Advent Reading: Zech. 9:9 (underlined below)

Promise Made | As we have seen [1], God promised that the Messiah would come as a king in the line of David. Yet, Zechariah prophesied that he would not come on a stallion – as most kings did – rather, he would come on a donkey: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” [2].

Promise Kept | As Passover was approaching, Jesus sent two disciples to fetch a donkey: “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me” [3]. After His disciples found the animals, Jesus mounted them and rode into Jerusalem. As the crowd gathered around Him, they spread out their cloaks and palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” [4]

Promise Meant | By coming on a donkey, not a stallion, Jesus showed us the joy of God’s kingdom. His people were to “rejoice greatly” because, under the reign of Jesus, His people would be happy since He would not be like other rulers they knew – Nero (aloof) or Caligula (cruel, extravagant, selfish and sexually perverse). Instead, when Jesus came, the people shouted hosannas, the slave girls prophesied, the blind received sight, the lame walked, the deaf heard, the lepers were cleansed, and the dead were raised to life. By riding on a donkey – an animal of peace, not war – Jesus ushered in the peace of the kingdom of God [5]. By his blood, Jesus brought peace between God and humanity and between Israel and the nations [6].

Prayer | Lord, You could have sent Jesus as a Machiavellian dictator – to be feared rather than loved. Instead, you humbly and peacefully came on a donkey, as a lamb led to the slaughter. Thank you for establishing your kingdom of joy and peace so that we could stand in your presence. Thank you for choosing love and humility as the very essence of your character and cause us to walk in the truth of who you are. Amen.

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Advent Reading: Micah 5:2 (underlined below)

Promise Made | As Israel was falling apart, God called Micah to prophesy about a coming ruler who would restore them. Micah said that this person would come from Bethlehem in Judah: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah [1], who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days“ [2]. Those who heard these words immediately thought of two people – King David (who was born in Bethlehem [3]) and the Promised Messiah (who was to be born in Bethlehem). Since David was long dead, though, the prophecy had to be about the Messiah, whose throne would be established forever in the line of David [4].

Promise Kept | When Jesus was born, King Herod was upset when he heard that magi were looking for a newly born baby boy who was called the “king of the Jews” [5]. Thinking this baby may have been the Messiah, he asked Jewish scholars where the Messiah was supposed to be born. They replied, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet” [6]. They were right. When the magi got to Bethlehem, they “saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him” [7].

Promise Meant | When God chose to change the course of history and eternity, He did not choose to work in an urban metropolis like New York City. Instead, He chose a small and insignificant town with a population of less than a thousand. There was nothing special about this little town of Bethlehem. Yet, it was the birthplace of the most significant person to ever have walked this earth.

Prayer | Lord, Although Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting, he humbled himself by taking on frail human flesh and coming from an insignificant town. We confess, however, that we oftentimes do not want to follow in his ways because, although we know that we are small in the scheme of things, we inordinately long for importance apart from the significance that you offer to us in Christ. Therefore, forgive us and help us boast in our weakness so that we may be tethered to your strength [8]. Amen.

Advent Reading: Rev. 11:15 (underlined below)

Promise Made | God promised Abraham that He would bless the world through him [1]. God then extended that covenant to Abraham’s son Isaac, then Isaac’s son Jacob, and then Jacob’s son Judah [2]. Nine generations later, in Judah’s line, Jesse of Bethlehem had eight sons, including David. Although David was the youngest, God chose to extend the covenant to him: “I will make for you a great name … I will raise up your offspring after you … and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” [3].

Promise Kept | On the one hand, God kept that promise to David by making his son, Solomon, into a great king. On the other hand, however, the throne of Solomon did not endure forever – he died and, upon his death, civil war broke out and his throne was split into two kingdoms (Israel and Judah). Yet, a thousand years later, an angel announced to a virgin, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David … and of his kingdom there will be no end” [4].

Promise Meant | God called forth Jesus through the line of David because He wanted to show that Jesus was the ultimate and final king. When God promised the kingdom of Israel to David, He had a far greater kingdom in view for his descendant. Jesus is not just king over Israel; he is king over all. As Handel’s Messiah celebrates (quoting John’s Revelation): “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” [5].

Prayer | Lord, As “the founder and perfecter of our faith”, Jesus joyfully “endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” [6]. Today, he reigns over all people – those of Israel and beyond – and we have an advocate in him before the Father [7]. Therefore, let us “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace” [8]. Amen.

Footnotes
[1] See 843 Acres, The Messiah Would Have a Particular Lineage (Part 1: A Family), 2 December 2010.  |  [2]   If I don’t know the name of my great grandfather, then how do the gospel writers know the names of the over 65 generations from which Jesus came … or, let’s be honest, is it all fabricated? I asked this question to a scholarly Messianic Jew two years ago. His response was profound. First, he told me that every Jew recorded their genealogy in the Temple so that they could trace their ancestral line back to King David and beyond. Second, he pointed out that, since the Romans destroyed the temple – and its genealogical records within – in 70 AD, no one thereafter could prove their family origin to the specificity that the Messianic prophecies required. Therefore, the last generation that had access to such proof of lineage was the generation of the gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Third, by destroying the temple and its records, God was ushering in a new way to become his people – no longer through the recorded ancestral line of Israel, but rather through the line of faith in Jesus Christ himself.  |  [3]  2 Samuel 7:9, 12-13 ESV  |    [4]  Luke 1:31-33 ESV. See also Romans 1:3; Matthew 22:45; Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:25. Note also: The genealogy of Matthew and the genealogy of Luke differ. For some interesting thoughts as to why, see Who Was Jesus’ Grandfather? by John Piper (18 November 1997).  |  [5] Revelation 11:15 ESV. See also James’ argument before the Jerusalem Council, in which he argued that God’s plan was to “rebuild the tabernacle of David” in order that “the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name” (Acts 17, quoting Amos 15:14-18).  |  [6]  Hebrews 12:2 ESV  |  [7]  1 John 2:1-2  |  [8]  Hebrews 4:16