December 13 A Promise Come True

 Luke 1:32-33 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

WHO is Jesus? The question is asked again and again. The world gives different answers. God gives the one answer.

          He is the Son of the Most High—the Son of God. Plain and powerful, this is the truth from the mouth of God’s messenger Gabriel. “But,” you might ask, “if Jesus is the Son of God, how can it be that the Scripture says, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David”? How can the Messiah have two fathers?

          This declaration from Gabriel points to a prophecy God gave to David and others regarding Jesus, the Messiah. A very crucial understanding of Jesus’ identity is God’s promise about his Messiah’s earthly family line. Through the prophets, God told his people that his Savior would be from David’s family lineage. “Father” here means ancestor. Gabriel’s words confirm the prophecy. To truly be Savior, Jesus had to be fully man and fully God. He had a heavenly Father, and he is descended through Mary from a particular family line as prophesied. It is also very important to know Jesus did not have a direct earthly father. Joseph was the husband of Mary. He is never given the title “father” in relationship to Jesus.

          And what of the term “house of Jacob” here? Jacob is the father of 12 sons who each became respectively, a head of the 12 tribes of Israel. Out of Jacob would come all the Israelites. The Israelites are Jacob’s family. Another way to say family is with the term “house”. One of his sons was Judah. Judah is the direct ancestor of David and of Mary.  Matthew 1 defines this more specifically.

          The point is, Gabriel, the messenger, is making it absolutely clear to Mary and to Israel God is about to fulfill through her the centuries-old prophecies of his Savior. The promise of Mary’s impending pregnancy is pregnant with the reality of prophecy promises come true. This is God. God revealed his plan of salvation in Genesis. His plans are now becoming reality. And the world will receive its Savior to draw us into God’s household.

          God has plans for you, too. Because he loves you his plan is to draw you into his eternal presence. The best way for you to see this is to read the Bible through from beginning to end. A new year is coming. Make it your plan to watch God’s plan for the world and for you unfold from the world’s creation in Genesis to its re-creation promise in Revelation. Find a good study Bible to teach you about what you read.  I daresay you will see his plans for you unveiled as you read such teachings as this one daily. Through the Bible and biblical teachings, you will hear God welcome you into his household – his eternal family. 

          Hear his promises of judgment, salvation and his victory over sin. Believe in God’s Word, and you will believe most assuredly God will keep his promises.