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Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom 12:1 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Zechariah’s Prophecy Bible Verse: Luke 1:67-80 (ESV) "The And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, Levite Hebrew Priest and Altar As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; To show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us. That we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God; Whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. " Message:
Isaiah gives us a vision of Heaven, written in terms of earthly joy. He has told us some terrible things about the coming desolation of the earth, but also, he has told us that a great Redeemer will come, from the line of Jesse, to rescue us from the destruction. In Chapter 35, he seems to tell usechariah’s spontaneous hymn of praise is often called the Benedictus (Latin for “blessed,” the first word of the hymn), but is also simply called “The Canticle (or Song) of Zechariah.” The first half is a general song of thanks to God, for the time of the Messiah is finally at hand for Israel. It seems to have a flavor of the Old Testament, for it recalls the time when Israel was independent and powerful under David (and Solomon), and the theme is deliverance of Israel from her enemies. So Zechariah announces that God’s promise to Israel is on the verge of fulfillment, after almost 2000 years.
brazen altar with horns
Hebrew altar
with four horns
The imagery of the “horn,” used here and throughout the Bible, does not translate well into modern times, but it resonated greatly at the time. The problem is primarily one of technology; 2000 years ago, a horn was a natural symbol of power, because the world was full of oxen and their horns were immensely powerful. Additionally, lacking modern communications, the horn of a ram was used both in battle and in worship as a signaling device. Jewish altars had four horns at their corners, and often one of these horns might be grasped by a person seeking sanctuary.
The metaphor is difficult for us to grasp. A modern-day equivalent to “horn of salvation” just doesn’t exist; a sword of salvation or a tower or rock of salvation, might be more understandable, but they simply are not accurate.
Zechariah then changes voices and speaks directly to his miraculous son, a key player in the road to Redemption. And here the tone changes to distinctly New Testament, for the key themes are forgiveness of sin, peace, and light versus shadow. The Bible is in a period of transition, reflected in Zechariah, who is really preaching Christ before His birth. We also hear an echo of Isaiah 40:
Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; . . .
The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord . . .”
that those who are alive at the Second Coming will not suffer from the great destruction; but whether he means this literally, or metaphorically, is hard to say. We should not fear the Day of Wrath, because when Christ comes to judge the earth, it will be as if there is a wonderful and pleasant highway for us to walk upon.
“Even fools,” this passage tells us, will find their way over the great highway. We see a tie here between Isaiah and Paul, who will write 800 years later, that it is holiness—the forgiving power of Christ—that will determine our destiny, not our wisdom. “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18.)
Meditation : Prayer : May the Passion of Christ be ever in my heart. May your law and your goodness guide my every thought, O Lord. And may the power of your Holy Spirit flow through my words and my actions today, and always. Amen. |
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