THE LIGHT OF A SON
Isaiah 7:10-16
Matthew 1:18-25
All right, whose bright idea was it to put Christmas in the middle
of the busiest time of the year?
Life with its everyday demands and unexpected
"surprises" doesn't take December off, and the power of Murphy's Law
seems to increase exponentially with each passing day.
What's next? An invasion by alien elves from space armed
with candy cane ray guns? Or the attack of the Christmas Zombies --
"Aaaaaaargh! Fresh, tasty Figgie Pudding!!"
Wasn't that silly? Don't you feel better? I do.
Humor has a way of helping us put things in perspective, to see them in a
new light.
That's certainly what King Ahaz needed. It was during the
time in Israel 's history
when the nation was divided into two separate kingdoms -- Israel and Judah . Ahaz ruled Judah .
Word had reached the Kingdom
of Judah that invasion
was imminent. The king of Israel
and the king of Aram had
decided to join forces, take Jerusalem and
divide Judah
between them. Everyone in Judah
was in a panic.
Including King Ahaz. God sent Isaiah and his son,
Shear-jashub to meet with the hysterical King to calm him down. Why bring
the boy? I think it was because
Shear-jashub's name means "a remnant will remain" a reference to the
prophecy and promise in Isaiah 6:13 that says that the people of Israel will be
like the stump of a mighty oak, and within that stump is a holy seed, the hope
of salvation.
God's message to Ahaz and the people of Judah was, "Do not fear."
"Do not fear" -- the same thing the angel said to Joseph in a
dream after he decided to quietly break off his engagement to Mary and to Mary
when he appeared to her to tell her that she, a virgin, would give birth to the
Son of God."
Do not fear. Despite their plots and their armies, these
kings were just ordinary mortals, mere men, whose kingdoms, history tells us,
would end in ruin and destruction, their people scattered or taken into
captivity. All Ahaz and the people of God had to do was stand firm in their
faith. But Ahaz apparently was not calmed by this.
So, then the Lord said to Ahaz, "Ask for a sign from me that
this will be true. A sign as deep and profound as the resting place of
the souls of the dead and as high and glorious as heaven itself!"
Ahaz declined, but God gave him a sign anyway -- a sign as deep
and profound as the resting place of the souls of the dead and as high and
glorious as heaven itself. A sign that pointed at the coming of the
Messiah, the Savior of the world."
"Watch for this: A girl who is
presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel
(God-With-Us). By the time the child is twelve years old, able to make moral
decisions, the threat of war will be over." (Isaiah 7:14-16, The Message)
Do not fear. God had a
mission and a purpose, and despite wars and rumors of wars, invading armies and
centuries of turmoil and dark times, through the people of God, the Lord would
bring into the world the light of the Son, Jesus Christ.
Do not fear – Don’t be afraid.
This phrase appears 365 times in the Bible. It’s a daily reminder that God is always with
us.
So, despite a year filled with wars and typhoons and other natural
disasters and economic problems and the overall craziness of the world and the
hecticness of our lives, God is still bringing his purpose to fruition and
working for our good, whether we can see it or understand it.
Whatever our circumstances may be on December 25, what may or may
not be under the Christmas tree, we will be greeted by a brand new day and the
shining light of the Son.
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