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The Weakness of God . . . is stronger |
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And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Luke 2:21
A covenant is a contract of the soul, and yet, there is more to this contract than a mere statement of intent. That is, there is more to the execution, than the stated purpose: We may earnestly desire to fulfil our promise, while making grand provision for doing so . . . and yet completely fail at the task.
Nor is the grasp of power or prestige any guarantee of the accomplished act. Many politicians have promised services, as parents have started to raise children in a certain way—only to find that the reality of living, more than matches the credos of our professors. And so it was, that in committing himself to save us, by entering our messy world of foibles and infinite possibilities, the Creator of the Universe seemed to be taking a terrible chance when banking all of his reputation, and good name . . . on the fragile flesh of a little child, laying innocently, in a manger.
This is a trump card which the Adversary (commonly called Satan) was banking upon. . . .
Something was up in the spirit realm. That little people, in the middle east, in the belly button of the world (surely, they are but a small people, and surely like a belly button themselves!)—had just been the subject of angelic dispatches, foretelling a special series of births.
Not since the time of the prophet Daniel, over a thousand years earlier, had such revelations been given.
It bode ill for the forces of darkness,
—and well, for the children of the Light.
Fear not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke 1:13
The old man had prayed for many years. They'd always wanted children . . . although it is doubtful he had real hope of such prayers being answered today, or . . . in such a way.
"You shall have joy and gladness: and many shall rejoice at his birth. He shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." (vs 15). —that's nice.
- Yet, Zacharias, being a rather practical and well educated fellow–upright in the fellowship, while circumspect (and well respected) in the congregation–figured that excitement was not quite in order. It was better to be rational, and unemotional, at such a time as this, and to apply a healthy dose of skepticism. After all, the day of miracles had passed. Moses had been dead for millennia, and prophets were no longer thundering from their parched landscape. Hmph, he'd show him. He'd show this apparition that modern man is not so easily shaken by smoke and mirrors!
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
Luke 1:18
Never mind that his most famous ancestor (Abraham) had a similar experience. Remember Isaac? And remember how long they'd waited for the promise? "Laughter," that's what "Isaac" means, and God had made them laugh. All the past agony, and all of their waiting, had been forgotten in the fulfillment of God's promise, to the people of his covenant. Abraham's Sarah bore to him, "Laughter."
—But not this time. Zacharias might have known better, for he was a priest. He had studied these things?
Did he not believe?
Did he?
Did he believe what he'd been studying?
He soon would . . . the hard way. You see, this was a real angel, and he wasn't just "excited." He was not sitting in the dark, in a cave, receiving Satanic verses. He was involved in a divine conference, with the God of love presiding as Overseer–and the angel was speaking again:
I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.
And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
vss 19,20
What would it have taken, to be ready for such a message? What is required, at the end of an era, when the hearts of men and women were generally hard, and the God of covenant is preparing to bring new life and revelation which will both judge (the unfaithful) and bless those lowly enough to grasp it? Does it take a prophet? What about a person of extraordinary prayer? How about a simple woman, with a simple faith?
Or perhaps, a young teenager, named Mary?
In six months, Gabriel brings her the good news:
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
. . .
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
The Son of the Highest, reigning over the house of David—forever. Could this be the Messiah??!! For a Jewish lass, learning, hoping, and dreaming of the coming of the Blessed One from earliest childhood, this was a statement unparalleled. How to respond? With wonder? Modesty, humility, or chastity—or perhaps, all three.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
vss (28,31-33) 34
There would be an answer given, which would not make things easy. His unspoken words to her forebode of testing, which was understood. Should Joseph fail her, and wagging tongues assail, a character assassination would strike her to the core. But she was ready, and the angel spoke again.
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
vs 35
For us, in the New Covenant age, past the Cross, Pentecost, and the Pauline epistles—this statement seems run-of-the-mill, almost mundane. For a young Jewess, however, raised in a pharisaic world, with no concept of the godhead (to speak of) it was an incredible leap of faith. Here, without theological degree or explanation, a simple maid was expected believe Heaven's next major revelation to Earth.
He could have hemmed and hawed (but angels don't), he could have stopped at telling her that the child would be the son of David, and Messiah of Israel. He could have told her what was shared with the shepherds, on the hillside: that he would be their Savior, Christ the Lord, who would save his people from their sins. But none of this was enough.
Instead, Gabriel gave her the most intimate, and extreme, revelation which would soon rend the world into two distinct camps: this child of hers, would be called, The Son of God. Mary was to be intimately involved in the unveiling of a whole new revelation
of God, himself.
The One whom angels and demons saw, and worshipped (or feared) in the very Heaven of heavens: The very One whom the Father still set upon his throne in Zion, after the uproar of Lucifer and his rebels: the very Maker of the Universe (Isa. 45:11), One with the Father, and himself entitled to be called "Mighty God" (Isa. 9:6): the Holy One of God—as one renegade spirit begrudgingly acknowledged (Isa 45:11, Mk. 1:24)—was coming to earth . . . in a body (Heb. 10:5)! For with God, nothing shall be impossible (vs 37).
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
vs 38
There is reason to believe that the Adversary (Satan) was well aware of what he would be up against, early in the game. He'd heard the promise given Adam and Eve regarding the seed of the woman, which would bruise his head (Gen. 3:15) and may have put two and two together: since the Holy One is the begotten of the Father (Pr. 30:4), it sounded like a visitation was being planned.
When Isaiah received his revelation (Isa 9:6,7) there could be no question, whatsoever. Of course, by that time he'd already installed his Counterfeit Agents: propping up false trinities (Isis, Horus, Seb - in Egypt; Siva, Brahma, Vishnu- in India, and Anu, Enlil, Ea - in Babylonia, etc.) so that there would be adequate confusion in every place, just in case the Lord of Glory sought to do the unthinkable . . . and actually come to visit man, through the woman's birth canal. Confusion in the realm of the spirit, remember that. It is a major player in the battle for our souls.
In fact, Satan even had a false mother-child cult already in place (Nimrod & Simiramis- in Babylonia, and Isis & Horus - in Egypt) to jumble the matter of the Messiah coming through the woman . . . just in case.
Yet, now that Heaven seemed fully mobilized to bring about his worst fears, his brilliant preparation seemed dull, and inadequate. What if Heaven kept interfering? What if God blew his cover? What if . . . no, that wasn't possible (was it?). No, men would never be free. He held the keys to both sin and death (and the grave!). It would take all that the Father could offer, and all that the Son could give, to even consider freeing humankind. Sin is against God, and God (Satan knew) is just too righteous and just, to simply allow man to go free, because of mere
kindness. There had to be a legal basis. He had accused many before the throne (Jb.1:9, Rev. 12:10), and knew how God viewed the matter. The Father would never hear of it. Someone would have to pay for man's sin. Simple repentance and tears would never do, any more than they suffice in merely human courts of law.
No, no one could pay such a price, and neither man, nor angel qualified (why, even a perfect angel might set free one man—but, the whole race?! That would take God, Himself!!! Only infinite God, could pay an infinite price!) Yet . . . there they were, angels on dispatch, telling this nobody (oh, she was somebody now!) that she would soon bear the one called the Son of God!
Isaiah, in one of his descriptions of the birth of Messiah, couches his prophecy in the context of war. Not a normal war, mind you, but a spiritual one. Notice the wording, carefully: "For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood;"—that is the physical, which we have all seen, or heard of. Men fight wars which are full of confusion . . . and blood. Yet, this particular battle is for our very heart and soul, for it involves the Judgment, and will ultimately place us in either Heaven, or Hell. The verse concludes, "but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire." (Isa 9:5)
Wickedness burns as the fire, the prophet later informs us (same chapter -vs. 18) for: "Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother." (vs 19) In other words, it is through the wrath of God that evil descends upon the waywardness of humankind. Whether on our present planet, or more intensely in the very fires of Hell itself, this fire consumes all who are unprotected, in one way or another. Normally, we call this the "curse" of sin. Its results, are devastating.
It is this ultimate curse, which the forces of darkness count upon, when seeking to enslave us with every form of evil imaginable. The foibles and unpredictable elements in life, are actually molded and shaped by the will of God, upon a wayward and contrary race of creatures, called human beings, driven from Paradise in the beginning—and yes, only God, himself, could reverse so ingrained, and fundamental, a curse.
So the battle shifts into his court.
And he wins it (he wins it!). Next verse:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6,7
The zeal of the Lord? What is that—why of course, that is his love for me!
And what was that name the angel gave to Mary? "Jesus"? That's short for "Jehovah- Savior." I am the Lord, God says, and besides me there is no savior (Isaiah 43:11, see also Luke 2:11). He has taken me into his covenant, and welcomed me into his arms, through his zealous love for me.
I accept your love and forgiveness Lord God! Thank you for insuring my own salvation, through the Cross, from those fires. From henceforth I walk in your peace.
Happy birthday, Lord Jesus, and do come again, soon
In the Sky!
†
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