Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as those of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to us a Savior,
When half spent was the night.The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger they found Him,
As angel heralds said.This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.O Savior, Child of Mary, Who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, Who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of heaven,
And to the endless day!
Many people forget - or do not know - how the coming of this blessed Child was foretold.
Isaiah, of course, is probably the book of the Bible for prophecies of the Advent of the King, but as I've already said, God promised the Savior all the way back in Genesis to Adam and Eve. "Jesse's lineage" refers to the promise God gave to Jesse's son, David, the first king God chose for Israel. After David had gained the throne, God told Nathan the prophet to say
“When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-16, NKJV)
Now, part of this was a blessing for David's son, Solomon. But frequently in Biblical prophecy, there are two fulfillments: one near to the prophecy, and the fulfillment in Christ. The first is often a type of the second. Therefore, God can promise David that his throne will be established forever because the True King will be born on earth to take and hold that throne.
Do not be deceived by the world's opinion that He is a simply a man and a good teacher. As the hymn proclaims, He is "True Man, yet very God," the God-Man. Both natures are fully present, but not mixed - and this is the only way it could be. Only a Man could pay for the sins of man; only a Man could live the life required by God. Yet only God can pay for the infinite sins of all men, and only God has the ability to live life in perfect obedience to the Law.
Thus Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, untainted by the sin of Adam in His flesh, and of the Holy Spirit, in the power of the Godhead.
It's hard to imagine the two thousand years which have passed - but the Child born in Bethlehen long ago may yet be reborn in you today, to give His comfort and power and salvation. What will you do with Him?
Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to Your people; thank You for living in our world. Thank You for being so tender as to experience our hurts, temptations, and sorrows. I know that You sympathize with our weaknesses and stand ready to give Your strength, if we would only ask and trust. Thank You for a love so great that the Lord of Glory Himself descended from Heaven to be born in Bethlehem, two thousand years ago. Come into our hearts, we pray; renew our spirits and give us new hearts of flesh for You to mould and conform to Your will. Amen.
(Adam is still looking for submissions for the Carnival of Christmas, so make sure you participate!)
(Offered up for breakfast, over at basil's place)
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