Released just last year, this song is an up-beat addition to the Christian Christmas selection of songs each year. Anne Wilson is a young, up-and-coming Christian artist. And combining her with Josh Turner’s pleasantly low voice makes for a warm and welcoming duet. Grab your Bibles to look up the Scripture references.
The song begins:
“They're puttin' decorations up in front of my old church. The shepherds and the wise men and the hay. There's Joseph and his Mary lookin' down at Heaven's birth. And the angel's sayin', ‘Don't you be afraid.’ It makes me stop and think about how You showed up down here. In a humble bed made of nails and wood. You could have picked a palace, somethin' more fit for a King. But then the story wouldn't be as good.”
Whenever setting up for the quintessential annual children’s Christmas pageant at church, you would be hard-pressed not to think about the birth of Jesus Christ and ponder why He did what He did. The Israelites were expecting the Messiah to be a formidable warrior king; a king that would permanently release them from the bonds of their oppressors, at that time the Romans. It would be expected that a king of that stature and prowess, the Messiah, surely would be born in a palace, dressed in royal purple, and gold dumped out at His feet by those paying Him homage.
But as Wilson points out, then the story wouldn’t be nearly as good as it was. The King of all kings, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was born far from any palace. When He was born, He was swaddled in rags and placed in a feeding trough for livestock. (Luke 2:1-7). God’s Word incarnate stepped down from His throne in heaven to be born in human flesh. (Philippians 2:5-8). That is humbling enough for God, even if He was born in a palace. Yet, God humbled Himself even lower.
The chorus is:
“From the highest of the high. To the lowest of the low. That stable tells a story of the distance You will go. For the lonely and the lost. There's no sinner too far gone to find a Savior. Lyin' in the manger.”
Jesus Christ is God, the highest of any highs. (Psalm 97). Being born into a lowly family, in the tiny town of Bethlehem outside Jerusalem, wrapped in rags and put in a feeding trough for a crib; that is just about the lowest low God could go. What it shows us, it that there is no distance God will not go to save us, the lost; there is no sin too great and no one so lost that God cannot save. (Romans 6:23). All one must do in believe in Him and repent of your sin and you will be saved from the eternal punishment for your sin and receive eternal life in heaven. (Mark 1:15).
The song continues:
“There's a star up in the sky that's callin' all the least of these. Come make Your way to where Your hope is found. If I'm honest, some days I feel too far out of reach. But the manger reminds me love reached down.”
The Star of Bethlehem is one of the most researched and discussed parts of the Christmas story with many theories on what it really was. If you want to read something deep and profound about this topic, I suggest you read the book “The Great Christ Comet: Revealing the True Star of Bethlehem” written by Colin R. Nicholl; it is fantastic, even though it’s written in deep, academic prose.
We know that Star of Bethlehem was a one-of-a-kind sign in the sky. God put everything in motion at the beginning of creation (Genesis 1-2), including this miraculous sign to announce the birth of His only Son, Jesus Christ. The star must have been magnificent enough to encourage Persian magi to travel cross-country for a long period of time, all just to find Him and worship Him. Their journey should suggest to us just how incredible the Christmas story really is.
As Turner pointed out, if we are honest, we all feel like there are times in our lives when we are too far out of reach for God to save us. But remember, God uses broken people and horrible sinners to accomplish His Will on earth. Remember Moses? He was a murderer. Yet, God restored Him and used Him to lead and teach His chosen people. Remember King David? He was an adulterer and a murderer. Yet, God forgave him of his sin as soon as David repented. Jesus was a direct descendant of King David, as God told His people through His prophets. (Isaiah 9:6-7).
So how far will God go? He will go any distance to save you. Where will God meet you? He will meet you right where you are, right now. He reaches down to pick you up. He is always with you. (Matthew 28:20). He will never forsake you or abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:6). He is faithful, even when we are not. (2 Timothy 2:13).
The song concludes:
“You were carried by a manger and just thirty-three years later. By a rugged cross made from nails and wood. And the tears fill up my eyes, You didn't have to give Your life. But then the story wouldn't be as good.”
Wilson ties the beginning of the song to this part with the words “nails and wood.” The manger that Jesus was laid in after He was born was most likely made from wood and nails. Wilson draws the parallel here to show that the entire reason Jesus came down from heaven was to be nailed to a wooden cross, suffer, and die for our sins. (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19).
It is true, Jesus did not have to sacrifice Himself to save us, but He did anyways. Why? Because His love story for us is more than good; it is the perfect display of God’s love for us – that He would give Himself for us. (John 3:16-17). There is no love greater than this. (John 15:13). Thanks be to God that He did!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Philip Frank
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