Friday, December 3, 2010
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 34-36 and Hebrews 1
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 34-36 and Hebrews 1
SCRIPTURE READING
Luke 1:5-7 (ESV); In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
When we think of the “Christmas Story”, our thoughts often turn automatically to a nativity scene, but the story did not begin in the manger. After four hundred years of silence from God and political oppression as a nation, the rumblings of the Spirit were heard in Judea. This couple, born of the house of Aaron, was chosen to herald the coming of the Messiah, though they had no idea of their calling. What did their priestly bloodline matter in the bleakness of their barrenness and no child to carry on their lineage? They had no future hope and were oblivious to their part of a master plan, yet they walked blamelessly before God because it was right.
The story begins with hopelessness, yet God is at work in their midst. This faithful couple committed themselves to the work of the Lord despite their disappointment. How were they to know that the Spirit was on the move? How were they to know that their faithfulness was a vital precursor to the birth of the Messiah foretold by the prophets?
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Meditate on these verses and their necessity to the Christmas story. How does it enhance or change your picture of the birth of Christ?
2. It is so easy to dwell on hopelessness and lose sight of faithfulness. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if you have succumbed to hopelessness in any area of your life. What has brought you to this point? How does He want you to combat hopelessness with faithfulness?
3. Make a list of some of the things that you are struggling with right now. Then ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can be “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.”
4. Pray for someone you know who is in a hopeless situation.
