Brown's Daily Word 12-10-09

Good morning,
We had some fresh snow yesterday, closing area schools due to poor driving conditions. My wife had a two hour day, and managed to fill those two hours to the max. We had a very blessed Wednesday mid-week service of study and fellowship. Yesterday, as I was driving around the area, I was thinking about how the roads are getting crowded and congested. It is amazing to think that the birth of a baby in over two thousand years ago in a messy , mundane manger causes traffic jams in the cities of the world where Christ's birth is celebrated. The city sidewalks are busy sidewalks filled with Christmas shoppers. The parking lots are full. The stores are crowded with people, people and more people. Each one is on a mission. Many are in a hurry, even running. Some are bumping into one another.
The city of Jerusalem could have been said to have some busy walkways around 735 B.C. It was a thriving city – well populated – the capital of the nation of Judah – and led by a king from the family line of the great King David. This current king’s name was Ahaz. Ahaz, however, was not a good man. The book of 2 Kings says that Ahaz worshipped idols, and even sacrificed his own son in the fire. If the kings from the family of David were ever expected to produce the perfect king or usher in the golden age, they had failed miserably in Ahaz.
Looking at the story in Isaiah 7, we find that the political situation surrounding Jerusalem was becoming volatile. The nearby countries of Syria and Israel had formed an alliance and sought to conquer Jerusalem. So God sent the prophet Isaiah to speak to Ahaz. God’s message to the people was, "Do not be afraid. You will not be defeated." And then in rather uncharacteristic fashion, God said to Ahaz through Isaiah (v. 10), “Ahaz, ask me for a sign.”
Ahaz responded (v. 12), “No, I won’t put God to the test.” Those are pious sounding words, that really were saying, “No, I won’t believe God.”
Isaiah 7:14… Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Regardless of what Ahaz said or did, the Lord was going to give a sign. God Himself was going to intervene in human history, and it was going to be more than anyone could have ever expected because the significance of the sign went far beyond the situational context of Jerusalem. God’s sign would be miraculous. A virgin would conceive. Matthew 1:22-23 shows us that this promise refers directly to Mary. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son…
Did the world sit up and take notice when the virgin was with child? Was all focus on Joseph and Mary the night Jesus was born, or was everyone going about their business, or busyness, as the case may be? Ken Gire speculated by saying, “Where you would have expected angels, there were only flies. Where you would have expected heads of state, there were only donkeys, a few haltered cows, a nervous ball of sheep, a tethered camel and a furtive scurry of barn mice.” (from Intimate Moments With the Savior)
I don’t think it was any coincidence that the inn was full that night in Bethlehem. It is recorded in Scripture that the inn was full because a census was being taken and everyone had to return to the home town of their family line. The city was literally full of people, filled with the lonely, the hurting, and the ones with misplaced priorities. There were people, people, and more people. Yet, God’s long awaited sign was largely overlooked by the crowds of the city. It was truly miraculous – a virgin conception and a virgin birth.
A baby boy was born in that crowded town, named Immanuel, which means “God with us”. The implication is clear that God was not choosing separation or distance from mankind, but “God with us.” While this was not Jesus’ proper name, it was a name that belonged to him as an attribute. This is who He is. From the point of this miraculous birth onward, God would himself be present among His people.
John 1:14 says, "So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." The sign, given by God to Isaiah, was truly for all people. Quite miraculously, that baby boy would have the power to free us from our meaningless, quiet lives of desperation. A baby boy was given as a gift to us.
God has sent his son Jesus Christ to you and to me. He’s given us this miraculous baby boy.
Are your lives noticeably different because of this baby? Has this baby affected our work, our schedule, our home, our lives? Has this baby influenced our attitude, our love, our giving, our service?
According to a legend Satan and his demons had a Christmas party. As the demonic guests were departing, one grinned and said to Satan, “Merry Christmas, your majesty.” At that Satan replied with a growl, “Yes, keep it merry. If they ever get serious about it, we’ll all be in trouble.” Well, let us get serious about Christmas. It is the birth of the Baby, sent from God to dwell among us and to dwell within us. It is the coming of God. It is the intervention of God’s presence among men and women. (From The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Charles R. Swindoll, p. 82)
For the busy and directionless Christ gives direction.
For the busy and striving He offers grace.
For the busy and tired, there is rest.
For the busy and battle scarred He gives peace.
For all of us who trust in Him, He is and forever shall be, the Savior and the Lord

We need Him. I need Him. You need Him. We all need Him. And his name is Immanuel – God with us.
In Jesus our Saviour,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbLInB6El68