ADVENT - DAY 17 - HIS GREATNESS WILL REACH TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH...

Day 17!  We've been travelling through the Old Testament these last sixteen days, beginning with God's children deciding to go it alone without Him and God's question in the garden, "Where are you?"  We've seen God revealing Himself to Abraham and telling this old man that he would be the father of many nations and the miraculous birth of Isaac.  We read about Isaac's grandson Joseph being sold by his brothers and finally ending up as a political leader in Egypt who among other responsibilities was in charge of the storage of food in case of famine.  And...because of famine, his father and brothers come to Egypt to buy food and are reunited with their son and brother and the famous words of Joseph, where he tells them not to be afraid, for he would not retaliate for their mistreatment of him.  "Even though you intended to do harm to me," he told them, "God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.  So have no fear;  I myself will provide for you..."

From here we see God's people settling in Egypt.  About 400 years pass until God raises up a man called Moses and we read of the great 'exodus' of God's people out of Egypt, the giving of a law (the ten commandments) that the people should live by and finally entering the promised land.

The 'advent days' have included the stories of Rahab the prostitute and Ruth the Moabite who not only teach us about God's grace, but are ancestors of King David and ultimately Jesus Christ, the beautiful prophesy from the prophet Isaiah of what the long-awaited Messiah would look like, "...for unto us a child is born..." and yesterday, Jonah who couldn't understand how God would want him to go to Ninevah where the people were bad, bad, bad and Jonah (and us) see God's loving concern for all people.

Today's reading is from Micah 5:2-5 and is a further prophesy about the coming of Christ.

"...But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the

clans of Judah, 

out of you will come for me 

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.

Therefore Israel will be abandoned 

until the time when she who is in

labour gives birth

and

the rest of his brothers return

to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock 

in the strength of the LORD,

In the majesty of the name of the

LORD his God.

And they will live securely, for then his

greatness

will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be their peace..."