2352AFC122923 – A Promise IS A Promise
Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.
Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
Genesis 21:3 – 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him.
Psalm 105:5-6 –
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Hebrews 11:17-19 – 17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18 of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” 19 He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
Luke 2:36-38 – 36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him. Wishing you a Joyous Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas – without the Five Golden Rings. 😊 Today we are going to pluck up some Scripture and see what’s underneath and/or behind it. You may have heard some of this before; I’m like a broken record because I’m a broken person. Nonetheless Jesus redeemed me from my brokenness. When I reflect on that I realize I need Jesus, the Lord, and so I pray, I need thee every hour. (↔ Music Link)
Yesterday, December 28,2023, was the Feast of the Holy Innocents – a commemoration of King Herod’s horrific decision to have all the male children under the age of two in Bethlehem slaughtered so as to preserve his rule of Judaea (↔ Click it). Did you know there was a prophecy about that? It’s mentioned in Matthew 2:17-18 (Stop here and read this.) Here is what that prophecy says: Jeremiah 31:15 – 15 Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.
Herod made that decision based on incomplete information. He had been visited by the Magi who told him they were looking for the newborn King of the Jews. Herod asked all the Chief Priests and the Scribes where this Kin was to be born. They gave him only part of the answer! What he heard in this quote from the Prophet Micah is shown here in green print. The part he did not hear is in standard print.
Micah 5:2-5 a –
2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great.
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
Perhaps if Herod had heard the rest of the prophecy, me might not have made such a hasty and harsh decision about the little town of Bethlehem. (↔ Music Link) Then again, he really wasn’t a very nice guy about anything – a real politician in those days. Nonetheless the Lord, God Most High (לְא עֶלְיֽוֹן El ʿElyōn) allowed that. We can see that this whole cycle of events was given in Prophecy centuries before Jesus’ birth. Now, we know that Prophecy is the spiritual gift of proclaiming God’s word. The test of Prophecy is whether or not it comes true, and it can only come true if it is based in Truth. For example, “He shall be called Emanuel” is Prophecy and “Scorpio, your day will be memorable” is false Prophecy because astrology is not based in Truth. Because Prophecy is based in truth, we consider them to be promises. That’s the purpose behind today’s Key Verses – they all contain or refer to PROMISES. Whenever we promise a loved-one that we will do such-and-such a thing, it is like a very simple Prophecy – if we follow through it is a true Prophecy; if we flub it, then it’s a false Prophecy (also known as a lie). Promises are for keeping because they stir up Hope. False promises are for false hopes (also known as heartbreak). Alright, we have an idea of what’s up so let’s look into which promises are contained in today’s Key Verses.
Let’s start with Isaac. That name means “he laughs” or “laughter.” When God told Abram that he and his wife Sarai would have a son, Abram was 99 and Sarai was 89. Of course they laughed (although I would not recommend laughing at anything God tells us!). Sarai was “called barren” and Abram was “nearly dead.” Being able to conceive a child under those conditions might seem laughable, but – as Gabriel told Mary – “With God,c all things are possible.” Now, if you listen intently, you will hear the names Abram and Abraham in the passages from that reading in Genesis. That is because there is a big chunk of the story missing. In the first few verses (Genesis 15:1-6), God calls him Abram. In the second section (Genesis 21:1-3) God calls him Abraham. God gives Abram then new name of 
Abraham in Genesis 17:5 (Stop here are read this.) There is a lot of really GOOD reading in Genesis, Chapters 15-21! Try it someday; you’ll definitely like it. Here’s the Express-Stop Play by play: In Genesis 16, Sarai decides to give Abram a child by sending her servant Hagar (possibly meaning forsaken flight) because Sarai is barren. The result is Ismael. Hagar and Sarai snipe at each other because Ismael was teasing Isaac (Genesis 21:9) and eventually, Abraham sends her off with only a few provisions. An angel appears to Hagar and tells her to go back. Ismael is also a true descendant of Abraham, and as such is also the father of many princes (signifying peoples). Ismael will be a wild onager (↔ Important Learning Link) of a man who will live in opposition to everyone and everyone will be against him, particularly his brother’s descendants. The children of Ismael became the Arabic Peoples and the children of Isaac became the Israelites, “offspring of his [God’s] servant Abraham.” We can see, a promise is a promise.
Abraham was 75 when God told him Sarah would give birth to Isaac. He waited 25 years 
(25!) for that promise to be fulfilled. Then, around 12-13 years later, God asked Abraham to take Isaac to the top of Mount Moriah and to sacrifice him there as a burnt offering. Abraham took the lad up there. Abraham carried the knife and the fire; Isaac carried the wood (a prefiguring of the Way of the Cross). When Isaac asked his father, “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “The Lord will provide the sacrifice.” As he was about to put that knife to use on Isaac, the Angel of the Lord stopped him because there was a ram caught in a nearby thicket. Abraham called the place “The Lord will provide” (Jehovah Jahre ↔ Learning Link). “ He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”
We should not skip over the Promise that was a Promise made in the Holy Spirit – a promise made to Simeon, a devout worshipper of God, and a man to whom God had promised he would live until the Messiah was born. Sure enough, when Mary and Joseph went to the Temple in fulfillment of the Law (“Every male child who opens the womb shall be dedicated to God), Simeon – filled with the Holy Spirit – recognized the baby Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. Here’s a handy little video about that – the story of The Presentation of Mary. (↔ Video Link!)
Now, let’s finish up with Anna, the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. (see the ☆ on the map) Let’s begin with her name – Anna. This is a variation of Hannah, Channah, meaning “favor” or “grace.” In 1 Samuel, chapters 1 & 2, we read that Hannah was one of Elkanah’s wives and the mother of Samuel. For the period of about 19 years without children, she prayed consistently for a son and was eventually favored by God, hence the meaning of her name. We know her as an example of faithful, reverent, and consistent petition followed by joyful acceptance of God’s will. She kept her promise to give her son to the Lord, and the Lord kept his promise to make Samuel a servant of God. Her father was Phanuel whose name means face of, or vision of, God. He was from the tribe of Asher. Asher was one of the sons of Jacob, and Joshua allotted to Asher the coastal region of western Galilee (see map). The “blessing of Asher” by Moses said “Most blessed of sons be Asher; may he be the favorite of his brothers, and may he dip his foot in oil.” (Deuteronomy 33:24) Anna the Prophetess was 84 years old. She had been widowed after 7 years, so if she got married around age 13 – as was the custom then – she would have been a widow 64 years.
84 is a number which can represent the fullness of Israel (7 X 12), and Anna and Simeon (the name means “to hear”) bore witness to the Christ Jesus was only 40 days old 
(Celebrated February 2, and also called “Candlemas”). Their “joint declaration” signifies that there is a New Covenant to be established, and this infant about whom they gush is the One Messiah they – and all of Israel – have watched for and waited for all these millennia. You see, a promise is a promise, and they believed in and SAW that promise fulfilled. Perhaps the folks who knew these two very old people shook their heads and clucked their tongues at the news they proclaimed. Maybe a few folks remembered the stories about shepherds around Bethlehem. The distance between Jerusalem and Bethlehem was about 6 miles, so the shepherds might have “come to town” bearing “tidings of great joy.” From Jerusalem to Nazareth was around 90 miles. Mary and Joseph had plenty of time to discuss things on the way back. Perhaps they stayed in Bethlehem with some of Joseph’s relatives for a time – long enough to be found by the Magi. We don’t know for sure, but we do know that God made a Prophecy he would “bring his son out of Egypt,” and that’s what happened when Herod ordered all the Innocents massacred.
There we have our story pretty much full circle. Belovéd, a promise is a promise just a a Prophecy is a Prophecy which is a Promise from God. God said it, I believe it, and I’m stickin to it! Why? Because I [1] repent and believe the Gospel (metanoia), [2] and I know God has promised us Eternal and Everlasting Life. (YOLO-F) Here’s a thought on that.
I think of “eternal” and “everlasting” as slightly different connotations. They are synonyms for each other, of course, but for me eternal carries a connotation of perpetual or even better interminable – it can’t be stopped. For me, everlasting connotes something that is constantly renewed. It never ages. It is not subject to temporal progression. It is always instantly renewed. I tend to envision eternal as “over yonder, beyond the River, past the Pearly Gates.” But my image of everlasting is more “here-side” – it is happening right now as you read these words if you believe in Him. If you believe Jesus is the Christ, the risen Lord, the living and only begotten Son of I AM, then your life is constantly renewed moment by moment in His saving grace. Even when you are living “over yonder” the process of instantaneous perpetual renewal never changes. That is one very good and perfect Promise!! Wanna see another one? Try this link. That is God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
