The Promise came to be!
It is appropriate at this time of year to think about some of the prophecies in the Old Testament which point forward to the coming of the Christ into the world.
Jesus' birth was no accident. lt had been carefully planned by God before creation took place. Not only is his birth a miracle but the planning of it also a miracle. The accuracy of the biblical predictions concerning this birth is amazing.
This blog is somewhat longer than will be my norm because it is the compilation of several simple thoughts on this subject.
The first clear prophecy to the birth of Jesus is found in Genesis 3:15. Man had just fallen, sin had entered God's perfect creation, satan had been at work. Then God immediately moves into action. There is no delay, no messing about by God.
There is no question of God having to go back to the Trinity to sort out what they were going to do now. God knew what was going to happen. He was unfazed by the happening. He was in total control and moved into the next phase of his plan. This is
great encouragement for all of us. Nothing that happens to us catches God unawares.
Then God promises that satan's head would be crushed by the seed of the woman. Note to whom this promise is made – satan himself. He knows where it's at. Satan does not have to find out from the ‘grapevine’. God has told him directly.
Because of its import the seed to which God refers is a recurring theme throughout the Old Testament but Gal 3:16 makes it clear that this is a singular seed. It refers primarily to the Lord Jesus but it also refers to the church, the body of Christ - but only if the church is singular in its attitude and action. lt is through the church, one in heart, attitude and action that satan will be crushed. Therefore we don't pray for satan to be put down. Rather we pray for and act for the unity of the church. ln this unity satan will be crushed.
This Jesus is the seed of the woman. It is not a Jesus created by mankind but only a Jesus who became man by the intercourse of the Holy Spirit.
Another of these ‘seed’ prophecies is found in Gen 22:18 where God promises Anbaham that through his seed, or offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed. The seed to come, ie Jesus, was to be a "blessing" seed. We see earlier in Genesis in chapter 12:2,3 that God’s promise to Abraham was that he would be a blessing.
Jesus came into the world to be a blessing and to bless. The gospel he brings is a gospel of blessing. In fact one of the proclamations of the angels announcing his birth was “goodwill to all men”. The gospel which we are to embrace and proclaim as the corporate Christ is to be a gospel of blessing.
In the three years of Jesus’ ministry he was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and went around doing good (Acts 10:38). Jesus blessed many thousands without apparently making their being blessed conditional upon some response from them. So often the gospel we embrace can become subtly a ‘bless me’ gospel. What did we get for the effort we put in? What was there in it for me? Yet, if the seed of Abraham, and we are that seed, is to be a ‘blessing’ seed then the success of our mission has to be measured in terms of how many were blessed. For many years we, as a church, have offered a free Christmas present wrapping service in the local shopping centre. How many have been saved? I’m not aware of any. How many have been blessed? Hundreds! We have conducted free town centre barbecues. How many have been saved? Well we know definitely of two! But how many were blessed? Hundreds!
Many Christian groupings will use Christmastime as 'bless me’ season, rattling collecting boxes. But our mandate as the "promised seed" is to be the ‘blesser’.
Another element of blessing is that it should not be partial. It is as legitimate to bless the one who apparently has no need, as it to bless where there is clearly a need.
Jesus came into the world to 'bless all people & nations. We should do likewise.
Another Prophecy!
Let us look briefly at Ps 40:6-8. "sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced, burnt offering, and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said 'Here I am, I have come - it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart’”
These verses record the statement, as it were, of Jesus' commitment to serve his Father God and in doing so to become man.
The phrase "you have pierced my ears" refers to the ritual to which a person subjected themselves when they voluntarily became the slave of another (Exod 21:5,6). Jesus is saying he voluntarily would become God's slave. This same phrase is rendered in the Bible margin as "a body you have prepared for me". When Jesus was born with a body to become man, he did so to serve God as a slave - totally voluntarily.
We then read Jesus of pesenting himself and making himself available - "Here I am". What was written about him in the book, he was totally committed to fulfilling.
We see the heart of Jesus in expressing that his desire is to do God's will. His outward actions were more than matched by an inner motivation. ln preparing himself to totally serve God, he had laid up the word (law) of God in his heart.
Now let us consider the timing, as it were, of this prophecy concerning Jesus. This expression of it took place about 1000 years before Christ was born. The interchange between God the Father and his Son took place in eternity. For Jesus to do the will of God meant a total sacrifice of himself.
Can we perhaps impose human thinking upon that divine conversation? He knew that to do the will of God would require a total humbling of himself. He knew that to do the will of God would mean "putting himself out" big time! He would have to lay aside his glory. He, the Lord of creation, would have to be conceived within the womb of Mary - what a confinement for Almighty God. He would have to then be squeezed through the birth channel and then enter the world as a helpless little baby.
There are here so many lessons for us, as we seek to serve God in this world and in doing so seek to emulate Jesus, the one who has called us into this service.
"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." (lsa 7: l4)
This is another prophetic declaration of the coming of Jesus. This was spoken by lsaiah 700 years before Jesus' birth. This is one of my favourites! This is not a verse to promote Mary - who was simply the "handmaiden of the Lord". But it is a verse pointing to the unique and miraculous birth of the Lord Jesus. He could only effectively serve his God and Father by having been born in this miraculous way. Similarly we all have gone through a miraculous new birth and become partakers of God's nature, fitted to serve God. Never let us underestimate the miracle nature of our new birth, just as we should always resist those who would deny the miracle nature of Christ's birth.
This virgin birth is the sign to the world, because in this birth God became man - that is why he is called lmmanuel. Many will look for signs concerning, for example, the authenticity of Christianity. But Jesus said the only sign that would be given was his death and resurrection. ln this he was declared to be God (Rom 1.4). So the sign God has given to the world is lmmanuel, born of a virgin - God with us.
When God is with us, this is the only sign the world needs. A hungry, hurting world is looking for God. They will find God in his people and with his people, as we give Jesus his rightful place. Give total control to the Holy Spirit and just as lmmanuel was conceived within the womb of Mary (Lk 1:35), so lmmanuel will be conceived within the company of people known as the church
God is with us, it breeds confidence. When we know God is with us we can be confident (Read Heb 13:5,6). Because of his constant presence, or perhaps more importantly the awareness of his constant presence, we can assert that in all things God is our helper, what can man do to me? I will not be afraid. This is particularly true when the source of our potential pressure is financial. And again, our confidence as we live in the light of fellowship with lmmanuel will be the sign to the world.
Unto Us a Child is Born
A really good prophetic scripture concerning the coming of Christ into the world is lsaiah 9:6,7. This scripture is rich and deserves to be read and meditated upon.
Here we see that "a child is born" to us; "a son is given" to us. When my wife gave birth to our son, a child was born to us but only us, a son was given to us, but only us. When Mary gave birth to Jesus, he wasn't given to her. He was given to the whole world. Jesus was God's gift to all people. ln fact, it is in Jesus and because of Jesus that all God's gifts subsist.
When it says that "a son is given to us", this is not emphasising his masculinity. Rather it is emphasising the fact that he is the heir, God's heir. In his son being given to us, God is also making his inheritance available to us. The scripture, in fact, records that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8:7). Ponder this for a while. How many of us have an earthly inheritance awaiting us. But Jesus is the inheritor of all things and we are co-heirs with him. What a hope we have!
This one given to us is the one who rules and the scripture says that there will be no end to the increase of his rule. lt states that the government exercising that rule is upon his shoulders. Now let's do a bit of logical thinking. Where are the shoulders? Obviously,on the body. Where is Christ's body? We are his body. Jesus Christ rules for us and expresses his rule through us. Now we either believe this or we don't. As we believe it, so the increase of his rule takes place and we enjoy victory over every
circumstance that would assail us lf we don't believe it, it doesn't in any way lessen Christ's rule - but we lose out and live in defeat. When it says "And he will be called". This doesn't mean that Jesus will have several "Christian" names. When it says "he will be called", it means "he will be". He will be "wonderful" - to stop here will provoke worship to arise in our hearts. Jesus is wonderful - in all his being and all his ways, he is to be wondered at.
He will be "mighty God" - the champion! "Everlasting Father" indicates the source of eternal sustenance and encouragement. He will be "Prince of peace". He rules in and with peace. He is the dispenser of peace, into our lives and into our relationships.
All this is embodied in the babe of Bethlehem. But to limit him to that babe is an insult.
A Promised Ruler from Bethlehem
A further prophetic declaration of the coming of Jesus as a man is Micah 5:2. Here the birth place of Jesus is specifically stated. lt is in Bethlehem Ephrathah that the ruler of lsrael is to be born. We know this because of the affirmation in Matt 2:6. The Jewish teachers understood very clearly that this is what Micah was saying.
This ruler, as we see from Mic 5:4 and Matt 2:6, will be a shepherd. Rule and shepherding go hand in hand in God's leadership A ruler is one who cares for the sheep of his flock. He ensures that they are properly fed and watered. He tends them if they damage any of their limbs. Godly leadership is not a boss - it is a shepherd. Even though a shepherd is primarily a man of care, he is most definitely not a 'softie'. ln fact, it says in Rev 2:27 that this ruler will "shepherd" the nations with a rod of iron. Jesus is the good shepherd but he is also one who deals with situations very firmly.
Bethlehem means "house of bread", the place of provision and sustenance. Jesus came bringing what we need out of the House of Bread. God's provision to us is made available through the shepherding function of his leaders. As we shepherd in a godly fashion and submit to godly shepherds, so God's provision is released to us. Many Christians want the "hand out" but not the shepherding. The former will only temporarily assuage the need. The latter will bring total satisfaction.
Ephrathah is the place of fruitfulness. Jesus was fruitful in all he did and in all he does. God's desire for us is fruitfulness. Jn 15:16 tells us that we were appointed to go and bear fruit. As we set out our stalls to be fruitful, and this is the produce of diligent service, so it says in Jn 15:16 that God will give whatever we ask in Jesus' name. Have you ever realised before, that there is a close link between service and answered prayers. God the Father delighted in Jesus because of what he did!
The Desired One
A little quoted Old Testament prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus into the world is found in Haggai 2:7 – “the desired of all nations will come”. This is a prophecy which also forms part of a carol
Sages leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar.
Seek the great desire of nations.
Ye have sen his natal star.
Jesus is the desire of the hearts of men & woman. Ecclesiastes tells us that God has set eternity in the hearts of men (Ecc 3:11). There is that dimension about men & women thich cannot satisfied apart from a knowing of the God of eternity. There is a desire in the hearts of all people which cannot be fulfilled outside of Jesus Christ. It is obvious to all that mankind is on a constant search. Generally the object of that search cannot be defined, although certain of its characteristics can be. Men & women are searching for happiness. They are searching for peace. All people are searching for a sense of identity.
All these things spring out of that desire in the heart of mankind. Jesus is the only one who can bring true happiness. He alone is the Prince of Peace. It is only by coming into a relationship with Jesus that a man or a woman can know their true identity. The fact that someone has a desire, does not necessarily mean that (a) they will know what will ultimately satisfy that desire, or (b) they are always conscious of the desire being there. The desire can be awakened.
What does this mean for us? It is important for us to understand that he message we carry is the one, Christ Jesus, for whom the world is searching, and the one in whom all their desires find their fulfilment. We are not carrying a message for which there is no response in the hearts of people. The hook for our message is already there. We simply have to present it. Jesus came to fill a gap. That gap can only be filled by an encounter with Jesus.
Certainly the Old Testament scriptures are all about Jesus, and have been written down for us.
