Noel

 

What does noel mean? In the Christmas story, what purpose does the word serve? Is it in the Bible? These and more questions arise about the word noel as I sing the Christmas carol called The First Noel. You know the first verse:

The first noel, the angels did say, was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay. In fields where they lay keeping their sheep on a cold winter’s night that was so deep. Noel. Noel. Noel. Noel. Born is the King of Israel.

This carol gives us a first hint of what noel is. First, let's examine the word's etymology.

Noel comes from the Old Latin word (natus) meaning to be born. The Church carried natas forward into Church Latin (natalis) referring to the birthday of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As time passed, the word became noel, a variant of the Old French nael, came to mean the feast of the nativity. Middle English translated noel nowel, a shout of joy or a Christmas song. Considering each of the translations through history, noel is a shout of joy by verbal proclamation, including songs, of the birth, the nativity (natus), of the Christ child, Jesus the Messiah.

Is the word noel in the Bible? The word noel is not stated explicitly in the Bible. Noel defines the activity of the angels. Luke 2:9-14 is not the first noel of the Bible. The angel proclaimed the Messiah’s birth to Mary in Luke 1:26-28. He spoke to Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, in Matthew 1:20-25. Before the New Testament, God foretold many prophets Himself and through His messengers about the Messiah’s birth in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6. Micah writes of God’s foretelling of the Messiah in Micah 5:2. These are all prophecies foretelling the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. They are a proclamation of great joy. The proclamations of good news for the Hebrews and all people of the birth of the One God promised. None who heard the proclamations foretelling Jesus’ birth remained unchanged. Each knew they had encountered God. These people carried God’s promise in their hearts and waited expectantly for the Christ child.

When Mary’s birth pains ceased and Jesus was born, the angels proclaimed that good news. Luke 2:9-14 records their proclamation of God’s fulfillment of His promises. The angel of the Lord (a messenger from God) stood before the lowly shepherds in the field with their sheep. These men “were terrified.” The shepherds recognized they saw a messenger from God. How did they know this? The “glory of the Lord shone around them.” The Jews understood this phenomenon. Their shared history evoked images of Moses embodying the glory of the Lord, having spent time with Him on the mountain and in the tabernacle. The Israelites asked Moses to cover his face because they feared being struck dead by God because of looking directly at God’s glory. This fear carried over to the worship in the tabernacle and, later, the temple. God told the Levites to tie a rope around the chief priest’s waist to pull him out of the Holy of Holies should he not return from offering what was required of him. If the chief priest entered into God’s presence (the Holy of Holies) without having ritually cleansed himself, he would die.

The Hebrews recognized the presence of God, so when the shepherds of Luke 2 saw the angel of the Lord, they absolutely were terrified. The shepherds recognized they saw the glory of God in His messenger and feared they would die because of being in the presence of God’s glory. Instead, the angel surprised the shepherds by telling them not to be afraid, but aware and joyous. The angel said in Luke 2:10-11, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people: Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” The shepherds had no reason to fear when the glory of the Lord rested upon the angels. The angels brought the good news of great joy that the Savior, of whom prophets and angels foretold for millennia, was just born. They heralded the proclamation, the good news of the birthday of the Christ. These describe what the word noel means. Proclamation in word of the good news of the Messiah’s birth.

Now, consider again the song, The First Noel.

The first Noel the angel did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

in fields where they lay keeping their sheep,

on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel

 

They looked up and saw a star

shining in the east, beyond them far;

and to the earth it gave great light,

and so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

Even to this day, the proclamation of the Messiah’s birth continues to ring from one people group to another and from one nation to another. The foretelling of Jesus’ ex birth is no longer. Instead, the punctuation of His birth is an exclamation. It proclaims the salvation He gives to any person who believes in Him as the Messiah, the Savior from sin and death. Jesus’ birth was not an afterthought. From before creation, God planned to save His creation—people made in His image—because of His great love for us. Paul explains this in Ephesians 1:3-5 when he wrote to the church at Ephesus. He wrote,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love, He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Berean Study Bible)

God’s love for His creation began before He created people. He heralded His love by His messengers—prophets and angels—in the Old Testament. He proclaimed the birth of His Son, Jesus, with angels. God does not mean for the proclamation to end since Jesus already was born and later crucified, risen to back to life, ascended to heaven, and now sitting at the Father’s right hand. No, the proclamation days have not ended. Jesus instructed His disciples (any person who has believed in Him and been saved) about this in Matthew 28:18-20. He said,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Any person who has ever believed in Jesus for salvation is His disciple. To each of them, to us, He issues this commission. Christian disciples must herald the good news of Jesus' birth and the salvation He offers by their teaching, preaching, singing, and any other means possible. Love came down that day and continues to come from God. He wants all people to know of His great love and the salvation belief in Jesus as God’s Son gives.

Be the Herald. Sing Noel!