Unto Us, Isaiah 9:6-7

Paul Harvey told a story that went something like this:

The old farmer was kind, he loved his wife and kids. He worked hard, lived honestly, with integrity. But he just couldn't buy into the whole Christmas story, the virgin birth. His biggest question was, why in the world would God become man? That just didn’t make any sense at all to him.

So, he kindly kissed his wife and told her to enjoy her time at the Christmas Eve service, but this year he just wasn't going to go.

Her eyes glistened. She smiled, nodded, whispered, "I'll say a prayer for you. I love you"

About the time she left the wind picked up. So, he went inside, threw another log on the fire, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat in his favorite rocker by the fireplace to read the paper.

But then, shortly, he heard a thump, then, another, and another.

That’s odd? It wasn't a knock on the door. He grabbed his coat and hat and gloves and headed out into the cold. Shutters weren’t loose, barn door wasn’t banging in the wind. Then he saw them. A handful of sparrows fluttering outside his living room picture window. Sure enough, one flew smack dab into the window. Thump.

Temps dropping. Storm's brewing. They must be looking for shelter. Wonder if they’d go in the barn?

So, the kind old farmer opened the barn doors.

But the birds paid him no mind.

He tried to shoo them toward the barn.

They just scattered.

He tried to coax them in by laying breadcrumbs little by little all the way into the shelter of His barn.

They didn’t notice.

Thump. Another hit his window.

“Oh, for crying out loud you birdbrains, go in the barn!”  

Why can’t they understand I’m only trying to help?

If only I could be one of them for a minute, then I could show them the way, then, I could lead them to shel....ter.

The old farmer stopped... In that moment, it all made sense... In that moment, the Church bells started ringing.

His eyes glistened. He smiled, nodded, whispered, “That’s why You did it.”

Right there in the cold, in the snow, between the house, and the barn, with a flock of fluttering sparrows watching, he hit his knees and for the first time in his life, he prayed, really prayed, not just words you say before a meal because it’s the right thing to do, but he prayed to God, the God he knew was really there, really listening, really cared.

And before he opened his eyes, he heard singing.

No, not from the Church.

An angelic choir?

No. Maybe. Just as good. He heard singing, coming from inside the barn, from a flock of happy sparrows, that God used, to teach an old birdbrained farmer, the Christmas story.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Unto us a Child is born. That’s Mary’s part. The Humanity part. Mary brought the X chromosome. He was born of a woman.

Unto us a Son is given. That’s God’s part. The Divinity part. “For God so loved the world that He gave...” He brought the Y chromosome (for Yahweh).

From Genesis 3:15, when God said the Seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head, X marked the spot in the fullness of time, when Mary would say:

"Behold the maidservant of the Lord, be it unto me according to your word.” Luke 1:38.

Of course, Jesus had more to do than just become flesh.

Galatians 4:4-5. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

He became a Child of man, so we could become a child of God.

Being born was Jesus showing up for work wearing His flesh and blood uniform.

Then He had to live out the reason for the season; to redeem humanity back into the family of God.

This was no small task.

Over a timespan of about 2,000 years, through multiple people, God documented His plan of redemption.

Within this plan He wove hundreds of prophecies that Jesus would fulfill to the letter.

All that was done to give us, documented, undeniable proofs that Jesus was and is, exactly Who the Bible says He is.  

This prophecy, “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,” was written around 700 years before Jesus was born.

This is just one of over 300 documented prophesies fulfilled in the Man Christ Jesus.

Do you know the odds of that happening? 

Astronomical.

Peter Stoner was a Christian writer and Chairman of the departments of mathematics and astronomy at Pasadena City College; Chairman of the science division, Westmont College; Professor Emeritus of Science, Westmont College; and Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena City College.

In his book Science Speaks he calculates the odds of one man fulfilling just eight of the 300+ prophesies at: 1 in 100 quadrillion (1 in 10^17).

To explain Stoner used this illustration:

Bury Texas 2’ deep in silver dollars, with one of them painted red. Now, blindfolded, on your first try, pick the red silver dollar.

That’s the odds of someone fulfilling just 8 of the prophecies about Christ.

Jesus fulfilled to the letter, every single one, over 300.

He was born under the law to redeem...

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given... Don’t miss that “Unto us,” is repeated twice.  

Why was He born, why was He given?

To redeem us, to buy us back.

Take note that the worth of something is determined by what one redeems it for, what one will pay to buy it back. It’s redemption value.

Galatians 4:4-5. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

John 3:16. For God so loved the world (you) that He gave His only begotten Son (for you) that whosoever (that’s you) believes in Him (committed in covenant love) shall not perish but have everlasting Life.

Let that sink in. 

Your worth is so incredibly valuable, that God gave Himself, His life, His blood, to redeem you, ransom you, buy you back into His family.

Also notice: He was born under the law to redeem, to buy back, lawfully, those under the law who were guilty as sin, under the penalty of death.

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

Jesus not only had to be born, not only had to fulfill prophecy, but also had to fulfill the law.

Matt. 5:17-18. “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Not only was the government of Rome on His shoulder as He carried the cross up Golgotha.

Not only did He fulfill every jot and tittle of the law.

But He fulfilled God’s Divine Justice.

He will not break His own law, even to His own hurt.

The first killing in the Bible wasn’t the sin of Cain killing Abel, but an act of mercy with God killing an animal or two to temporarily cover the sin of Adam and Eve.

Setting the Divine precedent of atonement for sin by the shedding of blood.

And by this God signed His own death sentence.

He knew that no man could pay the price.

Only He could live sinlessly, willingly die blamelessly, to rise victoriously over sin, death, hell and the grave.

Only He had enough love to do all that.

And so, the date was set for the Child to be born, the Son to be given.

And so, when the fullness of the time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to paid in full the price to redeem us, so we can be adopted into the beloved family of God crying Abba Father.

And He shall reign forever, and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, of the increase of Your government and peace there will be no end, and upon the throne of David You will order and establish Your Kingdom with judgment and justice, and we will love You, forever, and ever.

Amen.

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This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.