"In those days
Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the
entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while
Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to
register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to
Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house
and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged
to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there,
the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her
firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn. " (Luke 2:1-7, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself who are the
characters mentioned?1. Joseph 2. David 3. Mary 4.
Child/Baby/Son
Observations:
Character 1: Joseph
I asked
myself what we can learn about Joseph!
-
So Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to
Bethlehem the town of David (v.4a)
-
Because Joseph belonged to
the house and line of David. (v.4b)
-
He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a
child.
Interpretations:
Points 1&2:
Because Joseph belonged to the house and line of David, he
had to specifically go to Bethlehem to register for their census. Each
one to his own place of ancestry was the rule.
Point 3:
Even though Mary became
pregnant before her marriage to Joseph, Joseph pledged himself to be
married to her. Looking at this verse alone will make us wonder why Mary
became pregnant before her marriage to Joseph since she was just pledged
to be married to him! In those days being pregnant out of wedlock was a
disgrace and shame. To understand what Child is this, who the father of
the child is, and if Mary and Joseph did wrong before marriage, we need
to understand parts of Chapter 1 of Luke very well which were looked at
before.
Observations:
Character 2:
David
I asked
myself why David was mentioned here!
To let us know that Joseph belonged to the house and line of David.
(v. 4b)
Interpretations:
Since Joseph belonged to the house and line of David, he was required by
law to go to his ancestry home to register for the census. It just so
happened to be Bethlehem. It is very interesting that Joseph comes from
the lineage of David, who was the king of Israel. It is this Joseph who
became a carpenter instead of ruling kingdoms and also decided to marry
Mary.
Observations:
Character 3: Mary
I asked
myself what we can learn about Mary!
-
Mary went to Bethlehem with Joseph to register. (v. 5)
-
Mary was pledged to be
married to Joseph. (v. 5)
-
Mary was expecting a child.
(v. 5)
-
Mary gave birth to her
firstborn, a son. (v. 7)
-
Mary wrapped him in cloths
and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the
inn. (v. 7)
Interpretations:
Of all the things I learned about Mary from these verses, what stuck out
to me was when Mary wrapped the baby in cloths and placed him in a
manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
I asked
myself why it is significant!
Wrapping a baby in cloths is
normal so there is nothing significant about it. However, placing him in
a manger becomes significant and I wanted to know more about it.
According to Easton’s 1897 Bible
dictionary, a manger in Luke 2:7 is the name (Gr. phatne, rendered
"stall" in Luke 13:15) given to the place where the infant Redeemer was
laid. It seems to have been a stall or crib for feeding cattle. Stables
and mangers in our modern sense were in ancient times unknown in the
East. The word here properly denotes "the ledge or projection in the end
of the room used as a stall on which the hay or other food of the
animals of travelers was placed."
Rather than having a comfortable
place for the baby to be laid, He was laid in a manger because no one
would give them room in the inn. No family was willing to open their
hearts to Mary and Joseph so their child could be born in the inn. Even
after the baby was born, there was no room in the inn for Him to be
placed.
Instead, the baby was surrounded
by Joseph, Mary and the animals that were in the stable. Jesus’ birth
was celebrated in front of stable animals. The baby’s birth began with
humble beginnings being born in a stable and being laid in a manger.
A manger was used for the
livestock to be fed from in the stable. Symbolically, having the baby
being placed in a manger makes so much sense if we know what child is
this that is laid to rest! The importance of this child is emphasized
in Luke 1:26-38 as we learn more about Mary, Joseph, David and the
implications of Mary’s actions for our own lives.
You can read about the
devotional I had regarding Luke 1:26-28 by clicking on the link
P.R.E.S.E.N.C.E in the right side bar.
The baby being placed in a
manger was Jesus. To read the devotional, I had regarding Luke 1:30-33,
click on the link
K.I.N.G.D.O.M.to the right of the side bar. To read the devotional, I had regarding Luke 1:34-38,
click on the link
D.O.U.B.T.S. to the right of the side bar.
Going back to the symbolism of
the manger, we know a manger was used for the animals in the stable to
feed from. When Mary placed Jesus in a manger, it was symbolic of what
we all need to feed upon. We need to feed upon Jesus Christ
figuratively. Our nourishment can come from Jesus. Jesus is the Bread of
Life!
I ask you
now dear friend, who will you feed upon this Christmas season?
Dear friend, we all feed upon
others whether we realize it or not. The danger is when we feed upon
those who are intent in taking us on the path of destruction. Satan is
close by and desires nothing better than that. When we give into the
lust of the flesh, we will be feeding upon the enemy and that is not
good for us.
However, there is hope my
friend. Yes, there is! Jesus Christ is His name and for you He came. You
can come to Him as you are and feed upon Him. Jesus loves you so
much no matter what you are going through and came to give you new life.
Yes, He did! No matter where you have been or what you have done, you
can have new life in Christ!
Yes, you can!
This
Christmas season and forever, won’t you feed upon Jesus?
Jesus wants to be your
nourishment and gives you His Word to feed upon and be spiritually
healthy. You can spend time with Jesus and He waits to spend time with
you. He waits to have a personal relationship with you. Jesus came to be
your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of
Peace!
I would like to share with you a poem I wrote
called Bible Academy IV: Names of Jesus! May it uplift you and build you
up! Amen!
Bible Academy's Instructor
is the Prince of Peace
Who teaches his students, the value of peace
When we learn from Him, our lives will be full of peace
Wherever we are, whatever trials we face!
Why? His Peace He gives you surpasses all understanding
What are the trials you face? Turn to the Prince of Peace.
JN 14:27, ROM 5:1, 1 COR 1:3, PHIL 4:7
Bible Academy's Instructor
is our caring Counselor.
Who is there for us always to counsel us and fill us with love!
When we turn to Him, He will soothe all our worries.
Wherever there is trouble in your life, He will be there for you!
Why? His personality's counseling troubled souls.
Whatever your problems are, Spiritual, etc He will counsel you.
PSALM 23, MK 10:21, JN 14:1, PSALM 37:7
Bible Academy's Instructor
is our Mighty God!
Who's mightier than our problems, filling us with Spiritual might!
When we depend on Him, no situation will be impossible.
Wherever you are headed no need to fear for God's might shall protect.
Why? Because He wants to instruct you on the best pathway of life.
Whatever you are faced with, Put your faith in the Lord.
JN 6:18-19, MK 9:23, PSALM 32:8, MK 4:30-32
Bible Academy's Instructor
is our Everlasting Father.
Who will always care for us, who we can pray to anytime!
When we seek Him with our whole Heart, void in us will be filled.
Wherever we have been, we can have new life with God, our Loving Father.
Why? Because He loves us so much, He wants what is best for us.
Whatever is asked in prayer you will get according to His Loving will!
MT 6:31-34, MT 7:7-8, ROM 6:3-11, GAL 2:11
Bible Academy's Instructor
is so awesome and Wonderful.
Who takes all our burdens and cares upon Himself.
When we surrender our lives to Him, we can see His miracles.
Wherever there is sorrow, He can fill it with such joy.
Why, because even in our sorrow, He has a plan for our life.
Whatever your pain, sorrow is, His Joy lies ahead.
PSALM 37:5, PSALM 73:23-25, JERMIAH 29:11, MT 11:27:30
“ For to
us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on
his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ”-
Isaiah 9:6
May you draw closer to Jesus if
you already know Him as your Lord and Personal Savior this Christmas
season and if you don’t know Him as your Lord and Personal Savior, you
can begin the journey now! What better Christmas gift to give Jesus than
the surrender of your life to Him!
"Follow
Enthusiastically Emmanuel Daily! (F.E.E.D)/”Who
will
you feed upon this Christmas season?”
You can pray this prayer with me
to offer yourself to Jesus!
Dear
Jesus, thank you for being born in Bethlehem in a stable. You had a
humble beginning even though you are the King of kings and Lord of
lords. I am so sorry for my sins and confess all of them to you. Please
Jesus forgive me of my sin and set me free from any bondage I am in. I
turn myself over to you and offer myself as a present to you this
Christmas Day. Thank you for dying for my sin and coming back to life to
save me. I do not know all I want to know about you but I want to start
my journey with you and learn from you as I feed upon you and draw my
nourishment from you. Help me please Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus.
Thank you for saving us and being there for us. Please come Jesus into
my heart and make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live
for you and I will serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you
Jesus you have heard my prayer and answered me. Thank you for being my
Lord and Personal Savior. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Help me in my
journey with you Oh Lord. Thank you Jesus! Amen!
Friend, if you have prayed this
prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and
all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may
feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your
new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave
you nor forsake you! Amen!
Spend time in His word and let
the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of Mark which are also
the devotionals I have been going through before the Christmas
Devotionals and hope to continue in them. Learn from
Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a fellowship you can
be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to
supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and
Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible Live Eternally!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-720-4579
"This is
my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
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