Prophets Foreshadow Messiah’s Birth

December 13, 2009

Background Scripture: Isaiah 7:13 – 17; Luke 1:26 – 38
Lesson Passage: Isaiah 7:13 – 17; Luke 1:30 – 38

The birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is arguably the greatest miracle to ever occur. But then again, what is a miracle? Is it an occurrence that appears to go against the known natural laws of the universe? Is it the occurrence of an unlikely event relative to time and space? The answers to these questions describe what we refer to as the supernatural. But are there naturally occurring events that should be considered miracles such as conception and child birth or a single seed producing a plant which bears many seeds? (Of course those are really the same process.) All actions of God that are manifest in the physical world are miraculous whether we see them as natural or supernatural. The birth of Jesus, which was truly miraculous, was prophesied throughout the Old Testament writings. Some striking details of the miraculous birth was foretold about seven centuries before it occurred by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus’ birth had been described several times across thousands of years beginning in the Garden of Eden. But through the prophet Isaiah, the virgin birth of God’s son was foretold as a sign to an unbelieving king to strengthen his faith. The nature of prophecy, however, is that it comes draped in a shroud of uncertainty. Time is often the most unclear aspect of prophecy. Will it occur today, tomorrow, or at some unspecified time hundreds of years in the future? Regardless of the time, if God says it, it will come to pass. God sent the prophet Isaiah to assure King Ahaz of Judah that he did not have to worry about the confederacy of the northern kingdom of Israel with Syria against Judah. God was aware of their scheme and was going to protect Judah from the harm they intended to do. To further allay the king’s concerns, God instructed the prophet to ask the king to request a sign of God that he might know for certain that these things were so. It was the king’s refusal that prompted both the rebuke from God as well as the sign of the virgin birth. What began as an assurance for the king ended as a warning and reminder that without faith it is impossible to please God. God was willing to strengthen the king’s faith but he did not overlook the absence of it. God was offering the king a choice of whatever he thought would give him the assurance that God had indeed sent a word of encouragement and it was not just the prophet’s wishful thinking. God wanted King Ahaz to be confident and trust him for protection. Rather than heed the word of the prophet, the king chose to display his self-righteous religious integrity by refusing to do what he thought would be seen as putting God to the test or tempting him. The king’s refusal to heed the prophet’s request revealed one of the most unique aspects of the birth of the Messiah, the virgin birth. The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy was announced by the angel Gabriel as he further explained that with God, nothing is impossible.

Robert C. Hudson
November 27, 2009

The Lineage of David

December 6, 2009

Background Scripture: Ruth 4:13 – 17; Matthew 1:1 – 17
Lesson Passage: Ruth 4:13 – 17; Matthew 1:1 – 6

In 1977, a television miniseries named Roots stirred the emotions and curiosity of millions of Americans from coast to coast. The television series was based on a book by Alex Haley who reportedly had researched the lineage of his family back to pre-slavery on the continent of Africa. It seemed as though we were being allowed to peer into history and actually watch generations of our ancestors from years past struggle with life issues and rise above them. It engendered a sense of hope and emotional stress to see the dramatized dehumanization of a race of people. But in spite of the years of cruelty and setbacks, hope turned to pride in seeing the triumph of spirit over flesh. Many of us didn’t think much about genealogy or family trees before then. It was interesting to listen to parents and grandparents recount their childhood and tell about the childish pranks of their siblings or the strict discipline of their parents and elders but it didn’t seem to inspire a wholesale desire in many to research their family tree like the miniseries did. There is something about knowing our lineage that grounds us and gives us a sense of purpose and it stirs up in us a new determination to become all that we can. Much of Israel’s history is contained in the Old Testament writings of the Bible. The book of Chronicles is an abbreviated family tree that connects various branches to the patriarchs of Israel. The books of Samuel and Kings follow the lineage of Israel’s royalty—the good and the bad. There is one family line in particular that should be of interest to all of Israeli descent. This is the line of royalty that yielded the messiah. The prophets of Israel had foretold of the coming anointed one of Israel for millennia. Before there was an Abraham, the anointed one’s coming had been foretold. He would come to restore God’s rule and kingdom on earth. God’s covenant with Abraham made it clearer that it would be Abraham’s seed that would be the messiah that had been long foretold. This covenant was passed from Abraham to Isaac and then to Jacob (renamed Israel). Jacob’s final blessing of his sons and the two sons of Joseph pinpointed the messiah’s descent through the line of Judah. The messiah would be a prophet, a priest, and a king among Israel. This seemed for a time irreconcilable since Levi was the priestly line and the picture got even murkier when Israel’s first king was chosen from the tribe of Benjamin. At that time Judah was neither the royal line nor the priestly line. The picture began to clear up when God passed the covenant to David. David was of the tribe of Judah although his lineage by human terms seemed impure. It contained Pharez, the son of Judah by his daughter-in-law, Rahab, the prostitute, and Ruth the Moabite. Of course the Moabites descended from Moab, the son of Lot through an incestuous relationship with his daughter. But beyond the view of human eyes or the comprehension of human minds, God had a plan that was laid before the foundation of the world. Furthermore, the messiah’s priesthood would not be of this world and therefore would not follow the Levitical line but his priesthood would be of the order of Melchisedec. On the other hand, the messiah would descend from Judah and come through the line of David where he would be heir to the throne of Israel.

Robert C. Hudson
November 27, 2009