December 22nd - They return to Nazareth
Passages: They Return to
Nazareth
19 After Herod died, the angel of the Lord
appeared again to Joseph in a dream while he was still in Egypt, 20 saying,
“Go back to the land of Israel and take the child and his mother with you,
for those who sought to kill the child are dead.” 21 So
he awoke and took Jesus and Mary and returned to the land of Israel. 22 But
when he heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had succeeded him as ruler over all
of the territory of Judah, he was afraid to go back. Then he had another dream
from God, warning him to avoid that region and instructing him instead to go to
the province of Galilee. 23 So he settled his
family in the village of Nazareth, fulfilling the prophecy that he would
be known as the “Branch” (Matthew 2:19-23).
The Branch prophecy: In
that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and
glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the
survivors in Israel… A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his
roots a branch will bear fruit. (Isa 4:2; 11:1)
The prophets, in speaking about the destruction and re-emergence of Israel, used the metaphor of Israel being like a tree that had been cut down, but which would sprout up once again. Israel would be led by a messianic figure called “the branch,” Isaiah 11:1-4, 6.
Ponder:
The Hebrew Scriptures give us a wonderful truth about the Branch (Sprout) of the Lord that would come and establish righteousness. The word for “branch” or sprout is netzer, the root word from which Nazareth, Nazarene, and Nazarite come. The teaching of the Branch of the Lord is a concept taught throughout the Bible, from the Tree of Life, to the seven branches of the Lampstand, to Jesus the Vine calling us his branches. Jesus is a Branch that can be transplanted and grafted into a human life by faith. All of these words are true of Jesus, the Branch who was raised in the village of the Branch (Nazareth). There is no explicit prophecy regarding the word Nazareth.When the village founders named their village Nazareth they may have chosen this name as a way of expressing hope that God would once again restore Israel—that though Israel had been cut down by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and then the Romans, a branch would come up from the stump. They may have chosen this name because, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, it was a sign that there are no hopeless causes with God. They may have chosen this name as a way of articulating their hope that one day the Messiah would come to Israel. It was as if they were saying, “We believe there is always hope. We believe God will deliver us. We believe the day will come when God will send a new king who will deliver us.” Little did they know that the branch foretold in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah would be a child who would grow up in their own village!
14.12.05BC - 13.03.04BC Time in Egypt
12.03.04BC - 13.03.04BC Herod Died
14.03.04 - 06.04.04BC Journey to Nazareth
Prayer:
Thank you Lord, that you watch over
your word to perform it. Thank you that your prophets foretold of Bethlehem,
your birthplace and the Branch (Nazareth), the
place you grew up. They even told of the massacre of innocent children
and that you would come out of Egypt.
Thank you for the Christmas story -
how God became man, Emmanuel - God with us, Jesus our Messiah. Amen
If that isn't love (by Elvis)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BBaYkeXnzc
Love grew where the blood fell
(267) Love Grew Where The Blood Fell - John Starnes - YouTube
*(The Jesus Diary – The Most Comprehensive Chronology of
the Life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God)
** Luke:The NIV Application
commentary from Biblical Text to Contemporary Life: Darrell L. Brock – Quotations (moving forward)
will be from this source and The Matthew Commentary Collection by
Wilkins,Osborne and McKnight.
Isaiah 4:2 In that day shall the branch [NKJV: the Branch] of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jeremiah 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
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