Glorious servants exalting their Prince, speaking willingly his praises, celebrating the Lord of their Life— they were the most blessed of the Master’s multitudes.
They knew not of sins, the doing of misdeeds:
instead they lived in eternal peace of their Prince.
They raised naught else in the heavens but righteousness and truth, before that warden of angels, out of over-mind, parted them into error.
They wished to labor no longer, but to their own advantage, they turned themselves from God’s love.
They had a great boast — they could share, by the strength of their soldiers, with the Lord his glory-bound home, spacious and heaven-bright.
There pain touched them, envy and pride, and the heart of those angels that first performed that evil advice, to weave and arouse, then Lucifer spoke a word, thirsting for trouble, wishing to possess a home and high-throne in the northern part
of the realm of heaven.
This text starts with the angels praising God. He is the Lord of their Life. This phrase reminds me of John 14:
John 14 v 6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life’.”
They willing praises God. This is an act of free will and love.
The text goes on to say that the angels ‘knew no sin’. Much like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, before the Fall.
The angels longed to do the will of God and ignored their own selfish desires. And because of this, they enjoyed Heaven with God. It is the same for the Christian soul when they die. As they have lived for Him in this life, there joy is found with Him in Heaven.
Then, Lucifer imparted ‘error’ to the loyal angels. He created discord in Heaven.
We sometimes forget that angels are conscious spiritual beings who make choices too. The Church Fathers have commented that once a spiritual being makes a decision, they can’t repent. This is why God gave Adam and Eve ‘garments of skin’ and allowed humanity to die, so they would have the opportunity to repent of their sinful decisions.
The tempted angels then chose to labour for their own goals and reject God. They embraced envy and pride. They became envious of God’s power and believed they deserved more.
And all Lucifer wanted was a little place in Heaven, all for himself. What appears like a small request would have been understood by the Anglo-Saxons as Lucifer turning his back on his thane. He was looking to set up his own clan outside of God’s jurisdiction and sit on his own ‘high-throne’, ruling over the fallen angels. This was unpalatable to God. And He threw Lucifer out of Heaven.