A Son is Given
All throughout Scripture, God demonstrates His sovereignty over the affairs of men, inviting us back into a relationship of trust and dependence on Him. I couldn’t even begin to enumerate the multitude of ways He did this. When mankind was thriving and families were growing into nations, God said to Abraham “I will make you into a great nation.” When men were conquering and possessing vast territories, God said to Abraham “I will give you all your territory.” God chose to make for Himself this nation and give them their land to demonstrate to the whole world His majesty and sovereignty over all our affairs.
One aspect among the affairs of men over which God was most fond of demonstrating His power and authority was regarding childbirth. In all Abraham’s travels, it appeared to him that men everywhere in every nation were having all the children they wanted, whenever they wanted them. But God made childbirth for Abraham and Sarah impossible in order to demonstrate to the world that He Himself is the one who gives children. Not only was Sarah not able to have children but even if she could, God took Abraham and Sarah well beyond the years where childbirth would have been possible before He stepped in and gave them a child.
Abraham named him Isaac which means “laughter” and when he was born, Sarah said “God has given me laughter! And everyone who hears about this will laugh with me, for who could ever believe that I would have a child!” This was truly something remarkable and we know Isaac gave this a lot of thought because Genesis 24:63 says he was fond of meditating out in the fields. So when he realized his wife Rebekah was also childless, he knew he could turn to the Lord as he does in Genesis 25:21, and God heard his prayer and gave him twin sons, Esau and Jacob.
When Jacob’s wife Rachel was also childless, she demanded he give her children. This made Jacob angry and he said “Am I God? He is the only one able to give you children!” Rachel must have taken this to heart because she began praying and in Genesis 30:22, God answered her prayers and gave her a son. Yes, this was a people and a nation created by the will of God with a territory inherited by the promise of God. Many years later when God needed to send a judge for His people, he gave a child to a childless woman who named him Samson and many years after that, when God needed to send a prophet to His people, he gave a child to a childless woman who named him Samuel.
Many years later, when the oppression of this people’s sin cast them into darkness, the prophet Isaiah reaffirms this promise from God: “Nevertheless, this time of darkness and despair will not go on forever… The people who walk in this darkness will see a great light… For God will break the chains that bind His people and the whip that scourges them.” How would He do this? By giving them a son! “For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given!” The miracle of this child being born to a virgin was a sign given to affirm this promise God made to His people so when the world witnessed the sign of a virgin birth, we would know this promise would be fulfilled.
Christmas is a memorial. It’s the time of year those of us who have faith in this child remember that we were once slaves to sin. We were bound hand and foot with the chain of its oppression and tormented by the whip of its condemnation. In a world where men fought to free themselves, God says “I will be your salvation.” The child He sent was bound in our chains, whipped with our condemnation, and dragged down to the depths of death itself. Then He shattered the chains, broke the whip, and rose again! Our chains have been broken! Our torment has ceased and death has no more power over us! Joy to the world! The Lord, our deliverer, our salvation, has come!
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