fear not! I bring you good news.
December 23, 2014
The Old Testament ends on a bleak note. The Israelites have not only separated into the two nations of Judah and Israel, but have also been conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians. They had been incredibly unfaithful to God. Their stubbornness and rebellion is evident throughout the end of Old Testament, and as ridiculous as it was reading it at times, I can easily see myself in that same place. They were sinning all over the place; breaking God's laws and following and worshiping whichever gods they felt like. And so finally they were handed over to their enemies. And then came the 400 years of silence.
Afterwards came the birth of Christ and the first thing God says to His people is 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news.' Logically speaking, it seems quite crazy and counterintuitive. If I had royally screwed up at home while my parents were away, the first thing they'd say to me when they got home would definitely not be 'Don't be afraid; here's some good news -- I'm going to fix everything'. Nope. It'd probably be along the lines of how I'm going to be punished. And if I were God come down to earth after my people had just disobeyed and rebelled against me after all the good I had done for them, my response would have probably been 'You suckers. Now you're going to get it. Now I'm going to go around lightning bolt-ing all of you ungrateful children.' Nope. God says 'Don't be afraid. I've got good news.' And it comes in the form of Jesus -- His death is the forgiveness of our sins and His resurrection means new life for us. As badly as Israel messed up, God's grace and love is shown even greater still in comparison.
This is something I feel I've gained much appreciation for after this year. There were many times this year when I felt terribly burdened with what felt like so many mistakes, so many bad and imperfect decisions, from which I did not have the willpower and strength to get out of or fix. 'Stuck' is the perfect word for how I truly felt. Time and time again, the only thing I knew I could do was to pray with all my might that somehow, in some way, God would deliver me and that He would help me get out of the messes I had gotten myself into. I often wondered or questioned why He would though. After all, I was the one who had disobeyed and done exactly what I knew not to do, so if anything, shouldn't I get myself out of my own mess? Should I not go through the consequences of my own actions? But God was so incredibly gracious. And even looking back now, I know that if it were not God's hand and providence, the way this year turned out would have been so very far from how it has now turned out. And I am so grateful for God's overwhelming grace and love towards me. As reasonable as it would have been to just let me sort myself out of messes I'd tangled myself in, God did not just leave me be, but He lifted me out of my troubles and placed me within blessings upon blessings.
And so the same it was with the Israelites. They had gotten themselves into a huge mess. And instead of leaving them to rot in the consequences of their actions, God provides salvation -- good news. And as much reason as they had to fear, God said 'Do not fear.'
And it's the same thing that God says to all of us today -- Do not be afraid. I bring you good news.
I hope this Christmas season, as we spend time with our loved ones, we'd remember how much God loved us. Even while we were still in the midst of our sins & rebellion, He came down to earth, as a humble baby to provide salvation & redemption for us all.
It is love alone that gives worth to all things. -Teresa of Avila
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. (Luke 2: 10)We studied Luke 2 in Sunday school this past Sunday. Sunday school teacher noted how between Old Testament and New Testament was the Silent Years -- 400 years where God did not reveal anything new to the people, where God did not speak. And after those 400 years of silence, the first thing God says to His people is the above verse -- 'fear not! I bring you good news.' How beautiful is that!
The Old Testament ends on a bleak note. The Israelites have not only separated into the two nations of Judah and Israel, but have also been conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians. They had been incredibly unfaithful to God. Their stubbornness and rebellion is evident throughout the end of Old Testament, and as ridiculous as it was reading it at times, I can easily see myself in that same place. They were sinning all over the place; breaking God's laws and following and worshiping whichever gods they felt like. And so finally they were handed over to their enemies. And then came the 400 years of silence.
Afterwards came the birth of Christ and the first thing God says to His people is 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news.' Logically speaking, it seems quite crazy and counterintuitive. If I had royally screwed up at home while my parents were away, the first thing they'd say to me when they got home would definitely not be 'Don't be afraid; here's some good news -- I'm going to fix everything'. Nope. It'd probably be along the lines of how I'm going to be punished. And if I were God come down to earth after my people had just disobeyed and rebelled against me after all the good I had done for them, my response would have probably been 'You suckers. Now you're going to get it. Now I'm going to go around lightning bolt-ing all of you ungrateful children.' Nope. God says 'Don't be afraid. I've got good news.' And it comes in the form of Jesus -- His death is the forgiveness of our sins and His resurrection means new life for us. As badly as Israel messed up, God's grace and love is shown even greater still in comparison.
This is something I feel I've gained much appreciation for after this year. There were many times this year when I felt terribly burdened with what felt like so many mistakes, so many bad and imperfect decisions, from which I did not have the willpower and strength to get out of or fix. 'Stuck' is the perfect word for how I truly felt. Time and time again, the only thing I knew I could do was to pray with all my might that somehow, in some way, God would deliver me and that He would help me get out of the messes I had gotten myself into. I often wondered or questioned why He would though. After all, I was the one who had disobeyed and done exactly what I knew not to do, so if anything, shouldn't I get myself out of my own mess? Should I not go through the consequences of my own actions? But God was so incredibly gracious. And even looking back now, I know that if it were not God's hand and providence, the way this year turned out would have been so very far from how it has now turned out. And I am so grateful for God's overwhelming grace and love towards me. As reasonable as it would have been to just let me sort myself out of messes I'd tangled myself in, God did not just leave me be, but He lifted me out of my troubles and placed me within blessings upon blessings.
And so the same it was with the Israelites. They had gotten themselves into a huge mess. And instead of leaving them to rot in the consequences of their actions, God provides salvation -- good news. And as much reason as they had to fear, God said 'Do not fear.'
And it's the same thing that God says to all of us today -- Do not be afraid. I bring you good news.
I hope this Christmas season, as we spend time with our loved ones, we'd remember how much God loved us. Even while we were still in the midst of our sins & rebellion, He came down to earth, as a humble baby to provide salvation & redemption for us all.
It is love alone that gives worth to all things. -Teresa of Avila
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