Prepare For Life

Joseph is a bit of a mystery man in the Bible, but what a sweetheart! We only know a few facts about him. We know that he was a carpenter by trade and that as Matthew 1 opens, he was betrothed to Mary. We know that he was alive when Jesus was twelve when their family went to Jerusalem for Passover. We can surmise that he probably died some time before the crucifixion of Christ because Jesus entrusted his mother to the apostle John at the cross. The only other information we have about Joseph is found in Matthew 1. Just what was it about Joseph that caused him, of all the men in the world, to be the man that our heavenly Father selected to be the surrogate father to His son?

Mary spontaneously burst into praise from her devoted heart with what we have come to call the Magnificat in Luke 1:47-55. This name comes from the first word of the Latin translation. Mary’s song reveals that her heart was saturated with the word of God. In these 9 verses that there are 15 quotes from the Old Testament. They can be summed up with these words, For the Mighty One has done great things for me. God has searched the whole earth and found in Nazareth a woman whose heart was totally devoted to Him.

In ancient days when a king was planning to visit a land he would never show up unannounced. He sent a herald ahead of time to declare his visit. The herald, appointed as the king’s messenger, made sure the people knew the king was coming. The message of the herald caused the people to take practical steps as they anticipated the arrival of their king. They responded by patching up roads and cleaning their homes and property making things presentable to receive their king. Isaiah prophesied that a herald would prepare the way for the Messiah. He would appear on the scene, not to make the property and roads presentable, but to make the hearts of the people ready for the coming of the Lord. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight. Mark 1:2-3

Before we go further with this story of the first Christmas and leave the genealogies of Jesus, I want to take a minute to consider something very unusual. Open your Bible to Matthew 1 and focus upon three names, Tamarin verse 3 and Rahab and Ruth in verse 5. Also, look at the words "the wife of Uriah" (who we know was Bathsheba) in verse 6. It is astounding that these four women were included in the line of Christ. Jewish genealogies were only concerned with the male line. As we saw last week, even Mary's name is not mentioned in her own genealogy in Luke. But Matthew made an exception to highlight four different women who are in the Messiah's direct line. This was highly irregular. Add to this the fact Jewish men were forbidden to marry a woman who was not Jewish. At least three of these women were not Jews. Tamar and Rahab were Canaanites, Ruth was a Moabite, and Bathsheba, who was married to a Hittite, may have been one herself. These women came from pagan backgrounds, yet they are in the bloodline of t

We have seen there are many prophecies that promise the Messiah will come through the blood line of David. And there are many more that promise he will be in the royal line of David which would go through his son, Solomon. But by the time of Christ the scholars knew they had a problem. In Jeremiah 22 around the time of the Babylonian captivity, God got fed up with King Jehoiachin of Judah, the last king before their captivity. Because he was egregiously evil God put a curse on his blood line. For no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah. Jeremiah 22:30. This curse presented a conundrum. Listen to learn more

The Messiah would have to meet these very specific requirements that were laid out through the prophets. These prophecies and promises validate the Messiah. Jesus had to be proven. Learn more by listening to the podcast.

Are you ready for Christmas? This is a trick question. I am not asking if you have started shopping for the gifts that you will then wrap and deliver nor the cookies you plan to bake, the decorations you want to put out, nor the cards you hope to get in the mail before next year. I am not asking about how ready you are for Christmas in these ways, but I want to know how you are? Is your spirit prepared for Christmas this year, or will the celebration of the Lord's birth seem like an afterthought at the end of December, almost pushed out by the rush of preparations and festivities?

Jehovah Shammah means I Am There. Jehovah is the name for God that speaks of His existence. He was, He is, He will be. He stands outside of time. He keeps His covenants, the great I Am. Shammah means there, as in a specific location. The root of Shammah is similar to the root of the Hebrew word for tabernacle, dwell, abide.

Jehovah Ra’ah means Jehovah is my Shepherd. Jehovah, the self-existent God who stands outside of time, the God who was and is and will be, the covenant-keeping God, relates to His children like a shepherd to his sheep. The name Jehovah Ra’ah teaches us that God takes care of us, he feeds us and comes to find us when we are lost or cast down. He is our companion, our friend. In fact, Jehovah Ra’ah can be translated The Lord, My Friend.

Jehovah Tsaba which literally means I am the Lord of the Hosts. This name for God is used 285 times in the Old Testament. It refers to the one who is the supreme commander, the one who gives the orders. Jehovah Tsaba is in control of the powers of the universe, the forces seen and unseen. He is in charge of the earthly and the heavenly armies. This name speaks of His sovereignty and His power. This name assures us that the One we have trusted isn’t just good, He is able.

The Hebrew name for God Jehovah Nissi is translated I Am is My Banner. The root of the word nissi means raised, displayed, prominent. Originally a nissi was a pole or a standard, but it didn’t hold fabric like our flag poles. Instead, it held a wooden or metal emblem on its end. This was usually colorful and shiny so that it could be seen from a long distance. The banner or pole with an emblem was a mark of identity for troops in battle. The banner expresses faithfulness.

God is the God of compassion. He moves with healing because He is moved with compassion. This is God’s nature. It is His desire to restore and to make whole. We can easily see this when we look at the life of Christ. His earthy life, Jesus showed us what the Father is like. He said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” John 14:9. In the words of Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God." We can look at the life of Jesus and learn about our heavenly Father. When we look at the Gospels we see Jehovah Rapha in action. Jesus healed 24/7 — and I do mean 7. He didn’t even take a break from healing for the Sabbath.

Today I want to consider the Hebrew name for God, Jehovah M’Kaddesh. This name means Jehovah Sanctifies. The Hebrew word kaddesh means sanctify, consecrate, to set apart as holy. The New Testament Greek equivalent word is hagiazo and means to cleanse, purify, separate from the profane and dedicate to God. This word is almost identical to the words that mean holy and saint.

One of the names that beautifully describes God is Jehovah Tsidkenu. This compound name begins with Jehovah, the great I Am who is self-existent. He stands outside of time. He always was, he always is and he always will be. He is the covenant-keeping God. Jehovah deals with God’s being, his existence. When combined with another word it explains how God relates to his people. Tsidkenu comes from the Hebrew root that means straight, right, just, righteous. It is the opposite of twisted and perverted. This compound name could literally be translated I Am Righteous.

When I say the word peace, what comes to your mind? Absence of war? A sense of calm? Tranquility? Our English word for peace does not come close to the fullness of the meaning of the equivalent word in Hebrew, shalom. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary shalom means completeness, safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, quiet, tranquility, contentment, friendship/fellowship with others and with God, absence of war. You can see this concept has more than one dimension. The Hebrew word for peace depicts the state of wholeness, wellness and unity. It is an all-encompassing word.

When Jehovah is compounded with another name his new name describes an aspect of how he relates to his people. Jehovah Jireh literally means I Am Will Provide or I Am Will See to It. The first time God revealed this name was in the middle of a very intense familiar passage, Genesis 22, the offering of Isaac.

Drum roll, please. Today we come to arguably the most important Hebrew name for God, Jehovah. God calls this his memorial name. This is the name he wants us to remember! The name Jehovah is used far more than any other name in the Bible, but we might miss these many references because in our English Bibles the name Jehovah is usually translated LORD in all caps. Jehovah is used 6,923 times, over 700 in the Psalms alone, while Elohim comes in at a distant second, used about 2,000 times.

The Hebrew name Adonai is translated Lord in our English Bibles. Adonai, like the name Elohim, is a plural name. It carries the same inference of the Trinity that we saw in the name Elohim. When it is singular, adon, with a lower case, it refers to men who are lords. The plural, Adonai, refers to the Lord God.

The nature of God is beyond our figuring out. We need help if we are going to begin to understand who God is and how we can relate to Him. It takes God to know God. This is why He gives us His many names that describe who He is. We need these many names to begin to get a true picture of the nature of God. I am old enough to remember when the name El Shaddai first came into the mainstream in 1982 through the hit song El Shaddai sung by Amy Grant. I remember loving the song while having no idea what El Shaddai meant nor knowing that there were many other Hebrew names for God. It didn’t stop me from joining my voice with the chorus, We will praise and lift you high El Shaddai!

Are you growing in your relationship with the Lord? Do you want to trust Him more? Do you want to know Him better and rely on Him in a deeper way? Do you feel stuck? How can you grow in your trust of God?