We have now studied the past few weeks from the beginning of creation, God want to have a relationship with us. But now because our sin has entered the equation, God no longer comes down and walks personally like He did with Adam and Eve. Now there must be a sacrifice to maintain in good standing with God. This is not to say that God stopped talking to us, but sin had changed that how God would do that. So many characters in the Bible that talked with God, that Still had direct communication with Him. Many of time God talked to people through prophets.
Moses himself said he was not a great public speaker, so God appointed Aaron to speak for Him. (Exodus 7: 1-7)
Abraham spoke directly to God. (Genesis 12:1-3)
Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, Samuel, Daniel … The list goes on. The whole Old Testament is about this. God was using certain people to speak to the world on His behalf. These people had a personal relationship with God outside of the required sacrifices that was required of them. Then we start getting certain people getting a great and wonderful word from God.
Isaiah 7 (13) And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? (14) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (15) Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. (16) For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
Isaiah 9 (6) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.
Zechariah (9) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (10) And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 53 (3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (7) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (8) He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (9) And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Who on Earth are these guys prophesying about? What is going on? God is going to give us a sign? What sign? A virgin is going to give birth? He is going to have all these names attached to Him? A king is coming but riding on a donkey? He will be wounded, bruised for our transgressions? Think about this for a moment. God had already done great things the people witnessed. Could you imagine them thinking, O boy, what’s next. Did these prophets truly know what was fixing to come? The world was fixing to be turned upside down, and God was once again going to give everyone direct access to Him. Each and every one of us would be able to go to God directly. The ultimate sacrifice is about to come. Soon there will no longer be alter sacrifices. We will be able to approach God at any time, anywhere! Let’s finish and ponder these things this week. It is wonderful to know that God cares for us to do the things he does to bring us closer to Him.
