A theologian I know lamented that “the church is functionally Marcionite…it treats the bulk of the Old Testament as non-canonical.” 

In other words, there is a prevailing attitude in the modern church
that Jesus is the enduring “good God” of the New Testament.

Oh, at one time there was a wrathful angry God of the Old Testament. But He doesn’t hold sway anymore because we’re in a New Testament era with the triumph of love in His Son Jesus.  To those who slice and dice Scripture, the God of “Genesis through Malachi” has been sent out to pasture at the Old God Home to be isolated with His “hate” and medicated for His Old Testament outbursts and to keep Him from hurting anyone in a new age of love and forgiveness.

(Uh…Not even close).

I agree with this professor, seeing what passes for church teaching and finding only trouble ahead for such a church’s future that ignores the Old Testament and its importance. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

We’d be wise to heed that knowledge. God does not change (“I the LORD do not change.” Malachi 3:6) and Jesus is God who existed with God before all time. Scripture says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).

Therefore, we’re going to look at Nahum. (Say what?) Nahum, a minor prophet…about 6 books before the end of the Old Testament and the silent interlude before the New Testament heralds the birth of Christ Jesus.

Why Nahum?  You’ll see.  There is a frightening similarity between Nahum’s days and our own.  Judgment is on its way and friends don’t let friends believe that nice New Testament Jesus won’t do it.  (See Revelation 19:11-21)

“The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.” (Nahum 1:2-3)

Questions for deeper study:

What approach do we take to evil in our culture?  Read Romans 12:17-19 for ideas.  “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:17-19).

Sin is not preached with the same fire of conviction as it once was.  Why is that?

What about God’s jealousy for His holiness and righteous living might be offensive to the unbelieving world, particularly those who diminish sin?  Is it an act of love to preach the truth no matter how offensive it might be?

Should it be offensive to Christ-followers to proclaim God’s holiness and wrath against sin?

Will the guilty be punished? How certain is that?

Are love and wrath mutually exclusive?  In other words, would God be righteous and holy if He gave (for example) child abusers and murderers a smile and a pat on the back and say, “It doesn’t matter.  I love you!”? 

How does Jesus’ payment for sin make it possible for guilty sinners to be recipients of grace?  Do all sinners receive His forgiveness or only those who repent and believe? How should holy fear of God’s wrath against the unrepentant guilty motivate us to preach sin and forgiveness in Christ?

True Confession: I am a morning person.  I’m typically up well before dawn.  I situate myself with my Bible, my computer, and my coffee so I can watch the sun rise (which in Florida typically includes seeing the sun). Watching the sunrise each day sets my heart to right as the Bible tells me, “This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24. 

For the new day that accompanies another new year, I find myself asking whether we can hope 2023 will be “better” than 2022.  The truth is I don’t know because it’s largely in how one defines “better.”

If it’s just another year, yes, hope dawns with each new year and individual commitments to strive for better, be more successful, godly, and honest in our living.  Even if difficulties come our way, Psalm 118 (NIV) shows us in Whom we have our confidence, in Whom we rightly place our trust, and of Whom to be afraid.  It doesn’t paint a life free from struggles.

Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”

 5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place. 6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7 The LORD is with me; He is my Helper. I look in triumph on my enemies… 13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD Helped me.

 14 The LORD is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.

 15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The LORD’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 The LORD’s right hand is lifted high; the LORD’s right hand has done mighty things!” 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. 18 The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. 20 This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter.

 21 I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation. 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

 24 The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. 25 LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! 26 Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless You. 27 The LORD is God, and He has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, and I will exalt You. 29 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; his love endures forever.

Even if this new year is the very threshold of tribulation, I wonder how our hope would be different.  There’d be a renewed urgency to share the good news.  A reinforced need to trust in God.  A rejoicing in what the Lord has done.  So, whether the new year presents us with triumph or tribulation, our response should be exactly the same.

Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.  I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples.  For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.   Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. Psalm 57:8-11

Happy New Year!

Born this day in Bethlehem is the Christ, the One who was born King, to take by Divine right the throne of His father David and to rule the remnant for eternity.

“Who is the One who has been born King of the Jews?  We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  Matthew 2:2 

Anticipating the coming King of the Jews had been important since it was prophesied, Ezekiel 21:27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’ (Ezekiel. 21:27)

Jesus was rejected by those whose self-derived expectations
of what a messiah should be …
outweighed their faith in Him … as the Messiah we needed.

“12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:12-14)

As we conclude our look at the remnant through the genealogy of Jesus up to the moment of His birth, we can see His birth set in motion the fulfillment of everything the ancients passed along as words of life. 

Here’s the key: it is not just an ending as if one had to be in Jesus’ genealogy to be in the remnant.  No, it’s the beginning!  Hallelujah!

Jesus’ birth would inaugurate a new way, a new covenant, and a new beginning!  It’s not physical descendancy at all!  It’s faith that determines the remnant!  Hallelujah!

God’s remnant of faith is growing ever larger.  Soon the full number of Gentiles will be in.  The Jews chosen for faith, still looking, still waiting (hardened, with blinders on) for their Messiah will—at long last!—see Him and clearly recognize Him.  They will be grafted back into the family of God to greet their King when Jesus returns.  Hallelujah! And Amen!

20 Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)

As we welcome Your birth, let us welcome Your Return!  Come, Lord Jesus.

Today, we enter an interesting point of divergence in our look at the remnant through Jesus’ genealogy.  Yet we see God maintaining the remnant of faith and fulfilling Scripture.  After King David in the genealogy, there are no similar names in Luke’s gospel to Matthew’s genealogy until we get to Shealtiel, the father of the governor Zerubbabel.  It’s like a parenthesis of names. Don’t you find that interesting?

What happened to the Davidic Kingdom?

The Davidic Kingdom was once a world power with great respect and stature with the divine favor of God as His chosen people! It had been reduced to a humbled state of division and weakness, ultimately being taken over by Assyria (the fate of the northern tribes) and Babylon (taking Judah into captivity). 

It happened because God pronounced
that the Davidic Royal Line by physical birthright was over.  Very over. 

In a proclamation for Jehoiachin: “I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear– Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians. I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. You will never come back to the land you long to return to.” …  30 This is what the LORD says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” (Jeremiah 22:25-30)

Yikes. End of that line, so God tapped back into the holy stump of Jesse to raise up Zerubbabel to be a governor and to carry the Davidic line of ancestry to the One who would ultimately fulfill the reigning on David’s throne forever.

It would not be a matter of biology, physical inheritance, or job description.  The remnant would not be nationalistic, but one of faith and converge Jesus’ genealogies in the person of Zerubbabel who would restore worship to Jerusalem.

“14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, (Haggai 1:14)

Questions for further thought:

We read in Ezra 3:2-3 that worship in accordance with the Scriptures would happen despite their fear of the culture around them.  ”2 Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.  3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both the morning and evening sacrifices.“ 

How might their boldness to worship God in spite of opposition be a lesson for us all? “Do not fear” was a command given by angels to the shepherds regarding worship of the Christ Child. In what way does that same command apply to us who live by faith?

Why would it be important post-parenthesis to converge the genealogies back to fulfill Scripture in Christ? 

21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.  22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.  23 “‘On that day, ‘ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” (Haggai 2:21-23)

Prayer:  Thank You, Lord, that Your salvation has always been by faith. We ask that You embolden us to worship You even in a culture which denies You and opposes You.  Let us be a light to the nations as we persevere in faith and remain so until the end.  We love You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

A remnant, by definition, is a small amount out of what was many.  In the Bible, it often refers to what is left over after destruction. The remnant of the Bible is a people of faith, purified faith, having been tested and tried, and proven faithful in adversity.

When God allowed adversity upon the remnant, it was enough to make a prophet cry out in confusion.  Such was the case for Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 11:13 Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?“

 14 The word of the LORD came to me:  15 “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land was given to us as our possession.’

16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’   17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’ 18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:13-20)

Questions for further thought:

How does this apply to modern Jews and the nation-state of Israel?  Leaders, in their arrogance and unbelief have long existed. It’s not a new phenomenon, and just because the wicked share a locale with the faithful doesn’t escape God’s notice. See Ezekiel 11:1 “There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 The LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city.”

God said He’d put an end to that.  “I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. And you will know that I am the LORD, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.” Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. (Ezekiel 11:11-13)

It can happen rather quickly.

Now, entering into the controversy at the time of this writing, is it antisemitism to notice the leaders in our world of Hollywood, journalism, banking, politics, and healthcare making bad decisions, maybe for personal advancement at the cost of a culture or its morals?  Think of recent movies and what they glorify and how often they ridicule Christianity.  Think of newspaper articles.  Think of predatory lending, crypto-scandals, power-hungry, lying or cheating politicians, and global governmental or pharmaceutical executives exerting their will on (and against) the people worldwide for their own profit?

Is it antisemitism to observe (as a percentage among that leadership number) how many are of Jewish ancestry?  That’s what leads some in our culture to call those leading the way with evil and wicked advice “fake Jews” versus those who are still looking for the Messiah as “real Jews.”

Even with that explanation, I can’t go there. Personally, I prefer to note their actions rather than their ancestry.  To me, an evil person is an evil person irrespective of his background. 

But I will tell you that God may be particularly angry at any Jewish people who are among the wicked leadership because they had every privilege listed in Romans 9:4-5.  They had every privilege of lineage but have fallen from a greater height and turned their backs in a more significant and offensive way than those who fall into sin without the words of life to guide them.  God will take care of that evil in His timing. All evildoers will be held to account in the end irrespective of ancestry, and God’s actions are always just.

Are the diaspora (scattered Jews) being gathered back in the nation-state of Israel?  Have they been “sheltered” in God’s sanctuary care even while dwelling in other nations?  Does God fulfill Scripture and set the stage in advance of His actions on behalf of the remnant?

Prayer:

Father God thank You for giving us spiritual eyes to see what is going on in our culture. Help us to remain faithful to You and be a light to those who do not know You, no matter where the nations they have been sheltered.  For Your glory we pray.  Amen.

Isaiah 11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.

13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. 14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will subdue Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

 15 The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt. “

The coming Messiah prophesied by Isaiah goes back to the Root of Jesse.  It’s not simple heredity which is a point worth making again and again. 

The scepter of Judah and the Root of Jesse both point to a Messianic King who would rule with a different spirit and power than all other natural descendants in a normal dynastic line.  This Messiah’s reign will be one of wisdom and understanding, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah. 9:6-7)

Questions for further thought:

How does moving beyond the rules of normal inheritance and a dynastic line keep us from believing Jesus was just a regular man, fully human, but never actually the Son of God, (which is what many cults assert)?  They believe that Jesus was just really well-behaved. God liked that and made him a god. Yikes. That’s the stuff of cults. Jesus was fully God before all time and added full humanity as the Incarnated Christ.

David was a murderer and was not the suitable one to build God’s temple, though it was in his heart to do so.  God had Solomon build it.  In what way was the Davidic line not suitable for the Messiah directly, but the Root of Jesse was? See 1 Kings 11 regarding Solomon.

Prayer: 

We praise You, Lord Jesus, for being the wonderful counselor, our mighty God, our everlasting Father, and our Prince of peace. We praise You and thank You that Your government and Your peace will be eternal, everlasting!  You will reign over Your people forever and ever.  We thank You, Lord, that You have accomplished this for us. We offer You praise and exalt Your Name! Amen.

Let’s return to the idea of a family tree as we continue our look at Jesus’ lineage and the remnant of faith.  Each person in the remnant is rooted back in a family tree, but not all on the family tree are part of the remnant.  That’s an important point of the genealogy in Luke: this goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, as God pulls His remnant of faith through the fabric of centuries…but it’s not a simple matter of heredity.

Time and again, God reminds us that 1 Samuel 16:7 “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Reading in 1 Samuel 16:10 “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, ‘The LORD has not chosen these.’” There was a full number, symbolic of completion in seven sons.  Seven not chosen, all sons of Jesse, all part of that same family tree. 

But there was another…and the remnant would be with him.

1 Samuel 16: 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”   12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”  13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. “

Questions for further thought:

Why might God reject the idea of a family tree and inclusion in the brotherhood of Christ as a function of heredity?

How does heredity lend itself toward a system that is inegalitarian and elitist, a dynasty?

What might be some reasons Jesus never had biological children and we never read of children of the original twelve disciples, though some were married?

Read Matthew 12: 46 “While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

A family of faith—a remnant of faith—is clearly prioritized over heredity?  Why? 

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, that I don’t have to be born into the right family, born into the right circumstances and privileges, but rather, in Christ, I can be born again and called a child of God.  How great is Your love that You have lavished upon us (1 John 3:1) that we might become Your children by faith in Christ and in His finished work. We praise You and thank You that we have a family of faith with whom we will spend eternity. We praise You and thank You Lord that Your salvation is not works– based on our part– but it’s a gift available to anyone who is willing to receive from You.  We ask, Lord, that You would help us do the good things You prepared in advance as our response to the gracious gift You have given us. Help us to bear much fruit knowing this would be to Your glory. For it’s in Your Name we pray, Amen.

Continuing our look at Jesus’ genealogy and the remnant being increasingly one of faith while becoming more inclusive we read, Luke 3:32 “the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon”.

Again, Matthew’s gospel fills us in on some points worth noting.  Matthew 1:5 “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,”

As if it isn’t bad enough with Rahab, the prostitute,
now we have Ruth often called “the Moabitess”.

Yeah, she was from Moab.  Nothing good happens in Moab.  The people of Moab descended from the elder of Lot’s two daughters (remember how they got pregnant by dear old dad, drunk dad?)  Genesis 19:32-38 tells the whole seedy story of girls with bad ideas.

Ruth, however, had a noble pledge to her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi:  “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Hers would be a story of inclusion, faith, and turning away from idolatrous Moab.  Her legacy would be as part of redemption.  Her reward, in part, was to be included in the line of Christ.

Questions for further thought:

In Ruth 4:11-12, we read, “Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”   In verse 13, Ruth conceived a son.  In what ways did God fulfill that blessing?

Do you see “Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel” and Perez’s family line as the remnant of faith?

Boaz’s grandson Jesse is the father of King David.  How does that further inform your understanding of fulfilling the scepter line of Judah? 

Prayer:

Thank You God for fulfilling the blessing upon Boaz and for the way You have included outsiders in the family of faith. We praise You and thank You for the legacy of redemption. We ask Lord that You would help us to look at others through the lens of inclusion; through the lens of faith; and we would see people who are trying to turn away from the culture and who have place their faith in You as members of our family. Thank You for Jesus Christ and for His humble birth and inconspicuous early life. How amazing that You redeemed the world through Him and His shed blood on the Cross. Help us to always remember all that You have done for us while we were yet sinners. We offer You praise; we offer You glory; and for Your Name’s sake, we pray. Amen.

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Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

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Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Continuing our look at the remnant through Jesus’ genealogy, we’re at verse 32 in Luke 3:  32 “the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon”.

Now we’re getting to some familiar names and people whose lives we know with more detail, if only for the children they bore.  “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab” (Matthew 1:5).  It would appear from Scripture that Salmon’s two claims to fame are having Rahab as his wife and Boaz as his son.  And in both cases, God highlights exemplary redemption of a remnant.

Who exactly was Rahab?  According to Scripture in Joshua 2, she was a prostitute. (Yeah, just as Tamar pretended to be, as God worked behind the scenes to preserve the faithful Messianic line).  She was not just any prostitute though; she was from Jericho (of the “walls come tumbling down” fame).  It happened by faith according to Scripture in Hebrews 11:30 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”

And here again, as with Tamar who was a Canaanite, we see the beauty of God’s working those outside the Israelite community into the faith remnant, and though they are all sinners, they are included among the redeemed in the line of Christ.

Questions for further thought:

Many scholars have tried to sanitize Rahab’s occupation to being a simple innkeeper.  How does that action betray their view that prostitution is a worse sin than the sin of Adam?

In the eyes of God, is any sin worse than the sin of Adam which has consequences lasting to this very day?

Every person in the lineage of our sinless Messiah was a sinner.  This is now the second woman whose sin is known, but whose faith was of importance to God.    How does the Hebrews passage above highlight her faith while not whitewashing her sin?

Prayer:

Thank You, Father that You don’t demand that we clean up our act before You will redeem us and save us from our sin. We thank You, Lord, for the testimony provided in the lineage of our Savior–that You can use people who are sinners; that You can give them extraordinary faith; and that by Your power and by Your Spirit (and not by our works) You provide redemption for all who would come to You by faith. We thank You, Lord, that this remnant is and has always been a faith remnant and not a simple genealogy remnant. Oh “what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). We praise You, Lord, and we thank You for all You have done and continue to do for us. Give us this day, hearts and actions of faith as we eagerly look forward to the day of Jesus return. For Your glory Amen.

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Advent began Sunday, November 27, 2022 and continues to Saturday, December 24th as we explore the remnant spoken of in Scripture and awaken as the end draws near.

 By signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page you can receive these daily “Awaken, Remnant” devotionals. Or they will be reposted on SeminaryGal’s Facebook page as well.

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Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• The multi-faceted Interlude between the promise of a Deliverer and the birth of our Messiah and King was the theme of 2021’s devotional series. It is archived beginning November 28, 2021.
• 2020’s Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

On the timeline of Jesus’ genealogy, with the Hebrews now in the Promised Land after a backstory of Moses, the Exodus, and the wilderness, we pick up with Luke 3:33 “the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah.”

What this simple line does not tell you is what Matthew’s gospel does: Perez was the son also of Tamar.  “Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar” (Matthew 1:3).  It is unusual for a genealogy to include mention of the mother, but in this case, it is significant because (as we saw in Advent 16) it was Tamar’s faithfulness to the inheritance laws that continued the line of the Messiah. 

Judah’s oldest two sons were wicked.  His youngest son by a mother other than Tamar, named Shelah (but not the one in the ancestry of Christ from verse 35) became the Shelanites of whom we hear very little.  They fade into the pages of Scripture because Judah’s sons by the daughter of Shua are not the remnant.  And of the twins born to Tamar, Perez and Zerah, only Perez is mentioned with prominence. 

What are we to learn from this?  Among other things, it displays how God prepares the way for the emergence of a younger child (Perez) to carry forth the faithful remnant when all seems lost for the true family line.  God is in the details and working behind the scenes, even with a woman like Tamar, even outside the traditional community of faith.

16 This is what the LORD says– he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters… See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. (Isaiah 43:16, 19-21)

Questions for further thought:

Can you think of other instances in the Bible that display God working behind the scenes, preparing the way?  Think of Joseph with the cupbearer, baker, and Pharaoh, all having dreams.

How did this preserve the Israelites through the famine?

Or Zechariah, Elizabeth and John the Baptist?

Can you think of instances in your life where God was working behind the scenes, preparing the way for you or preparing to resolve an issue where all seems lost?

How might these times cultivate faith?

Prayer:

Father God, we praise You for the way You work behind the scenes! You are a God of all wisdom, You know all things and how they work together. You see the grand plan and bring it forth to fruition. We thank You for the way that You work in our lives even in situations we don’t understand, and in situations we did not cause that seemed to come against us. We praise You, Lord, that You are in the redemption business, and You redeem all things for our good and Your glory. We praise You, Lord, for the wisdom of Your plan and for the way You watch and protect over Your faithful ones. We thank You for this remnant by faith which You will protect and preserve all the way to the return of Your Son Jesus whose coming we greatly anticipate. We praise You, Lord, in Jesus’ mighty Name, Amen.