One day till Christmas

Psalm 23:6a NKJV — Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;

People do better with pictures.

We can better understand something if it’s related to something else we already know.

This being the case, we are going to have two angels stand in the place of two of God’s attributes: goodness and mercy.

Because we clearly see throughout Scripture: God is good. He is righteous. (Deu. 32:4, Ezra 9:15, Psalm 116:5, Dan 9:14)

Goodness is simply part of God and without God there is none.

Even Jesus said: “So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.'” Luke 18:19 NKJV

Jesus, God’s Son, therefore is good.

Before the Fall (Gen. 3:6) God and mankind were able to walk together in the Garden. (Gen. 3:8)

But sin changed what had been God’s good creation (Gen. 127), mankind, and placed a barrier between us and God.

God’s goodness simply can’t be with sin.

They will never mix.

That’s where God’s mercy steps in.

God is good. (Psalm 107:8) He is also merciful. (Psalm 103:8, 116:5)

God knew at the Garden He would put into action His rescue plan for mankind.

Genesis 3:15 NKJV — And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

Jesus, the only One ever born only of woman.

Through His sacrifice He rescued us from sin.

How fitting to have a picture of both Goodness and Mercy at the birth of Jesus.

He is both.

Without Him, we have neither.

Luke 2:14 KJV — Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

2 days till Christmas

You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Psalm 23:5b NKJV

In the Old Testament anointing with oil was very important.

Aaron, the first high priest, was anointed with oil. He and his sons were set apart by God for the service of God and the Tabernacle.

Exodus 29:7 KJV — Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.

Kings were anointed. Saul, David, and Solomon were anointed with oil to show God had chosen them. (1 Samuel 10:1,16:13, 1 Kings 1:39)

In Matthew we see a detailed list of names, the importance being Jesus’s lineage through Joseph, a direct descendant of the kingly line.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
Matthew 1:17 NKJV

God spoke clearly to Joseph about Jesus.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus , for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 NKJV

Joseph’s adopted son Jesus was a direct line to David.

Jesus’s anointing isn’t only through the kingly lineage of David.

Hebrews 6:20 NKJV — where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus is both King of Kings and our high priest.

Hebrews 7:24-25 NKJV — But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

How incredibly intricate the details which all came together in Jesus.

As we add Joseph to the Nativity let us reflect upon Jesus’s dual anointing: king and priest.

It’s very clear, God choose Joseph to be Jesus’s adopted father.

We have a choice as well.

Whether one will live in total surrender to the King and Priest or not.

For those who choose to the scripture speaks clearly.

“He (Jesus) will save His people from their sins.”

Surely, our cup overflows due to His “intercession for” each of us.

Praise the LORD!