As we leave the Old Testament and fast forward 400 years to the New Testament times, I wonder about the Israelites' faith during those 400 years. After such a dramatic and active presence of God for so many years, I wonder if during this relatively silent time most people felt like God had abandoned them. The faith of those who continued to follow God's laws and trust in His existence, love, and desire to fellowship with His people is an incredible testimony.
God is going to reintroduce Himself to humans in a mind-boggling manner. We are about to meet God in human form. As we read of those closely involved, we know that some were ready to receive the Word and some were not. In these short four chapters, we see several key figures in this story. Let's take a look at some of their responses.
Joseph
I really felt for Joseph while reading of him and his role in this grand event. He was a righteous man who was betrothed to wed Mary. I realized for the first time that God not only chose Mary to be Jesus' mother, but clearly chose Joseph as well to be Jesus' legal, earthly father. He was to give Jesus his name. He was to protect, love, care for, and raise Jesus. Joseph was not so sure at first, but he was obedient to God's plan revealed through dreams.
Joseph obeyed.
Magi
The Magi were not Jewish men, but had learned of the "king of the Jews." They traveled great distances to seek Jesus and brought gifts.
The Magi worshiped Jesus.
Herod
Herod was disturbed when he learned that people were seeking Jesus. He tried to find a way to take care of the "problem".
Herod actively opposed Jesus.
John the Baptist
John had the very special job of calling people to repentance, baptizing them, AND preparing people for Jesus' arrival. John understood his position and relationship to Jesus. He knew Jesus was the Lord and John was humbled to the point of not wanting to baptize Jesus because he did not feel worthy. When Jesus told John what needed to be done, John obeyed.
John told others of Jesus.
Sadducees and Pharisees
These Jewish leaders were proud, religious, men with unrepentant hearts. They were reliant on their position in the long line of Jewish ancestors for their salvation. They were interested in what was going on around John the Baptist and went to check things out.
They watched the early events unfold from a skeptical, condescending distance.
Satan
In the very early days of Jesus ministry, Satan tempted Jesus in ways that are very real to humans. He tempted Jesus with food, worldly riches, and the opportunity to perform miracles for his own benefit. Satan tempted Jesus using techniques that he still uses today.
Satan attacked Jesus spiritually.
The Disciples
I imagine the first disciples had no idea what was coming when Jesus walked along the edge of the lake and called to them. However, they dropped everything they were doing and left their jobs, families, and friends.
The disciples simply followed Jesus.
If we are honest with ourselves, we have probably responded similarly to all of these characters at one point or another. Each minute, hour, and day that we have in this life is an opportunity to respond to "God with us". We also have the opportunity and responsibility to continually prepare our hearts for what God has in store for us.
Introducing Immanuel, Jesus, the savior of the world!
'"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us."'
~Matthew 1:23
Great great post Terry! I also wonder about the 400 years. What a long time to be without God. Over and over again we see in these chapters that things happened to fulfill prophecies about Jesus. God always has a plan! I, personally, and glad to see Him enter the picture. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome job Terry!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of this post is:
"Satan tempted Jesus using techniques that he still uses today."
I can't speak for all of you, but I tend to think 'Life was so much simpler back then' I forget that even characters from all these years ago faced very similar situations and circumstances as I do today. But just as God was with each of them, He is with each of us as well. And I am so grateful for that!
400 years of silence.....broken with a baby's cry! Amen! As the song goes, "This is such a strange way to save the world." His ways aren't ours. If I learned anything from our OT time, it was that fact alone. We made it to the New Testament!! :)
ReplyDeleteAn interesting note....you remember the triangle of Jacob and Rachel and Leah?? Well, here in Matthew, please don't fly through that lineage....there are rich treasures in each name, one being that it was LEAH'S son, Judah, listed in the genealogy of Christ!!! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, He is hard at work in our lives even when we think we are overlooked.
I am so excited to reach the New Testament and read of all the prophecies being fulfilled. I have always wanted to do this. Terry I love your character break down. Wonderful post! I love to read the names in the lineage too. All the unlikely ones like Leah, Tamar, Rahab, even the situation with Ruth. Amazing God he is!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so thrilled to be in the NT. I love the OT but am glad to be studying Jesus "in person" so to speak. Terry, I loved the way you broke down today's post - a lot of people in the story and a lot to think about.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I've been thinking about Christmas these past few days, so it was good to read the lineage of Jesus just after reading the OT and remember some of the names we have studied. Good job Terry.
May I add my voice to the others on a job well done, Terry. I am also excited about us making it to the NT. I really liked the way you listed the ones involved and told who they was. It is like reading a cast of characters so when you read about them you know a little about them. It was a new and refreshing way of starting off. Again, may I say great job.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else notice that the genealogy went from Abraham to Joseph (not Mary)???
ReplyDeleteYes, Terry I noticed that. Matthew's genealogy is actually the only one in the gospels that lists any women at all. Jewish genealogies strictly followed the male line. Prophecies stating that he would be from the "line of David" were referring to his paternal line.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else notice that Jesus came preaching "REPENT for the kingdom of heaven is near"? What have we been reading about in the last few books- repentance. The age old message...leave self, turn to God.
Oh Ladies!!! You all just simply blow me away!!! Terry - such a creative yet effective way to introduce the first four chapters of the New Testament. We could easily spend months studying these chapters alone! The 400 years of silence between the testaments has always intrigued me...I do not think we can really fathom what that would be like because we have the Holy Spirit with us ALL THE TIME. I just love the fact that God "breaks the silence" with the presence of Himself in human form. Thank you ladies for helping to change my life for ALL eternity!!!
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