Who is the Fairest?

 

He must increase, but I must decrease.

—John 3:30

We all can likely recall the wicked queen in the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, when she stands before a magic mirror and asks the question, “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” hoping for the answer, “You, O Queen, are fairer than Snow White.”

This kind of jealousy has plagued the human race far before this Snow White story—published by Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm and his brother, Wilhelm Carl Grimm—ever appeared in print. In fact, the first murder in the Bible concerns two brothers vying over which of their sacrifices should receive the most favor from God (please see Genesis 4).

We find this temptation to murder, even if only hidden in the hearts of men and women, throughout history. When Saul served as king of Israel and heard the crowds shouting that “Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands,” Saul set in motion the murderous plots to rid the world of this rival (please see 1 Samuel 18).

In the Christmas story, the Magi had followed the star they had seen in the sky. They had come to Jerusalem seeking the new King of Israel. Thinking that the present king might know the whereabouts of this future ruler, they stopped in the city to visit Herod and ask for a specific route.

I like the way that Angela Hunt, in her The Nativity Story, portrays the encounter between the Magi and the evil King Herod. Of course, we can’t know exactly the conversation and further discussions of the men from the East. But, Hunt’s description gives us a mental picture of the encounters. This comes from the story after their visit to the Christ Child. ¹

Melchior stroked his beard and considered Herod’s marble city. Perhaps God was warning him through the stars, or perhaps this conjunction [of stars] meant nothing. But an uneasiness moved at the core of his being, and he hadn’t liked the look of cunning he’d glimpsed in Herod’s eye.

Last night he’d seen that same look in a dream he had while dozing next to some talkative shepherd… “The one they call Herod the Great has murdered two sons and a wife,” Melchior said, picking up his reins. “I do not think he’d hesitate to kill an innocent child of Bethlehem, do you?”

Neither Gaspar nor Balthazar answered, but neither did they protest when Melchior turned his camel away from Herod’s city. They would take the road from Bethlehem to Jericho, heading east without returning to Jerusalem.

As it turned out, murderous Herod, after learning the biblical prophecy of a child, probably under two years old, had all the babies that age murdered in Bethlehem. Fortunately, as directed by God, Joseph, Mary, and the young child Jesus, had escaped to Egypt.

This sin of murderous jealousy, this wanting to be rid of our enemies, comes at us in so many tempting ways, even some that sound practically reasonable to us in our minds. Why not try to get rid of that school principal who constantly gives us a hard time? Why not get rid of my boss, in order to explain why I should get that achievement award above others? Why not exaggerate the troubles I’ve had from this or that person, so that I can look better in the eyes of my friends?

The Bible also has plenty of men and women who, because of their supernatural life of grace through Christ, have taken the route of humility, obedience, and submission to unfair suffering. John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest man to ever live, came introducing our Lord. John the Baptist lived humbly and prepared the people for the Greater One, Jesus. John the Baptist spoke the words, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

During this Christmas season, let us contrast these two men and their reaction to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords: Herod on one hand—jealous, unhappy, murderous—and John the Baptist on the other hand—humble, obedient and submissive. How would our Lord have us live in our time, so that others see Him above our selfishness?

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1 Hunt, Angela. The Nativity Story. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2006. Pp.177-178.

 

 

A Beautiful Silence

 

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

—Habakkuk 2:20

Silence adorns the Season of Advent. While the world around us goes crazy with shopping and parties, God calls us to wait in quiet for Him.

In the northern climes, nature hides the earth in a blanket of white stillness. No birds call to us from the wooded glens. Even the sleeping animals and foliage wait in quiet. We, who recall the Nativity, wait in silence for the coming celebration of our newborn Savior.

To prepare for this coming—to prepare for the Holy Spirit’s coming at any time—or for the hearing of God’s written Word, we should prepare in silence and wait to recognize the coming of God’s awesome presence. We must practice silence and wait for Him.

Can you imagine the period of silence before God first spoke, when He said, “Let there be light!”? Or, the 400-year period of silence between the last prophecy of the Old Testament from Malachi until the angel spoke to Mary? In Heaven, at the opening of the seventh seal, a half hour of silence preceded the blowing of trumpets and the message of the seven angels. (Revelation 8:1-2)

We need to pause and refresh our poor brains in silence, separating ourselves from the cacophony of our materialistic world by spending time before our God and in His written Word. Many people can find this kind of re-set, walking in the penetrating stillness of nature. Others experience a re-set through the ministry of quiet music. Still others gain a re-set by contemplating great works of art. When we have prepared ourselves for its work in silence, God’s written Word speaks so much more powerfully.

This silent waiting for Christ, this Advent stillness, often results in giving us the most blessedness of the Season. We know from Genesis 3:8-9 that God waited for Adam and Eve in the quietness and beauty of the Garden. Even today, He waits for companionship with us, as well. The Babe of Bethlehem came for this very reason—to restore fellowship between heaven and earth.

This Season of Advent, let’s purposefully appreciate the anticipation and excitement that flows to us because we wait for the Promised One to come with His gifts of joy, hope, light, power, and His divine presence. During this Advent Season, Christ longs to bless us.

 

 

Suddenly Christmas

 

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven— praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

—Luke 2:8-14 NLT

The familiar story of the shepherds on the night of our Savior’s birth never gets old. This band of societal outcasts, watching their smelly sheep on a hillside, reminds us that God came to earth for all people, no matter how rich or poor, no matter their social stratum, no matter … well, anything. The suddenness of the angel’s announcement and the suddenness of the vast host of angels must have totally blinded and stunned these humble men.

The people of that time may have known the prophecy recorded in Malachi 3:1:

“See, 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.

Even so, they certainly didn’t expect Him to come in this manner and to these men. They had waited some 400 years since this prophecy was given to the people of Israel.

Recorded in Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus left a guide for his disciples pertaining to His second coming, telling them the manner of that coming, but admonishing them to stay vigilant. In Matthew 24:42, 44 Jesus told them:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…So you must be ready, because the son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Jesus instructs His followers in Matthew 25 by telling them the parable of “The Wise and Foolish Virgins,” that He, the Bridegroom will come. And, He will come to those alone who stand prepared for Him.

How do we prepare for such a coming? We allow the Holy Spirit to do His work of filling our lives with His light, His love, and by watching expectantly for Him.

In this context, I love the hymn, “Lo! He Comes, with Clouds Descending.” To us who wait for Him—if we remain alive on this earth at the time of His coming—we will see the glory of the Lord, and hear the heavenly choirs praising and singing, hallelujahs to our Everlasting God.

As you take in the music of this glorious hymn, allow the text on the screen to fill you with wonderful anticipation of the next advent of our King of Kings!

 

Revealed

 

And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

—Isaiah 40:5

The verb “reveal” comes from the Latin word revelar meaning “to unveil.” It also means “to uncover” or “to make something that has been hidden known,” and also “to make a display of something.”

Certainly, God revealed Himself in a more understandable manner through the coming of the Babe in Bethlehem. Indicative of the blackness of the spiritual world, because of the silence of God’s prophets for 400 years, the nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ came in the dark of night.

According to Luke 2, the shepherds—a rag-tag bunch of smelly animal herders—were the first to hear the announcement of the birth. On a dark hillside, it was revealed to them that a Savior had been born who would save them and save all mankind.

To accompany this revelation, the glory of the Lord came and shone from the heavens, accompanied by an enormous host of angels. God was revealing Himself to the world in a way that He had never done before.

We read in Daniel 2:28 that:

…there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.

Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, God revealed Himself to His people. In a prayer to His Father during Jesus’ final hours before He gave His life to pay the penalty for the sins of the world, Jesus told God that He had brought Him glory by completing His work and by revealing God to those to whom He was given.

The revelation of God’s means of salvation had come to Jesus’ followers through His preaching and teaching ministry, and through the use of the Old Testament Scriptures, many of which He openly displayed as never before.

It certainly stands to reason that the last Book of the Bible—the Book of Revelation—is named for the opening of our eyes to the future. To most of us, the mysteries of God’s plan do not stand out clearly, but are revealed as if behind a veil.

Yet, we have enough light to know that this same Jesus still has more to reveal to His people. We know from God’s written Word that Jesus will come back for His people, and will reveal Himself fully to us in a New Heaven and a New Earth.

During this Season of Advent, let us open our hearts, our minds, and our eyes to see all that our Lord wishes to reveal to us now. May we spend time in His presence, looking at the promises of His written Word and seeking Him.

Let us also pray that He would use us to help reveal His glory to the dark world around us. We can pray this verse from an Advent hymn: ¹

Redeemer, come!
     I open wide my heart to Thee:
     here, Lord, abide!
Let me Thy inner presence feel:
     Thy grace and love in us reveal.

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1 Weissel, Georg. “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates.” Hymn in the Public Domain.