The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 1:22-23,
"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')."
The "All this" in the above verses refers to the miracle of an amazing thing God did. The first of it was that God the Son entered into the human race for the purpose of offering himself as a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of all mankind. Secondly, he was given birth by a virgin!
Here is the greatest watershed event to ever occur in human history. All of it miraculous and all of it foretold in a prophecy given to Isaiah some seven centuries earlier. God predestined it.
God determined long beforehand that he would enter into the human race, and that by a virgin. God willed it, God determined it, and nothing in the entire cosmos could prevent it from happening. I am reminded of Proverbs 21:30, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' (which means 'God with us')."
The "All this" in the above verses refers to the miracle of an amazing thing God did. The first of it was that God the Son entered into the human race for the purpose of offering himself as a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of all mankind. Secondly, he was given birth by a virgin!
Here is the greatest watershed event to ever occur in human history. All of it miraculous and all of it foretold in a prophecy given to Isaiah some seven centuries earlier. God predestined it.
God determined long beforehand that he would enter into the human race, and that by a virgin. God willed it, God determined it, and nothing in the entire cosmos could prevent it from happening. I am reminded of Proverbs 21:30, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord."
Herod's pathetic attempt to neutralize what God was doing by slaughtering all male children Jesus' age in Bethlehem and its vicinity (we read about this in the next chapter) is an example of the spiritual forces of darkness working together with lost, pitiful and wretched little mankind scurrying about in a vain attempt to thwart what God had predestined.
What God has determined is going to happen no matter what.
So, as I say, God predestined his Son to enter the human race through a virgin. God has predestined all kinds of things! His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Israel entering Egypt, Israel exiting Egypt, the coming of John the Baptist, the second coming of Jesus Christ and the end of this age are a few examples of the very many things predestined by God.
Do I believe in predestination? Of course! God's revelation to us reveals many things he has predestined. Do I believe God has predestined only certain persons to enter into his family? No. What he predestined before the beginning of time was that he would imbue mankind, when he created them, with the ability of volition, a free will to accept or reject him. He had predetermined that all who embrace him in faith will enter into his family and all who will reject him will suffer his eternal judgment.
Leaving aside these theological considerations, the fulfillment of all God has predestined ought to stop all people in their tracks and consider where they fit into God's predestined plans. Maybe a decision needs to be made...
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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