Preparing for the Season – Prophets part 1
I can hear the song: “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go.” I went into Hobby Lobby in August and remarked to my husband that Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier each year. It’s an interesting holiday to me. It promotes love, joy and peace, yet everybody runs around looking harried. It reminds me of one of my favorite Christmas movies: Jingle All The Way. In it, the father has forgotten to pick up THE toy for his son and now it’s Christmas Eve. He runs around town finding himself in a competition to find THE toy. Along the way things go a bit off the rails. It’s a hilarious movie, but it shows the dichotomy of the season. On one hand we pray for peace and joy in the world. On the other, we are running around trying to make things perfect for the holidays. We are frustrated by the crowds and endless lines in stores. We fret about not being able to find THE right gifts. Depression is high, suicides are up, and everyone’s nerves are on edge. What happened to the peace?
I know you think this is going to be one of those “reason for the season” Bible studies, but you would only be partially right. Jesus is the reason for the season as we celebrate his incarnation during this time. He is the Prince of Peace brought down to earth because God so loved the world. Was Jesus born on December 25th? Most likely not. But, we have chosen this time to set aside to celebrate the wonderful gift of God to mankind. So, yes, I want to bring us back to the reason for this season. But mainly I want us to begin now, especially this year, to prepare our hearts and minds for coming celebration. The church calls it advent. Now, I grew up in a church that didn’t really do the lighting of the candles thing for the four Sunday’s in advent, so I was a bit behind on the whole preparing for Christmas thing. Now that I’m in a church that does this I appreciate the season a bit more. The word advent means the arrival of a notable person, event or thing. It is a word of expectation. At times though, we seem to come to the manger scene with a sigh. It’s that time of year again – sigh. Get out the manger scene, decorate the hall, light the candles – ho hum. The wonder of the event seems to have lost it’s way a bit. This might be the reason Santa, all the lights and sparkly decorations around town produce more wonder than the church. So, the focus of this study is to bring back the wonder. To prepare our hearts for the coming celebration.
This first two studies will focus on the prophets – particularly on the prophecies concerning the incarnation of Christ. We will dive into the following prophecies: 1) Jesus would come at a particular time. 2) Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, Jacob and David, 3) Jesus would be preceded by a messenger, 4) Jesus was born of a virgin, 5) Jesus was born in Bethlehem, 6) Jesus would be called out of Egypt. I will work through prophecies 1-3 this week and 4-6 next week.
This is exciting to me. The Bible gives us a time period for the Messiah to come! No, it’s not an exact date, just like there is no exact date of when He is coming again. But, it does give us a particular event that happens after Christ has come. The passage of scripture that defines the time the Messiah would come is Daniel 9:24–27. It is passage that gives us a glimpse of a time line from the time of Daniel to the time of the destruction of the temple. It is known as the prophecy of 70 weeks. To understand Hebrew dating – 70 weeks refers to 490 years. The Hebrew word for “weeks” is shabua which is a word used for days, weeks, or years depending on the context. In this context it is a multiplier – 70 sevens or 490 years. Verse 24 -25a says, “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city to bring the rebellion to an end, to put a stop to sin, to wipe away iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince will be seven weeks and 62 weeks.” So we know that within this 490 year period, the Messiah will come. The important thing to note is what will happen after the Messiah has come. Verse 27 gives us these details: “He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.” This tells us that the Messiah had to come before the eventual destruction of the temple. At the time of Daniel, the temple had been destroyed but was going to be rebuilt. We know that temple was rebuilt and was operating during Jesus time. We also know the temple was destroyed in 70 AD and has not been rebuilt since. So following this prophecy, Jesus had to come before 70 AD – and we know he did. He was born around 6-4 BC. (This dating come from what we know of Herod’s death) He lived 33 years died on a cross, arose 3 days later and ascended into heaven where He lives today.
In order to be the Messiah, Jesus had to descend not only through Abraham but through David as well. The line of the people of Israel went through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God made a covenant with Abraham and Genesis 12:3 gives us one of the parts of this covenant. It says, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So, through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed and the way God kept his covenant was through the Messiah. From Abraham came the nation of Israel. As we will see in a moment, Israel’s greatest king was David. Through him God would fulfill His covenant with Abraham by sending us the Redeemer – Jesus.
Jesus was also the star of Jacob. This prophecy comes from the book of Numbers. I am sure you will wonder why it’s even considered a Messianic prophecy as it comes from the mouth of a pagan seer named Balaam. Here is a condensed version of the story: Balaam was a guy hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel, but God told him that wasn’t going to happen. On his way to do so, Balaam had a conversation with his donkey. Yes, you read that right! An angel of the Lord stood in the path preventing the donkey from continuing on so the donkey turned aside. This made Balaam angry and after striking the donkey a few times, the donkey spoke. Amazingly Balaam speaks back to the donkey. I am forever perplexed by Balaam’s responses to a talking donkey, (perhaps a study for another day). Anyway, Balaam’s eyes are opened to the angel with the sword and he realizes the donkey saved him from impending doom. So, when he goes before Israel he blesses them and this passage is a part of the blessing. You can find it in Numbers 24:17a. “I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.” A star will come from Jacob – someone who will defeat the enemy and be the savior. Long seen as a Messianic passage through many Rabbinic writings and the Dead Sea Scrolls, this portion of the blessing is also seen as a wider blessing of Israel. And a star did come – and magi from the east would follow the star. A star did rise – Jesus the King of kings, Lord of lord’s Almighty God and Savior of the world.
And finally, Jesus is a descendant of David. When David wanted to build the temple of the Lord, he was forbidden to do so. Instead, God makes a covenant with the house of David. “When your time comes and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me. When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a human rod and with blows from others. But My faithful love will never leave him as I removed it from Saul; I removed him from your way. Your house and kingdom will endure before Me forever, and your throne will be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:12–16 David’s response? Thanksgiving and praise. No, he was not able to build the Lord a temple, but his kingdom was going to be established forever. From him, the King of kings would be born. Isaiah reiterates this prophecy in chapter 11:1-2: Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” This brings us to a passage made famous by Handel in his great work Messiah. It is Isaiah 9:6-7, “For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.” He will come from David and His kingdom will no no end. He will be greater than the greatest king of Israel truly the King of all kings. This is why Matthew and Luke added the seemingly boring genealogies. They establish that both Mary and Joseph descended from the house of David making sure that everyone knew Jesus was the fulfillment of this scripture!
There are three forerunner prophecies. The first can be found in Isaiah 40: 3-5. “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Whenever I read this passage I am hearing Handle’s Messiah. What a joyful and uplifting passage! The second is found in Malachi 3:1 “See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire see, He is coming,” says the Lord of Hosts. Once again, I can hear the triumphant joy. He is coming! And finally the third is found in Malachi 4:5–6, “Look, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome Day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” These three prophecies give us a picture of one who will proceed the Messiah and prepare the way for him. We know this person to be John the Baptist, born 6 months before Jesus and was his cousin. He was crying from the wilderness. He proclaimed the Messiah was coming. As to the third – the allusion to Elijah? Jewish tradition often speaks of a future return of Elijah. Each year at Passover, a place is set for Elijah in expectation of that return. In Matthew 11:13-15 Jesus says of John the Baptist: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent have been seizing it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John; if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come. Anyone who has ears should listen!”
Can you hear it? The Messiah is coming! This is what advent is about. The excitement and joy of the coming of the Savior – the Redeemer. He came at an appointed time. He descended from Abraham and David and he was preceded by a messenger. In this year of anguish, sorrow, stress, and em-battlement, we can find peace and joy in the knowledge that the Messiah has come. Not only that, he will come again! And this is what we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus has come and he has promised to return triumphant. Joy to the World, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing.
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