Messiah: Born of a Virgin

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14. NKJV). “Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’ “ (Matthew 1:22-23. NKJV).

Messiah – born of a virgin! How important is this truth? We cannot put a weight to it, but can know that it was God’s way of entering finite life with His “only begotten son.” The prophecy was made in Isaiah when King Ahaz of Judah was about to make an alliance with Assyrian kings which was displeasing to the Lord. Ahaz refused to ask the Lord for a sign, as he should have. But God gave a sign anyway: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” It would seem that the child would be born shortly so He could grow up to defend the nation of Israel at a crucial time. Again, God had other plans in mind. It would be over 700 years before a virgin would conceive of the Holy Spirit and bear a son who would free His people—not from an aggressive enemy in war—but from the curse of sin.

Our Catholic friends have a term for the virgin birth: ‘immaculate conception.’ That which was conceived in Mary was not by human means of intercourse, for Mary had not known a man. She was chosen and ordained by God to be the mother of the Son of God. For centuries, as the word of the anticipated virgin birth was spread from generation to generation, each young Jewish maiden as she matured to the time in her life when she became a “virgin,”(that is, from the Hebrew word ‘alma’—meaning girl or young woman of child-bearing age) wondered if she would be the one selected for the mission of bearing God’s chosen child. It is noteworthy that when the New Testament writers, Matthew and Luke, recorded Mary’s conception, they used the Greek term parthenos which means a young woman of child-bearing and marriageable age, but one who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. Knowing what we know of human biology and the formation of a fetus, the conception of Jesus without a human father seems impossible. But as God told Mary when she questioned the message she heard from the angel: “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). “The virgin birth was God’s chosen way to become incarnate; the invisible, spiritual God became human.” (Clair M. Crissey. Comments on “Matthew,” in The Disciple’s Study Bible. Nashville: Holman. c1988. p. 1170). We must take the virgin birth on faith. We cannot explain it. It is a marvelous miracle showing the exception to the natural order of conception. We accept the truth of the Holy Spirit’s action and Mary’s willingness to be ‘the handmaiden of the Lord.’ God kept His promise and sent us the Savior. Amen!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, December 24, 2010

Messiah: Star Out of Jacob

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17. NIV). “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2. NIV). “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33. NIV). “Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79. NIV). “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Off-spring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16. NIV).

The prophecy of Jesus as a “Star out of Jacob” was made, strangely enough, by Balaam, who was a non-Israelite prophet, soothsayer and magician whom God used to speak the truth. Recorded in Numbers, we have this account of the Israelites under Moses’ leadership encamped at Acacia Grove with the Moab nation all about them. King Balak of Moab engaged Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. We recall the story of Balaam’s donkey—how the animal saw the angel of the Lord in the road and refused to go forward. Balaam beat his donkey unmercifully, and the donkey spoke to his master. It was only then that Balaam saw the angel, heard the instructions the Lord had given, and went on to pronounce his oracles. It is in the fourth oracle that the Messianic prophecy is given: “I see him but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.” The prophet Balaam was given an amazing vision of one who would arise to be a Star—a brilliant and anointed leader, and with a scepter, a symbol of authority. This was joyful good news for the nation on its way to the promised land, with Moab to conquer. But, as the prophet Balaam stated, this Star, this Scepter was not for that present time, not near (in time). This joyful good news for Jacob and Israel would be a long way off and would be realized in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy. The Star and Scepter would not be another king like the earthly David. The enemy would not be the idolatrous nation of Moab. The conqueror would be the triumphant Jesus. The enemy He would conquer was sin and death. The expanse of His kingdom would not be just for Israel but to any “living in darkness and in the shadow of death.” The prophecy made by Balaam in the time of Moses was summarized in John’s vision given in Revelation. Jesus is, indeed, “the Root and Off-spring of David, the Bright Morning Star.” The breaking of a new dawn signifies hope and joy. And the bright Morning Star shines on all who come to that light! Selah!

c Ethlene Dyer Jones; Monday, December 20, 2010

Messiah: His Kingdom Established

“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.'... They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Isaiah 2:-5, NIV). [Read also Micah 2:1-8 and Zechariah 2:10-13]. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33, NIV).

“His kingdom will never end!” These words of the angel to Mary when he announced that she would bear the Messiah were reechoing the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. The angel assured Mary of the hope the Jews had held for centuries; Messiah will come! His kingdom will be established! His rule will be forever! The kingdom has three definite characteristics different from all the kingdoms known to that time: a kingdom of peace, a kingdom of power, and a kingdom of permanence. We know the story of Jesus. He came, lived, taught, healed, died, was buried, arose from the dead, was seen of many in His resurrected body, ascended in a cloud as several watched, gave His gathered disciples the Great Commission, and at Pentecost the promise of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, was fulfilled. Where was the kingdom of peace, power and permanence the prophets predicted and the angel declared? How, then and now, is this kingdom being established?

Listen to what the King Himself said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27). Heart by heart, person by person this peace is given, and it is not the peace that the world gives. What about the power promised to Kingdom subjects? “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14, NIV). How is this possible? Jesus lives in believers everywhere, and evangelistic, healing, and compassionate ministries in His name are blessed of God and empowered by God so that the works Jesus began when He was on earth are multiplied and expanded. Jesus promised power for the assignments He gave us, and that promise is fulfilled daily in the lives of disciples. And what about the permanence of the Kingdom? We’ve not seen it in the way the prophets pictured: not everyone with unparalleled allegiance to the King coming together in “His holy mountain”—Mt. Zion. Neither have all weapons of war yet been turned into instruments of peace. But all who know the Lord in their hearts are a part already of the permanent kingdom. To God be the glory!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Friday, December 17, 2010