Hark the Herald Angels - Part 6

Today as we continue our meditation on “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” we look at the stanza that contains these lines:

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.

In this section of the song, the author brings together several passages of scripture. The reference to Prince of Peace of course comes from Isaiah 9:6 which is a prophesy about Christ. In that verse we read, “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” As we mentioned in one of the previous posts, he is referred to as Prince of Peace because he is the one who has broken down the barrier between ourselves and God and made peace. In have Colossians 1:20 tells us that he made peace through the blood of His cross.

The next phrase is not so familiar to most of us. In the book of Malachi, the prophet is foretelling an awful day of judgment that is to come and then he writes this in 4:2. “But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.” All of us have sinned against God and have fallen short of his glory. In order to avoid the judgment that will one day come to us, we need the One who provides “healing.” It is only through Jesus Christ that we can safe in that day. He is the one whose righteousness was perfect and only if that righteousness is given to us will we be able to stand before a holy God. That is exactly what Jesus Christ offers to provide for any and all who would trust Him.

Finally, the author refers to life and light being brought to all. John writes in John 1:4, 9, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” Paul picks up that theme in his letter to Timothy where he writes in 2 Timothy 1:9, 10, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

If Christ had not come, we not know about the darkness in which we were immersed. But Christ’s coming brought the good news that there is light and there is life and there is hope. He grants all of it to us freely in Christ simply by trusting in and believing in Him.