400 Years

Those of us who have read the Bible all our lives are very use to the change from the Old to the New Testament but imagine that you have picked up the Bible for the first time. You have followed the story line of the Old Testament and then you turn the page and begin reading in Matthew. Who are the Pharisee, Sadducee's, Scribes? What happened to Persia and now why are the Romans in charge? What happened to the small temple and why is there now a large beautiful temple? What are synagogues? What about Galilee and Samaria? When you think about it it is a completely different world. 400 years is a long time and much can happen.

My Glorious Brothers

One of my favourite novels is a novel by Howard fast written sixty years ago. It is the story of the Maccabees and their fight against Antiochus Epiphanies. The story is told from the perspective of Simeon, the only existing brother, the others having been killed in their battles against the oppressors. My copy of the book is falling apart but I cannot find another copy so I will continue to hang onto mine.

Why Mary?

“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.’” Luke 1:30 (NIV)

It was the dream of every young woman in Israel that they would be chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. But Mary was barely a teenager and her wedding date was still years in the future. She had been promised to an older, stable man, a carpenter named Joseph who she had only met a few times. It would be a good marriage. Her parents had chosen her husband carefully.

Suddenly there was a man in front of her. This was no ordinary man; there was something different about him. When he spoke, the first words he said were not to be afraid. He told her he was Gabriel, the archangel who had a special message for her. He then told her that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Messiah.

There were a number of reasons why she was fearful. First, there was a man who claimed to be an angel with a message from God standing before her. Second, the angel told her that she would be the mother of the Messiah. She did not know how this could be; after all she was not yet married and had never had sexual relations with any man. When she dreamed of becoming the mother of the Messiah it would be through the normal relationships of husband and wife. What would her family think? They would be ashamed that their daughter was pregnant before she was married. What would Joseph think? Would he make a public spectacle of her as the law demanded? The angel assured her that it was true; the seed in her was planted there by the Holy Spirit. The angel’s words calmed her spirit and she responded in a positive, submissive manner.

Why was Mary chosen? There were thousands of young virgins in Israel at that time so why was Mary chosen over all the others? I do not believe that it was by chance that God choose her that day. I do not believe it was because she would be divine as many believe about her today. She was just an ordinary peasant girl but as God had told Samuel many years before, “Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks upon the heart.”

Mary was chosen because she had an obedient submissive heart. She loved her God unconditionally. She would be faithful to her husband. She would teach her children the things of God. She would love that baby, nurture that baby, and help that baby grow in body, soul and spirit. She was chosen because she was willing to be used of God.

What would Mary think of the place that many people put her in today? I am sure that she would be shocked and upset that they would place her equal with or greater than her son. He was the Saviour. She needed a Saviour just as you and I need a Saviour. She should be honoured but never worshipped. She should be loved but not prayed to as an intercessor. She was nothing more than a humble peasant girl who was willing to be used by God.

Why at that time?

“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law.” Galatians 4:4 (NIV)

Why was Jesus born when He was? Why not in our enlightened age with rapid transportation, instant communication and all the comforts of modern living? Why did the Apostle Paul tell us that the time had fully come? What was special about that time?

I think that God had prepared the world for the coming of His son. He had first prepared a people, then a language, and finally a government.

God’s people, the Jews, were often running after other gods and forsaking the God of Abraham. To prepare the people, God sent His people into exile and while they were in exile they learned the futility of worshipping other gods. They developed their synagogues as places of teaching the Word of God. When His people returned to the land they were ready to receive their Messiah. They needed a Saviour who would cleanse their hearts as the exile had cleansed their land.

God also prepared a language. After the Israelites had returned to their land the Greeks came into power under Alexander the Great. Alexander’s kingdom grew so rapidly that by the time he was thirty three years old he had conquered the entire known world. During that time he spread Greek culture and the Greek language. The Jews did not accept the culture but they embraced the language. It was into this language that the Scripture was translated that made it easy for everyone to understand.

Then God allowed the Romans to conquer the world and they brought into effect an efficient government that made it safe to travel anywhere in the world. They built roads and protected travelers.

God had a prepared people, a prepared language and a prepared government and when all these things were in place He sent His Son to be born in Bethlehem.

Today we have a prepared people, the church. God has called them out of the world to be part of His kingdom. He has a prepared language. Most of the world understands English and communication is quick and easy. However, this is not a time of peace. The world is ready for such a government and when it comes it will be the government of the antichrist. Then God will send His Son into the world a second time to gather His people home to Himself. Just as the First Advent was such a glorious event so will the Second Advent. We must be ready; we must be part of the prepared people.

1611

It is almost four hundred years since the King James Bible as we know it now came to us. The work had begun earlier but the official date is 1611. The preface of that edition had this paragraph:
"Truly (good Christian Reader) we never thought from the beginning, that we should need to make a new Translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one,...but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against, that hath been our endeavor."
That translation has been with us almost 400 years and it is still one of the most loved translations in the English language. Though many of us do not use the KJV as much today there are still many who do. The KJV made the Bible available to the common person.
Four hundred years is a long time for a translation to remain popular but imagine that if during that 400 years we didn't have any word from the Lord at all.

1837

I had a friend who did a workshop for the Mathematics Teachers over ten years ago. I invited him to stay over instead of flying back home that night but he told me that he wanted to get home as he and his wife had a new baby. When I asked him how many children he had he told me that this was their first. He was about 41 at the time. I remarked that he was a late bloomer and he told me that he came from a family of late bloomers. He then told me that his grandfather was born in 1837. He said that when his grandfather was 58 years old, in 1895, he had a son which was his father and when his father was 59 years old, in 1954, he had a son which was him. Imagine how different his grandfather's world in 1837 was to what his world in 1954.
This coming Sunday at our Sundays at Six we will be looking at the 400 silent years, the time between Malachi and Matthew. 400 years is a long time even in the ancient world. The difference between the world at the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament is enormous.

Why Bethlehem?

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the class of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2 (NIV)

Bethlehem was a small insignificant town of maybe thirty five families and yet it was chosen to be the birth place of the greatest person ever born on this earth. It was located about fifteen miles south of Jerusalem. Everyone thought that the King should be born in the King David’s city but rather the King would be born in King David’s town.

When the shepherds went to the town to find the baby they did not have too much difficulty as there were only a few houses and stables. They just looked for one where there was a candle burning.

But why Bethlehem? It has been said that the stable where Jesus was born was the same place that Boaz had his threshing floor and it was there that Ruth came to lay at his feet. It was there Ruth and Boaz lived and it was there that Obed their son, Jesse their grandson and David his son were all born. The city grew more famous because it was the birth place and home of Israel’s greatest king, King David.

But that was not the only reason why Bethlehem was chosen to be the birth place of the King. Bethlehem means house of bread. It was during the time of Boaz that there were rich crops of grain growing around Bethlehem and it was there that flour was produced to feed many of the citizens of larger cities around them, maybe even Jerusalem even though Jerusalem did not belong to Israel during the time of Boaz. But it is of even greater significance that Jesus should be born in the “house of bread.” Jesus was known as the “Bread of Life.” Bethlehem may have been famous for producing the grain to make bread but it would be known for the birth place of the “Bread of Life.”

When we eat of the earthly bread we will have to come back again and again for more and more. That is why Jesus told the disciples that they were to pray that the Lord would give them their daily bread. However, when we feed on the “Bread of Life” we will never hunger again. He has promised to satisfy our hunger.

When the magi came to search for the baby king they went to the royal city of Jerusalem. The scribes searched the scriptures to find where the Messiah should be born and they found that Micah said he would come out of Bethlehem. So it was there that they found the King. Today we do not need to go to Bethlehem to find the Messiah. He is knocking at the door of our hearts. Will you let Him in? Do you have room in your heart for Jesus?