Month: December 2024

This census was being done primarily for taxation purposes…so from the start, no one was overjoyed to travel to their ancestral home. But Joseph was forced to go to Bethlehem… with a very pregnant Mary. Now Bethlehem wasn’t a huge city, it was more like a small hamlet with very limited places that a traveler might safely stay for the night. And by the time Mary & Joseph finally got there, the small town had ballooned to overflowing. This is when we meet an unnamed Innkeeper who had been “stuffing” people wherever he could all day. He was weary from feeding & watering animals and exhausted from dealing with travelers. So when Joseph knocked on his door, he might have taken one look at the harried & very pregnant Mary and shooed them away…but he didn’t. Even in his overwhelmed condition, the Innkeeper unwittingly became part of God’s magnificent plan…his compassion for the weary couple overriding his own exhaustion as he found room for them.

Joseph, a kindly carpenter of Nazareth, became the earthly father of Jesus through default…having nothing to do with the actual conception. As a devout Jew, Joseph adhered to the Law, but as a human, he struggled mightily when his beloved Mary informed him that she was pregnant. Joseph’s emotions ran the gambit from absolute disbelief of Mary’s explanation, to anger at her seemingly betrayal of their love, to total heartbreak of their future together. Hence, it took a revelatory dream to change Joseph’s mind from quietly divorcing her. Joseph was a man of faith, integrity, and humility…and Jesus was deeply imprinted by this quiet man, even taking on his trade. For even though it wasn’t Joseph’s plan, he was entrusted with the huge task of caring for God’s Son by Divine intervention. And so, cutting through it all, Joseph chose faith over fear, Godly understanding over confusion, mercy over anger… deliberately choosing to love not only Mary, but this baby boy who wasn’t his.

To the world, Mary was just a poor peasant girl…but to God, she was a woman of rare strength. And when the angel visited this chaste Jewish girl who was betrothed to humble carpenter, her world was turned upside down with the announcement that she would have a son by Immaculate Conception. This miracle was only amplified by the social perception of her being an unwed mother…her pregnancy causing her immense embarrassment and the near loss of her fiancé. But in this Scripture, Mary is called favored…meaning unmerited kindness and grace from God. For God saw a willing, and obedient servant and the only person to be with Jesus throughout His entire life- from birth to death.

Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had endured the shame & disgrace of not being able to have children. And in a society where having many children was normal and celebrated…being childless was looked upon as disapproval from God. But this all changed when the angel Gabriel promised them a son. Later, when Elizabeth was 6 months along, she was sought out by her cousin Mary…a bewildered and frightened young girl who had just been visited by an angel herself…the angel announcing that she too would bear a son. Fearing the rebuke of the townspeople, Mary had come seeking solace & understanding. And that’s just what Elizabeth delivered, articulating in humble wonder the true identity of Mary’s unborn son and paying tribute to her unwavering faith. Elizabeth may had spent most of her life slighted & trivialized by society…but for those following 3 months, she was Mary’s best cheerleader, encourager, and confidante.

Today we’ll look at the Genealogy of Jesus as it’s listed in Matthew 1:1-16. In particular, we are going to focus on the four women (minus Mary) who were part of the lineage of Christ. For one thing, it was unheard of in those times to include women in this listing…but especially because of their scandalous backgrounds. However, it also goes to show God’s Sovereign Will, grace & mercy regardless of our past. First listed is Tamar, a Canaanite woman and daughter-in-law of Judah who deceptively disguising herself as a prostitute to secure her rights and become the mother of Judah’s twin sons, Zeran and Perez. Next is Rahab, a harlot of Jericho who saved the lives of Joshua’s spies by hiding them, giving them military information, and helping them to escape the city. Then we see Ruth listed, a woman from the heathen land of Moab who faithfully followed her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem where she caught the eye of Boaz who became her kinsman-redeemer. Finally, we see Bathsheba who was embroiled in an adulterous affair with king David, culminating with the planned murder of her husband on the battlefield. All four women would have been relegated to an unimportant position in society…but yet God chose to use them in the big picture of Jesus coming to earth as a baby.

Over the next week leading up to Christmas, we’re going to be looking at the seemingly unimportant people in the world’s eye, that were pivotal in the story of the Nativity. Dr. Charles Stanley once wrote, “What appears to be unimportant may have eternal significance.” And yes, while we are unworthy servants in God’s eyes…His plan & purpose unconcerned about the details here on earth, for they are incapable of affecting the essential blessedness of God. Our existence as a Follower of Jesus may have eternal significance beyond anything we can imagine. So, while many of us may feel marginalized, small, and even worthless…in the eternal scheme of things, our life is very important in God’s eyes.

Both Josiah’s father & grandfather ruled as wicked kings, but it tells us that young Josiah “did right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of David his father.” So, when during repairs to the Temple the high priest Hilkiah found the lost Book of the Law (probably the Pentateuch) he gave it to Shaphan, who in turn presented it to king Josiah… reading it out loud to him. Josiah then accepted the Book of the Law as God’s Word and used it as a guide for reform, repentance, and revival of the nation. In II Kings 23:3 we read that, “King Josiah stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord – to follow the Lord and keep His commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this Book.”

As we thank God for His steadfast love, we should remember these things: Trust in God’s timing. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Everything God does is always appropriate and fitting at just the right time. Rely on His promises. (Joshua 21:45) All of His promises have been or will be fulfilled…and we can be assured of this fact. Wait for His answers. (Psalm 37:7) We are to patiently wait on the Lord for answers, walking by faith & not by sight. Rejoice in His goodness. (Natham 1:7) We are to offer up a thank offering, for God is good all the time. Finally, we are to rest in His Presence. (I John 3:19) And set our hearts at peace as we dwell in His fellowship.

Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’re immune to adversity or troubles…it’s just how we approach these things that makes the difference. First, we need to ask for Godly wisdom (James 1:5) and discernment. Secondly, ask for Godly insight to see clearly into the situation we’re faced with. In the Parable Jesus taught in Matthew 13:13 He spoke about the human inability to understand or see through God’s eyes, the “Seeing but yet not perceiving” like God can. Finally, we need to ask for Godly perspective…a seeking of His viewpoint into the true importance of said problem in the eternal scheme of things. For as Isaiah 55:8 tells us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.”

The Lord’s unspeakable love and tender mercies for Israel was the grounds of His election of them. (Deuteronomy 7:6-7) This everlasting character of the old covenant was first affirmed to Abraham in Genesis 17:7 and here in Jeremiah 31:3 is a sign of the reestablishment of the broken covenant talked about in Jeremiah 9:24, “But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, Who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord.” But with the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross, the new covenant was established…a covenant of grace, redemption, and the promised hope of eternal life.