There were these unanswered questions I've had for a while - Why a manger, why a carpenter, why the womb of a barren woman, why the nation of Israel were chosen by a Sovereign God for Christ to be born into?
Why did Christ's birth have such humble surroundings? He was born into a poor family (though it had it's royal roots, yet even that began from a shepherd boy). His birth took place in a manger and not within the comforts of the palace walls. His first visitors were poor shepherds and not royal ministers. His upbringing was that of a carpenter's son, far removed from that of a royal prince who would one day assume the royal throne. There was no royal pomp nor splendor of any royalty as we know existed on earth or exists today.
Secondly, why did God choose Israel, the tiniest of nations and not another for Christ to be born into? There was Rome in all it's glory. There was Greece with its warriors, art and pursuit of knowledge. Previously, there had been the Babylonian empire, and then there were Egyptian empires. The evidence to their past glory is still visible today. If you were to visit these historic sites, one could literally imagine how splendid these empires must have been. Why did God chose a group of slaves to be born into? Bible points to a 400 years history of slavery that the Israelites endured.
Few Sundays ago, as we were worshipping in church, my mind was flooded with thoughts of visions prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Apostle John saw...
Prophet Isaiah's vision of the Son of God we read in Isaiah 6 - "In the year King Uzziah died, I (Isaiah) saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings, they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory! The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke... !"
Can any earthly king's appearance be compared to the one in the vision of Apostle John from Revelations, chapter 1, "And standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance."
Did ever any earthly king's court compare to what John wrote in Revelations, chapter 4? "Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast. The voice said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things." And instantly I was in the Spirit and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it! The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones - jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crown on their heads. And from the throne came flashes of lighting and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven lampstands with burning flames. They are the seven spirits of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings had the form of a lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth had a form of an eagle with wings spread out as though in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty - the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come." Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crown before the throne and say, " You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created."
Would any earthly king's grandeur compare to even the throne chariot of God in Ezekiel's vision. " "As I looked, I saw a great storm coming toward me from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. The fire inside the cloud glowed like gleaming amber. From the center of the cloud came four living beings that looked human, except that each had four faces and two pairs of wings. Their legs were straight like human legs, but their feet were split like calves' feet and shone like burnished bronze. Beneath each of their wings I could see human hands. The wings of each living being touched the wings of the two beings beside it. The living beings were able to fly in any direction without turning around. Each had a human face in the front, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle at the back. Each had two pairs of outstretched wings - one pair stretched out to touch the wings of the living beings on either side of it, and the other pair covered its body. They went in whatever direction the spirit chose, and they moved straight forward in all directions without having to turn around. The living beings looked like bright coals of fire or brilliant torches, and it looked as though lightning was flashing back and forth among them. And the living beings darted to and fro like flashes of lightning. As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels on the ground beneath them, one wheel belonging to each. The wheels sparkled as if made of chrysolite. All four wheels looked the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it. The beings could move forward in any of the four directions they faced, without turning as they moved. The rims of the four wheels were awesomely tall, and they were covered with eyes all around the edges. When the four living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. When they flew upward, the wheels went up, too. The spirit of the four living beings was in the wheels. So wherever the sprit went, the wheels and the living beings went, too. When the living beings moved, the wheels moved. When the living beings stopped, the wheels stopped. When the living beings flew into the air, the wheels rose up. For the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. There was a surface spread out above them like the sky. It sparkled like crystal. Beneath this surface the wings of each living being stretched out to touch the others' wings, and each had two wings covering its body. As they flew their wings roared like waves crashing against the shore, or like the voice of the Almighty, or like the shouting of a mighty army. When they stopped, they let down their wings. As they stood with their wings lowered, a voice spoke from beyond the crystal surface above them. Above the surface over their heads was what looked like a throne made of blue sapphire. And high above this throne was a figure whose appearance was like that of a man. From his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining through the clouds. This was the way the glory of the LORD appeared to me..."
Could an earthly prince ever receive the worship, adoration, authority and power that we read in the Book of Daniel. Prophet Daniel's vision in Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 - "I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened. Verses 13-14 reads, "As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal - it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed."
There is nothing that could be offered on earth that would compare to what was sacrificed for you and I. There is nothing on earth that you and I could take credit for and discredit that which was sacrificed for us by the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. So he chose a nation that was born out of the barren womb of Sarah, so he chose a nation that had been under the yoke of slavery for 400 years, so he chose a group of people who continue to experience the hatred of many, so he chose a carpenter's family, and so he chose a manger to prove to you and I that he is the All Sufficient One!
There is nothing he will not give to have your heart! Will you accept him into your life?
Hillsongs - Here I am to worship
