Historians tell us that there is a lapse of approximately 400 years between the Old and New Testatments.
Four hundred years during which no prophet or priest heard from God. Silence from heaven. Not a word written down. No inspiration through the Spirit of God. Imagine that...
Imagine not hearing the voice of God throughout your whole life... However, I do believe that there were individuals to whom God spoke during that time. Even as when Noah was living on earth and God found only one righteous man to whom he could give instructions, so there will always be at least one... somewhere... who hears the voice of God.
But then, after 400 years, everything changes! Suddenly, God sets the scene for the arrival of His son on earth. And the birth of this, His Son, is announced in the most extraordinary manner. Angels, a multitude of them, appearing in the night skies outside Bethlehem, singing and announcing His coming! What a wonderful sight that must have been. What a awesome sight that must have been. I bet the shepherds were dumbstruck and scared out of their minds. And the first then to whom God announces the birth are the lowly, "blue collared" labourers - the shepherds, and the sheep, dumb animals that they are! The very animals that were used for sacrifices for sin in those days! I bet God decided He would tell them first so that they would know that before long it would no longer be necessary to steal their lives from them!
Do you not believe that God talks to the animals? I have news for you! How do you think He got them all into the ark on time? What about the plagues He sent on the Egyptians? How did he get swarms of insects and locusts there at the exact time He wanted without directing them? And listen to this:
"And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will whistle for the fly that
is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land
of Assyria. They will come, and all of them will rest in the desolate valleys and
in the clefts of the rocks, and on all thorns and in all pastures." Is. 7:18-19
So, after He told the shepherds and the sheep, He told the wise men of the East by showing them a new star! And of course they had the prophesies left by Daniel while he was in Babylon so they knew the time was right and were expecting a new King. So now the intellectuals, the wise, also knew about it! And they went and told King Herod! So royalty knew about it! And then Joseph and Mary (ordinary people) took Him to the temple and presented Him to Simeon, of whom it was said :
"and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation if Israel, and
the Holy Spirit was upon him." Luke 2:25
(he was one of those we wrote about earlier who still heard the voice of God) and there was Anna, the prophetess, who lived in the temple, who recognized the Christ, so now we also had the godly and the church of the time knowing that He had arrived. So you see, God announced it to the whole spectrum of human beings - albeit individuals only!
Why am I saying this? Because Jesus, the Son of God, came not only for the lowly, or the priesthood, or the ordinary, or the intelligent, or royalty, or the wise, no He came for the whole world, and that includes you and me.
Isn't that something?
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
Thank You, Lord, that you thought of me, the lowly, the ordinary, when You announced the birth of Your
Son, so that I would never have to doubt that He died for me also. Thank You, for your mercy and grace in including all your creatures and not just the wise, or the rich, or the priesthood, or royalty.
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