king Jesus – Be Still…

Isaiah 11:1-10 – Who Jesus Is

Advent is the perfect time to reflect on who Jesus is, and what the prophets said about him is so powerful. Isaiah could only imagine who God was describing. For us, we can see Jesus. And yet, there are so many parts of this prophecy that remain to be realized. We can learn so much about Jesus from this prophecy alone.

We learn about Jesus’ lineage, and we hear about how the Holy Spirit is moving. We see Jesus as a justice seeker, but whose powerful words can destroy the wicked. It’s comforting to know we have such a fierce warrior king fighting our battles. And yet, “He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.” He is right with God because he is God. Continue reading “Isaiah 11:1-10 – Who Jesus Is”

Daniel 7:1-14 – First Apocalyptic Vision

Read Daniel 7:1-14

And, just like that, we have entered the second half of the book of Daniel. We’ll now encounter several apocalyptic visions Daniel had about the future of God’s people. Because of the chapters that preceded this, we can picture Daniel living his life in Babylon. We can understand a little of the environment he found himself in after being taken into exile. The shift is now from Daniel’s back story and public displays of God’s power to more private encounters.

This first vision is a bit troubling with images of beasts amidst strong storms. Can’t you just picture it? Yet there is something very calming about the appearance of the “son of man.” Perhaps it was because of the familiarity. We as Christ-followers may well recognize Jesus in this passage. Continue reading “Daniel 7:1-14 – First Apocalyptic Vision”

2 Chronicles 35:1-19 – Behind the Scenes

Read 2 Chronicles 35:1-19

King Josiah has discovered an ancient business plan that he can put in place, seamlessly employing his whole kingdom in a God-honoring way. Josiah can be “behind the scenes” and throw an amazing celebration of historic proportions.

Celebrating Passover was also found in the Chronicler’s account of King Hezekiah’s rule. He, too, celebrated Passover in a big way, but in this passage, the Chronicler makes it seem like Josiah paved the way as the first king to celebrate Passover like that. Why do you think there is a difference? Continue reading “2 Chronicles 35:1-19 – Behind the Scenes”

Christmas ? Isaiah 7:14 – Immanuel

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel
(which means ‘God is with us’). “ (Isaiah 7:14)

I love that the name Immanuel means “God is with us.” What a perfect name for Jesus. He came into the dark world he loved so much to be with us, to be one of us. Knowing Jesus is with us gives us hope for tomorrow and makes the world a little brighter.

It’s interesting to know the back story of this prophecy from Isaiah. Right before this, Isaiah had been speaking with King Ahaz. You may recall Ahaz was one of those wicked kings that did detestable things. (2 Kings 16) It was during his 16-year reign that Ahaz feared a takeover by Israel and it’s ally, Assyria. God’s message through Isaiah had been that no invasion would take place.

1 Chronicles 3:1-24 – David’s Family

Read 1 Chronicles 3:1-24

Our last reading identified that King David descended from Judah, one of Jacob’s twelve sons. Today’s reading gives us a snapshot of David’s family. He was quite the fruitful one, bearing 19 children. But only seven of the moms are listed here, and this number doesn’t even account for sons born to concubines! And only one daughter, Tamar, is named. That was quite a household!

The Chronicler doesn’t follow every offshoot of David’s family line here. That would be exhausting. The names he did include were meaningful, displaying the Davidic line. The Chronicler spends more time on David’s family because this was the royal dynasty that will never end.