"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace," Isaiah 9:6
Monday: Jesus - prophecy
Bible Reading: Isaiah 9:6-7;
Jesse Tree symbol - scroll (go to Jesse Tree ornaments and
select the symbol for "Third Wednesday of Advent" but cut
off words when you use it)
Prophecies about Jesus fill the Bible. Isaiah, especially, speaks much of the coming Messiah. Today's devotion will highlight some of the prophecies concerning his birth and their fulfillment in the life of Jesus.
What is a prophecy?
A prophecy is the future told in advance, by God, through a prophet.
"I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. For I knew how stubborn you were; the sinews of your neck were iron, your forehead was bronze. Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, `My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'" Isaiah 48:2-5
Prophecy, according to God Himself, is not just
a guess or luck or coincidence.
"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21
The Old Testament contains about FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE prophecies about the Messiah. Here are some of the prophecies that deal with the birth of Christ:
GOD WOULD COME TO EARTH AND BE BORN AS A HUMAN MALE
Isaiah 9:6-7 All of Isaiah's prophecies were given around 700 B.C.
BORN OF A VIRGIN
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
FROM THE HOUSE OF JUDAH
"Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above."
Isaiah 37:31
FROM THE ROOT AND STUMP OF JESSE
"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious." Isaiah 11:10 "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-- and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist." Isaiah 11:1-5
FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID
"In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it--one from the house of David--one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness." Isaiah 16:5
BORN IN BETHLEHEM EPHRATHAH
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans 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
BE FROM NAZARETH OF GALILEE
"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan -- The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:1-2
HIS BIRTH WOULD TRIGGER A MASSACRE OF INFANT BOYS
"This is what the LORD says: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.'"
Jeremiah 31:15 This prophecy was given around 625 B.C.
Jesus fulfilled many other prophecies during His lifetime. May these truths encourage us as we place our hope in Jesus this Christmas.
The above commentary on the Old Testament is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree
When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to.
Two great websites to help you do this are:
Operation World go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile
Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog.
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