A Christmas Story
Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” (Genesis 18:10)
The first book of the Bible (and the Torah) is Genesis. It was written by Moses, the infamous man chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. Genesis tells God's creation story - Adam and Eve, Noah, and other ancient forefathers of the earth such as Abraham. I've found that not many people are familiar with Abraham's remarkable story. He was a descendant of Noah's son, Shem, about 10 generations removed. Abraham married a woman named Sarah and they came from a nomadic lifestyle. God would appear to Abraham and promise to make him a "father of many nations."
There was just one small problem, his wife Sarah could not conceive. How could God's promise to Abraham be fulfilled if him and his wife could not bear children?
This is where the Christmas story of Abraham and Sarah begins. You see, thousands of years later God would make a similar promise to Mary, the mother of Jesus. A messenger of the LORD visited Mary, declaring the imminent birth of Jesus. Similar to Abraham and Sarah, the birth of Jesus seemed impossible. Mary was a virgin and Joseph, her fiance, would not be the father. God's plan was for Mary to have a virgin birth - but HOW?
Sarah expressed her doubts two millennia prior...
So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” (Genesis 18:12)
Sarah and Abraham had both grown old - like, really old. And they were still childless. But God would appear to Abraham when he was 99 and repeat His promise. And sure enough, Sarah would soon after conceive and give birth to Isaac.
Now Mary certainly would have been familiar with the miracle of Isaac. She would have also been familiar with many of Israel's other testimonies of faith in their God. Could it have been possible that she decided in that moment, upon learning about the prophesied virgin birth she would have, to trust God's word wholeheartedly because she had heard about Isaac and the faithfulness of the LORD? Of course, but we're talking about a virgin birth here - and a scandalous one considering she was engaged and the marriage would not have been consummated yet. That being said, it still required great courage and great faith for her to put aside all human thinking and logic and trust in God's plan, even though it could cost her reputation and engagement.
Mary answered, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let everything you’ve said happen to me.” (Luke 1:38)
So we have two women, dozens of generations apart, promised an impossible birth. One unable to conceive and now close to 100 years old. Another woman, probably a teenager, engaged and a virgin.
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
God wrote the rules, nothing is too hard for Him. But what motivated Him? What made Him make these promises and fulfill them? God has nothing to prove to man and He certainly doesn't show off for no reason. You see, these two stories of miraculous births are connected. They are connected by God's love for mankind.
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)
The love we're talking about here is not that He wanted to bless two people with a child in their old age (that actually sounds kind of tough on the back and hips). Abraham and Sarah were given Isaac for a greater purpose. Isaac became one of the first foreshadows of Jesus, our Savior. After all those years waiting for a child, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an offering. Why not a goat? Why not a lamb? Why the human boy that these elderly parents waited so long for?
Pause and read Genesis 22:1-19.
When you're finished think about what you noticed. I will call out these key takeaways...
Abraham obeyed God and was willing to give up his only son, Isaac.
Abraham believed God would provide a substitute for Isaac - he mentions a lamb.
God stops Abraham from carrying out the sacrifice of Isaac and rewards his faith, repeating His promise to make Abraham a father of many nations...and he did become one.
Two thousand years later, Jesus (a second Isaac) was born. God did provide a substitute. This time though, the substitute was God's only Son. Even in our sin God loves us so much that He will not require us to make a sacrifice of our own blood, but that He would spill His own blood to free us fro such debt. And as you can see, His love for mankind has endured for generations.
This is the story of Christmas - God's plan of salvation for mankind, through a Father's sacrifice of His only Son. We see God's plan hidden with Abraham and Isaac, and later revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:4-5)
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