Ahaz did not have faith in God, and so he was not going to be able to stand firm at all. He refused God’s promise, protection, and perspective. He turned in fear to what he really had faith in―an alliance with Assyria.
Advent: Perfection in Numbers
There is a second explanation as to why Christmas falls on December 25, a spiritual one. Today's post is taken from an article written for the Biblical Archaeology Society.
Prophecy of Christ
He was born in the hamlet of Bethlehem, an inconsequential dot on the map, but it was the birthplace of Kings, the very root and stump of Jesse, and from it now sprang this young shoot, the ruler who would sit on the throne of Judah forever.
Prophetic Heredity
the most important name given to Jesus is the one Matthew used in his genealogy, in verse 1, verse 16, verse 17 and verse 18: Christ, Messiah, the anointed one.
Divine Heredity
When I was a young girl, there was an enormous social stigma attached to having a baby when you weren’t married. You got sent away to extended family, had the baby in secret, started another life, or gave the baby up for adoption, very privately. Children raised out of wedlock didn’t have the same legal rights as children born to or adopted by a married couple.
Royal Heritage
But, if Matthew had ransacked the whole Old Testament, he’d have been hard pressed to find four more unlikely candidates for the Messiah’s genealogy than the following women.
Christmas Series
Beginning Monday, Grace and Peace will present seven posts on Jesus' heritage and birth, bringing the nativity narrative through Matthew's gospel.
The Midwife
My church, New Hope Chapel, Arnold MD, is finishing up a four-part Advent series called "We Were There." Each member of the teaching team took a character from Jesus' birth narrative and told the tale from that perspective. I got "The Midwife"