december 1 - dbu

COME THOU LONGEXPECTED JESUS

“I will be their God, and they will be My people.” This is the constant refrain of Scripture, from the Book of Genesis to the closing of John’s Revelation (See Genesis 17:7-8; 2 Samuel 7:24; Jeremiah 7:23; 2 Corinthians 6:16-17; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 21:3). God desires to dwell with the people He made, even when we were separated from Him by sin. From the beginning, God continually provided a way to make His dwelling with people – from the choosing of Abraham and his descendants to the Exodus and giving of the Law, from the simpler tabernacle of the wilderness journey to the extravagant Kingdom Temple in Jerusalem, from the humble

Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart. -“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”

incarnation of the Word of God (Immanuel) to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and future promise of a new earth. Incredibly, for all our individual and collective sin that has hindered the fullness of God’s glorious presence with us, He has remained ever faithful to His promise and committed in His desire to dwell in glory with His image-bearers.

What does it look like for God and His glory to dwell with us? Where God dwells, there is peace, love, and concord among people as they walk in His wisdom and reflect His character. There is no more sin, death, sorrow, or suffering. Creation itself is restored, and the curse upon it is removed. This was the shalom for which Israel awaited in the coming of Messiah, but it was also God’s plan that His salvation and blessing reach the ends of the earth and restore all His creation corrupted by sin (Genesis 12:1-3).

The hymn “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” traditionally sung at Christmas time was written by Charles Wesley and first published in 1744 as part of a collection to celebrate the nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It expresses that eager expectation in the promised One’s coming to redeem the world. This hymn serves as the theme for this Advent season of 2019, upon which the forthcoming devotionals build. We will meditate on that unfolding thread that weaves itself throughout the Old Testament and culminates in the person and work of Jesus Christ - God’s promise to dwell with us, to be our God and we His people. We invite you to join with us this Advent season in celebrating the glorious work that God has done and continues to do. Not only His work in your own life, but in gathering a people for Himself harvested from every tribe, tongue, and nation: “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22).

We celebrate the first coming of the Lord during Advent, and at Christmas time, God’s dwelling with us came much closer to its fullness, as “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). The God who Himself provided the sacrifice of atonement to remove the sin barrier once and for all is the same God who makes us His tabernacle through the gift of the Holy Spirit until one day when His glorious coming and dwelling with us will transform creation itself. “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4). With our eyes fixed upon that day, we continually offer up this Christmas hymn as a prayer, “Come, Thou long-expected Jesus.”

Sunday, December 1

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FULFILLING A PROMISEREGARDLESS

Monday, December 2Shame. Embarrassment. Hopelessness. Sorrow.

Can you imagine the avalanche of emotions Adam and Eve felt as they stood in front of their Maker?

Prior to that time, they knew an unending fellowship with God. They lived the life they were created to live. No pain, no tears, no trials.

Yet in one moment, they allowed the serpent to deceive them, and they believed the lie that God somehow had withheld something good from them. They traded in fellowship with God in order to become their own gods. And they lost.

What is interesting to note is that even if their emotions proved to be all over the map, the only one that we see in the text is defiance. Adam starts the blame game:

“The woman you put here with me did it.” Wow. Simultaneously blaming your wife and blaming God. Bold choice with that, Adam.

And then Eve goes for the logical one to blame, the serpent. “He deceived me. I ate.”

Do you catch even a hint of repentance in these exchanges? No, not really.

Surely they were internally struggling with what to think or feel, but externally, at that moment, they put up a united front – it isn’t my fault that this happened.

This response on the part of Adam and Eve is what makes God’s judgment all the more amazing.

We see the judgment for Adam and Eve – living by the sweat of the brow, labor pains, struggle, and trials – and we also see the punishment for the serpent – crawling on the belly and eating dust.

Yet in the middle of the judgment is a beautiful promise. God explains that the offspring of the woman will crush the head of the serpent; all that the serpent could possibly do is strike a heel. Although in many ways, this is indicative of the current relationship between man and snakes, the ultimate fulfillment in these words comes between Satan and Christ.

Even in this moment of disappointment and righteous anger, God looked past their defiance and told them about the ultimate victory that He will have over Satan. God pointed to the gift of salvation that was to come.

So what does this scene have to do with Advent? First, it sets forth the story of the battle that will take place throughout the pages of Scripture as Satan continually attempts to thwart the plans of God, tapping into the nature of sinful men. But the

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” -Genesis 3:15

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FULFILLING A PROMISEREGARDLESS

Monday, December 2 (cont.)battle, even from the outset, was already won as God promises that a Savior would be wounded for our transgressions, but He would ultimately crush Satan under His feet. God told us even at the moment of the Fall that the Messiah was coming.

Second, it reminds us of how gracious a God we serve. How many times have you actively rebelled against Him? You knew better. You understood what the right path was and what was the wrong path, but you decided, like Adam and Eve, to become your own god.

Do you understand that even in the midst of your sin, even prior to your repentance, God is actively making a way of salvation for you?

As we look forward to the gift of Christmas, be comforted that no matter what you do, no matter how you have sinned, God is ready to show you the path that He has already put into place. We don’t have to wait in line for restoration. We don’t have to hope that it might one day arrive. God is actively working for His glory in your life, and Advent reminds us that even though we may not fully see what restoration looks like, it is coming.

He has promised, and He will deliver.

READ: GENESIS 3:15

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GOD OF SHEMTuesday, December 3In yesterday’s devotional for Genesis 3:15, we read that the conqueror of the serpent-tempter (i.e. Satan) would be a man born of a woman. In other words, the promised deliverer would be a male child, a human offspring. Sin entered the world through a man and woman, and the world would be redeemed through a man born of a woman (Romans 5:17; Galatians 4:4).

In today’s devotional from Genesis 9, God uncovers further revelation concerning His commitment to dwelling with redeemed mankind, starting with His choosing of one particular nation of people from among all the fallen race of Adam—the descendants of Shem (in Greek, Semites).

The context of the passage follows on the heels of the Noahic Flood when God’s patience ran out on the sinfulness and violence on the earth, saving only Noah and his family through the ark. Then, after the waters receded, in a careless moment of shame and disgrace for Noah mocked by his son Ham, God declared a blessing

“He also said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.’”- Genesis 9:26-27

over Japheth and an even more special plan for Shem.

Some translations like the NIV say, “may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,” and indeed, some have interpreted this to mean that Japheth’s descendants, typically associated with Indo-European peoples, would rule over the territory of the Semites (i.e., Israel). Others have spiritualized the text to mean Gentile inclusion in the blessings of Israel.

However, according to distinguished Old Testament scholar, Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., the original Hebrew does not specify Japheth in verse 27 at all but only “he,” and the most natural rendering of the sentence structure is that “he” refers to God as the subject. In other words, the incredible promise spoken here is that God would make His special dwelling in the tents of Shem, among the Semitic people, among Shem’s descendants not yet born!

We know this to be true as we continue reading through the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis 12, and of God’s special calling of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve tribes of Israel to manifest His glory on earth among the nations. As we will study tomorrow, that blessing was meant to spill out from Israel to the rest of the world, even as Jesus said, “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).

Looking ahead, we know that Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary of the tribe of Judah, was God in the flesh dwelling amidst the people of Israel (John 1:14). In Jesus, God came to visit Jerusalem to live among them, just as He promised in Zechariah 2:3-4 (cf. Luke 19:44). Yet, the incarnation of God in the age of the patriarchs was still a future mystery. The chosen people knew the deliverer would be born of their

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Tuesday, December 3 (cont.)

GOD OF SHEM

READ: GENESIS 9:26-27

race and that God promised to be present with them in a special way, but they did not perceive that this man and God could be one and the same person! It was Jesus’ claims to union with God that upset the religious authorities and provoked charges of blasphemy leading to His trial and execution.

When we think of God’s continuing desire and commitment to dwelling with sinful people, we are amazed at His grace and mercy. That amid our sins against Him, our brokenness, and helplessness, God stepped in and made a way. He did not abandon His desire or plan to share His life with us but was resolved through love to see it restored and fulfilled. That commitment holds true for every person who is in Christ. Do you doubt God’s love toward you? Consider the lengths that God went through in history, including raising up a nation to steward that promise, so that He might one day dwell with all who call upon His name.

We also witness God moving in the details of history. He worked out His plan long ago with its future culmination in mind: first through Israel, then narrowed to the tribe of Judah, then the womb of the Virgin Mary, and finally, her firstborn child, Jesus. He would bring God nearer than ever before, drawing as close to us through the Holy Spirit as our own spirits. Do you find it difficult to see how the scattered pieces in God’s plan all fit together? Trust His wisdom and rejoice in His love even as He had us in mind when declaring His promise to Shem long ago.

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ALL NATIONS WILL BE BLESSEDWednesday, December 4Imagine God telling you to go, and He would bring great blessing. There is one caveat, though: the destination is unknown.

This is what we find in Genesis 12. God calls Abram to be obedient, but God only gives him step one. “Leave everything you know and go. I will be your guide. I will be your map.” What a scary thought! There was no location. There was no plan to let Abram know what he was signing up for. All he knew was he had to trust God. And Abram obeyed.

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”-Genesis 12:2

Very little is said about Abram before he is called. We know he is from Ur of the Chaldeans, and he lives in Haran. Other than that, we do not get to see a glimpse into what he was like before God’s call or why God chose him, but as we get to chapter 12, it becomes very evident that his background is not what matters. It’s his obedience.

Outlined in the first three verses, God promises Abram that he would be a great nation, he would be a blessing, those who blessed him would be blessed, those who dishonored him would be cursed, and through Abram, all the nations of the world would be blessed.

Think about the impact that this call has on Abram’s life and the lives of those around him. He will now become a great nation. He will bring great blessings to those around him. But the most significant impact is that through his offspring, all the nations of the world would be blessed.

At the time, he did not know what that would mean, but Abram’s humble obedience to God’s call means we are allowed to partake in a great blessing today.

Abram’s offspring would hold onto this promise for generations before they would see the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abram. In the waiting, God continued to remind Abram’s offspring of this exceptional promise. Throughout Abram’s lifetime alone, God reminds him of the covenant He made in Genesis 12 five times (Genesis 13:14-18; 15:4-5, 13-18; 17:1-8; 18:17-19; 22:15-18).

But even after Abram’s death, God reiterates the promise to Abram’s offspring, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 26:4, 23-24; 28:14-15; 35:9-12). This continual reminder gave them hope as they waited for God to fulfill His promise to make a way for all nations to be blessed through His Son.

Finally, Matthew 1 and Luke 3 show the promise fulfilled. As we look at the genealogy of Jesus, we see that it was through Abram that Jesus came into the world. The greatest blessing came from a promise made generations ago in Genesis 12 as God vowed that through Abram, all the nations of the world would

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ALL NATIONS WILL BE BLESSEDWednesday, December 4 (cont.)be blessed.

So what did God mean when He told Abram that “in you all the families of the world will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3)? God was promising salvation and an eternity with Him for all people.

In this season, we are focused on the coming of Jesus as an infant. We also see the blessing that came through His life and death so that we might have the gift of salvation and a relationship with the Creator of the universe.

Just as Abram was obedient, Jesus came to earth and was obedient, even to death. The impacts of Abram’s obedience were significant, but Jesus’ obedience was ultimate. And the result of His obedience was a tremendous blessing.

From the moment Jesus came to earth, the world was blessed. Jesus blessed the shepherds and wise men we hear about at Christmas time. Jesus brought blessings to the Jewish leaders in the temple. Again and again, Jesus brought blessings to those He spoke to and healed. But none of these blessings can compare to those He brought through His death and resurrection. Because of Jesus’ obedience, we can spend eternity with God.

God chose Abram as the vessel through which this immense blessing would come, but Abram would not know in his lifetime the effects of his obedience to go where God called Him. The call led to the blessing of the nations through the sacrificial gift of God’s own Son, Jesus.

Abram obeyed without knowing the plan. Do we let the lack of a plan determine our obedience and trust? Are we willing to do whatever God has asked of us, trusting that He will guide our steps?

As we prepare our hearts in this Advent season, reflect on the gift that came because of Abram’s humble obedience to answer God’s call, and the salvation that Jesus brought through his life, death, and resurrection.


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A PRIEST LIKE MELCHIZEDEKThursday, December 5In Genesis 12, out of the blue God tells Abram, “I will make you a great nation.” What an amazing promise, especially for a childless man. Seemingly, there is nothing particularly special about Abram. The Bible doesn’t provide a resume or a tribute video for him. The simple description for Abram was that he believed God and obeyed what God told him to obey.

In Genesis 15, God sets forth his covenant with Abram and tells him about Isaac and all of the descendants who will call him father.

“and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” - Genesis 14:19-20

Between the two chapters, though, is an interesting scene, one in which you wouldn’t expect to see a picture of Jesus.

Lot, Abram’s nephew, chose to live in a land that was teeming with prosperity and security—he lived next to Sodom. “Yes,” he told Abram, “it’s godless, sinful, and wretched, but hey, it’s got amazing restaurants!”

It didn’t take long for Lot to understand the dangers of living so close to so much chaos as he was caught up in tribal wars and taken prisoner along with other citizens of Sodom. Hearing the news of the capture, Abram decided to do something about it. He didn’t call upon the King of Sodom, who incidentally fled the scene; instead, he found able-bodied men who could fight, and they attacked and rescued Lot and many others. Abram did what was right, even if it cost him his life.

As the dust settled, two men approach Abram. Let’s look at them a bit out of order. One is Bera, the King of Sodom, who asks Abram for the people he rescued—basically, he wants slaves. Abram says no. He maintains his integrity, never to accept something from the wickedness of Sodom, basically refusing to give evil a foothold in his life.

Against this King of Greed is the King of Peace, Melchizedek. The Bible only mentions this individual three times in Scripture – once here, once in Psalms, and finally in Hebrews. All we glean from this narrative is that Melchizedek is the King of Salem and also a Priest of God Most High.

Contrasted to the request of Bera, Melchizedek is generous and asks for nothing in return. He provides bread and wine for his guest, and he even blesses Abram and praises God for His hand of deliverance in the rescue operation that Abram undertook.

What does Abram do? He does the right thing. He acknowledges the place of Melchizedek and gives him a tenth of everything without any prompting.

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A PRIEST LIKE MELCHIZEDEKThursday, December 5 (cont.)The story here would be interesting but forgettable if Hebrews didn’t pick up on it. As the author explains, Jesus has a unique connection to Melchizedek, a High Priest greater than Aaron. The book explains how Jesus is the better sacrifice, the better Moses, the better Sabbath rest, and here, he is described as the better Priest in the order of Melchizedek who provides us access to a better covenant.

As a priest like Melchizedek, Jesus is a part of a priestly lineage that doesn’t have a beginning and doesn’t have an end. There is no genealogy associated with Melchizedek, and there is no mention of his descendants. He is not beholden to the Mosaic covenant, and in fact, he precedes that. As the author explains, even the Father of Israel, Abraham, recognized the superiority of this order of high priest.

Yet Jesus is so much more than Melchizedek.

Jesus is the high priest who meets our needs, the “one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:26). Not only that but He Himself became our sacrifice. What priest could ever do that?

Jesus sits “at the right hand of the throne of Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 8:1), interceding for us in front of the Father.

Did Abram have any inkling of what all Melchizedek stood for when he met him? Probably not. He wouldn’t realize that one day, his offspring would be given Sabbath rest through the line of the King of Salem. But he did believe that God would keep his promise to make him a great nation.

Advent reminds us that God keeps His promises even in the most unlikely of ways. We may have no idea who we will meet today or who we will speak to tomorrow, but God is actively carrying out His plan.

What is our role in all of this? It is merely to listen and obey.

Just as we trust that December 25 will arrive, we trust that God will keep His promise, not only to provide us with a Savior but also that this incredible High Priest will one day return to call us to the throne of Heaven.

Abram trusted even when he didn’t understand. Will you?

READ: GENESIS 14

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THE MESSIAH WILLCOME FROM JUDAH

Friday, December 6

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” - Genesis 49:10

The story of Jesus is not restricted to the confines of the New Testament. Rather, Jesus always has been and always will be. John 1:1 reads that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” and verse 14 tells us that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Old Testament is more than just a compilation of old accounts before Jesus’ time on earth.

The Old Testament, time and time again, paves and points the way for the coming of the One and true Messiah, Jesus Christ, and His redemption of mankind (for He did not come to condemn the world but to save it, John 3:17). Jesus’ life and resurrection are a fulfillment of the law, of the prophecies, relayed in the Old Testament.

Within this chapter of Genesis, as Jacob breathes his last breath and speaks a word over his sons, the lineage of Christ is revealed through the line of Judah.

Even though Judah’s line would not be free from enemies, he and his descendants would ultimately prevail (having their hand on the neck of their adversaries). This proves to be true, for Judah’s tribe held the right to govern and was divinely elected; God maintains Judah’s line for a purpose, and through Judah’s line comes King David and eventually King Jesus Himself.

Like a lion, Judah’s tribe is formidable and holds power, but verse 10 ends saying that this is to be true “until Shiloh comes.” Shiloh, which in Hebrew means “to whom it rightfully belongs,” then is to gain the obedience of people as He comes into the world. It is the reign of Jesus that surpasses the power of Judah’s tribe, including King David’s rule, as everlasting and world-changing. Not only has Jesus’ life altered history as we know it —He came to earth to claim His Kingdom —

but He has eternally transformed the hearts of those who follow Him. How much grander our Savior looks in comparison to the line of Judah.

So, then, how should we celebrate Christmas with this joyous revelation—that a Messiah (Jesus) came from the line of Judah, to save the world and redeem mankind?

John Calvin states that “to us it is no less useful for the confirmation of our faith to know that Christ has been not only promised but that His origin had been pointed out, as with a finger, 2,000 years before He appeared.”

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THE MESSIAH WILLCOME FROM JUDAH

Friday, December 6 (cont.)


This Christmas, and every day for that matter, let us not merely focus on the birth of our Savior as accounted in the New Testament (although important) but instead, let us perceive the fullness of God’s redemption—how Jesus was at the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4); how God redeemed His people throughout the Old Testament narrative and maintained, in His grace and love for us, a line that one day led to the Son of Man; how Jesus, the promised Messiah, died for the sins of the world and resurrected on the third day, extending His gift of salvation to all; and how, one day, He will come again.

With the fullness of God’s redemption on display, let’s choose to abide in Him and His Word daily (John 15:4-5), and to live in such a way that is a testament to our Savior’s victory over sin (Galatians 5:1).

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Saturday, December 7Plucked from slavery, promised a new land, fallen to disobedience; Israel returned the Lord’s great act of mercy with a half-hearted refusal to enter the Promised Land. More than disobedience along the way, Israel stood at the borders of the land, unable to trust God over their enemies.

GOD’S SON TESTEDIN THE WILDERNESS

It’s astonishing how, in the wake of miraculous deliverance (Exodus 7, Exodus 13), Israel believed they could build for themselves a better hope than the Promise Land. Had not they been given an abundance of evidence to believe that God could and would fight for them? Lacking the power to save themselves from Egypt, yet presuming they had the power to sustain themselves after Egypt, Israel struggled in the same way believers do today.

The wilderness years exist as part of the unfolding thread of God’s promise to dwell with His people. Israel waited for the promised land. We wait for the return of Christ. Both in waiting. Both depend upon the Lord. Throughout all time, this has remained true, that “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deut. 8:3)

Speaking to Israel, Moses says, “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years… He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known.” (Deut. 8:2-3)

In the same way, Moses’s words challenge us today.

Forget not His continued faithfulness despite our unbelief (Hebrews 3:19) and disobedience. Forget not that we have been preserved by the Lord’s hand. Forget not the “whole commandment” (Exodus 20) in light of the Lord’s promise.

The wilderness required Israel to pause and remember. It is in this remembering that faith is renewed alongside a refreshed desire to obey.

As manna was delivered daily to Israel, the nature of God’s dealings with people was continually revealed. His word could be trusted; on His character, we can depend. Yet, Israel was required to walk in faith, putting to rest, daily, their doubt.

Israel was tested in a desert just as Jesus would be tested in a desert(Matthew 4:1-3). While Israel’s unbelief led to disobedience, Jesus overcame with perfect faith. With full assurance, Jesus resists temptation while referencing the Old Testament scriptures.

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” - Deuteronomy 8:2

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Saturday, December 7 (cont.)

READ: DEUTERONOMY 8:1-3

GOD’S SON TESTEDIN THE WILDERNESS

When tempted by Satan he answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt 4:4)

In ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). Where we, like Israel, are unable to overcome, God remains faithful and provided a way to make His presence here with us.

Advent prompts us towards a myriad of feelings. Praise. Longing. Confession. Awe. In our eager expectation, we celebrate that not only did He make His dwelling among us, He did so when we assumed we needed Him not.

He has regarded our helpless estate and made a perfect way for the restoration of Creation. In our waiting, we reflect on the faithful nature of God despite our unbelief, praising Him for all He has done and all He will do.

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THE PASSOVER LAMBSunday, December 8We all know stories that never seem to go away. Each family has them.

For my family, we have stories about my grandfather and his time building highways throughout Texas, or the time my other grandfather flew a plane and buzzed my grandmother’s house before they got married. My wife’s dad is well-known for going temporarily blind the morning of his wedding day. Good stories are entertaining, and great stories define who we are. Such is the case with this story.

Between chapter 50 in Genesis and chapter 1 in Exodus, generations had passed, and the children of Israel had gone from being refugees and guests in a foreign land to expendable slaves. In response, God raised up a deliverer, Moses, and He provided a way out, the Exodus.

When we arrive at chapter 12, the battle between Pharaoh and Moses is reaching its climax. Already, Egypt had suffered through tremendous plagues causing death and destruction, but still, Pharaoh’s heart remained cold. Then came the last warning, the final plague—the death of every firstborn son. The Egyptians didn’t believe, but God’s people did.

“Go at once,” Moses told them, “and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb.”

Have you ever thought about what must have been going through their minds when he said this? I imagine some were excited and ready to go. Those types of personalities are in every crowd—they are innovators. If it is new and shiny, they are on board. So when they hear Moses, they are out the door before he finishes the instructions.

Next, are the early adopters, those folks who are ready to go, but usually work at a slower pace than the innovators. For them, they thought, “Well, this sounds a little unusual, but it makes sense. Let’s give it a go.”

After that initial group goes forward, a larger group comes along. These are the early majority folks. They see the success of the first two groups and join in with little resistance. They weren’t the first to pick out the lambs, but they did so willingly.

The last two groups cast a far more skeptical eye towards the whole matter. Some fully expect an idea to fail, but for the sake of the group, they are willing to go along, even though they may continuously tell you why it won’t work. You can

When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.” - Exodus 12:23

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THE PASSOVER LAMBSunday, December 8 (cont.)hear them spreading the blood over the doorframe and telling others that it will only attract flies and cause a stain.

The final ones are those who really never buy-in. They not only explain why it won’t happen; they almost actively make sure that it won’t. Change is never good; even if the current state of affairs is miserable.

Moses is talking to the whole group, and he can see in each of their eyes into which category everyone will fall. But notice that the reaction of the group doesn’t change the direction of the plan. The Lord’s judgment was coming, and the only path to salvation was through the Passover Lamb.

We know how the story ends. Every firstborn in Egypt, including Pharaoh’s son, was struck down because the blood did not protect them, but everyone one who obeyed Moses’ instructions and anticipated the arrival of judgment survived.

I find it fascinating that even before the event takes place, Moses commands His people to remember the moment well and pass it on to their children so that it can be shared for generations to come.

Remember, good stories are entertaining, but great stories are defining. The Exodus defined the Jewish people, and the Passover lamb led the way.

When we turn to the Gospels, we once again see the Passover Lamb, but this time, it is Jesus. Much like the blood of the slaughtered sacrifice had to be sprinkled over the door frames of the houses, so too does the blood of Jesus have to be sprinkled over our hearts to receive salvation from the coming judgment.

The question is, does this Passover story just entertain you, or does it define you? Has it reshaped your heart and your life?

Are you one of those who believe in this message, whether immediately or after some thought, or are you the group that just scoffs and believes that it is ok for some to rely on the blood, but not for you?

Those are your only two options, and Advent reminds us of them. The coming child is actually a Lamb prepared for slaughter. And the only choice we have is to believe by obeying or reject by disobeying.

Which will you choose?

READ: EXODUS 12:21-23

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SACRIFICE OF ATONEMENTMonday, December 9Sin is rampant. If you doubt that, just go online. The many forms of sin strike you across the face before you even make one click. You see pride, you see gluttony, you see idolatry. You see hatred, you see slander, you see man’s inhumanity against man. In short, you see sin.

The same is true in all of our lives. Sin is cancer that just never goes away. So it has been since the Fall.

That is why we have the Book of Leviticus. It was the guidebook to navigate a life full of sin. In there, the Lord provided the Law, not as a means to salvation, but to remain connected to Him. The most prominent means of that connection came not in our ability to keep the Law, but in the sacrifice that had to be made on our behalf—the Sacrifice of Atonement.

“...on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.”- Leviticus 16:30

As seen in our passage for today, every year, the people had to gather for the High Priest to carry out this Sacrifice of Atonement; a “lasting ordinance” made “once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”

Sin is rampant, and the atonement for that sin had to match its level of destruction.

Notice the problem faced by the Israelites. Indeed, they could sacrifice the ram and the goats and sprinkle the blood in the altar. They could also establish the scapegoat, a special sacrifice designed to place all the blame on a single creature and release him to the wild, thus casting out the sin from among the people. But they had to do it over and over and over again.

For generation after generation, the same sacrifices had to be made because for generation after generation, the same sin remained. If only something could be done to make an end to the cycle of sacrifices. If only one lamb could be slain for the sins of all and one goat be cast away, removing the sin from the camp.

Praise be to God that even as He established this system of perpetual sacrifices, He never intended for it to be eternal. From the foundation of the earth, He purposed to provide the ultimate Sacrifice of Atonement in the person of Jesus Christ.

Paul picks up on this theme in Romans 3. As he explains, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This is made nowhere more evident than in the continual sacrifice system that was established in Leviticus. Yet it doesn’t end there.

He goes on to explain that we can be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” And here is the connection point—“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.”

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SACRIFICE OF ATONEMENT

Do you see what God did there? Like one of those “Easter eggs” you see in the movies, God planted back at the heart of the Law the means through which He would save the world, the ultimate Sacrifice of Atonement, Jesus Christ.

Unlike the continual sacrifice system, Christ’s death provided full atonement once for all who believe in Him. After Christ, there was no need for a ram, no need for lambs, and no need for a scapegoat. He took the place of it all.

Christmas certainly brings with it a sense of joy and peace. It shows the love and care God has for us, and we can share with others. But above all, it is the means through which God brought into the world the sacrifice to save the world.

In the manger, God provides for us a sacrifice for our atonement, which is the most precious and amazing gift we could ever receive.

Have you spent time thanking Him for that gift today? More than that, are you ready to go beyond mere words of gratitude and live a life that demonstrates the reality of the atonement?

God gave His Son to be our ultimate sacrifice so that we can be in right standing with Him. In response, we owe Him our very all. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself today?

Monday, December 9 (cont.)

READ: LEVITICUS 16:29-34

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THE LINE OF DAVIDTuesday, December 10By now in the Old Testament story, we know that Messiah, God’s appointed heir to bring about Israel’s eternal salvation – and through Israel the world—would come from the tribe of Judah. In today’s devotional, the fulfillment of that promise is narrowed further for us to the royal line of David, Israel’s second and greatest king.

In David’s last days, it was his wish to honor God by building a temple for Him in Jerusalem. Instead, God told David that his offspring would build a house for His Name and that He would build a house for David through that same offspring – by that, meaning a royal family and one whose reign would endure forever.

“He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” - 2 Samuel 7:13

Solomon did build the Temple in Jerusalem for God, but he also later died, and the Kingdom was divided and ruled by many wicked kings until the fall of the last Davidic ruler of Judah, Zedekiah, and the invasion of Jerusalem by Babylon.

The Temple Solomon built was destroyed in 586 BC and desecrated by Greeks in 168 BC. Although it was being rebuilt and embellished in the time of the Idumean King Herod, its imminent destruction was prophesied by Jesus much to the consternation of the Jewish religious leaders.

Yet God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 remained true! For God did build a house for His own Name through the offspring of David, Jesus Christ. That house is larger than any earthly temple.

Paul refers to the churches made up of Jews and Gentiles as the Temple in which God’s own Spirit dwells: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

God also built an everlasting house for David. All who believe in Jesus Christ from every nation, tribe, or language, are members of a kingdom, a royal house: “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house … a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:5a, 9).

We are co-heirs with Jesus and ingrafted as descendants of David through faith. This is a house that can never be destroyed and is greater than anything Solomon built. It is not a physical structure, but a people made spiritually alive by the grace of God and His indwelling presence both now and forever, which not even death can end!

From the days of Jesus until now, God’s house, the Temple dwelling of His Spirit and His royal family, has grown to billions worldwide. The gates of hell have

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THE LINE OF DAVIDTuesday, December 10 (cont.)

READ: 2 SAMUEL 7:9-16

neither prevented nor prevailed against it, as Christ promised: “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).

Are you feeling insignificant, or does your life seem too ordinary to matter?

If you are in Christ, be encouraged that you are a member of a distinguished royal family made up of an innumerable host of people stretching backward in time and reaching all around the world. You are a precious stone in the Temple of God’s dwelling and an heir of an everlasting heavenly Kingdom that is without end.

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MY GOD, WHY HAVEYOU FORSAKEN ME?

Wednesday, December 11

Psalm 22:16 & Matthew 27:35 - “they pierce my hands and feet,” “they had crucified him.”

Psalm 22:18 & Matthew 27:35 - “they divided his garments among them by casting lots.”

Psalm 22:7 & Matthew 27:39 - “those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads.”

Psalm 22:8 & Matthew 27:43 - “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him.”

Psalm 22:1 & Matthew 27:46 - “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Those chilling words rang out across the hill of Golgotha as Jesus suffered, hanging on the cross (Matt. 27:46). Hundreds of years earlier, those same words rang out across King David’s room (Psalm 22:1). David was at the end of himself. When he wrote Psalm 22, he felt abandoned (v. 2), despised (v. 6), and mocked (v. 7).

Yet the pattern of his psalm was not one that brought complaints to God, but one of complete vulnerability and faith that the Lord would surely intervene and save David from his circumstances. David’s cries for help turn into shouts of praise that worship the Father in humble adoration. At the end of himself, David has proclaimed the overwhelming salvation of the Lord, no matter what the outcome.

The significance of this psalm is in the prophetic lines David writes, which Jesus fulfills at the time of His Crucifixion, found in Matthew 27:32-56.

Comparing Psalm 22 to Matthew 27 with the Timeline of the Crucifixion

They had pierced His hands and feet. Our savior was up there on that cross, struggling to breathe as darkness covered the land. All the while, he was barely acknowledged as they wagged their heads at Him. They even dared to cast lots for his clothes. As if that wasn’t enough, they mocked him by saying, “Let God deliver him.”

Jesus was utterly abandoned and alone. He was born to set His people free at the cost of His precious, perfect life. He had taken the sin of the world on His shoulders, and He had to be cut off from the Father to complete His purpose of bringing us lasting salvation. His heart-wrenching sacrifice and separation from the Father brought us eternal life and a forever home with Him. Could he have known that when he was lying in the manger in swaddling clothes?

“But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!” (Psalm 22:19 ESV) You can almost hear David pleading, “Come, thou long-expected Jesus!” I can only imagine the weight of longing for the Messiah to come. Now, He is coming back to take us home to Him someday soon.

How marvelous! No longer is our sin something we must atone for; Jesus came down to us to be our complete atonement forever. What a Savior. He knew we

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READ: PSALM 22

MY GOD, WHY HAVEYOU FORSAKEN ME?

Wednesday, December 11(cont.)would fail to climb to Heaven on our efforts, so He sacrificed Himself and gave us His spotless righteousness to ensure we could dwell with God, to glorify and enjoy Him forever.

As Christmas approaches, let us not take for granted the sacrifice that came from the Baby born in the stable. If Jesus did not humble Himself to come to us, we would eternally be fighting for something that we could never achieve through our broken, sinful spirits: salvation.

Without His perfect sacrifice, our eternity would be starkly hopeless. But we do have hope, and we can sing “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” with joy in our hearts as we await the return of our Savior this Advent season.

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THE COMING OFTHE HOLY SPIRIT

Thursday, December 12This passage may not seem at first glance to be one fit for Advent, but upon closer examination it holds a promise that God had in store with the coming of Jesus and indeed one that could only be fulfilled through Him.

The people of Israel in Joel’s day were under the discipline of God for their sins. A locust plague was consuming the prosperity of the land until they were brought to the point of repentance. In response, God promised to restore their fields and their pastures; the death of the land would be swallowed by resurrection and new life.

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” - Joel 2:28

Amid this prophecy of hope, God promised to send what many translations render “rain.” Interestingly, the word most often used for “rain” in Hebrew is yoreh, whereas the word that appears repeatedly in this passage is moreh, always translated elsewhere in the Bible as “teacher.” It is clear from the context that the prophet is talking about the heavens renewing the abundance of the land, but embedded in this passage is a promise that God would send a teacher of righteousness, which cues us to the Messianic implications of this renewal.

God’s Word is often described using natural and agrarian metaphors, and Deuteronomy 8:2-3 reminds us that living by His commandments is necessary for the fullness of life in the presence of God. Another prophet and contemporary of Joel, Amos, prophesied a temporary “famine” of the words of God before the coming of the Messiah.

Jesus fulfilled this promise as the teacher of righteousness, the very Word and Wisdom of God incarnate dwelling with us, embodying righteousness perfectly in obedience to the Father through suffering. His heavenly wisdom was recognized by Peter as “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68), although to others His rebukes provoked jealousy and anger leading to His crucifixion.

To believe in Jesus is to believe in all that He said as the very words of God, and the Great Commission He gave His disciples was to teach everything He had commanded when He was with them and to continue abiding in His words by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20).

Later in Joel 2:28-29, we read of the promise that “afterward” and “in those days” God would also “downpour” His Spirit on all flesh, which we know from Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 was fulfilled in Jerusalem at the Festival of Pentecost just a few months after the ascension of Jesus.

One role of the Holy Spirit is to be our indwelling teacher and to empower us to bear the fruit of obedience in conformity to Jesus. The gift of the Holy Spirit was part of the New Covenant Messianic glad tidings, that God would “put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33; cf. Ezekiel 36:26).

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THE COMING OFTHE HOLY SPIRIT

Thursday, December 12 (cont.)

READ: JOEL 2:23-29

God and righteousness dwell together. In our unrighteousness, God sent us His Son that we might be forgiven, but also that He might take up His dwelling in us that we would live in the righteousness taught by Jesus and in fellowship with Him experience the joys of God’s dwelling with us.

Are we being filled with His Spirit to live by the words of Jesus, the perfect teacher of righteousness? Are we experiencing the pleasure of God’s dwelling in our hearts, homes, churches, workplaces, and communities or have we allowed sin its destructive foothold?

Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ that one day in the new earth, there will be no more sin, only righteousness and peace, and the abundance of od’s dwelling with us will be fully known.

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BORN IN BETHLEHEMFriday, December 13

“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” - Micah 5:4

From an unlikely town came a powerful King.

Matthew 2 shows the wise men going to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, looking for this new King, ready to worship him. But he was not there. The King was in Bethlehem, and the prophecy from Micah 5:1-4 was at last fulfilled.

Years earlier, Micah showcases the tiny town of Bethlehem as the birthplace of the future ruler of Israel, Jesus Christ. This passage of Scripture portrays a weak and unlikely city needing to prepare for the battle that was coming. Bethlehem is unable, however, to put together an army to defend itself. They are under attack and vulnerable.

One prophecy changes their situation. Bethlehem now has hope of a ruler who

will one day come from among them. The king will be born in their midst and take them from a time of persecution and oppression to peace and security.

No longer will the people live in fear, now they shall be secure.

Micah prophesies of the shepherd who will stand in the strength and majesty of the Lord. The King who was coming would possess power and authority and would reign triumphantly. Compared to their current state, this may have seemed impossible.

How would a strong, triumphant King come from the tiny, vulnerable town of Bethlehem when they could not even protect themselves? How was a king with the strength of the Lord supposed to be from here?

Yet in Scripture, we see God does not always bring His chosen servants from prestige. In 1 Samuel 16, God reminds the prophet, Samuel, saying, “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” In this passage, the great King David was chosen.

David was a shepherd boy who played the harp (not what someone typically thinks of when they think of a king), but he later would defeat Goliath and rule over Israel victoriously. God blessed David’s reign because he was a man after God’s own heart and became one of the greatest kings of Israel.

David did not seem to fit the characteristics that the Israelites pictured when they thought of a king, and, in the same way, Jesus would not come as the Israelites expected. Instead of the capital of Jerusalem, Jesus would come from the tiny town of Bethlehem. Instead of a palace, a stable. Instead of celebration with royalty, some shepherds. Instead of a bed, a manager.

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BORN IN BETHLEHEMFriday, December 13 (cont.)Jesus came to the earth to dwell with us. He came to dwell with all people, to be among the same broken people He came to save.

As Jesus comes and dwells with the people, Micah shows that Jesus also possesses great power. He stands and shepherds the people. He stands in the strength of the Lord and the majesty of His name. He brings security and peace. His name is made great to the ends of the earth.

All of this came from Bethlehem – a town Micah claims to be too little among the clans of Judah. The prophecy had been foretold throughout the generations, but Matthew 2 also reveals that the wise men still expected the great Messiah to come from Jerusalem. The people still thought a king should be born in Jerusalem, but God saw fit to use the town of Bethlehem for His purposes.

How often do we miss what the Lord is doing because it does not come as we expected? Do we see the peace and security Christ brings as King, or do we look for our peace and security in other places that the world promises will bring us comfort? Do we live in fear forgetting that Jesus has come and reigns victoriously?

Today, ask the Lord to show you what He is doing, even if it does not come as expected. Ask Him to remind you of His peace, security, strength, and majesty of His name as He reigns victoriously over all our fears.

READ: MICAH 5:1-4

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BORN OF A VIRGINSaturday, December 14The birth of Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of a Messiah entering the world, as He came not to destroy it but to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Fully man and fully God, the Son of Man came to earth as a baby. If that is not unbelievable enough—that Jesus our Savior would come first as a child—He was also born of a virgin as promised in the book of Isaiah.

Matthew 1:21-23 - “‘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 conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”

2 Corinthians 6:16 - “For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’”

When the angel appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus, he proclaimed that Christ “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 Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:32-33). This miracle of Jesus’s birth only happened because of the power of God (Luke 1:35).

So what does this fulfillment of Scripture mean; for God to reveal His plan of redemption in Isaiah and for it to be manifested years later through a Savior born of a virgin?

God chose us in Christ from the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4), demonstrated here through His revelation to Ahaz that redemption would come into the world through His Son Jesus (Luke 2:11). Jesus is called Immanuel, translated as “God with us,” which signifies Jesus as God incarnate. This is an important distinction because it reveals that Jesus is no ordinary man but is, in fact, the promised Messiah, God Himself, who brings salvation to the world and continually resides with those who believe in Him:

In this passage, the king of Syria and the king of Israel’s son sought to make war against Jerusalem and the line of Judah, but they ultimately failed in their efforts.

Judah could not be destroyed, for Jesus was to come through this messianic line as the Son of Man and Savior to all nations. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord spoke to King Ahaz of Judah and gave him a sign, reassuring him that the tribe of Judah could not be broken, for through the line of David, a Messiah would enter the world and be born of a virgin.

It is in the New Testament accounts that we see the fulfillment of God’s word through Isaiah:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”- Isaiah 7:14

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BORN OF A VIRGINSaturday, December 14 (cont.)

Christmas marks the celebration of Jesus’ birth, who miraculously entered the world as a child through the virgin Mary. But God’s redemption does not end with the birth of our Savior; it points to something grander: the salvation of humanity through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, when Jesus defeated death and the sins of the world, declaring that it was finally finished (John 19:28-30). No longer are we in bondage to sins under the Law, but we are able to walk in the freedom of His righteousness in the light of Jesus’ salvation.

For Christ came into the world, holy and blameless, to die for us even though we are undeserving (Romans 6:23). By faith in Him, we are saved, and it is through His grace alone that we are able to count ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6:11).

READ: ISAIAH 7:1-16

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DIVINE TITLESSunday, December 15The Hope for all Israel has finally been promised! For years, the people of Israel have been longing for a savior, and now they have a foreseen taste of how sweet His reign shall be. He will be given to us, and with Him shall come peace for eternity.

“To us a son is given” (Is. 9:6). And what a gift He is! There’s nothing we could ever do to earn the precious, eternal gift that is Jesus. The Lord chose to come down, give Himself to us, and dwell with us forever. God saw the depravity of man in its entirety and knew that we would fail to be able to atone for ourselves. To completely atone for the sins of man, the Son of Man would have to be given to us and live a sinless life to be the Spotless Sacrifice, which would wipe away our sins in totality.

“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”- Isaiah 9:6b

The Perfect Lamb of God was graciously given to such an undeserving people, but doesn’t that magnify the depth of God’s love for us? Instead of turning away from us in our sin and leaving us to fend for ourselves, He stepped in and provided the missing piece to His perfect puzzle. The Gift of God was given in His perfect timing to redeem a world that knew not the weight of His ultimate sacrifice.

“He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6). What powerful names, only able to be ascribed to the One who would save our souls.

This “Wonderful Counselor” would be the One who would inspire awe and wonder from the sweet, comforting counsel He gives through His Holy Spirit.

The “Mighty God” is the same Mighty God who created the entire world, came to save it, and is coming again to take His beloved ones home.

Our “Everlasting Father,” is the One who is faithfully protecting His children with the strength of His mighty hands.

The “Prince of Peace” has come, and His peace surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). These beautiful names would only be able to be ascribed to the One who was destined to be glorified forever through the redemption of His people.

“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom” (Is. 9:7). We see this prophecy fulfilled from the mouth of the angel who appeared to Mary, telling her she would conceive the Savior of the world. The angel said, “The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33).

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DIVINE TITLESSunday, December 15 (cont.)

READ: ISAIAH 9:1-7

These two prophecies about the Son of God were first promised to David, back in 2 Samuel, when the prophet Nathan visited David, and the Lord made a covenant with David. The Lord, through the prophet Nathan said, “I will raise up your offspring succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” (2 Samuel 7:12-14).

David’s son, Solomon, did build the Lord a house, but 14 generations later, through the lineage of David and the cleansing blood of Jesus, the Lord was at last able to dwell in us forever.

Seeing Jesus in the prophecies of the Old Testament come to life in the New Testament is one of the sweetest testimonies we read in our Bibles. All of creation held their breaths until the Savior, at last, came down to us to save us for an eternity with Him. While we await His glorious return, His peaceful presence dwells in us, encouraging us day by day to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

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PREPARING THE WAYMonday, December 16Cut off from their land for repeated disobedience to Yahweh, the people of God were again without a home, refugees in a foreign land. Although it would bring to mind the turbulent days of the judges, not since their original bondage in Egypt and wilderness wanderings had they been without possession of the promised land like this.

This was not the abundance of blessing and prosperity they enjoyed in fellowship with God. For them, it was the desert - a time of exile where they felt forsaken of God.

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord.’”- Isaiah 40:3

Isaiah 40 is a beautiful message of hope and comfort, glad tidings for the people of God in captivity. It was the promise of covenant restoration on the other side of His discipline (Isa. 40:1-2). The Northern Kingdom fell first in 722 BC to the Assyrians. Then, in 586 BC, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was subdued by the invading Babylonians, followed by 70 years of captivity.

Though God would feel absent in their chastening, He promised in Isaiah 40 that He was with them and that He would not forget His covenant. Their discipline would not last forever, but He would restore them. Their cries for deliverance would again be heard, and He would answer them.

Jews indeed began returning under the decree of Cyrus, King of Persia, in 538 BC, allowing them to rebuild the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem, as recorded in the books of Ezra-Nehemiah. But these days did not last as first Greeks, and later Romans occupied the land and hindered Jewish freedom.

When Jesus was born, the people were still in exile under Roman occupation. Augustus Caesar was lord. Even more so, they were still in spiritual exile as slaves to sin under the Law. Their Messiah and salvation were still to come. The Kingdom of God had not yet returned.

Preceding God’s coming to save, a voice crying out from the desert would be heard preparing His way. In the New Testament, John the Baptist, born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, revived the office of prophet after 400 years of silence, preaching like a vagabond in the desert that the time was dawning for Israel’s salvation (Mark 1:3-4).

John was the herald of God’s Kingdom and the witness to the coming of His Anointed One to take away sins (John 1:29). Some thought John was the Messiah, but he was only a witness. His ministry was to call the people to repentance to prepare for God’s visitation and dwelling among them.

You see, it was not just a matter of God coming to remove the consequence and penalty of their sins. His intent was to remove the power of sin and give people a

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READ: ISAIAH 40:3

PREPARING THE WAY

new heart in fellowship with His. Only through repentance would their eyes be opened and their hearts prepared to submit to the reign of God.

As we read in the Gospels, however, many in Israel rejected John’s message and then also the life and teachings of Jesus. Yet after His murder and being forsaken by the Father, He would be restored to lead many out of captivity into the freedom of His salvation (Isaiah 53:10-11).

As God came to Israel on that first Christmas day, He comes to each and every one of us. Have you ever submitted to God’s Kingdom and the Lordship of Jesus in repentance, the acknowledgment of your sin, and the need to turn from it?

A heart hardened in sin, a spiritual desert and barren wasteland in exile from God, will not and cannot affirm the truth of God nor abide His wisdom. Though God rejects the proud, He lavishes His grace on the humble and offers them the sacrificial gift of Jesus Christ.

Are you a believer but caught in a sin? Repentance will prepare for God’s coming anew to rekindle the joys of your soul’s salvation in Christ and the sweetness of His indwelling fellowship through the Spirit.


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THE SUFFERING SERVANTTuesday, December 17

Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace.

Despised. Rejected. A Man of Sorrows. Afflicted.

We don’t tend to think of these things as coexisting, yet Scripture shows Jesus as both a powerful king and a suffering servant.

As the Jews looked forward to the promised Messiah, they looked for a Messiah who possessed both power and strength.

Israel first demanded a king in 1 Samuel 8, disregarding the warnings of the prophet Samuel, saying, “But there shall be a king over us, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20).

The Israelites wanted to be like other nations, and they wanted someone who could free them from oppression. They had put their hope of salvation in an earthly king.

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.”- Isaiah 53:3

First, King Saul ruled over them, but soon they longed for a better king. Some kings, like King David, would govern the people well, while others, like King Ahab, left the Israelites mourning and longing for the promised Messiah.

So as years passed, the Jews looked for the Savior to come to set them free from the physical oppression – something these earthly kings had been unable to do.

The Jews continued to hold deeply to this promise, longing for a powerful king who would reign with great authority. But Isaiah 52:13-53:12 depicts a very different type of Messiah. This Messiah would be a Suffering Servant.

It is here that we see the Jews were so focused on their desire for a king who would rule in a place of power that they missed Jesus when he came to earth. But it is also in this passage that we see how Christ’s suffering brought great salvation.

Jesus bore the griefs and carried the sorrows of all people, even though we rejected Him. He was pierced and crushed that we may have atonement for sins. He became the perfect sacrifice that would make salvation possible.

And all of this He did willingly.

It would have been hard to imagine the promised Messiah coming in this form. As Lord, He should be exalted and praised and lavished with precious treasures. But Jesus did not come to experience worldly pleasures. He came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his lie as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

So even though we “all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one- to his own way,” Jesus came to earth to save us. Jesus did not come to earth for

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THE SUFFERING SERVANTTuesday, December 17 (cont.)

READ: ISAIAH 52:13-15; 53:1-12

power, for He already possessed it; instead, He came and suffered so that we might experience salvation.

The Jews were looking to be free from the physical oppression they were facing, and a king seemed to be the solution. But God knew that their physical oppression was not the ultimate need. The Jews looked for their needs of security and comfort to be addressed first, but God saw their real need to be cleansed in salvation, so he sent Jesus as the Suffering Servant.

Are you looking for your needs to be fulfilled in worldly pleasures, or are you seeking your salvation in the Lord who graciously came to save us?

As we think about how Christ suffered taking on the sins of the world, how can we not thank Him for what He has done for us? Take time to remember the greatest need Christ fulfilled in bringing salvation. Reflect on God’s grace to send His Son, and Christ’s great sacrifice to allow us to have a relationship with Him.

What love He showed in humbly coming to earth only to experience suffering when he deserved glory.

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THE GOOD SHEPHERDWednesday, December 18Israel had no shepherd. They were neglected entirely by those who were in charge of them, and God told Ezekiel to prophesy against them. The so-called “shepherds” who were supposed to be caring for the people of Israel weren’t feeding or protecting them but left them to scatter and wander with no one to search for them, letting them become prey (Ez. 34:3-8).

Meanwhile, the shepherds were profiting off of the benefits they were withholding from their people, leaving the flock to suffer. Despising this, the Lord willed to rescue His flock and give them one shepherd through His servant, David (Ez. 34:23).

“Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them.”- Ezekiel 34:30a

Along with His promise of one shepherd, the Lord promises to Israel a covenant of peace, in which He would banish wild beasts from the land so they could dwell securely (Ez. 34:25). He promises showers of blessing (Ez. 34:26), fruitful land, security in their land, and that He will “break the bars of their yoke, and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them” (Ez. 34:27).

The Lord goes on to promise that “they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them” (Ez. 34:30). God with us. The Creator of the universe with His lowly creation.

In the New Testament, we see the fulfillment of God’s promise for one shepherd in David: Jesus (John 10:16). Jesus is the Good Shepherd who would lay down His life for His sheep (John 10:11). This Good Shepherd came so that we may “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10), rescuing us from the wrath of God in our sin, and giving us life and His perfect righteousness that we might dwell eternally with the Father.

How wonderful! We no longer have to be scattered or shoved as the Israelites were. Our Good Shepherd has come to defend us and ensure that His sheep will graze peacefully in His presence.

The Lord loved His sheep and His flock, so He promised Israel a shepherd in Ezekiel 34. Then, God fulfilled His promise by sending Jesus to be our Good Shepherd for eternity.

He came down from Heaven to dwell with us, ransom us, then rise again to glory so His Holy Spirit could dwell in us forever. One day He shall return, and we will dwell with Him for all eternity!

The Good Shepherd didn’t leave his flock to suffer or scatter, but He restored His flock to salvation. He says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). No one. A good shepherd will not let the wolf take His sheep (John 10:12).

Good sheep know their shepherd’s voice and listen only to His (John 10:5). “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

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READ: EZEKIEL 34:21-31

THE GOOD SHEPHERDWednesday, December 18 (cont.)

By His Spirit dwelling in us, we are able to follow our Shepherd where He leads us. His Spirit leads us ever closer to Him, until one day He will return and take us home to be with Him forever.

“Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them.” If we know this, what is to stand in the way of us getting closer to God? He dwells in us forever, but we must choose to dwell in His presence daily.

Cling close to the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us so that we can glorify and enjoy Him all the days of our lives.

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ONE LIKE A SON OF MANThursday, December 19

“...there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.”- Daniel 7:13

Throughout Christian history, prophetic literature has been taken in a variety of directions, including sometimes exact predictions of the Second Coming of Christ (don’t worry…it hasn’t happened yet).

So the Book of Daniel, with its incredible visions and dreams, is often used to bolster a wide range of beliefs about the end times. The passage we read today is coming at the end of one of the most popular passages as Daniel sees a vision of four great beasts, which we are told in the passage represent kingdoms and kings that were to come.

Before stepping into eschatological matters (i.e., end-times stuff), I want us to step back and imagine Daniel’s emotional state as he experienced this vision. There he is, in his first year with a new king in Babylon, lying in bed, and a vision began to appear to him, so vivid that he was able to write it all down.

Before he has a chance to catch his breath, he sees the beasts coming out of the sea, each more unbelievable than the other. They had horns, were tearing flesh, crushing their victims, and boastfully proclaiming their superiority. Can you imagine the adrenaline that must have come up within Daniel? The potential fear and probable confusion. “What am I looking at?” he must have thought, and “Am I even safe?”

Against the beasts sat the Ancient of Days, whose power and might easily vanquish the beasts. At this sight, Daniel must have had relief and perhaps even more confusion, especially as a new character came on the scene. But this new figure was dramatically different than the beasts.

Instead of some monstrosity, “one like a son of man” arrived. Instead of rising up from the sea, the newcomer came from the clouds. And unlike the way the beasts approached the Ancient of Days, the Son of Man calmly walked to the throne and was invited into His presence. Even more, He was lauded with praise from all people and all nations, and He was given dominion over all the world to last forever and ever. (cf. Philippians 2:10-11)

Think back to Daniel and his mindset. Fear came first, then confusion. I imagine that upon seeing the Son of Man coming from the clouds, Daniel must have sensed some level of peace.

As Daniel came out of the dream, he states that he remained “deeply troubled,” and his “face turned pale,” but I wonder why that is the case. Perhaps because he still didn’t understand the dream. Maybe he worried about the turmoil to come. Or it was so much to take in at one sitting.

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ONE LIKE A SON OF MANThursday, December 19 (cont.)

But I don’t imagine that he was troubled at the prospect of the coming Son of Man. Why? Because from that stage forward, the people of Israel anticipated with great excitement the Messiah that was to come. For Jews living as refugees around the known world, they latched onto the idea of One who could arrive and lay hold of a throne for them that would never go away.

They looked to the clouds for the arrival of the Son of Man. And in Mark 14:62, Jesus identified Himself as that figure. Against the Sanhedrin and all their accusations about whether he claimed to be the Christ, Jesus told them, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

The Sanhedrin believed His words to be blasphemy. But for those who believe, they know His words to be true. The Son of Man, whose Kingdom would reign forever and ever, had arrived.

Isn’t it wonderful to think about how the whole of the Old Testament continually points to Christ? Isn’t it amazing how God wove that history into the plan of salvation?

But none of that should be surprising. God is a God of plans. He knows what He is doing, and at no time does He have to abandon a vision because circumstances have “changed.” He is in charge, and He is in control.

The Ancient of Days remains seated on His throne, and He has established Jesus as the ruler of all. This Christmas season, as we approach the celebration of the birth of Jesus, let’s celebrate not only the arrival of the baby but also the arrival of the Son of Man. Let’s celebrate both the fulfillment of the prophecy of His first arrival as well as the fulfillment of the prophecy that He will one day return as the kingdoms of the world will bow at His feet.

Behold the Son of Man, full of all power and authority, lying in a manger!

READ: DANIEL 7:13-14

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GOOD WILL VISIT JERUSALEMFriday, December 20The well-known prophecy of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey is the subject of tomorrow’s devotional on Zechariah 9, but a lesser known text at the beginning of the same book contains a very profound prediction that the Messiah’s coming would also be the very incarnation of God among His people. The promise in this passage is that God will visit Jerusalem.

“’Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the Lord” (Zechariah 2:10). Here again we see the commitment and promise of God to dwell with His people.

God’s coming in the Old Testament often signified two things: judgment and salvation. The discipline Israel was under would be reversed and judgment would fall upon the nations oppressing Israel leading to the salvation of the chosen nation. So for the Jewish people hearing this prophecy, this meant that through the Messiah the land would be liberated by God from the captivity of Israel’s enemies.

However, as we can reflect on the person of Jesus Christ, we realize the prophecy says so much more than this. The Jewish people in the Gospels could not conceive that the Messiah would be God Himself incarnate – and certainly not a man raised in such humble beginnings in Bethlehem and Nazareth.

Yet in Jesus, God did indeed visit Jerusalem, and in Jesus God dwelt among the people (John 1:14; cf. 14:9). He even cleansed His own temple, but Jesus was rejected and killed for claiming unity and shared authority with the Father in heaven.

As Jesus was approaching Jerusalem in Luke 19:41-44, knowing what would transpire to Him in the coming days, He wept for the city and explicitly stated that His own people failed to recognize the “time” of their “visitation” by God.

They did not recognize God in their very midst but schemed to put Him to death – even in cahoots with their Gentile oppressors! Yet some Jews did become believers and went on to spread the Gospel to the Gentiles.

In Zechariah 2:11 it states that “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people.” As John the apostle a few hundred years later wrote in the opening chapter of his Gospel (vs. 11-12): “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

All believing Gentiles are these “many nations” that Zechariah prophesied about who have come to know Israel’s God through faith in Jesus as the Christ, His Son, but

“Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.”- Zechariah 2:11

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GOOD WILL VISIT JERUSALEMFriday, December 20 (cont.)

READ: ZECHARIAH 2:10-13

I often wonder if we would have been like those in the Gospels who missed God walking in their midst?

Would we have so quickly followed after Jesus when so many of the crowds did not? Would we have believed that in Him we were beholding God? Would we have been offended and angered by Him?

Are there ways in which each day we, blinded by sin, fail to recognize reflections of His presence with us – enlivening the miracle of nature that surrounds us, in all the blessings that bring us gladness, in opportunities for relationship and ministry that He calls us to respond to, in the prompting to reconcile with an offended brother or sister or to turn away from sinful strongholds?

Perhaps we only see our circumstances but not the God who is there behind them and is at work in them, not as a detached observer but One who has chosen to dwell in and with us that we might flourish in Him.

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COMING IN PEACE

“Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King…”

Despair and division have consistently defined the tattered nation of Israel throughout biblical history. The words “chosen people” were probably almost insulting to say around the Jewish people during their nearly 70 years in captivity. This period followed King Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem, leading to what we know now as the “Babylonian Exile.”

Saturday, December 21

Zechariah 9:9-10 - “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”

The nation that was supposed to have “descendants as countless as the stars” eventually was split in two, into the Northern and Southern kingdoms. God’s promise looked dim to a nation that fell in and out of obedience to Him, but they never fell out of His love, as he repeatedly proved in His constant provision through Israel’s history.

Though the people of Israel had so little hope at the time of their captivity, they looked forward to one promise of God. Out of faith in His constant provision, and perhaps out of sheer necessity to survive, they knew the King was coming, one who would inevitably set them free.

In stark contrast to the likes of Nebuchadnezzar, this King would come in peace to bring peace. In an era of kings asserting their power and commanding respect through conquest, this concept laid out in Zechariah 9:9-10 was difficult to grasp, especially considering the puzzling imagery used in these verses:

“He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”- Zechariah 9:10b

First, look at the way God’s people are addressed here: “Daughters of Zion,” “Daughter Jerusalem.” These are intimate terms used about Jerusalem, the city established on Zion’s holy hill, to assure God’s people that they are loved, not forgotten or forsaken.

Their King would be coming to set them free.

And He would not come mounted on a horse like the conquering kings of the day, who did such to enhance some noble and proud image of stature. Instead, He would come mounted on a donkey.

And ironically, He would cut off the glorious chariots and horses of all other warring rulers, and reign “from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” The “River,” according to various commentaries, likely refers to the

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COMING IN PEACESaturday, December 21 (cont.)Euphrates located in Babylon — where the Israelites’ captivity began. If that’s so, what further irony this beautiful passage presents.

This King would not only reign, but he would also proclaim peace to all nations and all people – not just all Jews, but to the Gentiles as well. Peace would surely follow this King’s lead.

In hindsight, we can see how this messianic promise pointed to Jesus Christ (John 12:12-19). The excerpt from Zechariah is just one of about 127 Messianic predictions we can find scattered in the Old Testament. Can you imagine being one of the Israelites, hoping for the promised Messiah, but not having a clear idea when, where, or how He would arrive? You could only cling to the promise that He would come.

This promise of the Messiah in Zechariah is reminiscent of God’s promise to bless Abraham with countless descendants in Genesis 12:1-3. Later, during King David’s time, we hear the promise of an eternal reign in 2 Samuel 7:16. Neither of these promises came to pass in these men’s lifetimes, but the world has waited and seen them come to fruition.

As we reflect on the advent season, let us remember Christ’s birth. Let us not forget the history, the promise, and the hope that led up to His arrival in perfect peace to save us from the captivity of our sin.

READ: ZECHARIAH 9:9-10

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THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY

“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” What a prophecy. For hundreds of years, Israel has been longing for the Messiah, and now He is coming! The one through whom Jesus would be born has been chosen, and she is a lovely, humbled, favored servant of God. The angel Gabriel has just appeared to Mary and proclaimed to her the wonderful news that she will bear the Savior.

Mary was confused, wondering how she could conceive if she had not known a man, but the angel comforts her, saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30).

Gabriel appears in the Bible only four times. In the New Testament, he appears to announce the births of John the Baptist to Elizabeth, and Jesus to Mary. In the Old Testament, Gabriel appears the other two times to Daniel, found in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21. In Daniel 8, Daniel has a vision of the coming Medo-Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, and the Hellenistic Empire (source: ESV Student Study Bible, p. 1112), and Gabriel interprets it for him. Daniel was “appalled by the vision and did not understand it” (Dan. 8:27), then fervently prays to the Lord for his people.

While he was still praying, the angel Gabriel comes again to him, saying, “I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved” (Dan. 9:22-23). From the Old Testament to the New, Gabriel brought significant prophecies with loving words from the Father about His Son, the “Anointed One” (Daniel 9:26), to Daniel and Mary.

Gabriel’s prophecy to Mary is full of beautiful promises about the coming Savior she will bear. They are:

Sunday, December 22

You will conceive in your womb (Luke 1:31)

You will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus (1:31)

He will be great and called the Son of the Most High (1:32)

The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David (1:32)

He will reign over the house of Jacob forever (1:33)

Of His kingdom there will be no end (1:33)

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Mary, in her steadfast faith, responds humbly and asks how this will come to pass. The angel says that He will be conceived by the Holy Spirit, thus making her Child born holy, free from inheriting sinful nature from man (Luke 1:35). Mary’s response to the angel is the pattern, after which all Christians should follow when presented with God’s will; “behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Her willingness to follow the Lord’s will shows why Gabriel greeted her as “O favored one” in verse 28, much like he addressed Daniel above. A pregnancy while only betrothed to a man would have serious social consequences that would result in

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THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARYSunday, December 22 (cont.)

READ: LUKE 1:26-38

the equivalent of divorce to break the betrothment, or public shame over her and her betrothed until everyone chose to forget.

Regardless of the circumstances that were before her, Mary understood that the Lord’s plan was higher than hers, and she willfully submitted her body and life so that the Savior of the world could finally come down to dwell with us.

God with us. The Incarnate Savior on earth with His creation. He is finally coming to redeem His beloved creation by giving His life for us! But before Jesus gave His perfect life on the cross to pay for our sins, He dwelled with us.

He taught us about Himself and how to become like Him. And after He died and rose again, He left us His Holy Spirit to dwell within us always.to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” The “River,” according to various commentaries, likely refers to the Euphrates located in Babylon — where the Israelites’ captivity began. If that’s so, what further irony this beautiful passage presents.

“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 Dabid, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”- Luke 1:32-33

This King would not only reign, but he would also proclaim peace to all nations and all people – not just all Jews, but to the Gentiles as well. Peace would surely follow this King’s lead.

In hindsight, we can see how this messianic promise pointed to Jesus Christ (John 12:12-19). The excerpt from Zechariah is just one of about 127 Messianic predictions we can find scattered in the Old Testament. Can you imagine being one of the Israelites, hoping for the promised Messiah, but not having a clear idea when, where, or how He would arrive? You could only cling to the promise that He would come.

This promise of the Messiah in Zechariah is reminiscent of God’s promise to bless Abraham with countless descendants in Genesis 12:1-3. Later, during King David’s time, we hear the promise of an eternal reign in 2 Samuel 7:16. Neither of these promises came to pass in these men’s lifetimes, but the world has waited and seen them come to fruition.

As we reflect on the advent season, let us remember Christ’s birth. Let us not forget the history, the promise, and the hope that led up to His arrival in perfect peace to save us from the captivity of our sin.

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JESUS FULFILL THEHISTORY OF ISRAEL

Monday, December 23Rarely do genealogies appear in devotionals. Let’s face it. A list of names just does not do much to inspire spiritual meditation like an emotional Psalm, an engaging Old Testament story, or a passionate exhortation from the pen of the Apostle Paul.

Yet genealogies tell a story, and in the instance of Matthew 1:1-17, the most important story. For it begins with Abraham and traces through his descendants down to the arrival of Jesus Christ. In some manner, with this list of names, we basically have an outline of Israel’s history – albeit the male-dominated one.

The genealogy is even split up into three sections with fourteen names each that mark off three different periods in Israel’s history. Starting with Abraham, we have the age of the patriarchs, the Exodus, conquest, and judges.

With David, we have the period of the monarchy in Israel traced down through the divided Kingdom to the last king of Judah, Zedekiah. With Shealtiel, we have the period of Babylonian captivity that takes us up to the return of the Jews from exile and finishes with the birth of Jesus to Mary.

While the primary purpose of the genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel is to show Jesus as the royal descendant of David, it also serves the purpose of reminding us of key moments on the timeline of the Messianic covenantal narrative; from the call of Abraham in Genesis 12, the promise to Judah in Genesis 49, the choosing of David’s dynasty in 2 Samuel 7, and finally the Virgin Mary’s miraculous conception and birth prophesied in Isaiah 7.

“…and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.”- Matthew 1:16

In other words, as we have witnessed in the devotionals for this Advent season, the history of Israel is written with her future Messiah in mind. Jesus is the fulfillment and personification of the whole history of Israel.

In the patriarchal period, He is the seed of Abraham through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed. Indeed, He is given a name greater than Abraham and a nation with more descendants (Genesis 12:1-3).

He is the Passover Lamb of the Exodus, the obedient Son in the wilderness, the lawgiver and prophet with authority greater than Moses, the tabernacle of God’s presence, the high priest, sacrifice of atonement, and the warrior and conqueror mightier than Joshua (which in Greek is rendered, “Jesus”). He is the just judge and the kinsman-redeemer.

In the age of the monarchy, He is the good shepherd, the everlasting King whose throne endures forever, the wisdom of God, and the Temple of God’s glory.

In the age of exile, He is Jonah in the whale and the Suffering Servant who punished and forsaken by God but is brought back from death and captivity to inherit the land.

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JESUS FULFILLS THEHISTORY OF ISRAEL


READ: MATTHEW 1:1-17

In no other person is a whole nation’s history fulfilled as in Jesus, and no merely human person could fulfill all these stories as hard as he or she tried. God’s desire to dwell with us hinges on and is fulfilled in a greater way, in the coming of Jesus.

He is the perfection of all that came before and pointed to Him, and He brings God’s dwelling closer to us than ever through His life, death, resurrection, and giving of the Spirit.

Can you feel the anticipation of history building, much like Mary would in her labor pains, for the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we will celebrate just a few short days from now?

Can you revel in the favor of God, the glad tidings of His peace, and the overwhelming demonstration of His love – that He would desire so much to dwell with us to be our God and we His people?

Like an artist who pronounced his work good and delighted over it only to have it defiled, corrupted, and His image in it marred, God chose not to throw away His creation but to remake and renew it – even better than before.

This He has, is, and will accomplish to His own praise and glory through Jesus Christ.

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GOD INCARNATETuesday, December 24“By thine own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone…”

Immanuel, “God with us.” This was the name of the Savior — as declared in Matthew 1:23 — who would bring light into the world with his glory. In John 1:1-18, we get a more complete summary of Jesus as God Incarnate; as light and glory incarnate; as the One the world had waited for.

But stop and think about it, piece by piece. Do we fully realize and appreciate the implications of Jesus coming to us as God Incarnate?

First, take one of the most familiar verses we have regarding creation: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made...” (v. 1-3)

Jesus, the “Word” described here, existed “in the beginning.” Not only did He take part in creating the world, He existed before the beginning of time itself. We can’t begin to fathom such a concept in our limited human experience.

Jesus, the Son, existed “with God” the Father. While the Father, the Son, and the Spirit make up the triune God of the Bible, Jesus is as distinct as He is together with the Father. In that, He was able to come among His creation to bring His grace and glory within our reach.

And finally, Jesus “was God.” Whatever the Father is, the Son is too. Jesus is fully divine. Yet he became fully man to make the glory of heaven known to His creation. This is what we mean by “incarnate;” He was God in the flesh.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (v. 14)

Pause on the word “dwelling” as it pertains to Jesus. He — the Word — made his dwelling among us. This recalls the imagery of the tabernacle of God’s presence that was set among the Israelites in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt some 1,600 years earlier (Numbers 2:17).

Jesus’ birth and life among us represented the ultimate tabernacle of God’s presence among his people. God’s pure glory is too much for anyone to behold directly, as He demonstrated to Moses in Exodus 33:20. But through Christ, as Ephesians 2:18 puts it, we “have access to the Father by one spirit.”

Many people at the time thought John the Baptist was the one fulfilling the promises of the Messiah to come. Not only was that a false assumption, it the farthest thing from his purpose that anyone could assume.

He knew what he was called to be a messenger who pointed to the True Light that was coming into the world, paving the way for people to receive Jesus. “He came as

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”- John 1:1

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GOD INCARNATETuesday, December 24 (cont.)

READ: JOHN 1:1-18

a witness to testify concerning that light so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light” (v. 7-8). John made himself less to make Christ greater and ultimately stepped out of the picture for God Incarnate.

It is an example set for us to follow this Advent season and beyond, having access to the truth after Truth Himself walked among us. John set a worthy standard of living to honor God. But Jesus set the ultimate example, having gone further to put us in right relationship with the Father: “Yet to all who did receive him, he gave the right to become children of God…” (v. 12)

Jesus brought with His incarnate arrival, the New Covenant, by which Jew and Gentile could become children of God if they believe in Jesus’ name. By this, we all can know the love the Father through the countless acts of love by His only Son, so that we may be adopted into His Kingdom: “How great the love of God lavished upon us that we should be called children of God.” (1 John 3:1)

So it is the least we can give in worship to live in the example of God Incarnate. He came to set for us a real-time example, and to reconcile us to the Father. 1 Peter 2:21 puts it best, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

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IMMANUEL IS HERE!Wednesday, December 25The day has finally arrived. A day that has been in the making since Genesis 3:15. Adam and Eve hid in shame from the Lord in the Garden, but He came to find them and promised that what they had done would be undone.

Why it took so long we will never know, but in God’s timing it was perfect: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son …” (Galatians 4:4).

All the promises, prophecies, types, and pointers throughout the Old Testament we have studied this season were looking to this day, reaching their fulfillment and culmination in the birth of this child.

Here He was, God in their midst, coming for them, to be near to them: “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men” was the angels’ reprise to the shepherds that night.

These were no ordinary shepherds, however, who received the only angelic invitation to visit the newborn Jesus. Likely, they were keeping watch over the flock of the Tower of Migdal Edar (Micah 4:8; cf. Genesis 35:21), the unblemished sheep that were raised and prepared for Temple use.

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” - Revelation 21:3

The most surprising thing about that night is that the birth of the Messiah, the Incarnation of Immanuel, did not occur with glorious spectacle and a royal festival but was concealed from most in obscurity and simplicity, the eternal One breaking meekly into time and history in an animal stable.

But such humility would characterize the whole life of the Messiah and demonstrate perfect human obedience and submission to the Father.

Jesus would turn the ordinary idea of royalty and power on its head by a life of sacrificial giving rather than prideful taking. Ultimately, this righteous and innocent One would even accept a shameful death crucified between two criminals as the only way that sinners could be reconciled to God.

The death of a weak, battered body hanging on the cross became the very weapon in the hands of this King to conquer the ancient Enemy and make way for God’s dwelling with us and the renewing of the world: defeating pride with humility, injustice with compassion, and hatred with love.

This was the start of a new day for the world, of God’s dwelling with the people He made, the firstfruits of the hope of a new creation through faith in Jesus and new life in the Holy Spirit. Christmas is truly a time for celebration and rejoicing in the love God has for us.

Yet now is just a foretaste of what is still to come. We still wait when God’s dwelling with us becomes fully known in a new earth without sin, an eternal kingdom of peace and righteousness.

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READ: LUKE 2:1-20

Lord, hasten that day, and may You find your people ready and faithful when the time comes to receive the inheritance that You have won for us to the praise of Your glory and grace.

That inheritance is You and your presence dwelling with us forever. Until then, what we celebrate as beginning at Christmas is also our ceaseless prayer for the future: “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.”

Wednesday, December 25 (cont.)

IMMANUEL IS HERE!

Meet the Team

Devotional Content & Advent LeadershipDr. Blake Killingsworth

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Abbey Watson

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