Facebook post 286 (Send Saturday December 24, 2022)
When reading Ephesians 1:3-14, we visualize God alone in His darkest tomorrow, and since from Revelation 1:11, we hear Him say, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last”, then He knew every detail of everything in the universe He spoke into existence, including all the different sins and their solutions.
Thus, the Only True God, knew He could send many prophets, priests, kings, and common people to be His Voice, spreading His Word, knowing some would understand and some would not, for God wanted His creation to love Him and each other, and some did, but some did not.
But even alone in His darkest tomorrow, God knew He had to do more than show creation how to love each other, work together in unity, and trust each other in forgiveness and acceptance.
And since Isaiah 55:8-9 reveals God’s thoughts and actions are far above human thoughts and actions, so God chose, at the perfect time, He would come to His creation, in the form of a new-born Baby, born to a young virgin, pledged in marriage to a young carpenter at Nazareth, which we learn from Luke 1:26-38.
Here is where “a red flag of caution” comes into existence, for God, in human form, born to a young virgin, not yet married to a carpenter, will be “Jesus”, “the Son of God”, and legal Heir to King David’s throne, yet Matthew 1:1-17 list Joseph’s genealogy, revealing he is heir to King David’s throne, through King David, but Luke 3:23-38, is revealing Mary’s genealogy, shows she is a descendant of Abraham through Nathan, King David’s brother; thus not a legal heir to King David’s throne; therefore, Jesus, God’s Son, could not become “King of Israel”, even if Mary and Joseph later married. So, what plan, purpose, and timing did God have to settle this dilemma?
Actually, it is amazingly simple and explained in Isaiah 9:6-7, “unto us (Mary) a Child is born, unto us (Joseph) a Son is given (in adoption), for Matthew 1:18-24, says Joseph would marry Mary, and “the Child she had born”, would now become his son by adoption, making Jesus, God’s Son, the legal Heir to King David’s throne. We can trust God for He has everything worked out.
Mary and Joseph lived in the days of Old Testament law, and according to Leviticus 12:1-4, 4-8, since Mary birthed a male Child; thus, her “uncleanness” would last 41 days, and then she would offer as a sacrifice, a lamb (if she could afford one), but if not, she would offer either two young turtledoves or two young pigeons; therefore, according to Luke 2:21-24, only the two turtledoves and two young pigeons are mentioned; nothing is said of her offering a lamb, which leads us to believe if Mary (and Joseph) could not provide a lamb sacrifice, then how could they provide a donkey for Mary to ride; thus, she and Joseph probably walked, as expectant mothers do.
Simply because Mary and Joseph were birth and adoptive earthly parents of Jesus, did not mean God would make it easier for them to face the daily struggles of child-bearing and parenting, than all the other parents, for Acts 10:34 says, “God shows no partiality”. He treats us all equal.
God, then, came to earth as a newborn Baby, so He would totally trust Himself to people’s care; since, as a Baby growing into adulthood, He would totally trust everything to humans, until the time for Him to take care of Himself; therefore, He was teaching people He created, how to trust all our needs to Him, but just as He trusted and waited for people to meet His needs, now He teaches humans to trust Him and wait on Him to meet our needs.
Christmas is about loving Christ Jesus enough to fully trust everything to Him and wait for Him to meet our needs (Philippians 4:19-20), His way, for His purpose, and at Him time.
Have a Merry, Happy Christmas, by fully trusting everything to God’s faithful care.
Jim Nabors
