Observation and Principles

For thousands of years, God sent this message to His people, ” A Messiah is coming, and this is how you will know him…”

There are hundreds of Old Testament prophecies, messages from God, that foretold Jesus’ coming. Each of these prophecies were intended to help the nation of Israel prepare for the savior.

During this second week of advent, the readings will come from Old Testament Messianic prophecies. At the end of the week, I have included a few prophecies that are looking forward to Jesus’ second coming.

Day 1 (Sunday)

The first prophesy that we are looking at is found in Isaiah 7: 14, which says:

” Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

In the story of Jesus’ birth is told in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, both accounts mention that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin.

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ” Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You’ll be with child and will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God give him the throne of his Father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary ask the angel, ” since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative who’s going to have a child in her old age, and she who is said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered, “May it be to me as you have said.”

Luke 1: 26 -38

Matthew 1 tells a similar story but adds in verse 22, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel:–which means “God with us.”

Jesus means “the Lord saves,” and He was called the Son of the Most High because in Jesus, fully God and fully man, God truly walked on the earth. Jesus was God with us, and he is still with us (as believers). He is truly Immanuel.

Day 2 (Monday)

The prophet Micah foretold that the Messiah would be born in a little town called Bethlehem.

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathat, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old from ancient times. ” (Micah 5:2)

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, the people knew to look towards Bethelehem. The King of Kings would come from Bethlehem.

Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem and there the Savior was born.

In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:1-7)

Day 3 (Tuesday)

The circumstances of Jesus’ birth fulfilled several prophecies about the Messiah. Today we are going to look at the timing of Jesus’ birth.

Jeremiah 23: 3-6 says:

“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where i have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.”

From history and the Bible, we know that the Jews were taken away from Israel because they were not faithful to God. Jeremiah’s prophecy, says that the Messiah would be born after the Jews were gathered back to Israel.

The first Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem in 538 BC. They worked on building the wall around Jerusalem and then rebuild the temple. The second temple in Jerusalem was completed in 516 BC.

Daniel also prophesied about the timing of the coming of the Messiah. Daniel lived during the time of the exile, but he prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27 that

1. there would be a decree to rebuild Jersusalem
2. The temple and the city would be rebuilt (see the book of Ezra for the fulfillment of this prophecy)
3. The “anointed one” (Messiah) would come after the temple was rebuild, and he would be “cut off” (killed)
4. He will end the sacrificial system
5. The temple will be destroyed again (fulfilled in 70 A.D. by the Romans)

“Seventy ’sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ’sevens,’ and sixty-two ’sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ’sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ’seven.’ In the middle of the ’seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

The importance of the seventy ’sevens’ is difficult to interprate. In Jewish tradition, the number 7 represents completeness. Others have notices that if the 70 ’sevens’ refers to 70 weeks of years (or 490 years) the beginning of Jesus’ ministry is very close to 483 years (7 ’sevens and 62 ’sevens’). This interpretation puts approximate end of Jesus’ ministry at the end of 69 ’sevens’ leaving a final week of years for the 7 year tribulation told in Revelation.

By these two prophecies, the timing of Jesus’ birth fits between the rebuilding of the temple and the destruction of the second temple.

Day 4 (Wednesday)

So far I have focused on prophecies surrounding Jesus’ birth because this is the season. No discussion of Messianic prophecies would be complete without studying the prophecies about the life of the Messiah.

Isaiah 53 is a unique chapter prophesying the ministry of Jesus. It could be called the Gospel according to Isaiah.

Verse (Isaiah 53:2-12)	Fulfillment
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.	Matthew 8:16-17 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.	1 Peter 2: 23-25 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.	Acts 8:23-35 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.Luke 22: 66-71 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “If you are the Christ,” they said, “tell us.”Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”He replied, “You are right in saying I am.”Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”Luke 23: 1-23 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.” So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies. Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.	1 Peter 2:21-22 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.	Mark 15:27 (28)They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. (and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was numbered with the transgressors”)*not all Bible manuscripts include verse 28Luke 22:37 “It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the trangsressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

Day 5 (Thursday)

Psalm 22 is another vivid prophecy. With remarkably accuracy, David described the scene of the crucifixion of the Messiah.

Verse (Isaiah 53:2-12)	Fulfillment
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?	Matthew 27:46 “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a lout voice, “Eloi, Eloi, Lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
2 my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:	Matthew 26:67-68Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slappet him and said, “Prophesy for us, Christ. Who hit you?”Matthew 27:27-31 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They striped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. The put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocket him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
8 “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”	Matthew 27:39-44 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”In the same way the chief priests, and the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.also Mark 15:29-32 and Luke 23:35, 39
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.10 From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.13 Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.	Mark 15:16-20 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the pruple robe and put his own clothes on him. T hen they led him out to crucify him.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.	John 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
16 Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.	John 20:25-27 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he [Thomas] said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
17 I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.	John 19:23-24 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.”Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said,”They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.”So this is what the soldiers did.
19 But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.20 Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.22 I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

Even through the story of the Crucifixion, the Bible is a beautiful, remarkable book. As you read through the prophecies, you see that everything in the Bible points to Jesus, the Messiah.

Day 6 (Friday)

The season of Advent is a waiting time for Jesus’ arrival. We are waiting for the celebration of His birth, and we are waiting for His triumphant return to earth.

This week, we have read prophecies regarding Jesus’ birth and life. For the last two days of this week, we are going to look and prophecies about the second coming of Jesus.

There are 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled by the Life and ministry of Jesus, and 500 prophecies about his second coming.

As time passed, the prophecies regarding His first coming became more and more specific (i.e. family lineage, ministry, death, etc). Likewise, the prophecies of the second coming became more specific in the New Testament.

The Old Testament prophets, did not seem to clearly understand that the Messiah would come to earth twice.

Zechariah 14 is one example of Messianic prophecy that was not completely fulfilled by Jesus’ ministry.

Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.

On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.

The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.

The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. (Zechariah 14:3-11)

If the Old Testament prophets did not know that there would be a second coming of the Messiah and Jesus did not fulfill all the Old Testament Messianic prophecies, why should we believe that He is, indeed, the Christ?

I mentioned at the beginning of today’s devotional that Jesus fulfilled 300 of the Old Testament Messianic Prophecies. The statistical likelyhood that any one person would fill even 50 prophecies that were made thousands of years before his birth is incredibly tiny, small, minute. When you consider that Jesus filled 300 of the prophecies, the simplest answer is that he was most likely the Messiah.

Secondly, when you examine many of the unfulfilled prophecies, (such as the one above), many of them were partially fulfilled during Jesus’ life. For example, we know that in Matthew 24, Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives and told his disciples about the end times (including prophesing His return). The prophecy was partially fulfilled, and Jesus’s prophecy in Matthew brought the picture into clearer focus.

Day 7 (Saturday)

This is the final day in a rather weighty week. Yesterday I mentioned that Jesus prophesied a second coming in Matthew 24. I would like to end this week with that passage, and I encourage you to anticipate and prepare for His return. Go out and share the gospel with courage.

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.

“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

“Immediately after the distress of those days
” ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

photos: Sunny Ellis copyright 2007, Clinton Steeds CC-by 2.0,

Advent is a season to prepare for Jesus’ coming. Today’s article offers some suggestions for advent activities you can do with young children. Next week I will be writing about Advent activities you can get your teenager involved in.

Children understand the things that they see and do. These activities are a great way to point your children towards Jesus.

• Christmas Story Coloring Pages
• Nativity Set Toys

If you have children, you should have a nativity set that you don’t mind them playing with. I’m talking about one that you don’t mind if it gets broken. As a child, I spent hours playing with a nativity scene, acting out the whole story.

If you don’t have a nativity set that your kids can play with, Fisher price has one in their little people toy line, or check out Constrictive Playthings.

• Jesse Tree/Bethlehem Tree

Isaiah 11:1 says, “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ” This was one of the prophecies that foretold Jesus’ birth.

The Jesse Tree, sometimes called a Bethlehem Tree or a Jesus Tree, is just a branch stuck upright in a pot of dirt or a piece of florists foam. During the holiday season, you and your children can look for symbols (ornaments) that represent stories in the Bible and Messianic prophecies.

Examples: Lion–Lion of Judah; Apple–Adam and Eve; Star–Star of Bethlehem

These can be actual ornaments, home made crafts, or even toys that can be used as symbols.

This can become a Christmas tradition that grows as your children grow. If you have teenagers, encourage them to get into the Bible and find new symbols that can be used as ornaments.

This page has a coloring book for Jesse Tree ornaments

As you go through this holiday season, the important thing is to talk with your children about the symbols and what they mean. That’s the key to pointing towards Christ this Christmas.

Next Tuesday, I will be writing about celebrating Advent and Christmas with your teenager.

Don’t miss a single post during this Advent season, subscribe to Observation and Principles in a reader or by Email.

I have arranged this article in 7 sections. I wrote it to be used over the course of the first week of the Advent season, but I have tried to keep the article short enough to use all on one night if you choose.

Subscribe to Observation and Principles so you don’t miss a single post during this Advent season.
Subscribe in a reader or Subscribe by Email.

---

Have you ever planned something and when you got it, it was better than you hoped? Have you ever hoped for something and were disappointed?On the first Sunday of Advent, you will light the hope candle as a reminder that God will never leave His promises unfulfilled, and His plans always turn out better than you can hope for.

The first week of advent focuses on Hope and God’s promises to the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc). The verses chosen for this week are a selection of these promises throughout the Old Testament and verses in the New Testament that illustrate the fulfillment of these promises.

Day 1 (Sunday):

The story of Jesus doesn’t begin with His birth, from the time that sin entered the world, God promised a Savior to overcome Satan.

Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with God. They walked in the Garden of Eden and talked with Him face to face. All was well, until Satan came onto the scene and convinced Eve that God was holding out on her and Adam, and that she could be like God.

With that bite of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the perfect relationship that Adam and Eve had with God ended. Sinful humans could not stand in the presence of a perfect God.

God’s heart must have ached as He told Adam and Eve of the consequences of their sins, but while He was telling them how their lives had just changed, He gave them hope for a future restoration of the broken relationship between God and Man.

The Lord says, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your (satan’s) offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Gen 3:15)

Can you imagine, after that promise, the birth of ever male child must have been accompanies by the hope of, “Is he the one? Is this the one who will restore our relationship with God?”

“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4)

Finally, the Messiah had come! His beginnings on Earth were humble, to say the least. His life was plagued by Satan striking out at his heal. From Jesus’ birth, Satan tried to have him killed. It began with Herod’s killing of all the Jewish boys under 2 years old (Matthew 2), and continued until Satan thought he had won with Jesus’s crucifiction.

“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:24)

With Christ being raised from the dead, Satan has lost, but the promise of Genesis 3:15 has not been completely fulfilled. You can look around you and see that evil is still abundant on the Earth. We are still in a time of waiting and hoping for the return of Jesus when He will issue the final crushing blow to Satan. Satan will be thrown into a lake of fire, never to be able to tempt anyone again (Revelation 20:10) What a day that will be!

Day 2 (Monday): Today we are looking at God’s promises to Abram/Abraham. Abraham had a deep faith in God, and it is because of his faith the he was blessed. In Genesis 12:2-3 God told Abraham:

“I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

For years Abraham remained faithful to God, even though he and his wife, Sarah, were unable to have children. In Genesis 15, God reaffirmed His promise, “…a son coming from your own body will be your heir…Look up at the heavens and count the stars…So shall your offspring be.” Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (vv4-6)

When Abraham was 100 years old, and his wife Sarah was 90, they became the parents of Isaac, the son God had promised.

Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38 list Jesus’ family tree. To be perfectly honest, these chapters don’t make for the most exciting reading, but they are absolutely necessary for seeing that Jesus’s birth did fulfill the promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the other fathers of the Bible.

Abraham’s part in Jesus’ family tree is mentioned in Matthew 1:2 and Luke 3:33. As promised, all the peoples of the earth have been blessed through Abraham.

Day 3 (Tuesday): Isaac was the promised son of Abraham, born when Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100. His childhood was a bit difficult because of some sibling rivalry with his half-brother Ishmael (born through Hagar when Sarah and Abraham tried to take fulfilling God’s promises into their own hands.

God told Abraham, “…it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” (Gen 21:12). God confirmed this to Isaac in Genesis 26:23.

Day 4 (Wednesday): Jacob was the son of Isaac. While Jacob was used by God, he is also a good example that God can (and does) use imperfect people.

Jacob was the younger of twin brothers. He tricked his brother Esau into giving away the rights of the firstborn son. Later, Jacob received Esau’s blessing by tricking Isaac. Through all this trickery and deception, Jacob was till the son that God had chosen to bless all the people of the earth.

“I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:13-15)

Jacob wrestled with God (Gen 32:22-32), and God changed his name to Israel. He became the father of the Israelites (Jews).

Day 5 (Thursday): Judah was the son of Jacob, not the firstborn, and not the favorite. In fact Judah was the third son of Jacob. While he had committed some youthful indescretions, over time his character changed and he became a man of honor.

Before Jacob died, he blessed his sons saying, “Gather around so I can tell you what will happend to you in days to come.” When it was Judah’s turn to receive a blessing, Jacob said, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” (Gen 49:10)

When Jacob was blessing his sons, he was not merely saying, “I hope all goes well with you after I am gone.” Jacob was speaking as the mouthpiece of God. God promised that the Messiah would be from the line of Judah. True to God’s promise, Judah is listed as the ancestor of kings (David, Solomon, etc) and as the ancestor of Jesus Christ, the Messiah (Matthew 1:3).

Day 6 (Friday) A long time passed before Judah became the father of a king. According to the family tree in Matthew 1, ten generations passed before David was born into the tribe of Judah.

During that time, the Israelites had been enslaved by the Egyptians, led out of Egypt by God, and brought into the promised land. They went through numerous rebellions against God (read Judges for examples), and after a long while, the Israelites asked for a king. This wasn’t a good idea, but that is a different story.

Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and he was chosen by God to be the first King of Israel. Over time though, Saul’s heart was turned away from God, and God rejected him as king.

1 Samuel 16 begins the story of Jesse and his son David, who are descendents of Judah.

Samuel was the priest over Israel. After God rejected Saul as king, Samuel was sent by God to the house of Jesse of Bethlehem. God was ready to annoint a new king

Samuel feasted with Jesse’s family and then looked over each of the sons. Jesse had some good looking sons. They were tall, strong, and handsome.

Samuel had asked God about each of the sons of Jesse that were present at the feast, but with each one, God said, “He isn’t the one.”

Finally, Samuel asked Jesse, “Do you have any more sons?”

Jesse admitted that his youngest son, David was out in the field watching the sheep. David was sent for and when he came God told Samuel, “This is the one.”

Saul remained king until his death, but David succeeded him as king.

The ruling scepter fell to the line of Judah, just as Jacob had said in Genesis 49. God came and made a promise to David, too. “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)

God confirmed this promise multiple times through the prophet Isaiah (11:1-10):

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.

They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

And through the prophet Jeremiah (23:5-6):

“The days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.

In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:4-7

So Jesus came to fulfill the promises that God had made that the King of Kings would be the descendant of Jesse and David.

Day 7 (Saturday): This is the last day that just one candle will be lit on the Advent wreath. We have examined the some of the Old Testament promises that were fulfilled by the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps you can imagine the hope and anticipation that was building over all those years, through all those promises. The same way that you get more excited about opening presents as Christmas day grows ever closer, so the anticipation and excitement grew as all the Israelites waited for the Messiah.

When Jesus was born, it was known that He was in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, and David. His lineage was known, but his greatest characteristic and the one that gives us the most hope was not so apparent.

…a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)

At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “If you are the Christ,” they said, “tell us.”

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”

They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You are right in saying I am.”

Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
Luke 22:66-71

Jesus came to fulfill a long line of promises made by God. All the nations of the Earth have been blessed by Him. He did not fulfill all the promises that were made about him (remember Genesis 3:15), but He has promised to return. He has been the hope for Salvation since the beginning of time. He is our only hope.

“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:12-13

I will be posting some week 1 activity ideas on Monday or Tuesday, and I hope to have the week 2 devotion guide posted by Thursday.

Before you go, subscribe to Observation and Principles so you don’t miss a single post during this Advent season.
Subscribe in a reader or Subscribe by Email.

Squashed amongst the busyness of the Christmas season, advent has become little more than a daily countdown to Christmas day. Modern advent calendars have 25 boxes to open. Inside each box reveals a prize: a chocolate or a small toy.

If you look back a bit in history, Advent was a very special season of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ. This season is both to remember the birth of Jesus as well as to anticipate his second coming.

I did not grow up in a church that celebrated Advent. I don’t think that there is a “right” or “wrong” way to honor the season of Advent. The important thing is to re-focus on Christ and the hope that He has given us.

Advent begins 4 Sundays prior to Christmas and ends at sundown on Christmas eve. According to the traditional celebrations, Christmas lasts from Christmas eve to January 8 which is the day of Epiphany, celebrating the arrival of the wise men to honor the baby Jesus.

One of the most common ways to remember Advent is through the use of an Advent wreath and candles. Traditionally, An Advent wreath has 3 purple (or royal blue) candles, and 1 rose (pink) candle. If you are using the traditional candle colors, the rose candle is lit on the 3rd Sunday.

If you prefer, you could use red and green, white, or any other colors that you would like. The important thing is to remember Christ’s birth and hope for His return. Don’t get caught up in doing Advent perfectly.

You can use candle holders that you already own, purchase an advent wreath, or make your own.

Here are some links to instructions for making your own Advent Wreath:

• Make and Advent Wreath
  
• No flame advent wreath
• Christian Crafters Making and Advent Wreath
• or buy and advent wreath
  

If you use 4 candles in your wreath, you change all the candles to white ones on Christmas Eve. The other option is to have a 5th white candle in the center of the wreath.Advent begins on the Sunday nearest November 30 (the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle) and continues 4 Sundays. By tradition, Advent ends at sundown on Christmas Eve, and the Christmas season begins.

Each week, on Sunday, a new candle is lit, and on Christmas eve all the candles are lit. Each week has a new theme for devotions and activities.

Over the next few weeks, I will be writing about Advent. I will be exploring the meaning of Advent, providing devotionals and readings, as well as linking to possible Advent projects that you can use through this Holiday season.

Week	Color	Themes
Week 1 (December 2-8, 2007)	Purple	Hope, Patriarchs
Week 2 (December 9-15, 2007)	Purple	Preparation, Peace, Prophets
Week 3 (December 16-22, 2007)	Rose	Joy, John the Baptist, Angels
Week 4 (December 23-24, 2007)	Purple	Love, Mary, Shepherds
Christmas (December 24, 2007-January 8, 2008)	White	Christ

Subscribe to Observation and Principles so you don’t miss a single post during this Advent season.

Subscribe in a reader or Subscribe to Observation and Principles by Email.

Photo: Christine McIntosh, used by permission CC-BY-ND 2.0

This is the final installment in my book review of Kay Arthur’s book, How to Study your Bible (Purchase through this link and help support Observation and Principles).

You may want to start by reading the first articles in this series:

• How to Study Your Bible By Kay Arthur (Part 1) An introduction to the inductive study method
• How to Study Your Bible (Part 2) The basics of Observation
• How to Study Your Bible (Part 3) A guide to interpretation
• How to Study Your Bible (Part 4) The challenge of Application

This book is one of the best books to teach the average person how to study, and understand, their Bible.

The Bible was not intended to be a mystery, and God does not want Christians to be left in the dark just hoping to make good decisions.

He has written a book and given us the Holy Spirit to help us understand His plan.

Kay Arthur has written a book to help us clear up any fog that remains.

I have very briefly covered the methods of the inductive Bible study as outlined in How to Study Your Bible. I hope that, in my enthusiasm, I have not overstepped my bounds.

I encourage all of my readers to purchase this book and learn how to study and understand your Bible. The transformation in your life will be incredible when you read, understand, and apply God’s word to your life.

In Part 1 of the series I gave you an overview of the inductive study method. Part 2 discussed methods of observation. In Part 3 I wrote about interpreting a passage based on your observations.

Today’s article will discuss bringing the words of the Bible alive in your home and life through application.

This will be the most challenging part of your Bible study, not because it is the most difficult but because once you know what the Bible says, you are responsible to live it. Application often leads to a crisis of belief. Will you respond in obedience?

The foundation of correct application is through accurate observation and correct interpretation.

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousnesses; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

The critical tool in the inductive study method is questions. When you are ready for applying the Scripture to your life, these questions may be helpful:

• How does the meaning of this passage apply to me?
• What truths am I to embrace, believe, or order my life by?
• What changes should I make in my belief, in my life?
• What does the passage teach?
  • Is it general of specific?
  • Does is apply only to a specific people?
  • has it been superseded by a broader teaching?
• Based on my understanding of this scripture, do I need to adjust my beliefs or behavior
• What is God telling you to do now?

The challenge of the inductive study method is to take a passage written to a particular culture, and find out what the words meant to the people in that culture. From there, you try to find the basic principle that the Holy Spirit expressed through the writings, and then apply that principle within your own culture.

You are building a bridge from the culture in Bible times to the culture in modern times. That bridge is the timeless principles of the Bible.

update:  Part 5 , the final post of this series, is now available. 

This is part 3 in a review of the book How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur. You can find Part 1 (Introduction) here and Part 2 (Observation) here.

The second step in inductive Bible study is interpretation. When you approach the bible with the purpose of interpretation you should always consider the context of the passage. Interpretation of a verse will never contradict other scriptures within the Bible. You should look for interpretation based on what the Bible actually says, rather than what a specific school of theology says. Bible commentaries should be used as a last check for the accuracy of your interpretations rather than as the starting point for Bible study.

Useful tools for interpretation:

• word study: used to discover the meaning of a word in the original language using a Bible concordance or Bible dictionary.
• cross-referenced scripture: used to compare scriptures with scriptures because the bible will never conradict itself. You can use concordances, word studies, or topical bibles to aid in cross referencing scripture. Often study bibles have their own cross references included.

These can be found online at Bible Gateway or purchased through Observation and Principles Recommended ProductsWhen interpreting the Bible, watch carefully for figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, and parables. The Bible can often be interpreted literally, but figures of speech should be recognized and handled appropriately. Prophecy and proverbs are also unique and should be interpreted in a unique way.

For more information on accurate interpretation and handling unique texts within the Bible, you should read the book How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur. This book review is not intended to be complete instructions on inductive Bible study.

Update: Part 4 and Part 5 of this series are now available.

Tuesday, I gave an overview of the book How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur. Today I will be continuing with the book review by outlining the basics of observation as described in the first three chapters.

Accurate interpretation and correct application rest on the accuracy of your observations.

The foundation of inductive Bible study is observing what the passage actually says.

Always begin your study with prayer, invite the Holy Spirit into your study time. His purpose it to guide you in truth.

John 15:13-15 (NLT)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

The starting point of inductive study is to get an overall view by observing the message in the big picture (Bible, book). Then looking at the smaller sections (chapter, paragraph), and tying the message in the smaller sections to the message in the larger sections and to the message in other smaller sections.

You start by reading through the book you have chosen several times. Look for keywords, phrases, ideas, and facts. The key things are usually repeated.

The main tool for inductive Bible study is the observation worksheets.

Observation Worksheets are individual chapters of the book you are studying typed up (or copy/pasted) and printed out with double space lines, and extra wide margins.

They are used for marking key words, phrases, ideas, etc in the text. For example, I might draw a yellow triangle whenever “God” or “Jesus” appears in the text and a red heart for “Love.”

Precept Ministries has produced an inductive study Bible that is basically a Bible of observation worksheets. You can purchase it through this site’s recommended products store (all orders handled through Amazon.com)

Another way is to make your own Observation worksheets using Bible Gateway to copy and paste the passage into a text editor such as Word.

If you are the kind of person who likes to use the computer, try E-Sword to keep track of your observation notes (download here-offsite link)

Using observation worksheets to mark keywords allows you to see the important ideas at a glance. Repetition is a good way to discern the main theme.

You will probably read through the book multiple times before you start seeing it all fit together into a one or two sentence summary. After you have prayerfully discerned the main theme of the book, look for a key verse that states this theme.

Step two is to break down the book into smaller pieces (chapters) and focus on the keywords and phrases and develop a summary sentence for each chapter.

Bible Gateway offers dictionary concordances and various study tools that are useful for understanding what the verses meant to the original readers.

A Bible dictionary concordance is like a dictionary that translates the Bible words into their original language and then tells you (in English) what the original Greek or Hebrew word means. Sometimes the actually meaning gets lost in translation.

As you go through each chapter, also watch for contrasts contrasts (i.e. Day and night, spirit and flesh), comparisons (like/as) expressions of time (after this, when all these thing had happened), and conclusions (therefore, so that).

Try to discern a theme for the chapter, and for each paragraph.

As you go, write an outline for the book

• Book–Theme
  • Chapter–Theme
  • • paragraph–theme
  • • paragraph–theme
  • • paragraph–theme
  • Chapter–Theme
    • paragraph–theme
    • paragraph–theme
    • etc.

All this seems like a lot of work when you could just pick up a Bible commentary, but you will be able to remember and apply the lessons so much better if you study it for yourself.

A word of caution
While the Bible is certainly capable of speaking directly to your heart and to your needs, your observations should be made without looking for that healing balm. Observation is the foundation for interpretation and application. The Bible best ministers to your personal situation when you are applying in correctly.

Kay Arthur suggest that you begin with a short book such as 2 Timothy. Remember, the rewards are a personal relationship with God.

• Part 1 (Introduction)
• Part 2(Observation)–current page
• Part 3 (Interpretation)
• Part 4 (Application)
• Part 5 (Conclusion)

The book How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur is a introduction into the inductive study method.

This study method lets the Bible speak for itself by using the Bible to interpret the Bible.

Three steps are used during inductive study:
1. Observation–What does it say? Do you know what to look for when you read the Bible?
2. Interpretation–What does it mean?
3. Application–How can I put it into practice in my life? Once you know what the Bible says, you will be confronted with an opportunity for obedience.

Accurate interpretation and correct application rest on the accuracy of your observations.

The hardest thing about following the inductive study method is slowing down enough to read, really read, what the Bible is saying.

This isn’t a race to see how many times you can read through the Bible in a year. Running to win means understanding and applying the Truth that the Bible teaches.

There are a two very good reasons to study the Bible for yourself rather than relying on commentaries:

• Bible commentaries are not the inspired Word of God and the conclusions in them are colored by the scholar’s background and present situation.
• You will remember the things you study and discover for yourself better than you will remember the things you are fed through a commentary.

Inductive study is developing firsthand knowledge of God and the Bible. A personal relationship with God can never be replaced with commentary. It’s like playing in the football game versus reading about it in the newspaper. The two just don’t compare.

Are you ready to experience the Bible for yourself?

Update:  You can now read Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of this series.