Mary lifted her
eyes up to the heavens to gaze at a particularly bright star. It was almost as
if it guided them to their destination. They had finally arrived at Bethlehem, Joseph’s
birthplace; for he was of the family of David and according to Caesars decree
each man had to return to his place of birth for the census. Joseph seemed tensed,
although their long and tiring journey had at last come to an end, there was
another thought which troubled him. The baby was coming and they had no room to
spend the night, no place for Mary to give birth. A gentle evening breeze
kissed her face as she, bravely enduring the pains of labor, watched her
husband run fruitlessly from one door to another, pleading for a roof over
their heads. Bethlehem had no room to accommodate the desperate couple that
night.
Beloved, all
circumstances surrounding the birth of our Lord were in no way coincidental, (Jeremiah 31:15) they were a series of events beautifully orchestrated by the Holy One of
Israel. Joseph and Mary not finding a place to stay was just another piece of
the Master Plan being executed at just the right time.
“And
by and by they found a nook in a stable all forlorn / and in a manger cold and
dark Mary’s little boy was born”
- Bethlehem Ephrathah, the place where the
baby lay in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes was not an ordinary animal
shelter. It was the place where newborn lambs were set apart for the Passover.
As the ewes would give birth, the new born lambs would be wrapped in swaddling
clothes to make sure that they remain without blemish, to maintain them as the
perfect sacrifice. So when the angels described the baby to the shepherds they
had absolutely no trouble finding that particular stable where the King of
kings lay. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy in Micah 5:2 “And you,
Bethlehem Ephratah, you being least among the thousands of Judah, out of you He
shall come forth to Me, to become Ruler in Israel, He whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days
of eternity.”
The branch from
the stem of Jesse promised by Isaiah....the heir of David.... the Wonderful
Counsellor, the Mighty One of Yahweh, the Sar Shalom (Prince of Peace) was born;
God made flesh, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the World –
they named Him Yeshua, as instructed by the angel of the Lord.
A group of
shepherds watching their flocks by night they were startled by a brilliant
light in the heavens. A million floodlights of our day could not match the
brilliance of the angelic host that came to proclaim the birth of the Son of
God. The Father lit up the sky to announce that His Son had been born as the
Son of Man. And the angels sang “Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke
2:14)
These lowly shepherds became the first ones to witness the incarnation
of God as Man, the Holy one of Israel as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a stone trough where animals were fed. None could imagine the depth of
that glorious sight which lay before them. The babe wrapped in cloth lying in a
stone trough looked awfully similar to a dead man lain in a stone tomb.
As some time passed, the three wise men who knew about the prophecies
concerning the birth of the Savior of the world reached Bethlehem. They claimed
to have followed a new star that had appeared in the heavens and it led them to
the city of David. Matthew 2:11 says, “And coming into the house, they saw the
child with Mary His mother. And they fell down and worshiped Him. And opening
their treasures, they presented gifts to Him, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
Gold offered as a gift fit for a descendant of Royalty, for the baby
in Mary’s arms was the long awaited heir of David (Jeremiah 23:5).
Frankincense, offered to the high priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7)
who would one day stand before Elohim, as the perfect mediator – the One Job longed
to have (Job 16 and 17). The last gift was unusual; it was Myrrh, bitter herbs,
to embalm the body of the Perfect Sacrifice.
Mary knew that her firstborn was different; He was not another human
baby for He was not born of man but of the Holy Spirit. She understood why the
scholars and shepherds came to worship her Son. She knew that the joy in Simeon’s
eyes was the joy of the Lord, like a fountain gushing from a dry well, the man
had seen God. His words “For my eyes have seen Your Salvation” is literally
translated “For my eyes have seen Your Yeshua”. (Luke 2:25-30) The words of
Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:38) confirmed to all who were eagerly waiting for
redemption, that unto them a King had been born, the babe in Mary's arms was the Savior of the World.
Right from the day He was born, Jesus was set apart to be offered up as
propitiation for our sins. That our sins be placed on Him and His righteousness
imputed to us by faith in His perfect work. (Romans 3:25)
The ram caught
in the thicket by the horns, (Genesis 22:13) the perfect sacrifice for Abraham to
offer to God in his son’s stead……the Passover lamb, whose blood on the doorposts
of the Israelites saved their firstborn and earned them their freedom (Exodus
12:7, 13)……these were all shadows, prophetic events in history pointing to the
final offering that would once and for all time (Hebrews 9:28) reconcile man to
God… the Messiah, who was born on Christmas Day. Praise God!!
Mary,
did you know
that
your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary,
did you know
that
your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did
you know,
that
your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
This
sleeping child you're holding, is the great I AM.
Hallelujah!! Merry
Christmas to you all. Shalom!
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