Day 5: Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
A boy named David grew up in Bethlehem, became the first king of Israel from the tribe of Judah, and was a great king. Scripture tells us he was a man after God’s own heart. He wrote many of the Psalms in the Bible, being wise, musical, and lyrical. Other kings aspired to be as great as him. The verse above was spoken by the prophet Micah well past David’s life. As great as David was, a greater would come.
He would be ruler in Israel (the people of God). He would be from “ancient days”; he would be from eternity. He would be born in insignificant Bethlehem. This passage was so well known to be prophetic of a coming powerful king that 700 years later, the king of the area (Herod) killed all the boys under 2 years old in Bethlehem (Mt. 2) when he learned that a king was born. The new born king, born to a virgin, was from ancient days and survived as his family fled to Egypt. God kept his word, even to a new family facing significant stress; giving hope to all people everywhere. The coming King will rule.
Day 4: Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Prophecies often carry immediate and future implications. In the immediate context of Isaiah 7:14, the nation of Judah was threatened by Israel and Syria (due to civil war, Israel is now two kingdoms: Israel and Judah). God would deliver Judah before a young baby would grow up and know right from wrong (Isaiah 7:15). However, the message is larger because a greater deliverance is needed. In this prophetic word, we see that a virgin will give birth to a son who will be called Immanuel, which means “God with us.”
The impossible will happen: a virgin giving birth and God bridging the gulf created by sin in Genesis 3, such that God will be with us. Certainly, this will be a sign from the Lord.
Jesus was born to a virgin (Luke 1:26-38) and is God who lived among us (see Matthew 1:23). This is not commonplace, though we may have heard it so often we lose the marvel of this reality. Even now, the person of the Holy Spirit is present in all believers. God is with us.
Day 3: Genesis 49:10
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Judah was the fourth born son of Jacob (Jacob was the grandson of Abraham). Jacob was renamed Israel and had 12 sons. At his death, Israel blessed his children and the verse above is part of his blessing to Judah. A ruler is coming from Judah that would receive tribute and obedience. For a nomadic family, this promise offered great hope. Hundreds of years in the future, the scepter rising out of Israel would again be spoken of with hope (Numbers 24:17). The tribes of Israel would serve Judah, and peoples of the earth would bring him tribute. Anticipating such a day gave hope for everyday life to the faithful. Their struggle, their work, their worship all had meaning and purpose because of the hope of a coming ruler — a Lord — who would reign. This ruler would come from Judah’s lineage.
The ultimate coming king is Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:5 calls Jesus “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” He conquered death and sin and is given authority to judge the earth. Christmas celebrates the earthly birth of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. While we anticipate the Lion’s final return, we too live with hope and purpose.
Day 2: Genesis 12:2-3
I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
God called Abram, later renamed Abraham meaning “father of a multitude.” Through Abraham all the families of the earth shall be blessed, & a distinction is made between those who God blesses and curses. This is a continuation of the hope that was first presented in Genesis 3:15. Instead of living under a curse of sin, blessing will come. And, the blessing will come to people throughout the earth (all the families of the earth shall be blessed). Far beyond a strict ancestral lineage of blessing, God is promising a blessing for all people everywhere who believe. In a world that can be heavy and trying, we have hope because God promises this blessing and we can live with hope and joy.
God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” The anticipated blessing is realized in Jesus Christ, who is a physical descendant of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). We who believe are blessed eternally in heaven with every spiritual blessing.
Day 1: Genesis 3:15
The Lord God said to the serpent… “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3 describes sin entering the world. Adam and Eve rebelled against God; and all of us not only inherit their sin nature, but also actively rebel against God. The result? Separation. Even the most intimate relationships experience distance. Spiritual and physical death entered the world, impacting everything. The living are now the living dead, fellowship with God is severed, and a physical life consists of work and toil with a few moments of happiness, all ending in death. In pronouncing the curse of sin on His creation, God also gives a glimmer of hope. The serpent (Satan) will ultimately be defeated through the offspring of a woman. The curse of sin will be removed and the wrath of God will be satisfied. Satan will be defeated through the promise of a son, “he shall bruise your head.” “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, [Christ] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Jesus Christ is the Son who defeats death and devil. His birth we eagerly anticipate during Advent.