Friday 23 December 2011

A to Z of Christianity : 'I'

ISAIAH

When I think of the Christmas story and the Bible the obvious thought is to the two Gospels that speaks of the virgin Mary miraculously giving birth to the Son of God. 

My other thought tends to turn towards the book of Isaiah. Isaiah son of Amoz lived around 700 years before Jesus was born yet prophesised about a lot of His eventual life story.

These are some of his correct predictions:-

Virgin giving birth to a Son - Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Immanuel means God with us and Jesus was God with us).

Child born that will rule on David's throne forever, the government will be against Him. Names He is called - Isaiah 9:6-7 -  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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (David and Jesus both Kings of God's People, David for a relatively short time..Jesus forever)

From family of Jesse - Isaiah 11:1 - A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. (Jesus is from Jesse and his son David's family tree - Matthew 1)

Gods spirit with Him - Isaiah 11:2a - The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him

Brings peace - Isaiah 11:6 - The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

Looks like other humans - Isaiah 53:2 - He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

Despised, rejected and suffers - Isaiah 53:3 - He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Died for our sins - Isaiah 53:4-6 - Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

God's Will to send His Son so we can be forgiven
Isaiah 53:10-12 - Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah didn't take a lucky punt, he got everything right and when that happens on this scale and is this specific...who know something Amazing is behind it :)

Isaiah has form, in Isaiah 40 he declares the Earth is a sphere (word 'circle' means in the original language) 2000 years before Columbus!

This Christmas let's be thankful that God had a plan to save us that still stands today. If we haven't done anything about it, why not this Christmas?

Jesus wasn't an accident. God with us, came for us.

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