Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Luke 1:37
Wednesday, December 24, 2008 |
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
I love the Christmas story as told by Matthew, the tax collector, and "Dr." Luke. These two men wrote about the most amazing, miraculous birth in the history of the world, in only four chapters, Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. In fact, the two men only use 168 verses to tell this marvelous story. The verse I have chosen to be highlighted, verse 37, says it all for this story, "nothing is impossible for God."
Look at the characters in this drama. There is an old couple Zacharias and Elisabeth, that have not had any children because the wife had a barren womb. Her husband is one of the elderly priests serving at the Temple about 6 miles from their home in Ein Karem in the Judean forest outside of Jerusalem. The Priest, Zacharias, is chosen by lot to offer the incense on the altar of incense - a special privilege for any priest.
It is when he is performing his duties that the “Archangel Gabriel” appears to tell Zacharias that his wife was going to have a child - something that Zacharias thought was impossible. In fact, because of his unbelief, he was made dumb - unable to speak - until the eighth day of his son's life.
From the Temple we journey over 90 miles north to the very small village in the Galilee known as Nazareth. Here, once again, the impossible will be discussed by Gabriel and a young “virgin girl” who was engaged to a man whose name was Joseph.
The young bride to be, Mary, when told by Gabriel that she was to birth the Messiah, would respond by asking how that could be, since she had never had a sexual relationship with any man, verse 34.
God loves the “impossible”, in fact, nothing is impossible with God, verse 37. Out of the impossible, God would bring forth His Son, the one He would give the throne of His father David, verse 32. Remember, God made a covenant with King David, II Samuel 7, that one of his sons would sit on the throne of the King in a temple in the city of Jerusalem one day.
The Prophet Jeremiah said that the sun, moon and stars would disappear before He broke His covenant with David, Jeremiah 33:20-21. By the way, it is impossible for the sun, moon and stars to disappear and it is impossible for God to break His covenant with King David. I guess there are some things impossible for God, only that which He said He “cannot” do.
Interestingly, the text seems to indicate that Jesus was indeed born in the month of December. Verse 5 reveals to us that Zacharias was serving at the Temple the last week of July and the first week of August, according to the “course of Abia”, I Chronicles 24:10.
After his service the priest would have a period of almost three weeks to deal with some related rituals before he could return to his family, his wife in the case of Zacharias. Elisabeth would have conceived the first week of September, with Mary conceiving in the first of March, six months later, verse 26.
Then, nine months later Mary would give birth to the Messiah on a cold winter night in December, in the “shepherds fields” near Bethlehem. The reason for the “shepherds” being in the fields at this season is that the were “priestly shepherds” who had trained to be priest and assigned to watch over the sheep to be sacrificed at the Temple about three miles from the shepherds fields.
These shepherds would be the ones to receive the message of the birth of the Messiah from the angels that filled the skies that cold winter night. These shepherds were told that they could find the newborn Messiah “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger”, Luke 2:12, more on this in our next devotional.
You know the miraculous “first coming” of Jesus sets the stage for the “second coming” of Jesus. It lays the foundation upon which we can rest assured He will keep His promise. I love the Christmas story.
PRAYER THOT: Thank you Lord that you will do that which seems impossible - you will come again soon!
I love the Christmas story as told by Matthew, the tax collector, and "Dr." Luke. These two men wrote about the most amazing, miraculous birth in the history of the world, in only four chapters, Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. In fact, the two men only use 168 verses to tell this marvelous story. The verse I have chosen to be highlighted, verse 37, says it all for this story, "nothing is impossible for God."
Look at the characters in this drama. There is an old couple Zacharias and Elisabeth, that have not had any children because the wife had a barren womb. Her husband is one of the elderly priests serving at the Temple about 6 miles from their home in Ein Karem in the Judean forest outside of Jerusalem. The Priest, Zacharias, is chosen by lot to offer the incense on the altar of incense - a special privilege for any priest.
It is when he is performing his duties that the “Archangel Gabriel” appears to tell Zacharias that his wife was going to have a child - something that Zacharias thought was impossible. In fact, because of his unbelief, he was made dumb - unable to speak - until the eighth day of his son's life.
From the Temple we journey over 90 miles north to the very small village in the Galilee known as Nazareth. Here, once again, the impossible will be discussed by Gabriel and a young “virgin girl” who was engaged to a man whose name was Joseph.
The young bride to be, Mary, when told by Gabriel that she was to birth the Messiah, would respond by asking how that could be, since she had never had a sexual relationship with any man, verse 34.
God loves the “impossible”, in fact, nothing is impossible with God, verse 37. Out of the impossible, God would bring forth His Son, the one He would give the throne of His father David, verse 32. Remember, God made a covenant with King David, II Samuel 7, that one of his sons would sit on the throne of the King in a temple in the city of Jerusalem one day.
The Prophet Jeremiah said that the sun, moon and stars would disappear before He broke His covenant with David, Jeremiah 33:20-21. By the way, it is impossible for the sun, moon and stars to disappear and it is impossible for God to break His covenant with King David. I guess there are some things impossible for God, only that which He said He “cannot” do.
Interestingly, the text seems to indicate that Jesus was indeed born in the month of December. Verse 5 reveals to us that Zacharias was serving at the Temple the last week of July and the first week of August, according to the “course of Abia”, I Chronicles 24:10.
After his service the priest would have a period of almost three weeks to deal with some related rituals before he could return to his family, his wife in the case of Zacharias. Elisabeth would have conceived the first week of September, with Mary conceiving in the first of March, six months later, verse 26.
Then, nine months later Mary would give birth to the Messiah on a cold winter night in December, in the “shepherds fields” near Bethlehem. The reason for the “shepherds” being in the fields at this season is that the were “priestly shepherds” who had trained to be priest and assigned to watch over the sheep to be sacrificed at the Temple about three miles from the shepherds fields.
These shepherds would be the ones to receive the message of the birth of the Messiah from the angels that filled the skies that cold winter night. These shepherds were told that they could find the newborn Messiah “wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger”, Luke 2:12, more on this in our next devotional.
You know the miraculous “first coming” of Jesus sets the stage for the “second coming” of Jesus. It lays the foundation upon which we can rest assured He will keep His promise. I love the Christmas story.
PRAYER THOT: Thank you Lord that you will do that which seems impossible - you will come again soon!