12/1/11 Day 5 of Advent Messiah to be a star of Jacob's Line

12/1/11 Day 5- Light the first candle- Jesus was prophesied to be Of Jacob’s Line

17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth. (Numbers 24:17)

34 Jesus…the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, (Luke 3:34)

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16)

(Morning Star)

Thoughts: Jacob, the crooked supplanter, was also the ancestor of Jesus. The Jewish Targum Onkelos commenting on Numbers 24:17 says. “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh. When a king shall arise out of Jacob , and the Messiah be anointed from Israel.” This targum (also Targum Jonathan), shows that the Jewish people believed Balaam’s prophecy referred to the Messiah coming to earth through the people of Jacob. When The Jews revolted in AD 132 it was under Barkochba- “son of the star”- whom they thought was the Messiah. Jesus is the morning star, rising in our hearts (2 Pt. 1:9). Let him rise in your hearts like the star of Bethlehem- scattering the darkness- pointing the way to hope and truth.
Prayer: Rise in my heart, O morning star. Thank you that in the darkest night- you bring hope of a bright morning.

11/30/11- The Messiah Prophesied to Come Through Isaac's Line

Day 4- 11/30/11- First candle of advent- Jesus was prophesied to be of Isaac’s Line

12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. (Genesis 21:12)

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”(Luke 2:23-24)

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. (Heb. 11:17-19)

(Abraham and Isaac- Rembrandt vsn Rijn 1634)

Thoughts: There was wondering with only one son, and all the stars and sand of God’s blessing dependent on his life, if he would make it. Abraham was willing to give up his only son through his wife, and God blessed him for that. Perhaps God was thinking of when he would give up his only son on the cross for the sins of humanity. It is through Isaac (“laughter”) that the seed would be recognized. God took the one, made him many, but the importance of one life again showed itself in the Messiah. Each life is a gift from God. Isaac was precious. Jesus is precious. Each person is not an accident, but is uniquely created by God.
Prayer: Thank you for your plan, and your valuing of my life.

11/29/11- Messiah Of Abraham's Line

Day 3 11/29/11 Light the First advent candle- Jesus was prophesied to be Of Abraham’s line

18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
(Genesis 22:18)

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing. 3 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 12:1-3)

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: (Matthew 1:1)

16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)

((Abram Counsels Sarai- James J. Tissot 1902)

Thoughts: God seeks to bless the whole world through Abraham’s seed (descendants). Galatians interprets this as a single person- seed- namely the Messiah. God sought to bless the world through the Hebrews. The chosen race, the race of priests would produce the ultimate high priest. God would come down through them. This was not a last minute decision. When God chose Abraham out of all others, He was choosing a place to land- to come down to us. I Peter 2:9 says that we also are a chosen race and royal priesthood of believers called out of darkness into light. Let us bear witness to the light.

Prayer: May I be a priest to the world- interceding for them and pulling them toward you.

11/28/11 Prophecy of the Divinity of the Son

Day 2- 11/28/11- Light the first candle again. Jesus was prophesied to be the Son of God

7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.
8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.
12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, (Psalm 2:7-12)

17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”(Luke 9:35)

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1,14)

1 Now Jesus… was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph…the son of Adam, the son of God.” (Luke 3)

Thoughts: Psalm 2 speaks of the anointed one as being God’s Son (cf. Ps. 45:6,7).

("Baptism of Jesus" Albani Francesco 1640)

Thoughts: What is promised is world-wide dominion of the Son of God. The New Testament confirms this image being imprinted on Jesus of Nazareth. The voice from the Holy Spirit that came down when the dove (symbolizing the Holy Spirit) rested on Him confirms as much as can be confirmed that God declares the Sonship of Jesus. The voice also declared his authority (“listen to him”). So we are called to listen to the Son, following Him.

Prayer: Help me, Lord, to respect you and listen.

11/27/11- The Messiah will be Human

11/27/11- Light the first candle-the Prophecy Candle. Jesus was prophesied to be the Son of Man.

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

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

(Avanzini Pier Antonio- crushing the serpent’s head on the globe)


Thoughts: Genesis 3:15 is the first verse in the Bible to forecast that a human will be a source of grace to wounded and fallen humanity. As there is one representative of Satan’s “seed” there would appear to be one individual who will represent and save humanity from the curse of the serpent (cf. Gal. 3:6). This individual will be struck or bruised on behalf of humanity- which can easily be associated with what Christ did on the cross. Satan is called the great dragon or grand serpent (Rev. 12:9). Romans 16:20 seems to be referring to this verse when It says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” New Testament interpretations- which are in Christian eyes more valid than any scholar’s- seem to see Genesis 3:15 as God’s triumph over forces of temptation and sin. Christ is our ultimate hope over evil. Christ’s coming is forecast to bring assurance of victory to those who are struggling “neath life’s heavy load.”
Prayer: Thank you Lord, that from the beginning of sin there was immediately the beginning of grace and hope. We thank you for being bruised for us in order to triumph over evil.

Introduction to an Advent Devotional on the OT Messianic Prophecies

ADVENT DEVOTIONAL ON THE PROPHECIES OF THE MESSIAH
Why Celebrate Advent?
What can we learn from a Devotional on the Prophets?
How the New Testament Viewed Old Testament Prophecy
11/27/11- Day 1- Genesis 3:15- Galatians 4:4
11/28- Day 2- Son of God- Psalm 2:7 Matthew 3:17
11/29- Day 3- of Abraham’s line- Genesis 22:18- Matthew 1:1; Gal. 3:16
11/30- Day 4- of Isaac’s line- Genesis 21:12- Lk. 2:23,24
12/1- Day 5- of Jacob’s line- Numbers 24:17; Luke 3:23,34
12/2- Day 6- of the Tribe of Judah- Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:23,33, Heb. 7:14
12/3- Day 7- of the Line of Jesse- Isaiah 11:1; Luke 3:23,32 (Mt. 1:6)
12/4- Day 8- of the House of David- Jeremiah 23:5; Luke 3:23,31; Acts 13:22,23; Rev. 22:16)
12/5- Day 9- Born of a Virgin- Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18,24,25; (Lk. 1:26-35)
12/6- Day 10- His Pre-Existence- Micah 5:2; Colossians 1:7 (Jn. 17:5,24; Rev. 1:1,2; 1:17; 2:8; 8:58; 22:13)
12/7- Day 11- Born in Bethlehem- Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7
12/8- Day 12- Presented with gifts- Psalm 72:10; Mathew 2:1,11
12/9- Day 13- The Messiah shall be called the Lord Psalm 110:1; Luke 2:11; Matthew 22:43-45
12/10- Day 14- The Messiah shall be Called Immanuel- God with us- Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23
12/11- Day 15- The Messiah shall be a Prophet Deuteronomy 18:18; Matthew 21:11 (Lk. 7:16; Jn. 4:19; 6:14; 7:40)
12/12- Day 16- The Messiah shall be a Priest- Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 3:1
12/13- Day 17- The Messiah shall be a King- Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 33:22; Matthew 27:37
12/14- Day 18- The Messiah shall be filled with the Holy Spirit- Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16,17
12/15- Day 19- The Messiah shall be concerned with the purity of His Temple Psalm 69:9; John 2:15,16
12/16- Day 20- The Messiah shall be preceded by a Messenger- Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:1,2 (Jn. 1:23; Luke 1:17)
12/17- Day 21- The Messiah shall be “from” Galilee- Isaiah 9;1; Matthew 4:12-17
12/18- Day 22- The Messiah shall have a ministry of miracles- Isaiah 35:5,6; Matthew 9:35 (John 11:43-47; 21:25)
12/19- Day 23- The Messiah would teach in parables Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:34
12/20- Day 24- The Messiah would Enter Jerusalem on a Donkey- Zechariah 9:9; Luke 19:35-37
12/21- Day 25- The Messiah would be a stumbling block for the Jews and Light for the Gentiles Ps. 118:22 (1 Pt. 2:7);
Isa. 60:3; Acts 13:47-48
12/22- Day 26- The Messiah would be betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver- Ps. 41:9; Zech. 11:2; Mt. 10:4; 26:15
12/23- Day 27- The Messiah would suffer for our sins and raised- Isaiah 53; Matthew 27, 28
12/24- Day 28- The Angel’s prophecies- Matthew 1 ; Luke 1:26-38
12/25- Day 29- Simeon’s Prophecy- A Sword will Pierce your soul as well Luke 2:29-35

Dedicated to the Glory of God and to Etta Sloan Batson, our first grandchild.
[The birth of a child brings hope; The birth of the Christ child brings ultimate hope]
 
WHAT IS ADVENT?

Advent means coming. Jesus came down for us, not because we deserved God’s help, but because He is a giving, gracious, loving God. Jesus is our hero and our Savior. He is the one who enables us to be better than we are in and of ourselves. He works in us to make us a better people.
A lot of people are wondering about our future (with elections and economic forecasts foretelling many things). Many hymns and carols are celebrating the fulfillment of the prophecies that God would come to us- being Immanuel (God with us) in the midst of our worry, our problems, our time, and our space. He comes! We wait for Him. This is advent.
Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown when thou camest to earth for me.
But in Bethlehem’s home there was found no room for thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee!
Come desire of nations come- fix in us thy humble home! [Hark the Herald Angels Sing]
Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me I pray.
O holy Child of Bethlehem descend to us we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today. [O Little Town of Bethlehem]
This advent devotional is a celebration that God holds true to His Word and comes. We can count on God- even in changing times. The prophets continually prophesied about God’s faithfulness to us- even when we are not faithful to Him. He continually encourages us to come back to Him- physically, mentally, and spiritually. But He also holds out the hope that He comes to us. We have been studying the prophets with the Disciples series this fall, and these scriptures and devotion are meant to be a compliment to that study- but also to stand alone as inspiring and eternal words from God to us.
People celebrated Christmas as far back as we can record (though on varying dates). One early tradition was the twenty-fifth of December. In the 300’s this was finalized in a statement from the leaders of the church. In the 500’s a special liturgy was developed around the light of the world coming into our darkness with four candles.
Advent begins 11/27 and extends through Christmas Eve.
The four candles represent the following:
1st candle- Symbol of prophecy- longing for the light.
2nd candle- Symbol of preparation- the stable light.
3rd candle- Symbol of joy/rejoicing- the angelic light (usually a pink candle)
4th candle- Symbol of love and hope- the star’s light
Each night a candle is lit (all the candles from the previous nights are lit- adding a new candle each Sunday). If you have family with you, you may want to divide the parts- perhaps even making a schedule.


WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM A DEVOTIONAL ON THE PROPHETS?
1) That God is in control. He is the King of kings. The government, the banks, the insurance companies, the media are not in control of life. God specifically said in the Old Testament that He would reveal the future through the prophets in order that people would believe in Him.
2) God knows and even oversees the future- showing us His existence, His power, and that He is the only true God. This enables us to rest and trust in Him.
“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there Is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:9,10)
3) So we will know and be assured and encouraged in our faith.
In tough and skeptical secular times it is easy to become discouraged in our faith. God seeks to encourage us- and the prophecies fulfilled are one means of doing so.
“I have declared the former things from the beginning; They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you; Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, and my carved image and my molded image have commanded them.” (Isaiah 48:3,5)

Much of the material has been taken from various sources including but not limited to:
Christology of the Old Testament by E.W. Hengstenberg
The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell
The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy by J. Barton Payne


A Newer Advent Devotional by the same author: http://dailybelief.blogspot.com/