Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

 ²⁰  The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”  Luke 2:18-20.

It seems to me that there is a progression from good to better to best here.

It is good to wonder about these things.  “all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds”.  At least, these people were thinking to some extent about them.

But, it is better to treasure them and ponder them.  Mary “treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart”.  Merriam-Webster Dictionary (online) defines ponder as “to think or consider quietly, soberly, and deeply” and “to weigh in the mind”.  Click here: Ponder – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary  Mary treasured these things more than the first group and thought more deeply about these things and weighed or compared these things in importance to other things. 

However, it is best to glorify and praise God and to tell others about these things.  The shepherds “went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen”.  In addition, Luke 2:18 above shows that they told others about these things.  It takes more faith and courage to tell others about these things than to safely and quietly ponder them.  It is also better to glorify God and praise God for these things than to just think about these things.  It is better to also help others by telling these things than to just help yourself by pondering them.

Now, I don’t want to be too hard on Mary.  At other times, Mary certainly did tell others and glorify and praise God.  But, I also do not think that we should “deify” Mary (make Mary to be some kind of infallible god).  It seems that these Scriptures are written for our benefit to consider and measure out own reactions to the things that we read in Scripture. 

So, do we think at all about the things that we read in Scripture or hear from a sermon?  Do we at least wonder about them?

Or better, do we treasure and ponder them?

Or best, do we praise God and tell others?

Here is some encouragement from Scripture to treasure and ponder these things:

‘Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.’  Psalm 119:11

“My son, keep my words And treasure my commandments within you.”  Proverbs 7:1 

“And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”  Matthew 13:52

Here is some encouragement from Scripture to praise God about these things:

“Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;  Praise is becoming to the upright.”  Psalm 33:1

“For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.”  Psalm 92:4