The 3 Wisewomen and 3 Wisemen of Christmas~ Anna

 

The Third WiseWoman in the Christmas story was Anna the Prophetess. And from the start, let me be clear, she was NOT a priest or a preacher, as the Bible CLEARLY states that only MEN are to be called into those ministry positions. ( I Tim. 3:1-13). This simply means she was the wife of a priest or a prophet. Luke 2: 36-38 are the only verses of Scripture dedicated to this woman, yet they speak VOLUMES about her! She is pictured here above with another godly, wiseman Simeon, (whom will have a post dedicated to him this week) and baby Jesus in the Temple. She was used of God to be a mighty example, of TRUE FAITHFULNESS! She displayed this by HERALDING the news of the Redeemer's birth! 

1.) Anna's family name alone HEARLDED plans the Lord had for her concerning Jesus' birth.   An old saying says "what's in a name?" Well, here there is alot!!  Verse 36 says" And there was ONE Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phannel, of the tribe of Aser...". Anna means "God has favored me" in Hebrew, and Phannel, her father, meant "Face of God, or He turns to God."  The tribe of Asher would refer to those that lived by the sea, which plays into what will happen later, when Jesus was born. The way the Lord recorded HER name, ONE  Anna, shows a PERSONAL or SPECIAL something about this one person to Him. The Lord has ALWAYS dealt with man personally; from creation to salvation. But we know she was already a believer that the Messiah was coming. It is also interesting that her father's name is given and  her husband's was NOT. It AMAZES me how the Lord chooses to unfold HIS-STORY in His Word! This all shows that she had a goodly heritage that served the Lord. Her upbringing hearlded to others their faith, and that of her husbands as well. The verse says that she was married to a husband from her virginity, for 7 years. It also says that she was of great age at this time of Jesus' birth. 7 is the number of Divine perfection or completeness in the Bible, so it was God's perfect will that she was wed for only 7 years, but no child was conceived.

2.) Anna HEARLDED the REDEEMER as her HUSBAND and the Temple as her HOME!  Vs. 37 says was a widow of about 84 years and "....departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." When Her husband died, she CHOSE to not remarry, but HERALDED the Saviour as her Husband! Isaiah 54: 4&5 says " Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed.....for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called." She chose to give herself, for the rest of her life, in serving the LORD! In doing so, the Temple then became her HOME! Ps. 84:1-4 " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh ...for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah." In choosing to serve God, after just being "grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth" (Ish 54:6) and take Him as her Husband and Redeemer, the Lord took away her reproach, as a widow with no child, just as He had done for Elisabeth. And because she so wisely chose God over man, HE CHOSE to show her "great mercies", and "everlasting kindness"  (Ish 54 6-8).

3). Lastly, Anna HEARLDED what the Holy Ghost and given her an unction to SEE and SAY! 

After all of her years of serving the Lord in the Temple; fasting, praying, and being an encouragement, no doubt, to others, her faithfulness was also seen of her HUSBAND! This shows that age is NOT a factor for service; positions may change, but our passion should not!  Ps. 84 says that those that dwelt in God's house would go from strength to strength, and everyone KNEW she would rather be there than in the tents of wickedness! I'm sure that in reading this, there may even be someone white-haired, saged wisewoman of God that comes to mind that you know. IF you want someone praying for you, it's that lady! THIS is how the Lord described Anna. As stated in Isaiah, the Lord blessed Anna beyond measure, and put her into the events of the Redeemer's coming! While loving life, service and I believe, LOOKING for the coming of the Messiah, she was sensitive to the HOLY GHOST and obeyed when He  prompted her. Luke 2:27 says Simeon (mentioned earlier) came into the Temple by the Spirit's leading. Verse 38 says that Anna sensed the same thing, "..And she coming in THAT INSTANT.."  suddenly found herself, gazing upon the literal " Face of God"! Is that not what her family name meant?? Also, Ish. 54 promised The Lord of Hosts promised to take away her reproach of youthful widowhood, with no children, and gave her the blessing of seeing THE CHRIST CHILD; THE SON OF GOD!  Her HUSBAND, REDEEMER, and MESSIAH KNEW she would be faithful to HEARLD HIS BIRTH, to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem! (Luke 2:38.) Wisely, this is EXACTLY what she did!

Anna was a Wisewoman in that she HEARLDED FAITH from her goodly heritage. Even being  a young, barren widow, she wisely chose the REDEEMER as her HUSBAND, and the Temple as her HOME for the rest of her life! The Lord openly rewarded her faithfulness and put her into HISTORY; "HIS-STORY' concerning His Birth, and allowed the daughter of Phannel " He turns to God or "the Face of God" to do just that- She turned to see His precious Face, and then be given the honor of Heralding HIM to all that were looking for the Messiah, or soon coming Redeemer! No doubt her testimony made its way back to the tribe of Asher, by the seashore, that sat in darkness, according to Scripture. Just as the Wisemen saw that STAR of BETHELEHEM and His Light, she & they had too! And what other reaction could she have after such blessings??? She HEARLDED and gave thanks, just as the angels, shepherds, and wisemen did!! And as her name meant, Anna could hearld "God HAS favored me"!

The 3 WiseWOMEN And 3 WiseMEN of Christmas~ Mary

 

   The second WiseWoman found recorded in the History of Christmas is Mary, the Mother of Jesus! She is without doubt the most famous woman known in the Bible. There is a reason for this-The Lord had a great place of honor for her and plan for her life in the birth of our LORD and SAVIOUR! 

Mary was a wisewoman for one reason plainly seen in the Bible: she was HUMBLE.

1) Mary was Humble physically and pure. The Lord said she was a virgin, and had NEVER known a man, for a natural HUMAN conception of a child, to take place. That fact is crucial for the Saviour, the Son of Man, to be sinless. Luke 1:27,34 & Matthew 19-21confirms that Mary was innocent in this way. For the sake of this devotional to be appropriate for all ages, we will leave it as stated.

2). Mary was Humble mentally.  This meaning, how she viewed herself. Once again. the angel Gabriel was sent to deliver the prophecy of good tidings of great joy to Mary! Her humility of her thoughts of self, were again seen by her reaction to his words: "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be." Luke 1:28&29. She humbly wondered if this "man" had the right person he was looking for, or how he even knew who she was to make such a statement!

3)Mary was HUMBLE in Faith! Faith is simply believing and taking God at HIS WORD! This is exactly how Mary responded to the WONDERFUL news Gabriel was about to tell her! She listened as the angel explained what God the Father had planned for her: Luke 1:30-33 says "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." Her humility of faith prompted her question OF FAITH, NOT doubt! She asked HOW shall THIS BE, seeing I know not a man? (vs 34). Gabriel explained " And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:35&37). Imagine the joy and wonder that must have thrilled her soul, to be chosen as the mother of the long-awaited Messiah! The Lord on High had given her the greatest blessing a woman would ever know!

 

4) Mary was HUMBLE in her Will.  After hearing this miracle the Lord had chosen specifically for her life, she CHOSE to die to her own will and desires she had for her heart. She knew that this would be hard to explain to her espoused husband Joseph. She also understood that it would affect her testimony, or her reputation, for the rest of her life. She would be seen as unpure, or a fornicator. BUT, she knew would know the truth, and that whatever the Lord had planned for her, HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF, and bless with the GRACE and MERCY needed. So, she chose WISELY, and said, " Behold, the HANDMAID of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.." Luke 1:38.

5) Finally, Mary was HUMBLE in HEART!   Luke 2 gives us the story of the performance of those events prophesied by the angel Gabriel, and prophets of old. Mary and Joseph both had to go to Bethlehem to pay taxes and she was great with chlld! Already their new start in the journey of their marriage was challenging, as many other days ahead would be!! BUT: SHE KNEW she was in the center of God's Will, and after a hard physical journey,"being great with child,"Luke 2: 5&6," the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swadddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." The HUMBLE wisewoman of God had to give birth to the Lamb of God in a stable, without so much as one gentleman with manners, to offer up their room for a lady in labor! But nowhere does it say she complained! All new mothers want the best for their child, is VERY particular in every aspect about them, but she HUMBLY held the hand of God that literally had created HER with that HAND! Only God in HIS WISDOM could work out such miracles that night held! Soon after His birth, Shepherds arrived with haste, from receiving the "good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10) that the Saviour was finally here! When they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying,which was told them concerning this child. and all they that hear it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. BUT Mary kept all these things and PONDERED them in HER HEART." (Luke 2:174-19).

When they went to the Temple for Jesus' circumcision, again she showed wisdom by HUMBLY listening to another wiseman, (for another post in this series) bless them and prophesy that " (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also,) that the thoughts of many HEARTS may be revealed." This was foretelling Jesus' death on the cross, and the sword that would pierce His side, and no doubt hurt her as much, by seeing it happen to her Son! Oh what heartbreak that would have been as a mother! But God's grace was sending her the promise to help, at least in knowing, that His death would open up direct access to the THRONEROOM of Heaven, and many people would be saved! The Holy Spirit would then stay in the saved people's hearts forever then!

Mary-this great WiseWoman of Christmas, was truly a HUMBLE and righteous woman, that was highly favoured by God, and would be called blessed forever! (Luke 1:48). She was humble in physical purity, and how she thought of herself mentally or spiritually. Her FAITH was humble, which lead to humility to accept God's Will for her life. When this wisewoman died to self and chose God's Will, her heart was humbled by doing so, and God blessed her heart with many miracles ahead! But mostly, her humble heart was blessed beyond measure, with a bond she would forever share with the Son of God! They were so precious that she kept them close in that HUMBLE HEART, AND pondered, or thought on all of it! Only Heaven will reveal one day just how is HUMBLE this WISEWOMAN truly was! May we look inside OUR OWN HEARTS this Christmas, make room there for HIM, and ask to be more HUMBLE in His service.

The 3 WiseWOMEN and 3 WiseMEN of Christmas!~ Elizabeth

At Christmas we automatically think of only three Wisemen. The three gifts listed in Scripture, presented to Jesus after a TWO-YEAR trek, is usually why. There very well, could have been more than three in that group. BUT; "Hidden" in PLAIN sight of His Holy Word, there are six other people, that were JUST as wise; three men and three women! Since chivalry declares "ladies first"; so will we. The first wisewoman is Elizabeth. 

 Luke 1 tells us of Elizabeth, the wife of Zacharias. He was one of the priests that served in the Temple. They were both righteous before God, and so faithful that the Lord called them "blameless" in 1:6. There was only one "issue" that could be found in them; they had no child because she was barren, and they were both well-stricken in years. (vs.7) But, the Lord had in-store a "great performance" (vs, 20,72 &73) for them both. God was going to answer her decades-long prayer!

1) Elizabeth HEEDED. She was righteous and walked with the Lord for many years, as the Lord Himself said in Luke, and believed that He COULD & WOULD answer her prayer for a child, if it was His Will. She continued in prayer for a child, even though physically it would have been impossible; BUT, she believed that NOTHING was impossible with God!(Luke1:37) The angel Gabriel declared (to Zacharias while serving) that the Lord had heard their prayer, and that He would give them a son, and his name would be called John. Elizabeth believed, or HEEDED, and God blessed her faith in His Promise!

2) Elizabeth HID!  She WISELY HID the fact that the Lord promised to work a miracle for them, but specifically chose to keep this PRECIOUS BLESSING an intimate secret between them and the Lord! As a child of God, some of our most precious blessings and praise take place when we are in the prayer closet; just us and JESUS!! Luke 1:25 tells us the innermost thoughts of her heart, where she realized what God was doing! He was answering the prayer of her greatest heart's desire by a miracle! He was taking away her reproach of being barren, and most of all making her son the Prophet of the Highest, the Forerunner to the Messiah! She did so for five months; five being the number of GRACE in the Bible! What GRACE the Lord had bestowed upon her for her faith, and she continued to display her godly WISDOM by doing so! 

3) She HEARD and was HOLY GHOST filled!  When her sixth month with child began, and it was made public, Luke 1:39-60 gives the account of the unexpected visit from her cousin-Mary, the mother of JESUS! Mary's greeting, or salutation as scripture says, was HEARD by Elizabeth and immediately she was filled with the HOLY GHOST! The baby leaped in her womb (vs 41) when it sounded in her ears, and HE was the one filled with joy and the Holy Ghost, from the day forward! (Luke1:15). It made Elizabeth speak out with a loud joyful voice, and she again WISELY gave witness to the fact, or oath that MARY was to be the mother of the SAVIOUR, and there would be a performance of those things told her by the Lord! (vs.44&45).

4) Lastly, Elizabeth HAD GREAT MERCY & FAITH upon her!  When her full time came, she brought forth her son, and all that heard it-from her neighbors to her cousins (Mary, Joseph etc.) (vs 58) rejoiced with her, and saw the great mercy the Lord had shown to her! On the eighth day, when according to the Law, he was to be circumcised and named. She continued in WISDOM of faith, and said his name was to be John, as the angel had foretold. This of course didn't sit well with the religious leaders, as custom was to name a son after their father, or other family members. They protested to Zacharias, for his answer. It came back the same; JOHN! Then the Lord worked another miracle! (to be later listed in this series).

 Elizabeth was a WISE WOMAN in her deep-rooted FAITH and BELIEF in the Lord and His Word! She HEEDED it and HID it's precious blessing! She HEARD the greeting of Mary and the Lord's presence, and was HOLY GHOST filled! Lastly, the Lord greatly blessed this Wise Woman with a child that would be the Greatest Prophet ever known among men, and placed him in the great plan of SALVATION!  She HAD GREAT MERCY AND GRACE shown unto her, as a blessing for trusting  and serving HIM FAITHFULLY all her days! 

The True Gifts of the Magi Conclusion_ " O How Precious!"

The Wisemen that came seeking the "King of the Jews" were truly WISEMEN,because they knew and believed TRUE WISDOM:GOD'S WORD! Just as God's Word is pure,holy,and PRECIOUS, so were the gifts that accompanied them, over their two year long "holy road trip". Gold was listed first for purity of the KING. Frankincense was second for holiness of our Great High Priest. Finally Myrrh, All of these presents were riches and had a PURPOSE,BUT Myrrh indicated that of HIGHEST PRICE, in more than one way! Myrrh was needed for HIS GIFT; the most PRECIOUS of all,that would be given to the whole world-HIMSELF! When the Wisemen came with their gifts, the Lord was approximately 2yrs old( Matthew 2). He was presented with all three gifts when they entered the Holy Family's house that night, and were provision by God to fund the flight to Eqypt in 2:14. But, He would AGAIN in the future, recieve only one of those gifts again. It as the one of most monetary value, that a person could give in those days,especially for a Hebrew, and made of PRECIOUS material.As the Jesus grew in stature and strength in the Lord (Luke 2:19), He began his public ministry preaching at the age of 30.During those 3 years, He healed, cleansed, and saved multitudes of people. But individual souls, people he grew close to after healing and saving them, were His joy and homes opened to Him for fellowship. Is this not the sole reason He created man?

         One family that ended up very close to Jesus was Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany. We don't know about their lives before Jesus entered in, except that He was family to them, and their home was His when He was near. This Mary sat at His feet when He taught the Word and spoke parables, hungry and soaking up all that He said. No doubt, due to her future actions, she understood and believed all He preached.It was so important to her, that she placed sitting at the feet of Jesus, in fellowship and learning FIRST, before working, or "barren busines", according to Martha. Jesus quickly corrected Martha's rebuke to her sister, saying that"Mary hath chosen that GOOD PART, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:42. Sometime later after the death of her brother Lazarus, is when Mary understood all she had learned of the Lord, meditated on, and grown in her heart spiritually! This is when this PRECIOUS event took place. The Lord came and raised Lazarus and worked miracles in many hearts that day, including hers I beleive, according to her actions. Two days before Passover, when the Lord woud be, beaten, mocked, walking under the weight of the cross, and then nailed to it to die, she did it! After watching her own brother die (without the severity of the Lord's death) and placed in the grave, laying there four days,she understood "that you better do what you can WHILE you can"! Although she didn't know all that the events that would take place and the timeline, she KNEW Jesus said that in two days He would die. She loved Him sooo much for what He had done for her (Luke 7:36-50), that she PURPOSED in her heart to give HIM her most PRECIOUS thing she could! She had an alabaster box, which could have been white or ivory colored and carved out of a stone ( another picture of Christ the Chief Cornerstone), and it was filled with the MYRRH!!! This oinment/oil was very costly and used in perfumes of the rich, or those of occupations of ill repute that could afford it, and also most commonly for annointing and perserving loved ones' bodies for burial. She understood Jesus was the Passover Lamb, ONCE for all, and wanted to show Him her love, devotion, and thankfulness of heart, for what He was going to do FOR HER; taking her sin debt away, and the WHOLE WORLD!! She quietly walked up behind HIM, BROKE THE BOX, and the ointment flowed out, down His Head and down to His feet! (Again, a type of Jesus broken body and His PRECIOUS, SINLESS BLOOD (1Peter1:19) flowing down to sancticy us!)She also lovingly, took the only other PRECIOUS thing she had left to give as a woman, her hair! I Corth 11:15 says a woman's hair is HER GLORY. She counted her loss as Gain for Christ, and used it to wipe His PRECIOUS FEET that would walk up Calvary's Hill in HER PLACE, and then be NAILED through to the cross! She then kissed His feet, crying the whole time! Wiping and kissing! Wiping and kissing them!! Those in the house were appalled at her actions and declared it was a great waste, as the Myrrh in the box would have equaled 12 YEARS WORTH of payment for a job then! 1 penny a day was paid to the average worker. These unbelieving Pharisees & murmururs didn't care for the amount of money they claimed would have been more useful for the the poor! They were lost, desirous of that kind of praise from men, and wanted Jesus dead! The Lord gave the parable explaining that unto whom much is forgiven, the same loves much! He then honored Mary by saying "..Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand (ready for the future) to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." She KNEW the Saviour deserved the most PRECIOUS gift she had! "Unto you therefore which believe He is PRECIOUS ...". 1 Peter 2:7.

    The Myrrh was physically the most COSTLY item given, BUT the most PRECIOUS was HERSELF! He honored her for HER sacrifice! Jesus Christ, King of the Jews, Great High Priest, and Sinless Lamb of God, was born that first Christmas over 2,000 yrs ago! Although that many years have passed, since the Wisemen Saw Him-The STAR of BETHLEHEM, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and cannot and will not change! He blessed the Gentile Wisemen, Hebrew earthly parents, and even PRECIOUS Mary for their gifts given to HIM. This Christmas maybe we need to ask ourselves what the most PRECIOUS thing to us is? What can WE give to Jesus out of a heart of love that He resides in now, if we have accepted Him as Saviour? If you haven't, TODAY IS THE DAY!!! You are NOT PROMISED TOMORROW! Jesus already paid the price for you with HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD Let Him come into your "house", your heart, TODAY!Then your spiritual birthday will be the same time of year as the Saviour! O, What a Saviour is Mine!

The True Gifts of the Magi Part#4

The second treasure from the Wisemen was Frankincensce. Gold was first as Jesus is King of Kings! Frankincense was the second gift presented because the Lord Jesus is our Great High Priest . This was an incense used in the temple by the Jewish Levite Priests. Jesus now sits in Heaven as our Great High Priest, making intercession for us as we pray! Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Prayer is our daily talking or fellowship with God.This is a sweet time of fellowship that the Bible compares to "the sweet smelling sacrifices" given in the Law to Moses by God Himself in Leviticus. He WANTS to spend time with us and cares about all of the good and bad things that happen to us; no matter HOW SMALL we think they may be! He CARES ABOUT IT ALL! But Frankincense was the oil used to sanctify Aaron, the first Levite priest, by Moses in the wilderness, after the Exodus from Egypt.He was to be called of God Himself and chosen,clothed upon with the holy garments also given in specific detail and direction from the Lord, and then only could Aaron become the High Priest. (Lev 7:35-38). Leviticius 8:9&10 gives a very interesting piece of attire," And he put the mitre upon his head; also upon the mitre, even upon his forefront, did he put the golden plate, THE HOLY CROWN; as the Lord commanded Moses. And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them." As High priest, a Crown type hat and annointing took place. As I studied, I learned as pictured below, that Frankincense blossoms grow in A CROWN SHAPE until they open up! This is NOT coincidence! The Creator of all Heaven and Earth put testimony and witness to His great detail in everything that He spoke into existence and detailed with His Hand, leaving HIs fingerprint on it! Also,the only way the annointing oil of Frankincense can be harvested, is for the tree has to be PIERCED OR TAPPED in its side, and allowed to flow out! Our Saviour's side was pierced by the soldier's sword after He died on the cross(John 19:34), where His Precious Blood and water flowed out and opened up the Holiest of Holies to all!! (Luke 23:45). " Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."Heb.10:19-22" Lastly, this oil was used ONLY for a sweet-savour offering, combined with other sweet smelling odours for this offering, to make a type of perfume. It was so holy, that it was to be used ONLY for this sacrifice, and if any man was caught using it for other reasons, was to be cut off from the Hebrews.This was to be a meat offering sacrifice that represented our Lord Jesus and it was the most HOLY offering unto the Lord. It represented Jesus sinless perfection, obedience to the Father, and to be a memorial by fire unto the Lord. This showed the great sufferings our Lord took upon Himself willingly, while living and on the cross for OUR SIN AND PAYING FOR ALL OF IT!! Only our HOLY HIGH PRIEST could do so, ONCE and now we have access directly to the Throne Room, because the veil is now gone!! (Hebrews 5:5-10), He suffered it all to know EXACTLY how we would feel, in every aspect of life, and help us! "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Thank God above that these Gentile Wisemen had FAITH in God's Word and believed that Our Great High Priest had come to open up access to the Throne Room of God to us all!! Tomorrow the Conclusion will be complete and a NEW SERIES STARTING I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT for this Christmas!! Thank you again for ALL of you that even take the time to read these devotions and encourage me through it!!