Scripture Reading
Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 49:10
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Isaiah 11:1-2
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
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 the fear of the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Reflection
Many factors make the birth of Jesus Christ special, but one of the most unique aspects is that of Jesus fulfilling Old Testament prophecies.
Jesus fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies shows two things. First is that his birth is absolutely unlike any other birth. No person in history can claim the kind of birth that Jesus had. Second, the birth of Jesus from these passages shows that God was planning this event for a very long time. The birth and life of Jesus was not a last-minute compensation that God had to make. Instead, from the moment that humans sinned and went away from God, a way needed to be made for people to return to God. God was preparing for it and at the right time, Jesus was born (Galatians 4:4-5).
The question that is always raised is if any prophetical fulfillment can be accidentally or voluntarily fulfilled. However, it is impossible for a person to orchestrate details of events regarding his birth! Here are the prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus that if Jesus were only a human could never have planned. (See the odds of one person fulfilling 8 prophecies by chance.)
Isaiah lived 750 years before Christ, Jeremiah 600 years; Micah 600 years;
Hosea 780 years; David 1000 years, and Zechariah lived 520 years before Christ.
Prophecies | Made | Fulfilled | Notes |
Jesus would come the first time after sixty-nine "sevens" and the second time after one "seven." | Daniel 9:24-26 | Matthew 2:1; Matthew 2:16 | |
He would be born of the seed of a woman | Genesis 3:15 | Galatians 4:4; Matthew 1:20 | |
He would be born of a virgin | Isaiah 7:14 | Matthew 1:18, 24, 25 | No one has been born of a virgin. This by itself would be astounding. Yet this specific prophecy was made 750 years before it happened. |
He would be the Son of God | |||
He would a “Seed of Abraham" | Genesis 12:3; Genesis 22:18 | Matthew 1:1; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:16 | He would be of Jewish descent. |
He would be a “Son of Isaac” | Genesis 21:12 | Matthew 1:2; Luke 3:23,34; Hebrews 11:17-19 | Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Now God eliminates one half of the lineage of Abraham. |
He would be a “Son of Jacob” | Numbers 24:17 | Matthew 1:2; Luke 3:23,34 | Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Now God eliminates one half of the lineage of Isaac. |
He would be from the tribe of Judah | Genesis 49:10 | Luke 3:23,33; Hebrews 7:14-17 | Jacob had twelve sons and each became a tribe of the Hebrew nation. Now God eliminates eleven-twelfths of the lineage of Jacob. |
He would be from the family line of Jesse | Isaiah 11:1 | Luke 3:23,32 | Now God narrows it down even further by picking one family line out of the tribe of Judah. |
He would come from David's family and be heir to his throne | 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalms 89:3-4;Psalms 110:1; Psalms 132:11; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5; | Matthew 1:1; Matthew 1:6; Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 1:69-70; Luke 2:4-7; Luke 3:23,31; Luke 20:42-44; John 7:42; Revelation 22:16 | Jesse had at least eight sons (1 Samuel 16:10, 11). Now God eliminates all of Jesse's sons except one, David. |
"Elijah" would come just before Jesus | Malachi 4:5; Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3-5 | Matthew 3:1-3; Matthew 11:10-14; Mark 1:2-3; Luke 1:17; Luke 3:2-6; Luke 7:27; John 1:23 | “Elijah” was the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist |
He would be born in Bethlehem | Micah 5:2 | Matthew 2:1; Matthew 2:6; Luke 2:4-7; John 7:42 | God eliminates all the cities in the world except one, Bethlehem. |
He would be presented with gifts | Psalm 72:10; Isaiah 60:6 | Matthew 2:1, 11 | The wise men brought gifts |
Kings would bow down to Jesus | Psalms 72:10-11 | Matthew 2:1-11 | It is not routine for kings to bow down before a peasant infant. |
He would live in Egypt | Hosea 11:1 | Matthew 2:14-15 | |
He would live in Galilee | Isaiah 9:1-2 | Matthew 4:13-16 | Even though Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, he was raised in Nazareth in Galilee |
This Christmas, we are invited to worship a Lord whose unique birth sets him apart from anyone else.
Notes
Song: O Holy Night, Hillsong Worship.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
