Christmas is Coming
Isaiah 7:13,14 Then Isaiah said, “Family of David, listen very carefully! Is it not enough that you would test the patience of humans? Will you now test the patience of my God? But the Lord will still show you this sign: The young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a son. She will name him Immanuel.
Shocking though it is, we’re only ten days out from Christmas. Ten days! What happened to this year? Where did the time go? I think the older we get, the more shocking the rapid passage of time becomes.
Centuries before the birth of Jesus in that smelly stable in Bethlehem, God’s chosen people, Israel, were behaving badly (yet again!). They fluctuated from honouring God to worshipping idols, forgetting who’d brought them out of their slavery in Egypt. Indeed, the name “Israel” means, literally, “he struggles with God”.
So throughout the Old Testament we see them having to live out the consequences of their rebellion. But then, in the midst of it all, God drops in a powerful prophecy, a hope for a future where things would be different.
Isaiah 7:13,14 Then Isaiah said, “Family of David, listen very carefully! Is it not enough that you would test the patience of humans? Will you now test the patience of my God? But the Lord will still show you this sign: The young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a son. She will name him Immanuel. (which means God is with us).
God’s pointing here to a future where no longer will He punish His people for their sin, but instead allow the punishment we deserve to fall on the shoulders of Jesus, His only Son, who would die to pay for our sin.
The virgin will give birth to a son and she will name Him … God is with us. Friend, that future has come. It’s here, now. Jesus came to set you free. That’s why we celebrate Christmas with such great joy.
Jesus. He came for you.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Blessed by this devotion?
Share it with a friend!
Respond