Thursday, December 9, 2021

Thursday, December 9, 2021
Moses writes of hope and the Lord’s faithfulness.

Numbers 24:17 . . . there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel (KJV)

It may surprise you to know that this promise of Christmas came from a wicked prophet — Balaam. Balaam was a “prophet-for-hire”, and although his services are being paid for in return for a curse against Israel – because of God’s intervention — he could do nothing but bless! This prophecy looked ahead to a time in God’s timetable, when the curtain would rise on what we call today: the Christmas Story.

Tradition holds that the appearance of some celestial wonder: a comet, a new star … was a sign of the birth of a king or some illustrious person. Was this the Old Testament prophecy that moved the wise men to come searching for the King of the Jews? The description of “a Scepter rising out of Israel” underscores this royal intent. Then, recall when the Magi came seeking the birth of the king of the Jews they said: “we have seen His Star in the East.”

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Isaiah writes of hope, in troubled times.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. (NASB)

Here the prophet Isaiah was talking to the King of Judah – who is being threatened by invasion. Isaiah says to the pagan, idol-worshipping king: ask a sign of the Lord’s protection! The king refuses – he does not believe in the God of Isaiah. So, Isaiah prophetically addresses, not the king, but … “the House of David”, and says the Lord will give you a sign!

How wonderful that God – despite our frailties, fearfulness, and lack of faith –gives us something tangible we can cling to! Here is a promise of a future Messiah! Ray Stedman points out that when the angel came to Joseph and told him not to fear taking Mary as his wife — the angel appeared to him because he was “of the line of David” (Matthew 1:20). Then, when the angelic host announced to the shepherds that a Savior had been born, (Luke 2:10) they called Him “Christ the Lord” which is the same as “Immanuel” … “God with us”. These two verses clearly show the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy!

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Tuesday, December 7, 2021
The prophet Micah foretells the coming of Messiah.

Micah 5:2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephratha (EFF-ruh-thuh), too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. (NASB)

When the magi came seeking the birthplace of the baby Jesus the chief priests answered them by quoting this prophecy of Micah given 700 years earlier! Over and over in Scripture, God glorifies Himself by bringing forth great things from the most unlikely of places. Bethlehem was an insignificant stop on the road from Jerusalem – but it would forever be exalted by this promise that it would be the birthplace of Messiah!

John Piper notes that God is not impressed by big-ness. After Old Testament King Saul was disqualified as king, God’s prophet turned to the little town of Bethlehem. Among the fine strapping sons of Jesse: it was not the oldest, but the youngest who was anointed. When Goliath cursed the God of Israel, it was not the tall, imposing King Saul who went out to fight — but a young shepherd boy. When David fought the giant: it was not with royal sword or shield, but with a shepherd’s slingshot. When all seems lost — do as Micah did — trust the promise of God that a deliverer is coming!

Monday, December 6, 2021

Monday, December 6, 2021
In the account of Creation, Moses records the first promise of Christmas.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. (NASB)

Just 3 chapters into the creation account is the response of God to Satan’s attack on Adam and Eve. Sin has come into the perfect world of God’s creation, and God must preside over a courtroom in Eden. Mankind is not going to come out well in this – the verdict for disobedience was death, and death it would be.

“But God” … I love those words! But God comes to the rescue of humanity and becomes their deliverer: promising a Savior … the seed of a woman. People ask when it comes to being “saved” – they ask, “What from?” The answer is here. As all humanity has fallen under the sentence of death for Adam’s sin – here God foreshadows His Son’s coming to satisfy the law’s demands. On the cross — Satan bruised the heel of Christ; in the resurrection — Christ crushed the head of Satan.

Friday, December 3, 2021

Friday, December 3, 2021
The Psalmist writes that those who trust God will find peace in the face of difficulty.

Psalm 119:165 Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble. (NASB)

When you love God’s will above all else: peace will dominate you completely. Elisabeth Elliot, the missionary speaker who inspired so many by returning to minister to the Ecuadorian natives who martyred her husband Jim – developed dementia in her later years. Her husband, Lars Gren, wrote about Elisabeth’s trust in God’s saying, Elliot handled dementia just as she did the deaths of her husbands. “She accepted those things, [knowing] they were no surprise to God, It was something she would rather not have experienced, but she received it.”

Steve Saint – son of Nate Saint, one of the other missionaries killed alongside Elliot’s first husband – had this Facebook posting at [Elliot’s] death: “I think Elisabeth would be happy just being remembered as not much of a woman that God used greatly. To the rest of us she was an incredibly talented and gifted woman who trusted God in life’s calamities, even the loss of her mind to dementia, and who allowed God to use her. He did use her.” Nothing God allows to happen to us can jeopardize the eternal inheritance God has in store for His children. Find peace in God’s sovereign control of every aspect of your life!

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Thursday, December 2, 2021
The prophet Isaiah says the reward for consistently focusing on God’s provision for daily life is perfect peace.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (KJV)

The power of Almighty God is so overwhelming and irresistible that worry cannot exist in the same space! Peace is the prevailing attitude in the throne-room of God. Woodrow Kroll explains the idea of “perfect peace” as like a double portion of peace. Remember Elisha desired a “double portion” of his mentor Elijah’s spirit?

Christ-followers remain serene and steadfast during confusion — because the Savior never wrings His hands and wonders what to do! There is no problem too great He cannot solve; no circumstance that He cannot overrule. The way is plain for the one who will simply place their trust in God with all their heart!