22 December 2009
Psalm 66, 67; 1 Samuel 2:1b-10; Titus 2:1-10; Luke 1:26-38

In the first chapter of 1 Samuel, we meet a woman whose heart is sad, who is depressed, bitter, provoked in spirit, who weeps constantly and won’t eat. The same woman is now exulting in the Lord who has heard her prayer and answered it. Amazingly, she has given the child for whom she had so fervently prayed to the priest who had accused her of drunkenness when she prayed! Hannah knows how to give thanks, something we would do well to cultivate in our prayer life, always giving thanks for what the Lord has done for us, in the present as well as for all He has done for us.

What an incredible promise, “He (your son) will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary’s response was to ask how this could be since she was a virgin. Even Mary didn’t believe in a virgin birth. She could have asked the angel if it was alright to wait a few months until she was married but she didn’t, she simply said, “let it be to me according to your word.” She had to know it could cost her everything, her engagement, her reputation, her family. She simply acquiesced to the will of the Lord, and she never saw the earthly fulfillment of the promise. Mary is quite an remarkable person.

Paul understood that our lives matter as much as pure doctrine. In each of his admonitions to right living, he gives a particular reason. Women are to live a certain way in order that the word of God not be discredited, younger men so that any opponent be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of Christians, and slaves so that they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. We can’t make sound doctrine our only aim, it must be a life lived in accord with the teaching of Jesus if we are to prove the doctrine is sound. We can’t simply believe in Jesus without living according to His Word.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name."