By Jeremy Bell
Psalms patterned and color coded can be found in my book, Psalms in Motif Visualization. During December, I take a break from the Psalms to focus on the birth of Jesus, the reason for Christmas. Jesus the savior, not just from death, but from separation from God forever. God is love and provides anything and everything good whether we recognize it or not. The day is coming when we will either be separated for all eternity from anything good and all love, or we will be found in Christ, Jesus, God’s one and only son and unite with love and everything good for eternity.
Christmas is on the way. For much of the developed world, this is a time of anxiety and materialism. It is also a time to focus on loved ones. But Christmas in fact is a Christian Holiday that celebrates the love of The Creator God for His people. This love realized through the human birth of a human without sin, Jesus. I take a pause from my routine to remember this love story and I hope it gives you a moment to pause to consider the meaning of this Holiday as well.
A Nation of People, Moses, David, God’s People (Part 3 of my 6 part 2022 Christmas series)
Adam and Eve were made a promise by God. They would have offspring that would be many, they would have offspring that would be specific to end the deceiver. God renewed life on earth and delivered Noah. God expanded His covenant through Abraham to a people that would be born through him. Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob, and Jacob became Israel by the will of God. This man became an ever-growing nation. THE King, THE offspring, was to come from Jacob, who descended from Abraham.
Our story to date is foretelling the Christ, the specific offspring, to come through human offspring. It is specific, well told, and well laid out. It is also a story of God’s imputation and there is no human in the story who has earned by works what God has gracefully imputed. God provided, God reached out, people believed and trusted Him. God counted it as righteousness. This has always been the case and will always be the case. This is God’s covenant, His faithfulness, and His word. Let’s continue.
The offspring of Jacob find themselves in Egypt for hundreds of years. What began as a gracious rescue into a good land had become a place of slavery over time. The following is taken from selections in Exodus and Deuteronomy.
Moses and the Nation of God’s People
[ Exodus 2 ]
23 In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them.
[ Exodus 3 ]
7 Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
AMEN
God does indeed deliver them from Egypt with many signs and wonders. Once out, God speaks through Moses to make a covenant and make His people holy and demonstrate His love. He specifies the ways in which the people may relate with Him and what they are to do. They are to remember what God has done for them and practice what it means to have relationship with the one and only living God who gives life. It is God who initiates the relationship, and it is God who makes the way for the ones born in sin to find refuge in Him, the sinless. He gives more signs, only this time, His people participate with signs that display that they are His and He is their God.
[ Deuteronomy 5 ]
5 Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, “Hear, Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears today, that you may learn them, and observe to do them.” 2 Yahweh our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Yahweh didn’t make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, 5 (I stood between Yahweh and you at that time, to show you Yahweh’s word; for you were afraid because of the fire, and didn’t go up onto the mountain) saying, 6 “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
[ Deuteronomy 7 ]
6 For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 Yahweh didn’t set his love on you nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all peoples; 8 but because Yahweh loves you, and because he desires to keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, Yahweh has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that Yahweh your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness to a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commandments, 10 and repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him who hates him. He will repay him to his face.
[ Exodus 13 ]
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Sanctify to me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine.” 3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today you go out in the month Abib. 5 It shall be, when Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.
6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Yahweh. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and no leavened bread shall be seen with you. No yeast shall be seen with you, within all your borders. 8 You shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘It is because of that which Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 It shall be for a sign to you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that Yahweh’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yahweh has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.
The Firstborn
11 “It shall be, when Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and will give it you, 12 that you shall set apart to Yahweh all that opens the womb, and every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have. The males shall be Yahweh’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons.
14 It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of livestock. Therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be for a sign on your hand, and for symbols between your eyes; for by strength of hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.”
AMEN
This is a great story of how the living God called a people to Himself. Before moving on, I want to take a quick pause to recognize the stranger to Israel. All peoples of the earth would be blessed by the offspring of Abraham. This is general and specific. Hear what God says through Moses about the stranger in Israel. God is discussing the Passover meal for the first time with Moses and Aaron.
[ Exodus 12 ]
43 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it. 45 A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it. 46 It must be eaten in one house. You shall not carry any of the meat outside of the house. Do not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 When a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, and would like to keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it. He shall be as one who is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.”
AMEN
Time passes, judges are in place in Israel for a long time and eventually they want a king. Their first king started off well but didn’t end up so great. The second king however was amazing and was a man after God’s own heart. This king did some pretty bad stuff but was always subject to God and His law. He repented, he humbled himself, and he had a long life. Here is what God had to say to him at the end. Of course, the king I refer to is David.
David and the People’s King
[ 2 Samuel 7 ]
Now therefore tell my servant David this, ‘Yahweh of Armies says, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth. 10 I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more. The children of wickedness will not afflict them any more, as at the first, 11 and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover Yahweh tells you that Yahweh will make you a house.
12 When your days are fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up your offspring after you, who will proceed out of your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build a house 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 commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; 15 but my loving kindness will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.”’” 17 Nathan spoke to David all these words, and according to all this vision.
David’s Response
18 Then David the king went in, and sat before Yahweh; and he said, “Who am I, Lord Yahweh, and what is my house, that you have brought me this far? 19 This was yet a small thing in your eyes, Lord Yahweh; but you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come; and this among men, Lord Yahweh! 20 What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Lord Yahweh. 21 For your word’s sake, and according to your own heart, you have worked all this greatness, to make your servant know it.
22 Therefore you are great, Yahweh God. For there is no one like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 What one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, and to make himself a name, and to do great things for you, and awesome things for your land, before your people, whom you redeemed to yourself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24 You established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God.
25 Now, Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do as you have spoken. 26 Let your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘Yahweh of Armies is God over Israel; and the house of your servant David will be established before you.’ 27 For you, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray this prayer to you.
28 “Now, O Lord Yahweh, you are God, and your words are truth, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, Lord Yahweh, have spoken it. Let the house of your servant be blessed forever with your blessing.”
AMEN
By strength of hand God delivered from the house of bondage. When sin stubbornly refused to let go, God killed everyone in sin through the firstborn in sin. Therefore, God sacrificed His firstborn with His life so that He might redeem all who are in sin that they might respond to Him for salvation. When they do, God gives them His Holy Spirit as a seal on their hearts; for by strength of hand God redeemed sinners from death to life.
When a stranger lives as a foreigner with Israel, and would like to keep the Passover, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it. He shall be as one who is born in the land. The stranger is adopted in.
Jesus, the firstborn of Mary, the firstborn of God, the firstborn of the dead. Hear this from 1 Corinthians 15. 20 Now, Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. He became the first fruit of those who are asleep. 21 For since death came by man (Adam), the resurrection of the dead also came by man (Jesus). 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming. 24 Then the end comes, when he will deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
Not Born With, Given To
Jesus would be the specific firstborn offspring to be a perfect sacrifice, but He would come through Israel. Since God imputes righteousness to the believer, like He did with Abraham, and not by birth, tradition, or works, like He did not do with Ishmael, God imputes to people whether born in Israel or born as strangers. It may not be our natural way of religious activity, but it is the way God prescribes it. Our unnatural will submits to God the Father in Jesus the Son, the Nature of Joy.
Resources and Notes
All scripture in this article is from the WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE (WEB). The World English Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copyright) Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament.
For more related to this blog, check out my post on Practical Steps to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
This is a reliable translation, but it is always good to read other translations as well. Biblegateway.com has a multitude of translations to read from. It is a great resource.
Another great resource is Biblehub.com. There are multiple translations, commentaries, and so much more. Great research can be done on this platform.
One more I use regularly is Gotquestions.org. This is a great site to answer questions and find threads of related questions.
There are many resources. The key is that God wants relationship directly with you, the individual. His primary source for revealing who He is and growing in intimacy is His word, the scriptures. Don’t just read for instruction. Analyze and read for understanding. Explore, ask questions, and be transformed in Jesus every moment you possibly can. There is no dispute this is a key desire of God. People are brough to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This… This is the Nature of Joy.
Jeremy is an author, musician, and business intelligence manager. His mission is to equip and encourage those in Christ, to equip and encourage others in Christ. Jesus, Christ, is the Nature of Joy and melody of the heart. Jeremy unites business analytics (business intelligence), songs, and Scripture for Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit.