Saturday Morning Scripture (Wk51/2021) – Luke 2:1-20

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

1 Now in those days a decree went out from [the emperor] [1]Caesar Augustus, that all the inhabited world (the Roman Empire) should be [2]registered [in a census].

2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And everyone went to register for the census, each to his own city.

4 So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 in order to register with Mary, who was [3]betrothed to him, and was with child.

6 While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth,

7 and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [[4]swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a [5]manger, because there was no [private] room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened.

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for [6]all the people.

11 For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah).

12 And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find a Baby wrapped in [swaddling] cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying one to another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

16 So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger.

17 And when they had seen this, they made known what had been told them about this Child,

18 and all who heard it were astounded and wondered at what the shepherds told them.

19 But Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

Luke 2:1-20 (AMP)

Footnotes

  1. Luke 2:1 Augustus, Rome’s first and possibly greatest emperor was born Gaius Octavius in 63 b.c. He was the great-nephew, adopted son and heir of the dictator, Julius Caesar. Under Augustus’ intelligent leadership (27 b.c.-a.d. 14) Rome entered the period of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana.
  2. Luke 2:1 This was the first general census conducted outside Rome that included the people of the Roman provinces.
  3. Luke 2:5 See note 1:27.
  4. Luke 2:7 This was customary among the Jews, and quite comfortable and protective for the baby. Wrapping the baby in strips of cloth was intended to strengthen the back and bones for good growth.
  5. Luke 2:7 I.e. feeding trough for animals.
  6. Luke 2:10 I.e. Gentiles as well as Jews.

Friday Night Scripture (Wk51/2021) – Luke 1:46-55

The Magnificat

46 And Mary said,“My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 “For He has looked [with loving care] on the humble state of His maidservant; For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed and happy and favored by God!

49 “For He who is mighty has done great things for me; And holy is His name [to be worshiped in His purity, majesty, and glory].

50 “And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him.

51 “He has done mighty deeds with His [powerful] arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and exalted those who were humble.

53 “He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent the rich away empty-handed.

54 “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,

55 Just as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Luke 1:46-55 (AMP)

Friday Morning Scripture (Wk51/2021) – Luke 1:26-38

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin [1]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

29 But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was.

30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

31 Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

32 He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?”

35 Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God.

36 And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

37 For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “[3]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

Luke 1:26-38 (AMP)

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – 24.12.21 – Come And Adore Him

Like the kings who travelled following the star of David to find the Messiah. Or like the shepherds who were awoken by the angel announcing the birth of the Messiah, come and rush to be by my side in this season.

Bring your offerings and your worship to me today. Bring them to me and adore me. I am no longer a baby in a manger, but I am the risen and true King. Come and worship me.
In this season of giving gifts, remember me. I am the giver of life; I love to give good things. The gift I am looking for from you is the fullness of your life.

Don’t forget me, my beloved, in this season but come and adore me as I awaken a heart of worship within you.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

Psalm 95:6 (NIV)

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:1-2 (NIV)

#lionbites

Thursday Morning Scripture (Wk51/2021) – Psalm 150

A Psalm of Praise

1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty heavens.

2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to [the abundance of] His greatness.

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with harp and lyre.

4 Praise Him with tambourine and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute.

5 Praise Him with resounding cymbals; Praise Him with loud cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

Psalm 150:1-6 (AMP)

Thursday Morning Scripture (Wk51/2021) – Isaiah 7:10-16

The Child Immanuel

10 Then the Lord spoke again to [King] Ahaz, saying,

11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God [one that will convince you that God has spoken and will keep His word]; make your request as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

12 But Ahaz said, “[1]I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too small a thing for you to try the patience of men, but will you try the patience of my God as well?

14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the [2]virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us).

15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.

16 For before the child will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land (Canaan) whose two kings you dread will be deserted [both Ephraim and Aram].

Isaiah 7:10-16 (AMP)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 7:12 This was a misplaced sense of faithfulness on Ahaz’s part. It is wise not to ask God for a sign, unless He offers one as He did to Ahaz.
  2. Isaiah 7:14 This prophecy of the virgin is declared in Matt 1:22, 23 to be fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. There has been a great deal of discussion over the Hebrew word found here for virgin (almah) and the word that Matthew uses (parthenos). The latter refers unambiguously to a virgin, while the former (almah) has been said to refer to a young woman, in contrast to the Hebrew word bethulah, which is the equivalent of the Gr parthenos. It has also been noted that the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT, has parthenos here for almah, and that Matt 1:23 is taken from the Septuagint. Some have wondered why the Septuagint translators used the more specific word parthenos. It is fair to say that this question is the result of oversimplifying the vocabulary and misinterpreting the distinctions. The Hebrew words almahand bethulah can actually refer to the same kind of woman; almah is a youthful woman of marriageable age, one who has not yet had her first child, while bethulahis one who has not been touched in an intimate way. Furthermore, in the present context it would be unthinkable to infer that the woman might have had sexual relations outside of marriage. So the well-known translation of “young woman” for almah, while technically not incorrect, can be viewed as too ambiguous for the Hebrew word and the context. Parthenoswas an appropriate choice in the Greek. Another word, kore (for “girl”) could have been used, but it has a wider range of meaning than the Heb almah (Mark uses a related word, korasion, to translate Jesus’ Aramaic word talitha). It should also be acknowledged from a theological perspective that when Matthew cites the verse with parthenos, he thereby authenticates it as inspired.