Psalm 48:1-7, Malachi 3:1-5, Galatians 4:1-7, Luke 2:22-40.
A). PRAISING THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS.
Psalm 48:1-7.
This psalm begins with a simple statement of fact: “Great is the LORD” and, because of the greatness of the LORD, He is “greatly to be praised” (PSALM 48:1a).
Where is the LORD to be praised? In the place that God has chosen (cf. 2 Chronicles 6:5-6), “the city of our God” (PSALM 48:1b). A city is a place of civilisation. We could speak of the civilising influence of the church, wherever the gospel has flourished. This city is, “in the mountain of His holiness.” Jesus said, ‘a city that is set upon a hill cannot be hid’ (cf. Matthew 5:14). True Christians cannot remain hidden for long.
The Psalmist talks about the beauty, or elevation, of Mount Zion (PSALM 48:2). This is the site of the Temple Mount within Jerusalem. Like Zion, the church is founded upon a rock. Jerusalem is both “the city of our God” (PSALM 48:1) and a Royal city: “the city of the great King” (PSALM 48:2; cf. Psalm 2:6). Jesus, who is ‘the rock of our salvation (cf. Psalm 95:1), is the ultimate and final king of David’s descent (cf. Matthew 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7).
It is God who is known in the palaces of the city as a refuge (PSALM 48:3). It is Jesus who is our city of refuge. He is the sacrifice whose blood atones for our sins. He is the high priest whose death sets us free.
PSALM 48:4-6 may well be a reference to the attack against Jerusalem by the Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites during the reign of King Jehoshaphat. On that occasion, the LORD told the king, and ‘all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem’ that ‘the battle is God’s,’ (2 Chronicles 20:15) and that they need not fight, but just ‘stand still and see the salvation of the LORD’ (2 Chronicles 20:17). Jehoshaphat set singers in the forefront, that they should ‘praise the beauty of holiness;’ and ‘the LORD set ambushes’ against the enemy so that they ended up destroying one another (cf. 2 Chronicles 20:21-22).
Or it may refer to a later deliverance, during the reign of King Hezekiah, when 185,000 Assyrians were struck down by the LORD, causing the king of Assyria to return to Nineveh where he was assassinated by his own sons in the temple of his ‘god’ (cf. Isaiah 37:33-38).
It is God who broke the ships of Tarshish with an east wind (PSALM 48:7; cf. 1 Kings 22:48; 2 Chronicles 20:36-37). It is God who scatters the army of the enemy (cf. Job 27:21). ‘Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:57).
B). THE TWO MESSENGERS.
Malachi 3:1-5.
One of the God-wearying and impertinent questions of the people had been, as it is often today, ‘Where is the God of justice?’ (Malachi 2:17). We have the answer in today’s text (Malachi 3:1). Watch carefully, exhorts the LORD. First I will send my messenger (cf. John 1:6-8), who will prepare the way for the One whom you are seeking.
Notice that John the Baptist’s ministry is nothing without Jesus, and always points to Jesus. This is reflected in the song of his father, Zacharias (Luke 1:68-79). At the forefront of the old priest's mind was not first and foremost his own son, but the visitation of God to His people: a visitation which was about to occur in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then, says the LORD, ‘the Messenger of the Covenant in whom you delight will suddenly come to His temple’ (Malachi 3:1). Jesus appeared in the Temple as a baby, without being noticed by many more than two people (Luke 2:22). Then Jesus appeared in the Temple as a boy of twelve: He astonished all, yet still remained unrecognized (Luke 2:47). But as a man He appeared once more, and announced, ‘You have made my Father’s house into a den of thieves’ (cf. John 2:16).
Yet Jesus came to establish a new covenant, and to make the once for all, final, and satisfactory sacrifice for the sins of His people (cf. Hebrews 9:28). This is the ultimate ‘righteous offering’ (cf. Malachi 3:3) to which all the sacrifices have always been pointing: the fulfillment of all the rites and ceremonies of the Old Testament era.
The “house of Levi” (Malachi 3:3) stood as representatives of all Israel: and now the Lord creates a new worship and a new people, and establishes a priesthood of all believers. Our offerings to God, whether in worship or giving, are acceptable to Him only when our worship is centred on our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a return to the worship of former times, to the “days of old” (Malachi 3:4).
Malachi 3:2 reaches beyond the incarnation of Jesus to His return. Judgment must begin (Malachi 3:5), and no doubt has begun, at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). There was a remnant in the days of Malachi who reverenced the LORD, and remained loyal to Him (Malachi 3:16-18). How will we appear at the day of His coming?
C). THE CONTEXT OF THE INCARNATION.
Galatians 4:1-7.
‘The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith’ (cf. Galatians 3:24).
The picture is as of an heir to a great estate, who in his infancy is under the control and tutelage of guardians and stewards. Until the time appointed by his father, he differs nothing from a slave, even though he is effectively lord of all (GALATIANS 4:1-2).
“Even so we,” argues Paul, were held in bondage under the “elements” of the world (GALATIANS 4:3). This describes man’s condition under the law. It was a situation from which we needed to be “redeemed” ((GALATIANS 4:5).
In GALATIANS 4:4, Paul speaks of a fullness of time. In what sense was it the fullness of the time?
There is a time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1). God has set limits to the times and boundaries of the nations from all eternity (Acts 17:26). Even in the days of Father Abraham, God was shaping the destiny of the wicked nations of the Holy Land (Genesis 15:16). Furthermore, if we are the people of God then our times are in the Lord's hands (Psalm 31:14-15).
If we are being called by God, then His Holy Spirit is already at work in our hearts to shape us into the image of Christ, to free us from the bondage which comes from a slavish keeping of legalistic rituals and ceremonies (cf. Galatians 4:10). “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). If we have been set free by Christ, then we are totally free, and have no need to wander back into the slavish fears of our pre-conversion days.
The “fullness of the time” also has a historical context. The hope and expectation of the coming of Messiah was at its zenith amongst the faithful remnant of Israel: people like Simeon and Anna, living in the Temple (Luke 2:25; Luke 2:36-38). Even amongst the Gentiles there was a sense of anticipation: people like the wise men from the East (Matthew 2:1-2).
The conquests of Alexander the Great had brought about a common culture, and a common language (koine Greek, in which the New Testament would be written). The armies of Caesar had secured the Pax Romana, the Peace of Rome, whereby it was easier for the Gospel to cross the borders of the known world than it had ever been hitherto. There was a hunger after knowledge, and a sense of dissatisfaction with the old “gods” of Greece and Rome.
“In the fullness of the time God sent forth His Son” (GALATIANS 4:4). What a momentous sentence!
There was nothing accidental about the coming of Jesus. The fact had been announced in the Garden of Eden, on the very day of Man's fall from God's grace. All the events of the Old Testament anticipated Him. The sacrifices prefigured His sacrifice. The prophecies pointed towards Him. And even cautious typology points to “Christ in all the Scriptures, beginning at Moses and all the prophets” (Luke 24:27).
What a wonder that God should send forth His only begotten Son to redeem fallen mankind. It was not what we deserved. It was “while we were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) that Christ died for us, the godly for the ungodly, the righteous for the unrighteous, the altogether lovely One for the unlovely and unlovable (see Romans 5:6-8).
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, was born of a woman. He was born into the family of rebellious mankind. He became what He was not in order that we might become what He is, for by a perfect transference our sins are laid upon Him whilst we are clothed with His righteousness. He becomes the Son of man so that we might become children of God (John 1:12).
Jesus was born under the law. As the son of a Jewish mother, He was circumcised on the eighth day in accordance with the law. He kept the law perfectly, as no man has ever been able to do. He took upon Himself the guilt of our sin, and willingly submitted to the penalty of the law on our behalf. He set us free from the law and its condemnation, so that we may legally enter into the privileges of sons (GALATIANS 4:5; GALATIANS 4:7).
It is a great privilege to be able to call God our Father. And we can, because God sent forth not only His Son, but His Spirit also, whereby we cry, "Abba, Father" (GALATIANS 4:6).
D). SIMEON, ANNA AND JESUS.
Luke 2:22-40.
I. THE SONG OF SIMEON.
Luke 2:22-35.
Nearly six weeks after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph went up to the Temple in Jerusalem, with baby Jesus, to fulfil the rite of purification. Jesus' parents were obedient to this tenet of the law, which involved both the child and His mother (Luke 2:22; cf. Leviticus 12:2-4).
The Old Testament ceremony dated back to the Exodus, and the sanctification of the first-born to God (cf. Exodus 13:2). The LORD does not require human sacrifice, but dedication. It is remarkable that even as a baby all things were being done in relation to Jesus in such a way as to fulfil the law of God (Luke 2:23; cf. Matthew 3:15).
No lamb was available to sacrifice for the Lamb of God. We are not told why. Mary offered the minimum requirement of the law (Luke 2:24; cf. Leviticus 12:8).
There was a man in the Temple, named Simeon. Perhaps he lived there, like Anna the prophetess. Or perhaps he was a priest, or some other member of the ecclesiastical staff. Simeon was a godly man, clothed in God's righteousness, and committed to the LORD in all that he did. Simeon was longing for God's intervention in the life of His chosen nation, and had received the gift of the Holy Ghost ahead of time (Luke 2:25).
Furthermore, by the Holy Ghost, Simeon had been given some insight into the timing of God's deliverance. This was not a calculation based upon the seventy weeks of Daniel. Nor was it an expectation that had been birthed with the loosening of Zacharias' tongue upon the birth of John the Baptist. This was a personal word from the LORD to himself. Simeon would not taste death until he had seen, with his own eyes, the Lord's Christ. The question is not whether God still speaks today, but rather whether we are listening (Luke 2:26)!
It was by the Spirit that Simeon came into the Temple, just at the exact time that the parents of Jesus brought Him in. This is God's perfect timing, yet also contingent upon the obedience of both parties. The parents were doing what the law required, and Simeon was moving where and when the Spirit directed (Luke 2:27).
Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms. What a privilege! What wonderful holy audacity! Yet his motives were true: he blessed God, and spoke forth words which were inspired by the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:28; cf. 2 Peter 1:21).
In effect, Simeon asked the Lord to dismiss him now. With this child, that which God had promised had surely been fulfilled, and Simeon was ready to be received up into glory. It is a good benediction, “Let us depart in peace,” but it can only be “in the name of the Lord.” There is no peace otherwise. Simeon was able to claim a specific promise to himself: “according to thy word” (Luke 2:29).
Simeon held, and beheld, the baby in his arms. For one awesome moment Simeon saw the world's holistic salvation in the Person of that infant (Luke 2:30).
This is a salvation prepared beforehand by God, to be displayed before all people (Luke 2:31; cf. Isaiah 52:10).
This is the light to lighten the Gentiles (cf. Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6), which would one day even be celebrated in “Galilee of the Gentiles” (cf. Matthew 4:15-16). This is the glory, the Shekinah no less, of the people of Israel (Luke 2:32; cf. Isaiah 46:13).
Of course, Joseph and his wife marvelled at what was being said about Jesus. The incarnation, and all the implications of God becoming man on our behalf should never cease to amaze us (Luke 2:33).
Simeon had one last thing to say, and he was done. It was a blessing, but also a warning. Jesus Christ would be the cause of the fall and the rising again of many (Luke 2:34)! The fall would be like the collapse of a house, a ruin. So Jesus could say to Jerusalem, “Your house is left unto you desolate” (cf. Matthew 23:38). The “rising again” is literally a resurrection. “For if the casting away of Israel is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead?” (cf. Romans 11:15). Despite the fact that He is the light of the Gentiles and the glory of His people Israel, Jesus was God's sign that would be spoken against, the stone which the builders rejected, foolishness to the world, a stumbling block to Israel. Sometimes the Lord must take us down a peg or two in order to restore us to where we should be (Luke 2:34).
Mary was also warned of what pains awaited her as the mother of our Lord. She would see Him die a dreadful death that He does not deserve - except on our account. The Cross is the catalyst whereby all shall ultimately be judged (Luke 2:35).
II. THE THANKSGIVING AND TESTIMONY OF ANNA.
Luke 2:36-40.
Anna was a prophetess of great age, who departed not from the temple, and served God with fasting and prayers both night and day (Luke 2:36-37). It is interesting that Luke calls her a "prophetess," since we have long been taught that there was no prophecy in Israel for over four hundred years, from Malachi to John the Baptist. Perhaps this is another part of the miracle which we call 'Christmas.'
This devout woman probably witnessed the presentation of the baby Jesus, and added her own thanksgiving to the message of Simeon. Furthermore, she "spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Israel" (Luke 2:38). Anna shared about Jesus, bringing hope to the hopeful.
We are told nothing about what Anna said, but her testimony, like that of John the Baptist (cf. John 3:30), pointed away from herself to Jesus. Thus there were two witnesses, one a man and one a woman, to the fulfilment of the prophecy: ‘the Messenger of the Covenant in whom you delight will suddenly come to His temple’ (cf. Malachi 3:1).
It is noticeable that Joseph and Mary were devout, too. They did not go home until they had "performed all things according to the law of the Lord" (Luke 2:39). This set the pattern for Jesus' life and upbringing until, at last, He presented Himself as an adult for the baptism of John (cf. Matthew 3:15).
The passage ends with Jesus growing, and becoming strong in spirit, "filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40; cf. 1 Samuel 2:26; Luke 2:52).
Jesus is as truly man as He is truly God!
