Thought for December 18, 2023

  • 1538: Henry VIII excommunicated
  • 1791: First one-way street [NYC]
  • 1798: First impeachment trial of a senator--William Blount of TN
  • 1862: General Grant issues order expelling Jews from TN
  • 1900: 100,000 franc prize offered for communication with extraterrestrials, Martians excluded as being too easy
  • 1903: Wright Brothers first successful flight of motorized plane
  • 1964: "Goldfinger" premiers
  • 1989: "The Simpsons" premiers
  • Born: Arthur Fiedler [Boston Pops], Erskine Caldwell, William Saffire, George Lindsey [Andy Griffith Show], Ernie Hudson, Bill Pullman, Michele Tafoya
  • Died: Simon Bolivar, Dana Andrews, Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh, Jennifer Jones, Penny Marshall

Thought:
Friday, we looked at Mary's encounter with Gabriel. Today, look at Matthew's account of Joseph meeting the angel [1:18-25] Mary is with child while engaged to Joseph. Joseph is deciding what to do and wants to let her go secretly and have the child. He will not marry her but loves her and does not want her disgraced. The angel tells him not to be afraid for she is with child by the Holy Spirit. Notice--the angel tells Joseph that Jesus will save His people from their sins [1:21]. What would you do? I see the pregnancy. I know I am not the father. I have a dream and hear from an angel. I had all these plans for our marriage, our children--now I don't even get to name this child. What if he doesn't look like me? Joseph wakes up and marries Mary. The angel didn't tell Joseph he was favored by God. But Joseph did what the angel told him to do. What faith and trust! What love for Mary! 

Have you ever wondered what the next 9 months were like? What do you think Joseph and Mary talked about? Did Mary tell Joseph everything the angel said? Did Joseph wonder what it meant that Jesus would save the people from their sins? Did they both identify that they were descendants of David? Or think about what it meant to be parents of the King?
 
I have no idea what they talked about. What I do see is that we have the picture of God's fulfillment of prophesy. Jesus would be the King, He would reign forever. But He would also be the Savior the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. Mary and Joseph got the picture, but perhaps not the timing. Jesus was coming first as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords.  And He will reign forever. 

We are blessed to live between the Advent--Jesus our Savior---and the Second Coming. So we now have the responsibility to tell people that the prophesy of His coming has been fulfilled and the promise of His second coming will be completed. We will find favor with God as we proclaim the truth of His comings. 

This reminded me of our lesson from Ezra 7 yesterday. 7:10 says Ezra set his heart to study the law, practice the law and teach others the law. When we do this, the hand of our God will be upon us. Makesa good resolution for 2024.

Blessings
Larry

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