| The Planned Entrance of God's Son into the World The birth of this child was orchestrated by God from the beginning of time. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit planned how God the Son would make His entrance into this world. They set up in infinite detail every event that came to pass during the 33 years He lived on earth. The Birth Foretold in the Old Testament But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Isralites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace." Micah 5:2-5a (NIV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. Jeremiah 10:6 (NLT) "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look so eagerly, is surely coming," says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1 (NLT) "Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. ...This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares. Zechariah 3:8 & 12:1 (NIV) The Birth Announcement to Individuals To Elizabeth and Zechariah: But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. ...and he will change disobedient minds to accept the wisdom of the godly." Luke 1:13, 17b (NLT) To Anna and Simeon: I have seen the Savior you have given to all people. Luke 2:30-31 (NLT) She talked about Jesus to everyone who had been waiting for the promised King to come and deliver Jerusalem. Luke 2:38b (NLT) To Mary: You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. Luke 1:31-32a (NLT) To Joseph: "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit." Matthew 1:20b (NLT) To the Shepherds: The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! Luke 2:11 (NLT) The Birth Announcement to the World And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David's ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancee, who was obviously pregnant by this time. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn. Luke 2:4-7 (NLT) Does this give you as much comfort, peace and security as it does me? To my finite mind it seems like things are running amok in our world. I know by faith from God's point of view all is right on schedule as planned. Charles Hadden Spurgeon says in his book Morning and Evening: "The Scriptures are the swaddling bands of the holy child Jesus; unroll them and you find your Saviour. The quintessence of the word of God is Christ" (325). With a thankful heart, we can praise our Father for His plan. Happy Thanksgiving! |
