As we approach the time of the year when we, as the children of God, celebrate His greatest gift to us, His Son, Jesus Christ, it is an appropriate time to consider the spiritual climate in and around the holy Promised Land during this time.
God revealed Himself to man from the very Beginning, when He first created man in the form of Adam. Adam then fell away from God, and over time, God became sorry that He had made man, and He decided to flood the earth, saving only Noah and his family. Noah was a just man, blameless in his generations, and he walked with God.
By ten generations along, however, things were very bad again, and pagan polytheism was prolific throughout the fertile crescent, and especially surrounding Egypt and Babylonia. Here Abraham heard the voice of God telling him to move into Canaan, the Promised Land, and that God would give all the land Abraham could see to him and his descendants forever. Abraham then begat Isaac, and Isaac then begat Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons became the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son of Rachel, was sold by his jealous brothers into slavery and carted away to Egypt. Famine drove the Hebrews to Egypt for food, and eventually they all became enslaved by a cruel pharaoh. Moses, a Hebrew baby orphaned into Pharaoh’s household, heard the voice of God telling him to lead his people out of captivity and into the Promised Land of Canaan, as He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so long ago.
Through great signs and wonders from God, Moses led his people out of captivity into the wilderness. And there, on Mount Sinai, He made a covenant with Moses, which we call the Ten Commandments; that as long as the children of God obeyed his Law, God would deliver them into the Promised Land. Moses led the Hebrews in the desert for forty years, as a nomadic people, and is considered the greatest prophet to ever live.
But still, idol worship and depravity plagued man, and evil prowled around like a hungry lion. As God’s children coalesced into a nation of Israelites, they were influenced by the surrounding culture and fell victim to societal and spiritual corruption more than ever before. Israelite kings, prophets, and even Priests broke God’s commandments; practiced idol worship, even naming their own children after Baal, a pagan idol; and practiced elitism by interpreting and enforcing the Law so strictly that it was impossible to follow!
Around this time, Isaiah prophesied, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [God with us]. Curds and honey he shall eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.” ~Isaiah 7:14-15.
Hundreds of years passed and then God made good on His message, and sent Jesus, the Great Messiah, to our rescue. Messiah means savior. Jesus’ coming was prophesied by all the great prophets and was foretold by angels:
“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s namewas Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.”
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” ~Luke 1:26-38
God desired to redeem us yet again from our debauchery and sinfulness by showing us that living just for God meant living humbly and simply, as Jesus lived. As opposed to the Pharisees of the time, it meant not exalting yourself, but debasing yourself for God’s purpose, whatever that might entail, even if it means death, as Jesus showed. It means that being innocent like a child is necessary to obtain the kingdom of heaven, versus being a corrupt holy high Priest, as Jesus taught.
Jesus demonstrates to us that a man can stay righteous and pure. That life is not easy, but living for God and the kingdom of heaven is worth it. Jesus avoided temptations and taught the devil the Law in the process!
As we reflect near this time of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, it is important to know that Jesus’ perfect blood made a perpetual, everlasting atonement for us and for our sins. He knew his mission was Divine and that God wanted him to sacrifice himself for the sake of mankind. And he willingly did this. For us. What amazing love for us and for God, his Father. He didn’t want to die. He asked that this cup be passed from him, if there was any way. But there wasn’t. Jesus’ birth prevented our everlasting death. His death gave us everlasting life. Moses gave us the Law but Jesus needed to come to give us grace and Truth in God. Amen.
~Song of Mary~ 