For So It is Written
Key Bible Passage:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1-6)
Reflect:
Understanding the times and understanding probabilities are important military strategies and are why we have Military Intelligence. We should be people who observe culture and understand the times as well.
The Jews, like the wise men, studied history and prophecy and were on the lookout for the promised ruler from Bethlehem who would “shepherd God’s people.”
Consider the likelihood of Jesus fulfilling just 8 of the 350 messianic prophecies:
“Suppose we take 10×17 [one followed by seventeen zeroes] silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They’ll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote using their own wisdom.”[1]
Respond:
- Spend time reading Matthew 24 or Revelation, prophetic parts of the New Testament.
[1] http://sciencespeaks.dstoner.net/Christ_of_Prophecy.html, 10/12/2017
