Post by Pam on Dec 1, 2009 23:26:49 GMT -5
~ In Between The Prophecies And His Birth~
December 1, 2009
His Birth was foretold:
Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, Scripture records the words of the prophets of Israel predicting His coming. The Old Testament, written by many people over a period of 1,500 years, contains many *prophecies describing His coming. All of these details came true, which included his miraculous birth. Later, in the New Testament his coming was revealed by angel to a virgin who would become his mother.
Angel speaks to Joseph:
Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"[—which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Mary visits Elizabeth:
Luke 1:39-56
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
Then Mary said, "My heart is overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in God my Savior. For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant and, after this, all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of women! The one who can do all things has done great things for me - oh, holy is his Name! Truly, his mercy rests on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has swept away the high and mighty. He has set kings down from their thrones and lifted up the humble. He has satisfied the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. Yes, he has helped Israel, his child: he has remembered the mercy that he promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and his sons for evermore!"
So Mary stayed with Elisabeth about three months, and then went back to her own home.
Though Mary's return home is mentioned prior to Luke's account of the birth, It’s likely that she remained with Elizabeth until the baby was born, and then returned home. By this time, Mary own pregnancy was showing, or was about to.
Mary had certainly been an encouragement to Elizabeth and Zechariah, but God probably had planned it especially for Mary's benefit. Upon returning home, Mary would be subject to cruel taunts and slander, here she was safe. Upon returning home, Mary would have to stand on her own spiritual feet, lonely, misunderstood, rejected. Here she was loved and accepted.
The Journey to Bethlehem:
Luke 2:1-38 - At that time (of the birth of John the Baptist) a proclamation was made by Caesar Augustus that all the inhabited world should be registered. This was the first census, undertaken while Cyrenius was governor of Syria and everybody went to the town of his birth to be registered. Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to David's town, Bethlehem, in Judea, because he was a direct descendant of David, to be registered with his future wife, Mary, now in the later stages of her pregnancy.
_____________________________________________________
This was a prelude to the prophecies and the birth of Christ. In the next two weeks we will continue with the rest of the story to its end.
December 1, 2009
His Birth was foretold:
Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, Scripture records the words of the prophets of Israel predicting His coming. The Old Testament, written by many people over a period of 1,500 years, contains many *prophecies describing His coming. All of these details came true, which included his miraculous birth. Later, in the New Testament his coming was revealed by angel to a virgin who would become his mother.
Angel speaks to Joseph:
Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"[—which means, "God with us."
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Mary visits Elizabeth:
Luke 1:39-56
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
Then Mary said, "My heart is overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in God my Savior. For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant and, after this, all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of women! The one who can do all things has done great things for me - oh, holy is his Name! Truly, his mercy rests on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has swept away the high and mighty. He has set kings down from their thrones and lifted up the humble. He has satisfied the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away with empty hands. Yes, he has helped Israel, his child: he has remembered the mercy that he promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and his sons for evermore!"
So Mary stayed with Elisabeth about three months, and then went back to her own home.
Though Mary's return home is mentioned prior to Luke's account of the birth, It’s likely that she remained with Elizabeth until the baby was born, and then returned home. By this time, Mary own pregnancy was showing, or was about to.
Mary had certainly been an encouragement to Elizabeth and Zechariah, but God probably had planned it especially for Mary's benefit. Upon returning home, Mary would be subject to cruel taunts and slander, here she was safe. Upon returning home, Mary would have to stand on her own spiritual feet, lonely, misunderstood, rejected. Here she was loved and accepted.
The Journey to Bethlehem:
Luke 2:1-38 - At that time (of the birth of John the Baptist) a proclamation was made by Caesar Augustus that all the inhabited world should be registered. This was the first census, undertaken while Cyrenius was governor of Syria and everybody went to the town of his birth to be registered. Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to David's town, Bethlehem, in Judea, because he was a direct descendant of David, to be registered with his future wife, Mary, now in the later stages of her pregnancy.
_____________________________________________________
This was a prelude to the prophecies and the birth of Christ. In the next two weeks we will continue with the rest of the story to its end.