Dec. 18 - Lamb of God (or Holy Heifer?)
Contributed by
Lyle Miller, director of printing and mailing services on Tuesday December 18
Scripture
Isaiah 7:10-16 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.
Then Isaiah said: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
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Devotion
"Anything. Ask me for anything," God says to King Ahaz, whose people were shaking with fear at the hands of their enemies. "Ask for a sign, whether in deepest depths or the highest heavens." With those words, God makes it clear that the call to faith is primarily a call to the will.
But Ahaz has none of it. "I will not put the Lord to a test," he says.
And Isaiah responds, "Get a clue, buddy. If you can't ask the Lord to show you something small, just watch while the most incredible thing happens - a virgin will give birth to a son, and she'll name him 'God with us.'"
Growing up on a dairy farm, I learned about the birds and the bees while pretty young. Or more accurately, I learned about the bulls and heifers. I knew that no matter how dry the fields looked, it was always possible the next day would bring rain. However, even as a 5-year-old giving the calves their bottles, I knew if the heifers were kept separate from the bulls, all the faith in the world won't make them give birth. It just doesn't work that way. But that's not God's message to a hurting people. "Anything. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do. With me, all things are possible." Even the birth of a calf. Or better yet, the Lamb of God - God with us.
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