The Consolation of Israel

Here is another post from Jake:

The Consolation of Israel

In my last post I talked about how "Christ" means anointed one which means that Jesus is the Anointed King of Israel. Check out Psalm 2, one the most quoted psalms in the New Testament:

The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us...yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. (‭Psalms‬ ‭2‬:‭2-8‬ NKJV)

If you're around church during Christmas time, most likely you will hear certain passages of Scripture recited concerning the birth of Jesus. And if you've grown up in church like me, you've heard them year after year and it's easy to zone out, eyes glaze over, and completely miss what is being said. Though in doing so, we do a great disservice to one of the most foundational parts of the story, not simply that Jesus came in a cute manger scene with shepherds and cuddly animals standing by, but more importantly that Jesus came on the scene as a continuation of a much grander storyline. Christianity does not begin with the birth of Christ. It starts in Genesis with the creation account, the fall, the rebellion of man, Abraham, the Patriarchs, the election of Israel, the giving of the Law, King David, the Prophets, etc. The New Testament assumes the storyline of the Old. It builds on a pre-existent foundation laid in the Law & Prophets. Therefore when Jesus arrives, certain ideas like salvation, the gospel, the Christ, the Kingdom, were established clear in the minds of the early Jews who heard his message. And this is why I think it is critical to gain an understanding of what The Old Testament says. Just because we call it the "old" testament doesn't mean it is outdated or no longer useful.

In Luke 2, after his birth, Jesus is brought up to The temple by his parents. he is noticed by two aged and devout Israelites, Simeon and Anna. Verse 25 says, Simeon was righteous and devout, "looking for the consolation of Israel." Anna, who rarely left the temple from her fasting and prayer, spoke of the child "to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." (V. 38)

The consolation of Israel and the redemption of Jerusalem are promises referring to the age to come, when the Messiah will make Jerusalem a praise in all the earth (isaiah 62:6). Israel's history, even to this very day, is far from what Isaiah says in chapter 40, a salvation which Simeon and Anna were certainly yearning for: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, and her iniquity is pardoned." If Jesus is indeed the promised Christ, why hasn't war in Israel ended? Did he fail to fulfill the promises made to the Abraham, David, and the Jewish people? Not at all! Rather His first coming was "to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation."(‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭28‬ NKJV) Not one stroke of the pen from all that was written in the law and the prophets will be left unfulfilled. That's the point of all this. Jesus is coming a second time, but this time it won't be to suffer, but to be glorified as the King of Israel, the Lion of Judah. In that day, the warfare in Jerusalem will be forever ended the consolation and redemption that Simeon and Anna were longing for will be realized. 

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Waiting

As I write this I'm sitting on a giant exercise ball, rocking back and forth to give my hips and tail bone a break. I'm also trying to do some squats. Anything to get this baby to come. 

My due date was yesterday, and now we wait.

Waiting was rather easy with my first child.

I knew that the average woman went 8 days past her due date for her first pregnancy.

I didn't have anything pressing happening.

There was no rush.

This time it feels so different.

I have all these plans and dates and hopes and dreams and they all seem to include a baby that came early or on time. 

Christmas is coming, and I want my baby to be here.

Jake's family is coming, and I want them to meet this new addition. 

Isn't it funny that one of the most momentous occasions of your life you have little to no control of? 

I don't think it's a coincidence that modern medicine still hasn't figured out what causes labor to begin. 

I think it's meant to be a mystery. 

We're supposed to trust God and His perfect timing.

My mentor sent me this quote today about rest.

"When we are at rest we are trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world."

I need His perfect peace.

I need that rest.

The Lord of Heaven's Armies is intimately aware of this little life in my womb, and He knows what's best. 

I wonder if Mary was tempted to fear when it didn't seem like 'perfect timing' for her first to be born.

Being forced to relocate to a far away city on foot that close to your due date. 

Then, not finding anywhere other than a stable to give birth. 

Being away from friends and family who could give support.

But it was all a part of the Master's plan.

His son needed to be born in the city of David, the place of Kings.

He wanted His entrance into the world to be far from grand and set the stage for a life of lowliness.

I have to trust that God's ways are best, and allow this time of 'discipline' to train me.

I'm choosing Mary's response;

"I am the Lord's servant. Let it be to me according to your will"

The King is Coming

Now for a guest post by my hubby Jake.

 I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker or placard  in someone's yard: 'Keep Christ in Christmas' contending against Christmas being made into something having nothing to do with the birth of Christ. I was thinking about that statement and I certainly agree with it but my concern this season is that we have made 'Christ' into something having very little to do with what it actually means. The word "Christ" comes from the Hebrew word 'mashiyach' or the transliteration more commonly known, messiah, which literally means the 'anointed one'. Thus begs the question, anointed for what? For that answer, we must travel back to Hannah's prayer recorded in the book of Samuel:

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.” (I Samuel 2:10 NKJV)

To be the 'anointed one' or the 'messiah' or the 'Christ' simply means to be the King of Israel. The same exact word used to describe Jesus as Christ in the New Testament is used to for all the Lord's anointed kings of Israel (Saul, David, Solomon, etc.). Just as 'Pharaoh' is the throne name for the Egyptian kings or 'Czar' is the title for Russian supreme leaders, so 'Christ' is the throne name for the Kings of Israel. (Confusing? Watch this super helpful 20 minute video on the Biblical Foundations of 'Messiah' or 'Christ')

 King David was promised that one of his descendants would sit on a throne in Jerusalem and rule over Israel and the nations forever as king. This is what God promised him:

“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” (II Samuel 7:12-16 NKJV)

The writings of the Prophets and the Psalms are teeming with royal depictions of the Messiah's coming. He will have the obedience of all the nations (Gen. 49:8-10). The ends of the earth will be His possession (Psalm 2:1-9). He will make His enemies a fiery furnace (Psalm 21:1-10). God has blessed Him forever and all the nations will be under His feet (Psalm 45:1-7). He will have God's judgments, dominion from sea to sea, and all Kings will serve Him (Psalm 72:1-19). His throne will be established forever, he shall be exalted as the highest king of the earth (Psalm 89:3-28). He will sit on a throne in Zion (Jersualem) the desired dwelling place of God forever (Psalm 132:11-18). The government shall be upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6-7). In righteousness He will judge for the poor and slay the wicked with the breath of His mouth (Isaiah 11:1-10).

Here's the kicker, neither Jesus nor any writers of the New Testament once redefine, reinterpret, or spiritualize these promises! On the contrary, Jesus repeatedly affirms that He is the One the Prophets spoke of and that "all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44 NKJV) Look what Mary is told at Jesus' birth:

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32, 33 NKJV)

As Gentiles (non-jews) who believe, we have been grafted into the rich heritage of the Jewish people (Romans 9:4) and share in the same hope of redemption, restoration, and resurrection when King Jesus returns. Christianity differs from Judaism is that we believe the Messiah had to suffer (as atonement for sin) before entering glory, which had also been foretold throughout the Law and the Prophets (Luke 24:25-27). This is the stumbling block and the Rock of offense: the King of Israel executed on a Roman cross, ie. Christ crucified. Think about the magnitude of offense! The one deserving the most honor and glory whom all nations will bow down to is suffering a humiliating, gruesome death at the hands of Israel's enemies. Sounds like an epic fail, right? But we know that's not the end of the story. But that's for another post.

It would be more accurate to say Jesus the Christ, or Jesus the Messiah. So, next time you are reading the New Testament, try inserting 'King of Israel' every time you come across the word 'Christ'. The reason this feels so awkward and foreign to us is because we have lost sight or redefined what 'Christ' means. This wasn't so with the early church! When Paul preached the gospel, he preached from the Old Testament. We have to remember that we stand on a Jewish foundation, with Jewish promises, and a Jewish King! Though we have different righteousness (one of faith apart from keeping the law), we have the same hope. Here's the bottom line: Jesus is at the right hand of the Father presently waiting the day He is going to  return to sit on a throne in the temple on Mt. Zion over Israel to administer the glory of God, resurrection, and judgment of the nations at the day of The Lord into the age to come. This is our hope and it has yet to be consummated. The King is coming!

Ode to Israel

A few days ago I was telling another mom about a cute phrase Izzy often says, when she exclaimed,

"Oh Lindy, you need to make sure you write that down! You don't want to forget that!"

A few different emotions came over me in that moment. 

Guilt, frustration, urgency, overwhelmed.

I haven't done a very good job of celebrating and documenting life.

This blog has been lying dormant, my journals are covered in dust, my nice camera stays put on the shelf, and to be honest, I still haven't printed out pictures from our wedding. 

Yep, it's that bad. 

So, instead of feeling overwhelmed which leads to me usually doing nothing, I'm going to start with some baby steps.

Very small baby steps.

I'm here to tell you all about my adorable and wonderful son, Israel Paul.

Favorite toys: Anything where he gets to "Knock 'em down!", stuffed rabbit named Pierre, his 'lello gigi' aka yellow digger, cardboard boxes

Fun words: "meh-mane" aka airplane, "puss" aka push, "loolel" aka noodle, "chew bed" aka new bed, "appa goosh" aka apple juice

Current Interests: Thomas the Train and anything choo choo related, Elmo, dancing, praying (always while holding hands), being chased by Dad (all the time), construction machines, 'swimming' in the tub,  identifying colors (he is so good at it!), drawing

And, his cute phrase that my friend didn't want me to forget is my favorite. Whenever he wants you to throw something up in the air, he points up and says "To the moon!" We have no idea where he came up with it, but it is so darn cute!
He's turning 2 at the end of January and should be a big brother by the end of this month!
I don't think he understands that we're about to add a permanent addition to our family, but I think he will handle it fairly well.
He loves babies.
Hopefully he loves babies that take a lot of mom and dad's attention :)

 These are from this summer. The one in the stroller was from our beach trip :) He really enjoyed the sand and the water, as long as he was in control.

 He loves his dada SO much. It is such a joy to watch their relationship.

 A few from earlier this fall. Izzy LOVES the red balls at Target. He insists on trying to 'move' them every time, while grunting and groaning "heavy!"

I love my little guy. He is such a blessing.