Set Time

In the beginning, immediately after the Original Sin occurred in the Garden of Eden, God set in motion the only Way for sin to be wiped clean:  "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel," [Genesis 3:15]. 

This longing for a Messiah stretched over hundreds of years. The Old Testament, which was written over a thousand-year period, contains 353 prophecies about the coming Messiah. Some prophecies focus on His death, others on His Second Coming. There are about 10 or so prophecies that were fulfilled at His birth. 

High priests, scribes, the religious elite, and all men who listened to teachings in the temple knew that God was going to bring a Ruler, a King, to rule over His own. They knew that this King would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem: 

"For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." ~ Isaiah 9:6

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." ~ Isaiah7:14

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.” ~ Micah 5:2

As the Roman Empire conquered the Holy Land and increased its grip on Israel, people prayed and hoped for an earthly king, to rid the land of the Roman governors, the roadside crucifixions, the ever-present Roman legions. However, as time went marched on, and God did not bring forth the Messiah when the people thought He would, prophets became fewer and fewer in number. As Malachi wraps up his book with the promise, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty." [Malachi 3:1], the Old Testament ends, starting a period between the Old and New Testaments in which God is incredibly, painfully silent. 

Have you ever experienced a time in which you were praying for something -- perhaps an answer for a new job, or for a loved one to be healed. Perhaps you were looking for healing -- healing of your marriage, your body, your church ... and God was incredibly quiet. There is a choice to be made here: either you lack faith, stop praying, and draw farther away from God, or the opposite. You dig into the Scriptures and continue praying, despite the oppressive quiet. You claim the promise that God hears us, as John wrote: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us," [1 John 5:14]. We must claim the confidence we have in our Risen Lord that He hears us -- despite all evidence to the contrary. 

For 400 long years between the time the Old Testament ended and the New Testament dawned, God was quiet -- but working. God works in His timing -- not our's. Habakkuk wrote, "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." Titus wrote, "And which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior," [1:3]. 

Did you catch that? "Awaits an appointed time" and "At HIS appointed season...." God, in His divine glory, is in charge of time, not the other way around. He knew, while He was even standing before Adam, Eve and the serpent in the Garden, exactly when His Son would come onto the earthly scene. He had a set time planned and put into motion of His own creation and working when a young girl named Mary would be born. It did not catch God by surprise that a young carpenter named Joseph would be interested in Mary as his bride -- for God ordained it. 

Look at Galatians 4:4: "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law." When the set time had fully come....The time had nothing to do with our, human, timing. It had everything to do with God's timing. 

We have the benefit of the Scriptures as a rear-view mirror of sorts to see how prophecies were fulfilled. Luke wrote, "Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught," [1:1-4]. We have Luke's detailed, physicians' eye to bring to life the Christmas story. 

We have eyewitness accounts of how God fulfilled prophecies, answered prayers, and gave to us the promise of His timing. Let us remember that the God Who set the appointed time for His Son, is the same God Who sets the time of His Son's return, and answers prayers for His people. 

In Him,
Terrie 
(c) 2014 

For Reflection: 
Read Psalm 40:1. When was a time that you waited patiently for the Lord? What about impatiently? 

What were any differences in your feelings between the two times? 

How can you slow down the often crazy-busy Christmas season to positively reflect on God's gift to us in His Son?