"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, good will toward men [or, good pleasure in men]" (Luke 2:13,14).

Here, in a few words, is stated the whole scope of divine purpose. First of all there is "Glory to God in the highest."

Up to the birth of Jesus all had been disappointment in man. The creature had broken down under the best circumstances, and every attempt by any other means to correct it had brought either destruction to men or rebellion against God, growing worse and worse.

But the birth of the Lord Jesus was at once the signal for the angels to say, "Glory to God in the highest." It would not be merely "Glory to God below," but "in the highest," that is, throughout the whole universe of God, and expressly in its highest places. On earth, where nothing but war had been against God, and with man, confusion, misery, and rebellion_"on earth, peace." Nothing less than this would ensue from the birth of the Messiah, though not all at once. The heavenly host gave voice to the magnificent issues of the birth of Him who is Father of the age to come (see Isa. 9:6). That birth, too, was the expression of the fact that God’s complacency and pleasure is in men. There could not be a greater proof of God’s pleasure than this, for the Son of God did not become an angel but a man. He was God from all eternity, but He became man. This bore witness to what an object of love men were to God.

This Babe was the Lord from heaven, the object of contempt to man, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, perhaps as no other babe was. No wonder it drew out the loudest praises of the angels. They saw God’s glory in it; they saw men thus the object of His infinite love and condescension; they anticipated peace for the earth, in spite of all appearances to the contrary. They looked at this event as the scene for displaying in man_the Son of Man_God’s glory and grace; and they were right.

(From An Exposition of the Gospel of Luke by.)