Wednesday, December 19, 2012
CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS (2)
God prepared for the Savior's coming through His word of prophecy. To Abraham God said, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). Through Moses came this word: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Isaiah prophesied: ". . . the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (7:14).
As the 19th Century poet put it:
Deep in the prophets' sacred page, Grand in the poet's winged word,
Slowly in type from age to age, Nations beheld their coming Lord (The Lutheran Hymnal, 132:2).
Those words of prophecy, spoken by men, came from God -- and so were full of power -- power to prepare for the coming of the Christ by creating faith in human hearts. These divine promises made people confident that God would do what He said and that the Coming One would be their Redeemer. They created a faith that would treasure the promises of the Savior and pass them on to the next generation.
These Gospel words worked with power in believing hearts so that people were willing to leave home and family (like Abraham and Ruth), to suffer loss and deprivation (like Joseph and Moses), to undergo ridicule and affliction (like Elijah and Jeremiah), rather than give up their hope in God and His promised Deliverer.
Again and again God made preparation for the coming Christ by strengthening the faith of the Savior's forbears so that they might go forward in faith -- out of Ur of the Chaldees . . . down to Egypt . . . up into the Land promised.
These Gospel promises were words of power because the LORD God Himself worked in and through them revealing His mercy, strengthening hearts, directing lives, all leading up to the day when His Son would be the Word revealing His Father to us and fulfilling the Father's will for us.
