December 16: Christmas According to Jeremiah

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." - Jeremiah 31:31-33, ESV

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’" - Jeremiah 33:14-16, ESV

Christmas According to Jeremiah:
The New Covenant for God's People

Have you ever had to wait for something? How long? How hard was it? This time of year, kids around the world are waiting to see if they will get what they want for Christmas. That kind of waiting is fun and exciting, even if sometimes it feels a little painful. But sometimes waiting is painful, very painful.

The Prophet Jeremiah,
Piazza di Spagna, Rome

In Jeremiah's day, God's people were carried off into exile to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel was carried off with the exiles, but Jeremiah stayed behind in Jerusalem to wait with God's remnant in the land for the bitter end. The exiles wanted to know how long they were going to have to wait until they could be restored. Would they be restored? What should they do in the meantime?

In Jeremiah 29, the prophet writes a letter to the exiles telling them to settle down and make themselves at home. The wait will be long. He told them the message from the Lord: The exile would last for 70 years.

But even then, when they are freed from Babylon and returned to the Promised Land, how long would that last? God's people had been sent into exile because they broke their covenant with God. They worshipped idols and failed to keep the Sabbath. Their hearts were unfaithful. Nothing in their hearts was really changed by the exile, so wouldn't it just be a matter of time before they were punished with exile again.

In Jeremiah 31-33, the prophet gives them the good news: Some day, they would get a new covenant from God. Was something wrong with the covenant God had made with His people at Mount Sinai under Moses over 800 years earlier? No. The problem was not with the covenant but with their hearts. They had broken God's covenant because they did not have hearts for God.

So God promised that "the days are coming" when He would make a new covenant with them. This covenant would be different because it would not depend on their faithfulness. In fact, God would raise up a righteous Branch, from the house of David, and He would execute righteousness and justice. He would deliver God's people from bondage and give them true security.

How would the righteous Branch do this? What would be different about this King from all of the other good kings like David, Hezekiah and Josiah? The key can be found in the name of the Branch: "And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness." This Branch would be different because He would be the very righteousness of God for the people. As Paul would later write in Romans 1:16-17: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith" 

Any covenant that depends on me to establish my own righteousness is doomed to fail. No matter how much good guidance and help I receive, my heart is too wicked to establish my own righteousness. I need a perfect righteousness, which only my perfect Lord can provide. But I also need a human righteousness, and so to provide it God had to become human. 

The good news of Christmas is the message that the days which God promised through Jeremiah have come. The days are here, the days in which the Lord is our righteousness and in which we are given new hearts because of Him. Tomorrow, we'll look more closely at the promise of a new heart, but for that we'll go to another Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel. 

Heavenly Father, Your people spent 70 years in exile waiting for restoration, but they waited even longer for the real restoration they needed for their hearts. Thank You that we are blessed to live on this side of Christmas, when the days have come and Christ has fulfilled all righteousness for us. Thank You for Your perfect righteousness, made human and given to us in Jesus Christ our Savior. In His name, we give thanks and praise You, Amen! 

The Savior of Humanity has come! Praise Him! (Lauren Daigle, "Noel"): 

December 15: Christmas According to Isaiah

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child shall lead them. - Isaiah 11:1-6, ESV

Christmas According to Isaiah:
The Virgin's Child, the Son Who is Given, the Branch from the Root of Jesse

No Old Testament book is quoted more frequently during the Christmas season than Isaiah. Most famous of all is probably Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." The promise that the Lord will give virgin's child, who is Immanuel, is a dearly loved promise for believers this time of year. 

The second most popular verse gives us Jesus' throne names, from Isaiah 9:6: 

"For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Again, the reference to a child who will be born as the Mighty God and Prince of Peace is a powerful source of strength for the faith of Christians this time of year. 

These two verses are clearly wonderful prophecies of the coming of Jesus. They are rightly dearly loved, even though they have also come under attack by critical scholars who have claimed that they can't possibly be speaking of Jesus. Believers know better and have treasured these verses for centuries.

But Isaiah has so much more to offer than these two verses. Isaiah is the second most-quoted book in the New Testament, after only the Psalms. Handel's Messiah, one of the most masterful pieces of music ever composed, is lyrically based entirely in the Scripture. More verses from Isaiah are in the Messiah than from any other book of the Bible. Among the many verses from Isaiah, almost the entire 40th and 53rd chapters are sung at one time of another in Messiah. Charles Jennens (1700-1773), a good friend of Handel who compiled these verses for the oratorio, had very good reason for selecting so heavily from Isaiah. Almost the entirety of the Gospel message can be constructed from this wonderful book.

Consider these wonderful texts, drawn from the King James Version:

Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,

and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished,

that her iniquity is pardoned.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness;

prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert

a highway for our God. - Isaiah 40:4

Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry mountain and hill made low;

the crooked straight and the rough places plain. - Isaiah 40:4

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together:

for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. - Isaiah 40:5   

Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,

and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us. - Isaiah 7:14

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,

get thee up into the high mountain.

O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,

lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid;

say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God! - Isaiah 40:9

Arise, shine, for thy Light is come,

and the glory of the Lord

is risen upon thee. - Isaiah 60:1

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,

and gross darkness the people;

but the Lord shall arise upon thee,

and His glory shall be seen upon thee,

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light,

and kings to the brightness of thy rising. - Isaiah 60:2-3

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light;

and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,

upon them hath the light shined. - Isaiah 9:2

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,

and the government shall be upon His shoulder;

and His name shall be called,

Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God,

the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,

and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. - Isaiah 35:5-6

He shall feed His flock like a shepherd;

and He shall gather the lambs with His arm,

and carry them in His bosom,

and gently lead those that are with young. - Isaiah 40:11

He was despised and rejected of men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. - Isaiah 53:3

He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them

that plucked off the hair:

He hid not His face from shame and spitting. - Isaiah 50:6

Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows!

He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. - Isaiah 53:4-5

And with His stripes we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5

All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned every one to his own way.

And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53:6

He was cut off out of the land of the living:

for the transgressions of Thy people was He stricken.  - Isaiah 53:8   

Throughout Isaiah, God poetically and powerfully shows us our need and and how He plans to meet our needs in Christ, the promised offspring of the virgin's womb, the branch sprouting forth from Jesse's stump, the one who is Mighty God and Emmanuel, God with us. This strong Savior would redeem us by being the suffering Servant, the one to lay down His life for the sins of His people, cleansing us from unrighteousness and bringing us true and lasting peace. 

Heavenly Father, You are so gracious, so powerful  so kind, so wonderful. You have seen the depths of our need, of our sin and bondage, and You have given true and lasting deliverance in Your Son. You have comforted and redeemed Your people, and we are forever grateful. In Jesus' name we praise You, Amen.   

If you've never read these sections of Isaiah or listened to Handel's Messiah, this Christmas season is the perfect time to do both.  

December 14: Advent According to the Psalms

Today's devotional is different. Instead of a normally formatted devotional, we will read several Gospel promises from the Psalms and then consider the wonder of the salvation Christ brought at His coming in a short poem called "Love's Victory."

Psalm 2

Ever since the fall of Adam and the rebellion of Cain, the nations of the world have taken their stand against God and His people. They have fought against God's rule over their lives. God sent His Son to be the King of kings and Lord of lords forever. True refuge is only found in worshiping Him!

Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
    and the rulers take counsel together,
    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
    and cast away their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
    the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
    on Zion, my holy hill.”

I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
    and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
    and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 25:15-22

We must see and feel the depth of our need before we will truly understand our need for the redemption Christ alone brings. We are surrounded by spiritual enemies who hate us and we are trapped by their lies and our sin. Christ alone can guard, deliver and redeem! 

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins.
Consider how many are my foes,
    and with what violent hatred they hate me.
Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.

Redeem Israel, O God,
    out of all his troubles.

Psalm 130

It is from the depths of our sin that we most need rescue and deliverance. Jesus came to bring this deliverance once-and-for-all for all of His people who have waited, longing for His redemption. 

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
     O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,
    more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
    and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
    from all his iniquities.

Love's Victory
by Jason Van Bemmel

Tattered, torn
Battered, born
Into chaos
Suffering loss
From the moment of our birth

Hearts deceit
Lie and cheat
World of lies
No alibis
Cheap to the world our worth

Into this
Bleak abyss
Love descends
Makes amends
To redeem us from the strife

Speaking light
Making right
Can’t be bought
Won’t be caught
He brings His own reign to life

Leaders amiss
Betraying kiss
Dies alone
Tomb of stone
That salvation comes in such a way!

Empty tomb
Upper room
Thomas sees
Doubt believes
Victorious life ushers in eternal day!

In my heart
Kingdom’s start
Taking hold
Making bold
Giving life eternal meaning

Though I stray
He will stay
Never leave
I believe
Glory’s peace inside is beaming

Who am I?
He would die
Such a one
He has won
And life cannot be the same.

Devils tempt
Towards sin bent
Yet His rule
Makes this fool
A child of heaven forever! 

BONUS: Behind Great Carols, "Angels We Have Heard on High"

Long ago, shepherds in France had an interesting Christmas tradition. They would stand on their hills calling to one another on Christmas Eve, each from his own peak, singing "Gloria in excelsis Deo, gloria in excelsis Deo," just as the angels might have first announced the birth of Christ. 

The traditional tune the shepherds used is now the refrain of "Angels We Have Heard on High." The music for the verses comes from a different source, a popular tune of the 1800’s, as does the text itself, which is an old French carol "Les Anges dans Nos Campagnes."  They were first published together in a carol collection dated 1855. 

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
       “Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”  - Luke 2:8-14

Here it is from PentaTonix:

December 13: Joshua and Jesus

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. . . No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. . . Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lordyour God is with you wherever you go.” - from Joshua 1:1-9, ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:18-21, ESV

Joshua and Jesus:
Leading God's People to Victory and into the Promised Land

Jesus' name in Hebrew is Y'shua, a variation of Joshua. so he shares the same name with the Old Testament hero who led the people of God into the Promised Land after the death of Moses. Their name means "YaHWeH saves" and they both serve as living examples of the saving power of God. But these two remarkable figures share more than just a name:

1. Both men got their strength from the Lord and did everything in the power of God.

2. Both men won great victories over strong enemies.

3. Both men meditated on the Law of God and spoke words of powerful truth to God's people.

4. Both men came into their positions of leadership after a long period of waiting.

5. Both men brought the people of God from the wilderness into the Promised Land.

You might be surprised to see Jesus being described as a man in these ways, but He was and is truly man, even as He has always been and always will be truly God. As the Messiah, our Anointed One, Jesus stood in our place as our representative and champion in every aspect of His life. He was and is our prophet who speaks the truth of God, our priest who intercedes for us and our king who reigns over us. 

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872),
The Battle of Jericho

Joshua was a remarkable man, one of the few men in the Old Testament who doesn't have any shameful sins recorded of him. In so many ways, he is an admirable example and a type, or foreshadowing, of Christ. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead God's people to victory over fierce enemies - walled cities, giants, powerful alliances of Canaanite kings. He was provided by God for His people after an extended period of wilderness wanderings, and he brought them into the Promised Land. Joshua spoke powerful truth to the people of God, calling them away from sin and idolatry and challenging them to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. 

Jesus came and fulfilled the role of Joshua but in a much better way. As wonderful as Joshua was as the leader of God's people, he did not succeed in bringing them into God's true rest. As Hebrews 4:8 says, "For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on." God still spoke and promised His people rest after Joshua was long dead and gone. 

The true rest for God's people, the true Promised Land, was secured only by Jesus, after He had won victory over the true enemies of God's people. The real obstacles keeping God's people from true rest with God were not the inhabitants of Jericho or Ai but Satan and sin and death. These are far greater and deadlier enemies than the giants of the land of Canaan. For Jesus to defeat them, He had to suffer and die and unimaginable death. 

Whenever we read the exciting stories of the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua, we need to remember that Jesus is the real champion of God's people. Joshua may have seen the walls of Jericho come down, but Jesus leads His church in triumph over the very gates of Hell itself.   

Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your great victory over all of our enemies. You have paid for all of our sin, defeated Satan, overthrown death and secured entrance for us into the true, eternal Promised Land. Thank You that You are our rest and our very great victory! Let us always and only rest in You. Amen.

The victory that Christ has won for us gives us every reason to rejoice this Christmas and always!

December 12: Jesus in the Oracle of Balaam

The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
    the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
    and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
    falling down with his eyes uncovered:

I see him, but not now;
    I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
    and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
    and break down all the sons of Sheth. - Numbers 24:15-17, ESV

Jesus in the Oracle of Balaam:
A Star Shall Come out of Jacob

When you take your stand in opposition to God, you will lose every time. This is the lesson that Balak, king of the Moabites, should have learned when he hired Balaam the seer to curse the people of God. 

King Balak asked Balaam to curse the people of Israel as they were camped near the plains of Moab. Balaam was the son of Peor, and he lived in the town of Pethor near the Euphrates River. We don't know for sure where Pethor was exactly, but it seems like it was a long way from Moab, probably hundreds of miles away. Apparently, Balaam must have had quite a reputation as a powerful prophet in the whole region, because Balak sent for him twice, begging him to come and promising him anything Balaam wanted. Balak likely waited for weeks or perhaps even months for Balaam to finally come. 

Balaam was probably motivated by money when he went to serve Balak, even though his words indicated that he was intending to be faithful to God. God stopped him on his way, threatening him with destruction by an angel and giving his donkey both supernatural sight and speech to save Balaam's life and to keep him from sinning in his mission. 

When Balaam arrived in Moab, Balak was excited, Here was a powerful spiritual man, a man of renowned insight, who could curse these Irsaelites and send them scurrying far away from Moab. But Balak could not stop God's plans, even though he was rich and powerful and had hired the greatest prophet to curse the Israelites. Balaam gave three different oracles, in different locations, each one clearly blessing Israel and promising a bright future for them.

Balak was frustrated. We're told how "Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, 'I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the Lord has held you back from honor.' (Numbers 24:10-11, ESV)"

Balaam responds to Balak's anger with firm and clear resolve: "Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord?' (Numbers 24:12-13, ESV)" Then, Balaam gives Balak one final word, one about the distant future, "the latter days."

In this fourth and final oracle, Balaam foresees a great ruler coming forth from Jacob, specifically referring to "a star" which will "rise in Jacob's house." The language here is interesting and fascinating, because Balaam comes from what will eventually become Babylon, which will later be conquered and ruled by Persia. If Balaam was indeed a world-famous prophet, as he seems to be, it would make sense that he would record his oracles and that these oracles would be preserved for future generations, copied and transmitted by scribes and kept in libraries. 

Could it be that Balaam's oracle of the star rising in Jacob's house was in the libraries available to certain magi from the East many centuries later? Could they have read the oracles of Balaam and seen this line about this powerful star-sign? Maybe these words, combined with their observations of the stars, led them on their journey to Jerusalem to look for this one who would bear the scepter from Israel and win victory over the enemies of God's people. 

Whether the wise men were led to Jesus by the oracle of Balaam or not, we know that Balaam foresaw Jesus in this fourth oracle. He saw the coming of the King of kings almost 1500 years before His birth!

Lord Jesus, You came in the fullness of time, and You reign in supreme and unchallenged authority over all of the nations of the world. Let us worship You with renewed wonder at Your power this Christmas! Amen.

______________________________________

"The Kings of the Earth" is a powerful anthem from Savior: The Story of God's Passion for His People, a modern oratorio by Greg Nelson and Bob Farrell. Here is a video of Steve Green, Larnelle Harris and Steve Amerson performing this stirring song:

  

December 11: Jesus Tabernacled Among Us

"Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it." - Exodus 25:8-9, ESV

And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. - John 1:14, AMPC

"Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lordfilled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." - Exodus 40:34-35, ESV

Jesus Tabernacled Among Us:

Seeing Christmas in the Tent of Worship

What's the most centrally important thing in your house? What does it say about your family's values and priorities?

After God led the Israelites out of Egypt, delivering them from the hand of their Egyptian masters, He chose to dwell in their midst and to continue to lead them. But God cannot simply dwell in the midst of a sinful people. God wanted to show them who He was, what He was like and how they might approach Him properly in worship. So He gave Moses instructions for building a Tabernacle, a tent for meeting with God and worshiping Him. 

Model of the tabernacle, as seen in Israel, Timna Park

The tabernacle God described to Moses was a perfect demonstration of God's holiness, humanity's sinfulness, the need for atonement and the right approach to worship. The most centrally important thing in the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant, the chest which held the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. This chest was placed behind thick curtains in the Most Holy Place (or Holy of Holies). On top of the ark was the mercy seat, made of pure gold and flanked by two cherubim. The ark represented the presence of God. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, the direct presence of the Ark of the Covenant, and only on the Day of Atonement, when he sprinkled blood on the mercy seat.

The Ten Commandments inside the ark were a replacement. Moses had broken the original tablets when he came down from Mount Sinai to find the people engaged in idolatry and immorality. The restored law represented God's perfect holy standard. It cannot be compromised, and yet because we are guilty of violating that law, we must approach God on the basis of mercy and not merit. We need God's forgiveness, which must be secured by the shedding of blood. The anointed High Priest must be the one to present the blood to cover the mercy seat, allowing God's people to approach.

So far, this is an interesting history lesson in Old Testament worship practices, but what does this have to do with Christmas or Jesus? Everything! But before we get to that, let's step outside of the Holy of Holies.

Inside the Sanctuary, the Tabernacle itself, was a table holding bread, a lamp stand holding seven candles and an incense burner. The bread was holy, for priests only. The incense represented the prayers of the people and had to be made according to the right formula or it was rejected by God (see Nadab and Abihu).

Outside of the Tabernacle in the courtyard, a large altar and a basin of water stood. The altar was for the offerings of the people. The basin was for priests to wash before entering the Tabernacle. This altar allowed all of the people of God to learn that they cannot approach God without a sacrifice to atone for their sins. The basin taught them that God requires clean hands from those who would approach Him. By using this Tabernacle for worship as God prescribed, the people learned about sin, sacrifice, cleansing, prayer and more. Ultimately, they were being given a large, interactive picture of Jesus and His saving work.

In John 1:14, we're told that when Jesus came to earth, He "pitched His tent" or "tabernacled" among us and that we beheld His glory. It's no coincidence that the glory cloud of God's presence came down and filled the Tabernacle when it was dedicated. God was telling His people, "Pay attention here. This will show you how to approach Me and ultimately point you to the way I will manifest My glory to you." 

When Jesus tabernacled among us, He was the Messiah - the anointed One. One office He holds as Messiah is that of our Great High Priest. Jesus is uniquely the only priest who is also the sacrifice. He offered up Himself on the altar of the cross. He entered into the true Holy of Holies in heaven to offer up His blood before God's mercy seat to atone for our sin. He also came as the bread of life and the light of the world, to bring the nourishment for our souls and the illumination pictured in the table of bread and the lampstand. 

Jesus us everything we need to approach God and have fellowship with Him. In fact, His atoning work makes us priests who can enter into God's presence and eat and receive illumination and offer up pleasing prayers to God. Will you approach God through the tabernacle of Jesus this Christmas? He is the only way for us to approach God.

Lord Jesus, thank You for leaving heaven and coming to earth to redeem us. Thank You for being in Yourself the way for us to approach God. You are the true and eternal tabernacle. This Christmas season, let us enter into You by faith. Amen.   

The Tabernacle is just another picture of Jesus as Emmanuel, God with Us: