Chapter One
THE GIFT PROMISED:
Hope in the Messiah
The Gift of Jesus the Messiah, though
in many ways surprising, did not
appear out of nowhere. He was the
fulfillment of a plan-God's plan-to
restore the perfection that had been
lost when people decided to disobey
God's instructions for life. God made
a good and beautiful world filled
with good and beautiful creatures.
But the people God put in this world
rejected the plan God had for them,
breaking their relationship with God.
But God, in his love, set out to reestablish
his relationship with the lost
human race. The Old Testament of
the Bible records the story of how
God chose Abraham and his descendants,
the nation of Israel, to set the
stage for the coming of his greatest
gift-Jesus the Messiah-our hope.
In the following Old Testament passages,
watch as God's promised restoration
unfolds.
Sin and Its Curse
Genesis 3:14-19
This account in Genesis, the book of
beginnings, records the consequences
Adam and Eve suffered for disobeying
God-consequences we still suffer
today. Their disobedience led to our
separation from God, the one who
made us, and to our alienation from
the rest of God's once-perfect creation.
It led to intense pain in childbirth, to
difficult toil in working the soil, and
ultimately to death. But even as God
leveled his curses against his broken
creation, we are told that the woman's
offspring would someday crush
the serpent's head. This message
foreshadows the promises made
more explicit in later Scriptures of a
Messiah or deliverer who would someday
save us from the destructive power
of sin. From the beginning of history,
God promised a great gift-the birth
of a child who would overcome sin
and crush Satan, the deceiver.
So the Lord God said to the serpent,
"Because you have done this, you will
be punished. You are singled out
from all the domestic and wild animals
of the whole earth to be cursed.
You will grovel in the dust as long as
you live, crawling along on your
belly. 15 From now on, you and the
woman will be enemies, and your
offspring and her offspring will be
enemies. He will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel. "
16 Then he said to the woman, " You
will bear children with intense pain
and suffering. And though your desire
will be for your husband,* he will be
your master. "
17 And to Adam he said, "Because
you listened to your wife and ate
the fruit I told you not to eat, I have
placed a curse on the ground. All
your life you will struggle to scratch
a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns
and thistles for you, though you will
eat of its grains. 19 All your life you
will sweat to produce food, until
your dying day. Then you will return
to the ground from which you came.
For you were made from dust, and
to the dust you will return. "
The Promise to Abraham
Genesis 22:15-18
Though the book of Genesis records
how a good world was broken by sin,
it doesn't leave us in despair. It tells
us how God chose an obedient man
named Abraham to father a special
nation through whom the entire
world would be blessed. God gave
Abraham a son named Isaac, who
was born to him and Sarah in their
old age. It was through Isaac that
Abraham expected God's promises
of blessing to be fulfilled. But when
God asked Abraham to offer his son
back to him, God returned his son
with this amazing promise. God
would give Abraham many descendants
through whom the entire world
would be blessed. This promise was
ultimately fulfilled in the gift of Jesus
the Messiah, who was among Abraham's
descendants.
Then the angel of the Lord called again
to Abraham from heaven, 16 "This is
what the Lord says: Because you have
obeyed me and have not withheld even
your beloved son, I swear by my own
self that 17 I will bless you richly. I will
multiply your descendants into countless
millions, like the stars of the sky
and the sand on the seashore. They will
conquer their enemies, 18 and through
your descendants, * all the nations of
the earth will be blessed-all because
you have obeyed me. "
The Promise to David
2 Samuel 7:8-16
One of Abraham's descendants was
David, and God continued his promise
of blessing and restoration through
David's family. God promised that
David's royal line would carry on forever,
a promise eventually realized in
the birth of Jesus the Messiah. David's
earthly dynasty of kings ended four
centuries after his reign, but Jesus,
one of David's direct descendants,
was the ultimate fulfillment of that
promise (Luke 1:30-33; Acts 2:22-36).
Jesus will reign for eternity-already
in his spiritual kingdom and,
after his return, in the new Jerusalem
(Revelation 21).
"Now go [Nathan] and say to my servant
David, 'This is what the Lord
Almighty says: I chose you to lead my
people Israel when you were just a
shepherd boy, tending your sheep out
in the pasture. 9 I have been with you
wherever you have gone, and I have
destroyed all your enemies. Now I
will make your name famous throughout
the earth! 10 And I have provided a
permanent homeland for my people
Israel, a secure place where they will
never be disturbed. It will be their
own land where wicked nations won't
oppress them as they did in the past,
11 from the time I appointed judges to
rule my people. And I will keep you
safe from all your enemies.
"'And now the Lord declares that he
will build a house for you-a dynasty
of kings! 12 For when you die, I will
raise up one of your descendants, and
I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He
is the one who will build a house-a
temple-for my name. And I will
establish the throne of his kingdom
forever. 14 I will be his father, and he
will be my son. If he sins, I will use
other nations to punish him. 15 But
my unfailing love will not be taken
from him as I took it from Saul,
whom I removed before you. 16 Your
dynasty and your kingdom will continue
for all time before me, and your
throne will be secure forever.'"
Immanuel-God Is with Us!
Isaiah 7:10-16
The prophet Isaiah spoke this message
to Ahaz, one of King David's descendants,
centuries before the birth of
Jesus. Matthew, the Gospel writer,
quoted Isaiah 7:14 to show that this
prophecy was fulfilled through the virgin
Mary (Matthew 1:23), who had
a son named Jesus. This child was
truly Immanuel, meaning, "God is
with us. " When Jesus Christ was
born, God came to live among people
as a human, present with us as never
before.
Not long after this, the Lord sent this
message to King Ahaz: 11 "Ask me for a
sign, Ahaz, to prove that I will crush
your enemies as I have promised. Ask
for anything you like, and make it as
difficult as you want. "
12 But the king refused. "No," he
said, "I wouldn't test the Lord like
that."
13 Then Isaiah said, "Listen well,
you royal family of David! You aren't
satisfied to exhaust my patience. You
exhaust the patience of God as well!
14 All right then, the Lord himself will
choose the sign. Look! The virgin* will
conceive a child! She will give birth to
a son and will call him Immanuel-'God
is with us.' 15 By the time this child
is old enough to eat curds and honey,
he will know enough to choose what is
right and reject what is wrong. 16 But
before he knows right from wrong, the
two kings you fear so much-the kings
of Israel and Aram-will both be dead.
Hope in the Coming Messiah
Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7
The prophet Isaiah spoke of a child who
would become Israel's deliverer and
ruler (9:6). Matthew quoted these
verses in describing the ministry of Jesus
(Matthew 4:15-16). The territories of
Zebulun and Naphtali represented the
northern kingdom but were also the territories
around Galilee where Jesus grew
up and often ministered. That is why
the people would see "a great light." In a
time of great darkness, God sent a light
who shined on everyone living in the
shadow of death. He is both " Wonderful
Counselor" and "Mighty God," born
to establish his eternal Kingdom and to
deliver all people from their slavery to
sin.
Nevertheless, that time of darkness and
despair will not go on forever. The land
of Zebulun and Naphtali will soon be
humbled, but there will be a time in
the future when Galilee of the Gentiles,
which lies along the road that runs
between the Jordan and the sea, will be
filled with glory. 2 The people who
walk in darkness will see a great light-a
light that will shine on all who live in
the land where death casts its shadow.
* * *
6 For a child is born to us, a son is
given to us. And the government will
rest on his shoulders. These will be his
royal titles: Wonderful Counselor,*
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace. 7 His ever expanding, peaceful
government will never end. He will
rule forever with fairness and justice
from the throne of his ancestor David.
The passionate commitment of the
Lord Almighty will guarantee this!
A Ruler from Bethlehem
Micah 5:2-5a
Centuries before Jesus' birth, the
prophet Micah predicted the coming
of an eternal ruler, "whose origins are
from the distant past. " The prophet
also predicted that Bethlehem would
be the birthplace of this ruler. This
promised eternal King, a descendant
of King David, did come to live as a
man. Although he was eternal, Jesus
Christ entered human history as a
baby born in the town of Bethlehem.
And though he died on a Roman
cross, he rose from the dead to his
present heavenly reign, and he will
rule throughout eternity.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village in Judah. Yet
a ruler of Israel will come from you,
one whose origins are from the distant
past. 3 The people of Israel will be
abandoned to their enemies until the
time when the woman in labor gives
birth to her son. Then at last his fellow
countrymen will return from exile
to their own land. 4 And he will stand
to lead his flock with the Lord's
strength, in the majesty of the name
of the Lord his God. Then his people
will live there undisturbed, for he will
be highly honored all around the
world. 5 And he will be the source of
our peace.
The Suffering Servant
Isaiah 53:1-12
This chapter from Isaiah expands on
the promises of the Messiah, who
would suffer for the sins of all people.
Such a prophecy, given long before
Jesus' birth, is astounding! Who
would have believed that God would
choose to save the world through a
humble, suffering servant rather than
a glorious king? The idea is contrary
to human pride and worldly ways.
But God often works in ways we don't
expect. It was revealed in this passage
that the Messiah's strength would be
shown in humility, and Jesus Christ
lived this out to perfection.
Who has believed our message? To
whom will the Lord reveal his saving
power? 2 My servant grew up in the
Lord's presence like a tender green
shoot, sprouting from a root in dry
and sterile ground. There was nothing
beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected-a
man of sorrows, acquainted with
bitterest grief. We turned our backs on
him and looked the other way when
he went by. He was despised, and we
did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him
down. And we thought his troubles
were a punishment from God for his
own sins! 5 But he was wounded and
crushed for our sins. He was beaten
that we might have peace. He was
whipped, and we were healed! 6 All
of us have strayed away like sheep. We
have left God's paths to follow our
own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt
and sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated
harshly, yet he never said a word. He
was led as a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the
shearers, he did not open his mouth.
8 From prison and trial they led him
away to his death. But who among
the people realized that he was dying
for their sins-that he was suffering
their punishment? 9 He had done no
wrong, and he never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man's grave.
10 But it was the Lord's good plan to
crush him and fill him with grief. Yet
when his life is made an offering for
sin, he will have a multitude of children,
many heirs. He will enjoy a long
life, and the Lord's plan will prosper in
his hands. 11 When he sees all that is
accomplished by his anguish, he will
be satisfied. And because of what he
has experienced, my righteous servant
will make it possible for many to be
counted righteous, for he will bear all
their sins. 12 I will give him the honors
of one who is mighty and great, because
he exposed himself to death. He was
counted among those who were sinners.
He bore the sins of many and
interceded for sinners.
Good News for the Oppressed
Isaiah 61:1-9
Long after the prophet Isaiah recorded
this message, Jesus read it to demonstrate
that he was the promised Messiah.
After reading the first two verses, Jesus
stopped and said, " This Scripture has
come true today before your very eyes!"
(Luke 4:21). The people had witnessed
Jesus' ministry to the poor and oppressed,
a ministry that had been predicted centuries
earlier! Through his acts of mercy,
Jesus was demonstrating his power over
sin and its painful consequences. These
were blessings of God's Kingdom and the
promised Messiah's rule, blessings that
we can partake of today by making Jesus
the Lord of our life.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is
upon me, because the Lord has
appointed me to bring good news to
the poor. He has sent me to comfort
the brokenhearted and to announce
that captives will be released and prisoners
will be freed. * 2 He has sent me
to tell those who mourn that the time
of the Lord's favor has come,* and
with it, the day of God's anger against
their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in
Israel,* he will give beauty for ashes,
joy instead of mourning, praise
instead of despair. For the Lord has
planted them like strong and graceful
oaks for his own glory.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
repairing cities long ago destroyed.
They will revive them, though they
have been empty for many generations.
5 Foreigners will be your servants.
They will feed your flocks and
plow your fields and tend your vineyards.
6 You will be called priests of
the Lord, ministers of our God. You
will be fed with the treasures of the
nations and will boast in their riches.
7 Instead of shame and dishonor, you
will inherit a double portion of prosperity
and everlasting joy.
8 "For I, the Lord, love justice. I
hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will
faithfully reward my people for their
suffering and make an everlasting
covenant with them. 9 Their descendants
will be known and honored
among the nations. Everyone will
realize that they are a people the
Lord has blessed."
(Continues.)
