““Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”” (Luke 2:14 LSB) https://accordance.bible/link/read/LSB#Luke_2:14
When we sing or hear this verse at Christmas our humanistic minds immediately gravitate to peace among men, world peace, global harmony. This is after all what we want. Peace with our spouse, peace with our children, peace with our neighbor, peace with our governments. Conflict rages everywhere, within us and around us, so we desire peace, harmony, an ability to get along in joy and cooperation with everyone. This focus is humanistic, narcissistic, a continuation of the problem that plagues us so greatly, so abundantly that we are practically oblivious to it for it is so encompassing of us. That problem is we remain self focused instead of God focused. This peace that is available to men described in this verse is not between men, though it can have that after affect. The peace that has come to earth in the Prince of peace, the peace Who is God, the peace that came to earth from God two thousand years ago is for making peace with God between God and men. God is at war with men by nature. We are born enemies of God. We are born insurrectionists, rebels, haters of God and all that He has commanded. We do not obey Him, seek to please Him, humble ourselves before Him to serve Him, no instead we do what is right in our own eyes, we want our own way which is why we have so little peace with each other and no peace with God. Peace is given to men by God through Jesus Christ Who died in our place to end the hostility between God and men. God will have His vengeance upon every person either at their death and resurrection to meet Him and answer to Him or upon His return to finally end life on this earth in order to bring new life to a new earth. Those who humble themselves before God and cry out to the Prince of Peace for peace with God shall be granted peace with God Who then sends out His peacemakers to bring that same peace to others. Those who reject God’s only means of peace with Him will forever be an enemy of His and will lose everything on that day they meet Him for their final conflict with Him. God offers all people everywhere peace but it must be received through Jesus the Savior, He is God’s final offer for peace.
