Matthew 22: 37-40
And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; this is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy, His favorite Book. Here He lays it all out very specifically--the whole system of "the Law and the Prophets," which covers the whole Old Testament, is based on the principle of Love.
God loves us, and we are to love Him back. And we are to love who He loves, which is one another. When we love God, we won't put anything in front of Him between us, and we will respect and reverence Who He is and what He has said.
And when we love one another, we won't want to harm them in any way, but will want to do good to them instead. So we won't just not steal from him or covet what he has, but will rejoice with him in what God has given him.
Every law that is righteous promotes the freedom and rights of every citizen without regard to who they are or where they're from.
And God's laws apply to all of us of every Nation. So we are to respect one another, and honor their worth to God, Who loves them.
O my Father, thank You for Your laws and commandments and precepts and decrees. Thank You for showing us Your ways, so that we can formulate our laws to agree with Yours. Please be with our government people who have been elected and appointed at every level of governance. Protect them from deception and lead them to understand Your righteousness toward all of us, in ruling us with justice and equity. Help us, Father, to accomplish Your will for each of us and for all of us, to lead us into that great Kingdom of God that Your Son Jesus will head as our King over all kings and Lord over all lords.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, December 29, 2017
To Distinguish Us
Exodus 33: 16
For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the Earth?
God has discussed with Moses the possibility of God not going with them in the Desert, because if the people continually disobey Him, then He might destroy them. But Moses brings up that His reputation may be damaged among the peoples of the other Nations, and they would see Him as no different than all their false gods, if He doesn't go with them.
God always knows what He's going to do, but He poses questions and situations to get His people to think "out of the box" sometimes. Here He's wanting Moses to realize how different He is from every other god that is worshiped. His going with His people distinguished them from all others.
Then Moses asked to see God's glory, and God showed him His goodness, hiding him in the "cleft of the rock" and covering him with His hand until He passed by, so Moses only saw His back (v 18-23). This proved that He is not anything like any other in all the World.
That affected Moses so that his face glowed with the glory of God, and he was not even aware of it (34:29).
We also have our God going with us, His Spirit dwelling in our spirit, and when we spend time with God, our faces can glow, too. God is still God, and He does not change.
He deals with each of us differently, just as Jesus varied in His approaches to different people, because we are all different from one another in many ways. But we are all still of one blood, one race of Mankind, and we all have the same need for forgiveness and cleansing and Redemption.
And He goes with each of His Redeemed children, so we need to show forth this God in our lives, and live out the Redemption He has worked into each of us (Philippians 2:12). That is our responsibility, to cooperate with Him, and choose to do the right thing, even if it is difficult or inconvenient, or even impossible.
O my Father, You have distinguished Your people Israel by going with them in the Shekinah Glory over the Ark of the Covenant; and You have distinguished each of us Your children with Your Spirit living inside our spirit, making it alive; and giving us Your strength to do what we cannot do, and to grant us Your peace even in the midst of turmoil, beyond anything we can understand or reason.
Thank You, Father, for Your goodness and Your glory and Your greatness. Thank You that You are sovereign over everything You have made, and have decided the purposes for each part of Your creation. Thank You that You are faithful to say only what You mean, and to mean everything You say, to accomplish all Your will.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Thy sight, I and Thy people? Is it not by Thy going with us, so that we, I and Thy people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the Earth?
God has discussed with Moses the possibility of God not going with them in the Desert, because if the people continually disobey Him, then He might destroy them. But Moses brings up that His reputation may be damaged among the peoples of the other Nations, and they would see Him as no different than all their false gods, if He doesn't go with them.
God always knows what He's going to do, but He poses questions and situations to get His people to think "out of the box" sometimes. Here He's wanting Moses to realize how different He is from every other god that is worshiped. His going with His people distinguished them from all others.
Then Moses asked to see God's glory, and God showed him His goodness, hiding him in the "cleft of the rock" and covering him with His hand until He passed by, so Moses only saw His back (v 18-23). This proved that He is not anything like any other in all the World.
That affected Moses so that his face glowed with the glory of God, and he was not even aware of it (34:29).
We also have our God going with us, His Spirit dwelling in our spirit, and when we spend time with God, our faces can glow, too. God is still God, and He does not change.
He deals with each of us differently, just as Jesus varied in His approaches to different people, because we are all different from one another in many ways. But we are all still of one blood, one race of Mankind, and we all have the same need for forgiveness and cleansing and Redemption.
And He goes with each of His Redeemed children, so we need to show forth this God in our lives, and live out the Redemption He has worked into each of us (Philippians 2:12). That is our responsibility, to cooperate with Him, and choose to do the right thing, even if it is difficult or inconvenient, or even impossible.
O my Father, You have distinguished Your people Israel by going with them in the Shekinah Glory over the Ark of the Covenant; and You have distinguished each of us Your children with Your Spirit living inside our spirit, making it alive; and giving us Your strength to do what we cannot do, and to grant us Your peace even in the midst of turmoil, beyond anything we can understand or reason.
Thank You, Father, for Your goodness and Your glory and Your greatness. Thank You that You are sovereign over everything You have made, and have decided the purposes for each part of Your creation. Thank You that You are faithful to say only what You mean, and to mean everything You say, to accomplish all Your will.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, December 28, 2017
To The Third And Fourth Generations
Numbers 14: 18
... Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations.
Children learn from their parents and grandparents. What the parents do to deal with the problems and soothe their pains is how the children and grandchildren learn to be the ways to handle their own troubles. That means generational alcoholics, or temper fits, or whatever. We learn from our models.
We also can inherit in our genes the propensities to be vulnerable to certain failings of character. This is the "original sin" that Adam passed on to us, because the fruit he disobediently ate changed his physical make-up to make him vulnerable to death. Had he eaten instead from the Tree of Life he would have lived forever. Complete opposites.
But once he sinned, God forbade him the Tree of Life, because God wanted mankind to be able to die--this way he could have a Savior to die for him.
That's why Jesus was born--to die as the Sacrificial Lamb of God for us.
We don't have to do things the way our parents did them--we can learn God's ways and deal with setbacks with patience and endurance and perseverance. We can decide to focus on the positive and be thankful for all the blessings God showers on us every day. We can decide to forgive those who have hurt us and be kind to them, instead of holding a grudge against them.
When we do life God's way, to love Him and serve Him by serving one another, then the joy of the Lord will be our strength, and our example can even lead our "enemy" to recognize the Lord.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations.
Children learn from their parents and grandparents. What the parents do to deal with the problems and soothe their pains is how the children and grandchildren learn to be the ways to handle their own troubles. That means generational alcoholics, or temper fits, or whatever. We learn from our models.
We also can inherit in our genes the propensities to be vulnerable to certain failings of character. This is the "original sin" that Adam passed on to us, because the fruit he disobediently ate changed his physical make-up to make him vulnerable to death. Had he eaten instead from the Tree of Life he would have lived forever. Complete opposites.
But once he sinned, God forbade him the Tree of Life, because God wanted mankind to be able to die--this way he could have a Savior to die for him.
That's why Jesus was born--to die as the Sacrificial Lamb of God for us.
We don't have to do things the way our parents did them--we can learn God's ways and deal with setbacks with patience and endurance and perseverance. We can decide to focus on the positive and be thankful for all the blessings God showers on us every day. We can decide to forgive those who have hurt us and be kind to them, instead of holding a grudge against them.
When we do life God's way, to love Him and serve Him by serving one another, then the joy of the Lord will be our strength, and our example can even lead our "enemy" to recognize the Lord.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
In Our Own Sight & In Their Sight
Numbers 13: 33
...We became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.
This was when the Israelites first came to the Promised Land, and they sent the spies in to check out what lie ahead.
The spies came back with a wonderful report of the land and the abundant produce they found there. The problem was that the people who lived there were a very large, tall, strong tribe, called Anakim, and they were so much bigger than these sons of Jacob that they were afraid of them.
God had told them that the people there were bigger and stronger than them, but when they saw them they realized that there was no way they could beat them on their own. That's why God said He'd go before them to clear them out.
But they didn't trust God even yet, and when they felt like insects beside these "giants," they interposed their own view onto these big people, and assumed that they would see them tiny, too.
They were still depending on their own feelings, and put on them their own conclusions.
Haven't we all done that? How often do we think that other people think the same way we do? That they see things the way we do? When each person sees and perceives in their own way, through the multicolored glasses of our pasts?
Every person is wearing his/her own "glasses" through which we each understand the world around us differently from everyone else. Only when we put ourselves in their shoes, considering their own past experiences, can we even start to see how they feel.
But God knows each of us so intimately that He can tell us what we need to know to please Him in the way each of us is designed to do, each slightly (or more) differently than every other.
So, since God's people didn't trust Him even then, they doomed themselves to wandering in the desert for another 40 years, and only Joshua and Caleb trusted God to give them the victory over these Nations, so they were the only adults (20 years old or more) who were permitted to enter that Promised Land. All the rest died while they were still in the Desert.
O my Father, please help me to trust You to do what You have said You would do when my eyes show me that there is no way, it's impossible. Teach me to understand, not just know, that You are the God of the Impossible. Nothing is impossible to You, You can accomplish everything you want to do. Strengthen my dependence on You, to trust You more with more each day I live.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
...We became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.
This was when the Israelites first came to the Promised Land, and they sent the spies in to check out what lie ahead.
The spies came back with a wonderful report of the land and the abundant produce they found there. The problem was that the people who lived there were a very large, tall, strong tribe, called Anakim, and they were so much bigger than these sons of Jacob that they were afraid of them.
God had told them that the people there were bigger and stronger than them, but when they saw them they realized that there was no way they could beat them on their own. That's why God said He'd go before them to clear them out.
But they didn't trust God even yet, and when they felt like insects beside these "giants," they interposed their own view onto these big people, and assumed that they would see them tiny, too.
They were still depending on their own feelings, and put on them their own conclusions.
Haven't we all done that? How often do we think that other people think the same way we do? That they see things the way we do? When each person sees and perceives in their own way, through the multicolored glasses of our pasts?
Every person is wearing his/her own "glasses" through which we each understand the world around us differently from everyone else. Only when we put ourselves in their shoes, considering their own past experiences, can we even start to see how they feel.
But God knows each of us so intimately that He can tell us what we need to know to please Him in the way each of us is designed to do, each slightly (or more) differently than every other.
So, since God's people didn't trust Him even then, they doomed themselves to wandering in the desert for another 40 years, and only Joshua and Caleb trusted God to give them the victory over these Nations, so they were the only adults (20 years old or more) who were permitted to enter that Promised Land. All the rest died while they were still in the Desert.
O my Father, please help me to trust You to do what You have said You would do when my eyes show me that there is no way, it's impossible. Teach me to understand, not just know, that You are the God of the Impossible. Nothing is impossible to You, You can accomplish everything you want to do. Strengthen my dependence on You, to trust You more with more each day I live.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
The Law Of Love
Galatians 5: 14
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
And this one word is, "Love." When we love God and trust Him implicitly, then we will want to obey Him. And in obeying Him, we will love our neighbor as ourselves, the Golden Rule, and we won't want to do anything to harm them or cheat them or detract from their worth.
Love will fulfill every righteous law, whether toward God or toward each other. And we will go beyond the mere letter of the Law: We won't only not lie to our neighbor, we will want them to know the Truth. We won't want to commit adultery, we won't even allow ourselves to look upon another in an unwholesome way. We won't pray to anyone else, or "honor" anyone or anything else before we consider God's authority, or instead of thinking to ask Him first. No matter what kind of law it is, if it is a righteous law, then love will already have obeyed it.
Sometimes Man's laws are unrighteous, considering one class of people to the detriment of another class.
But we are all of one blood, all come from Adam, and all have equal value and worth in the eyes of our Maker (Acts 17:26, Galatians 3:28).
God so loved us that He gave us His only Son, so that if anyone of any Nation, or any color, or any language, anywhere in this whole Earth, would realize that they deserve death because of their sinfulness, and trust that Jesus paid in full that debt they owe to God in taking their death on the Cross, then they would not be subject to punishment or God's wrath any more, but have a New Life that will live forever (John 3:16-18).
We are all born from Adam's DNA that causes us to inherit that propensity to sin, to choose poorly, selfishly. That's why we are "by nature creatures of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3).
This is why Jesus was born, to be our Lamb of God, the Perfect Sacrifice, that doesn't just cover sins, but actually washes them away. This is God's own Precious Blood, that has eternal value, more than enough to save every single one of all Mankind, every person who chooses to come to Him.
That's how much God loves us. Each and every one of us. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us any more or any less--it's perfect, unconditional love, that never changes. We can trust it. We can lean on it. We can depend on it.
And we're to love one another with His Love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
And this one word is, "Love." When we love God and trust Him implicitly, then we will want to obey Him. And in obeying Him, we will love our neighbor as ourselves, the Golden Rule, and we won't want to do anything to harm them or cheat them or detract from their worth.
Love will fulfill every righteous law, whether toward God or toward each other. And we will go beyond the mere letter of the Law: We won't only not lie to our neighbor, we will want them to know the Truth. We won't want to commit adultery, we won't even allow ourselves to look upon another in an unwholesome way. We won't pray to anyone else, or "honor" anyone or anything else before we consider God's authority, or instead of thinking to ask Him first. No matter what kind of law it is, if it is a righteous law, then love will already have obeyed it.
Sometimes Man's laws are unrighteous, considering one class of people to the detriment of another class.
But we are all of one blood, all come from Adam, and all have equal value and worth in the eyes of our Maker (Acts 17:26, Galatians 3:28).
God so loved us that He gave us His only Son, so that if anyone of any Nation, or any color, or any language, anywhere in this whole Earth, would realize that they deserve death because of their sinfulness, and trust that Jesus paid in full that debt they owe to God in taking their death on the Cross, then they would not be subject to punishment or God's wrath any more, but have a New Life that will live forever (John 3:16-18).
We are all born from Adam's DNA that causes us to inherit that propensity to sin, to choose poorly, selfishly. That's why we are "by nature creatures of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3).
This is why Jesus was born, to be our Lamb of God, the Perfect Sacrifice, that doesn't just cover sins, but actually washes them away. This is God's own Precious Blood, that has eternal value, more than enough to save every single one of all Mankind, every person who chooses to come to Him.
That's how much God loves us. Each and every one of us. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us any more or any less--it's perfect, unconditional love, that never changes. We can trust it. We can lean on it. We can depend on it.
And we're to love one another with His Love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, December 25, 2017
The Christmas Story, Part 2
Luke 2: 1-7
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and lineage of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was engaged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Ta-daa! Here is the Birth of our Savior! God broke into our World, the same way we all enter it, by being born as a helpless baby! This is amazing. That the Lord God of the Old Testament would give up all His Divine prerogatives to dwell here on this Earth among us humans as one of us! This is incredible.
He didn't bake a cake, but God celebrated this Birthday with a Grand Announcement:
Luke 2: 8-20
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were terrified! But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the Town of David a Savior has been born to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." "Happy Birthday to You, Jesus!"
When the angels had left them and gone back into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off, searched, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby Who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
It's always, "just as they had been told." It was done to Mary just as Gabriel said, too. God always describes the future accurately, because He sees all Time as Now. He never mistakes anything.
This is also the time a very special Star appeared in the Far East to some scholars who were looking for it. So they started out on their long journey to see this wonder.
Matthew 2: 1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the One Who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His Star in the East, and have come to worship Him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the Law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a Ruler Who will be the Shepherd of My people Israel.'" (Micah 5:2)
Then Herod called the Wise Men secretly and found out from them the exact time the Star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him."
After they heard the king, they went on their way, and the Star they had seen in the East went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the Star, they were overjoyed.
On coming into the house, they saw the Child and His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Now we see His birthday gifts: gold because He is a King; incense, frankincense, because He is our High Priest; and myrrh, which will be used to anoint His body in death. Very symbolic. Also, these gifts are all very costly, which they will need to finance the next part of their story.
Matthew 2: 13-18
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the Child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him."
So he got up, took the Child and His mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called My Son." (Hosea 11:1)
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Wise Men, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Wise Men. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." (31:15)
Sometimes when we are obedient to the Lord, it causes hardship on someone else. How many times have I considered the other's hardship over obeying my Lord? That would be putting an obstacle between me and God, an idol.
God is responsible for what happens to others when we obey. Just because someone else may suffer, doesn't mean the Lord hasn't spoken to me, or I misread the signals. This is one of God's ways that is not our way. I want to still trust Him above all others, and trust the others to His care. I know He loves them more than I do anyway, and I can't see the whole picture, just the tiny portion that is my circumstance right now.
Matthew 2: 19-23
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up. Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the Child's life are dead."
So he got up, took the Child and His mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in (another) dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
Joseph and Mary started off in Nazareth, where they were both from. So they went back home. They had stayed in Bethlehem for a couple of years after Jesus was born, as we see that they were in a house when the Wise Men came, and it had been that long since the Star first appeared in the Far East (2:7). Travel back then was slow by our standards, and it would have taken them years to come from that far away.
Someone counted that Jesus fulfilled over 400 Old Testament prophesies during His first coming, to be our Savior. That's a lot of details. These cited here were things that just happened to a small Child, through no choice of His own.
So, since they were still in Bethlehem, and Joseph wasn't home at the time, he was probably gone to work, and planning to settle there--until Wise Men came, and Joseph started to have dreams again. I'm glad Joseph trusted the angel in his dreams, and didn't question him, but obeyed instantly.
He woke up in the middle of the night, packed up, and left before dawn, to escape into Egypt. That's instant obedience.
O my Father, help me to always obey You instantly, like Joseph did, whenever I hear Your still, small voice in my spirit, and instantly do what You tell me to do. Don't let me "just finish this first," or "tomorrow," that never comes. Strengthen me to do today what You ask of me today. Help me to never put You off to some future time; delayed obedience is disobedience.
I love You, Father; I love You, Jesus; I love You, Spirit. I know You love me more than I can even imagine, and everything You do comes from Your love, because You are Love.
Let this Christmas Story sink down deep into my heart and my understanding. Let me know ever more of Your love in sending Your only Son, and give me the words to share that understanding, that others may also know You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And Merry Christmas to you all!
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and lineage of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was engaged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Ta-daa! Here is the Birth of our Savior! God broke into our World, the same way we all enter it, by being born as a helpless baby! This is amazing. That the Lord God of the Old Testament would give up all His Divine prerogatives to dwell here on this Earth among us humans as one of us! This is incredible.
He didn't bake a cake, but God celebrated this Birthday with a Grand Announcement:
Luke 2: 8-20
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were terrified! But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the Town of David a Savior has been born to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." "Happy Birthday to You, Jesus!"
When the angels had left them and gone back into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off, searched, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby Who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
It's always, "just as they had been told." It was done to Mary just as Gabriel said, too. God always describes the future accurately, because He sees all Time as Now. He never mistakes anything.
This is also the time a very special Star appeared in the Far East to some scholars who were looking for it. So they started out on their long journey to see this wonder.
Matthew 2: 1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the One Who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His Star in the East, and have come to worship Him."
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the Law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a Ruler Who will be the Shepherd of My people Israel.'" (Micah 5:2)
Then Herod called the Wise Men secretly and found out from them the exact time the Star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him."
After they heard the king, they went on their way, and the Star they had seen in the East went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the Child was. When they saw the Star, they were overjoyed.
On coming into the house, they saw the Child and His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Now we see His birthday gifts: gold because He is a King; incense, frankincense, because He is our High Priest; and myrrh, which will be used to anoint His body in death. Very symbolic. Also, these gifts are all very costly, which they will need to finance the next part of their story.
Matthew 2: 13-18
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the Child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him."
So he got up, took the Child and His mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called My Son." (Hosea 11:1)
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Wise Men, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Wise Men. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." (31:15)
Sometimes when we are obedient to the Lord, it causes hardship on someone else. How many times have I considered the other's hardship over obeying my Lord? That would be putting an obstacle between me and God, an idol.
God is responsible for what happens to others when we obey. Just because someone else may suffer, doesn't mean the Lord hasn't spoken to me, or I misread the signals. This is one of God's ways that is not our way. I want to still trust Him above all others, and trust the others to His care. I know He loves them more than I do anyway, and I can't see the whole picture, just the tiny portion that is my circumstance right now.
Matthew 2: 19-23
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up. Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the Child's life are dead."
So he got up, took the Child and His mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in (another) dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
Joseph and Mary started off in Nazareth, where they were both from. So they went back home. They had stayed in Bethlehem for a couple of years after Jesus was born, as we see that they were in a house when the Wise Men came, and it had been that long since the Star first appeared in the Far East (2:7). Travel back then was slow by our standards, and it would have taken them years to come from that far away.
Someone counted that Jesus fulfilled over 400 Old Testament prophesies during His first coming, to be our Savior. That's a lot of details. These cited here were things that just happened to a small Child, through no choice of His own.
So, since they were still in Bethlehem, and Joseph wasn't home at the time, he was probably gone to work, and planning to settle there--until Wise Men came, and Joseph started to have dreams again. I'm glad Joseph trusted the angel in his dreams, and didn't question him, but obeyed instantly.
He woke up in the middle of the night, packed up, and left before dawn, to escape into Egypt. That's instant obedience.
O my Father, help me to always obey You instantly, like Joseph did, whenever I hear Your still, small voice in my spirit, and instantly do what You tell me to do. Don't let me "just finish this first," or "tomorrow," that never comes. Strengthen me to do today what You ask of me today. Help me to never put You off to some future time; delayed obedience is disobedience.
I love You, Father; I love You, Jesus; I love You, Spirit. I know You love me more than I can even imagine, and everything You do comes from Your love, because You are Love.
Let this Christmas Story sink down deep into my heart and my understanding. Let me know ever more of Your love in sending Your only Son, and give me the words to share that understanding, that others may also know You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And Merry Christmas to you all!
Sunday, December 24, 2017
The Christmas Story, Part 1
Luke 1: 26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Matthew 1: 18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Luke 1: 39-49
At that time (after the angel left her) Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, "Blest are you among women, and blest is the Child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blest is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blest, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is His Name."
O my goodness, there is so much here for Christmas Eve! I think I will just focus on a couple of things here, and maybe come back another time for the rest.
Let's look at who Mary was. She was a simple, young girl who loved the Lord, and had gotten engaged to a man who also loved the Lord, named Joseph. We find that, in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-16), Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, was directly descended from King David through Solomon and the whole list of kings, the regal line. And, from Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) we see that Mary also traced her line back to King David through his other son, Nathan (v. 31), so she also had royal blood. This gives Jesus the legal right to claim the Throne of David.
Even though Joseph traced his line directly back, he could not claim this throne, because his ancestor, King Jehoiachin (or Jeconiah, or Coniah), the last king over Judah, was so evil that Jeremiah pronounced a curse on him, that, "No man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah" (22:30).
But Jesus was not the "seed" of Joseph, just his legal Son, and His mother also was of King David's seed, his direct line. So Jesus does have the right to claim David's throne!
And Mary admitted that she needed a Savior (Luke 1:47), because she, like the rest of us, was born of Adam, with a human father.
And God did bless her, beyond all the other young women, in allowing her to be the mother of our Savior; and He also "pierced her heart [soul] with a sword" (Luke 2:35), when she witnessed the execution of her Son as a criminal.
God often "scourges" His most favored children (Hebrews 12:6), as we see in the Old Testament with Job and some of His prophets. Look at Hosea, who was told he'd fall in love with and marry a woman who would break his heart with infidelity to show Israel how she was breaking God's heart (Hosea 1:2); and God had Ezekiel's beloved wife die and he was not even to mourn for her, as a picture to Israel how God saw His wife, Israel (Ezekiel 24:15-18). He broke His own beloved, faithful prophets' hearts, and made their lives miserable.
Are we any less loved? When God breaks our hearts, it isn't to be mean to us, He still loves us more than we can imagine. But He trusts us, to still trust Him even when things go wrong for us.
When Mary was found to be expecting, she could've been stoned to death. She knew the consequences of her obedience. And can you imagine how Joseph looked at her when she told him she was pregnant? That must've hurt. So she took off to see Elizabeth. And stayed with her the last three months of her pregnancy to witness the birth and know what was in store for herself. (Luke finished one story before starting on the next, in 1:56.)
So, we find Mary pregnant and not yet married, and Joseph having to dream of an angel to convince him to trust her. And Mary did not doubt that her loving God was sovereign over her life in all of this.
Merry Christmas! We will continue this story tomorrow.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end."
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
Matthew 1: 18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Luke 1: 39-49
At that time (after the angel left her) Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, "Blest are you among women, and blest is the Child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blest is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blest, for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is His Name."
O my goodness, there is so much here for Christmas Eve! I think I will just focus on a couple of things here, and maybe come back another time for the rest.
Let's look at who Mary was. She was a simple, young girl who loved the Lord, and had gotten engaged to a man who also loved the Lord, named Joseph. We find that, in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-16), Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, was directly descended from King David through Solomon and the whole list of kings, the regal line. And, from Luke's genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) we see that Mary also traced her line back to King David through his other son, Nathan (v. 31), so she also had royal blood. This gives Jesus the legal right to claim the Throne of David.
Even though Joseph traced his line directly back, he could not claim this throne, because his ancestor, King Jehoiachin (or Jeconiah, or Coniah), the last king over Judah, was so evil that Jeremiah pronounced a curse on him, that, "No man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah" (22:30).
But Jesus was not the "seed" of Joseph, just his legal Son, and His mother also was of King David's seed, his direct line. So Jesus does have the right to claim David's throne!
And Mary admitted that she needed a Savior (Luke 1:47), because she, like the rest of us, was born of Adam, with a human father.
And God did bless her, beyond all the other young women, in allowing her to be the mother of our Savior; and He also "pierced her heart [soul] with a sword" (Luke 2:35), when she witnessed the execution of her Son as a criminal.
God often "scourges" His most favored children (Hebrews 12:6), as we see in the Old Testament with Job and some of His prophets. Look at Hosea, who was told he'd fall in love with and marry a woman who would break his heart with infidelity to show Israel how she was breaking God's heart (Hosea 1:2); and God had Ezekiel's beloved wife die and he was not even to mourn for her, as a picture to Israel how God saw His wife, Israel (Ezekiel 24:15-18). He broke His own beloved, faithful prophets' hearts, and made their lives miserable.
Are we any less loved? When God breaks our hearts, it isn't to be mean to us, He still loves us more than we can imagine. But He trusts us, to still trust Him even when things go wrong for us.
When Mary was found to be expecting, she could've been stoned to death. She knew the consequences of her obedience. And can you imagine how Joseph looked at her when she told him she was pregnant? That must've hurt. So she took off to see Elizabeth. And stayed with her the last three months of her pregnancy to witness the birth and know what was in store for herself. (Luke finished one story before starting on the next, in 1:56.)
So, we find Mary pregnant and not yet married, and Joseph having to dream of an angel to convince him to trust her. And Mary did not doubt that her loving God was sovereign over her life in all of this.
Merry Christmas! We will continue this story tomorrow.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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