne (verse 5)
I have often thought of the Christmas story as being similar to the Mark Twain tale, The Prince and the Pauper. In this account, the son of a king dresses in rags and goes out among the common folk to see how they live. Only one man believes that he is truly the king’s son and endeavors to help him. At story’s end, the young prince regains his throne, and the man who believed in him is honored and rewarded beyond his wildest dreams! In the same way, Christ the King, when He returns in His glory, will reward us for believing in Him despite the “rags” He wore at His first appearance.
This is one of the only Christmas verses I know of that looks forward as well as backward! With the eye of faith, it envisions the sweet reward of Christ waiting at His royal return for those who have made room in their hearts for Him when first He came as a babe. A blessed meditation and motivation all in one!
“When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
at Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying
‘Yet there is room, there is room at My side for thee.’
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
when Thou comest and callest for me.”
Noel, Noel (verse 6)
Here is another carol that captures 2 great truths of Christmas in just 14 words! The blood of the babe of Bethlehem has purchased back our lives from hell! No wonder we rejoice with great gladness at this time of year! The chorus of this hymn is especially dear to me. It was one of the very first Christmas carols I sang when I was first saved. Imagine my joy as a Jewish believer to learn that Jesus was truly the “King of Israel”! This is a truth I believe our Lord would have all Christians embrace afresh as we see the world of sinners descending into a demonic vortex of anti-semitism!
“Then let us all with one accord, sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
that hath made heaven and earth of nought,
and with his blood our life hath bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the King of Israel!”
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (verses 3 and 4)
I think sometimes we forget that Christmas, as commemorated in other countries, is experienced very differently than here in the land of plenty. In restricted nations where Christians are persecuted for their testimony of Christ, many are jailed, many are homeless refugees, and many grieve for family members martyred for their faith!
The verse below is one that a very large number of precious believers worldwide can relate to thoroughly. Let’s lift them up this Christmas season, that God may give them rest beside their weary road.
“And ye, beneath life’s crushing load, whose forms are bending low,
who toil along the climbing way, with painful steps and slow,
look now! for glad and golden hours, come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!”
In verse 4 is another rare but blessed occurrence of a Christmas hymn that looks forward instead of backward. The verse below pictures the Millennial Reign of Christ, which immediately follows His second advent. After all, don’t we recite this passage often at Christmas time?
“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.”
The implication in the song here is that since the first advent was fulfilled literally, not figuratively, we can logically deduce that Christ’s second advent and the kingdom it brings will be fulfilled literally as well! What a thrilling expectation!
“For lo! the days are hastening on, by prophet seen of old,
when with the ever-circling years shall come the time foretold
when peace shall over all the earth, its ancient splendors fling,
and the whole world send back the song, which now the angels sing.”
“O Come O Come Emmanuel” (v. 1,3,4,5,7)
In my opinion, the most neglected but haunting Christmas hymn of all is the one titled “O Come O Come Emmanuel.” I have printed 5 of its 7 verses below. The lyrics date back to the monasteries of the 8th century. This hymn above all others retains the centrality of God’s chosen people in the story of Christmas. And why not? Jesus told the Canaanite woman, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Yet, in the churches of America, we rarely ever hear this biblical emphasis.
The music for this hymn was originally used as a funeral dirge in the 1500s, and how fitting this seems to me, for their rejection of their own Messiah signaled the spiritual death of my ancient people until God “resurrects” their faith during the “time of Jacob’s trouble.” I do plead with my readers to pray for God’s Chosen People to be drawn to their Savior at this Christmas season.
Finally, how appropriate is verse 7 at this particular time in man’s history when wars and rumors of wars wrack and ruin in every corner of the earth … when Israel has been fighting for her life for all 77 years since her rebirth in 1948 … when every sign of the Olivet Discourse can be seen converging together in these last few years before the Rapture! Yes, pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but also pray for the lost and dying world of souls about to enter the terrors of the Tribulation times! Think of all these things as you contemplate these words below…
1 O come, O come, Immanuel and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel … shall come to you, O Israel.
3 O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times did give the law in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain
4 O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem, unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.
5 O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death’s abode. Refrain
7 O come, O King of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease and be yourself our King of Peace.
https://hymnary.org/text/o_come_o_come_emmanuel_and_ransom
I hope you will enjoy the hymns of Christmas perhaps a little more this season as you pause to reflect upon the meaning of their lyrics. It may well be our last Christmas on Earth, for, in December of 2026, we may be singing these songs in heaven at the feet of Jesus Himself! Have a blessed Christmas, one and all!
The post Hidden Hymns of Christmas :: By Asher Mandel appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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