|
|
|
When God came down ... Sam Gordon |
‘The Word became flesh’ (John 1:14).
This is the moment when God came down and camped among us. It is the pivotal moment in history when God pitched his tent down here on Planet Earth. ‘In Christ alone, who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless Babe!’
The theme of the birth of Christ is one that has captured the hearts and minds of hymn writers down the centuries. Many outstanding compositions which we love to sing at this festive season highlight this miraculous thought with skill. The Methodist revivalist preacher, Charles Wesley, strikes a chord when he writes: ‘Veiled in flesh the Godhead see! Hail, the Incarnate Deity! Pleased as Man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.’
A more recent hymn penned by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend declares: ‘You’re the Word of God the Father, From before the world began, Every star and every planet, Has been fashioned by your hand; All creation holds together, By the power of your voice, Let the skies declare your glory; Let the land and seas rejoice!’ Glorious stuff!
Unfortunately, it is a precious doctrine that has suffered at the hands of liberal theologians. Almost from Day One men have scoffed and ridiculed such an idea. Not a few prominent clerics of this generation are numbered among those who deny such a scriptural premise. My intention is not to answer or argue with them, what’s the point? I passionately believe that God’s word is clear-cut on the issue and, therefore, by faith accept it. Actually, we conclude with the reasoning of the apostle Paul, that it is ‘beyond all question, (as) the mystery of godliness is great’ (1 Timothy 3:16).
When we speak about the incarnation, we refer to that moment ‘in the fulness of time’ (Galatians 4:4) when he became Man. He was becoming what he never was before! Yet he never ceased to be what he is eternally! His incarnation unites God and man in one person, his human nature being as perfect as his divine nature. When we reflect on this timeless truth, we are way out of our depth. That begs the question: Is it any wonder Mary felt the way she did when the news was broken to her (cf. Luke 1:34)?
The promise of a Redeemer is first echoed in the words of Genesis 3:15 where mention is made of the ‘seed of the woman’. This tentatively indicates the manner of his entrance into the world. The Old Testament is rich with prophetic testimony to his birth. His lineage is seen to be that of the ‘Son of David, the Son of Abraham’ as he descended from the royal tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10).
If the Jewish people of the day had been familiar with the message of Daniel then they would have recognised him and been able to live in anticipation of such an intervention from heaven to earth. Micah 5:2 even names the location of his arrival as the town of Bethlehem. Every detail was foretold and the longing in many Jewish women’s hearts was that they would be the chosen vessel for such an honourable task.
The prophet Isaiah tells us how he would come. ‘A virgin (Hebrew, almah) shall conceive, and bear a son’ (7:14). The choice of ‘almah’ is significant as denoting one who was mature and ready for marriage in contrast to ‘bethulah’ which includes a maiden whose marriage is not impending. In fact, the word ‘almah’ is used by the Holy Spirit seven times in the Old Testament. It is most interesting to note that the definite article is prefixed to ‘almah’, the literal reading being, ‘the virgin’. This makes it individual and special and so, from God’s point of view, Mary was THE one in contradistinction to all other virgins. Hence the words of the angel recorded in Luke 1:28.
God was working his purposes out to bring salvation to man. The virgin birth is the means by which he came into the world. The miracle is not the birth as it was normal, but the conception, which was supernatural. Mary was the human agent. Having been ‘conceived by the Holy Ghost’ (Luke 1:35) the Babe would be born a sinless and perfect person.
Four hundred years ago Martin Luther issued a challenge: ‘If a Jew or Christian can prove to me that in any passage of Scripture “almah” means “a married woman” I will give him one hundred florins, although God knows where I will find them.’ Luther’s challenge still stands today!
|
| |
Other News |
| New man for Ireland |
| Be a World Prayer |
| Son-shine on Tenerife |
| Israel at 60 |
| Outreach in Israel |
| |
| |
|
|