THE STABLE AND THE MANGER
Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
For unto us a Child is born,
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
These are two of the best known and loved prophecies concerning the birth and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are often quoted in association with Christmas celebrations.
The town where Jesus, the Messiah was to be born was likewise clearly prophesied in the book of Micah, one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament.
The town where Jesus, the Messiah was to be born was likewise clearly prophesied in the book of Micah, one of the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament.
In Micah 5:2, we read:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting."
Micah prophesied in a similar time to that of Isaiah.
Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who together with God the Father, and Holy Spirit, make up the Godhead - referred to by Christians as the Trinity.
We were listening to Pastor Tak Bhana from Church Unlimited in Auckland in New Zealand - on Christian radio, speaking about the birth of Jesus. He said that Jesus chose the circumstances of His birth. He was the only human being who got to choose where He would be born, also how and when He would be born. Amazing! In fact, it's absolutely mindblowing.
Micah prophesied in the verse quoted above that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, which means House of Bread. Jesus said of Himself that He is the Bread of Life. The imagery in the setting of Jesus's birth doesn't stop there, though. The Bible tells us that when Jesus was born in a dirty stable, because there was no room for them at the inn, He was laid in a manger. A manger is an animal feeding trough, which would be kept filled with hay, so that the animals could feed from it at any time of the day.
The word "manger" is derived from the Latin manducate meaning "chewed", the past participle of manducare - "to chew, to eat". In fact, the French word for "to eat" is manger, the same as the word for the feeding trough. So, clearly the picture presented to us in the Christmas story in the Bible is that Jesus, the Bread of Life, was laid in a manger, an animal feeding trough. In John 6:35, Jesus says of Himself: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst". Bread is a universal food, eaten by people in countries all around the world, in all cultures and across all age-ranges. Jesus said in John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world."
Jesus was in the last part of this verse speaking of His sacrificial death on the Cross at Calvary, dying in our place for our sins - in order that we might be reconciled to the Father God, from whom we would otherwise be eternally separated by our sin.
Just as the manger was a place where animals could freely eat of hay for their sustenance, spiritual food is freely available as we feed on the Word of God. Jesus is called the living Word, as John 1:1,4 states: In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Verse 12 says But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
English author, academic and Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis once stated: "The Son of God became the Son of man so that the sons of men could become the sons of God".
Jesus said to His disciples: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. His food supply never runs out. The gift of salvation He offers to every man, woman and child on earth is freely available to those who would partake of the Bread of Life.
Much of what I have shared above was gleaned from a couple of radio programs in the series "Running With Fire" with Pastor Tak Bhana. If you would like to listen to these and other uplifting and challenging radio programs, please go to www.vision.org.au. Click on the RADIO tab near the top of the page, then click on Listen now, then hold and drag down to On demand Podcasts - where you will see a number of programs you may listen to, including "Running with Fire" with Tak Bhana. God Bless. Have a happy, holy and safe Christmas!
Micah prophesied in a similar time to that of Isaiah.
Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who together with God the Father, and Holy Spirit, make up the Godhead - referred to by Christians as the Trinity.
We were listening to Pastor Tak Bhana from Church Unlimited in Auckland in New Zealand - on Christian radio, speaking about the birth of Jesus. He said that Jesus chose the circumstances of His birth. He was the only human being who got to choose where He would be born, also how and when He would be born. Amazing! In fact, it's absolutely mindblowing.
Micah prophesied in the verse quoted above that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, which means House of Bread. Jesus said of Himself that He is the Bread of Life. The imagery in the setting of Jesus's birth doesn't stop there, though. The Bible tells us that when Jesus was born in a dirty stable, because there was no room for them at the inn, He was laid in a manger. A manger is an animal feeding trough, which would be kept filled with hay, so that the animals could feed from it at any time of the day.
The word "manger" is derived from the Latin manducate meaning "chewed", the past participle of manducare - "to chew, to eat". In fact, the French word for "to eat" is manger, the same as the word for the feeding trough. So, clearly the picture presented to us in the Christmas story in the Bible is that Jesus, the Bread of Life, was laid in a manger, an animal feeding trough. In John 6:35, Jesus says of Himself: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst". Bread is a universal food, eaten by people in countries all around the world, in all cultures and across all age-ranges. Jesus said in John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world."
Jesus was in the last part of this verse speaking of His sacrificial death on the Cross at Calvary, dying in our place for our sins - in order that we might be reconciled to the Father God, from whom we would otherwise be eternally separated by our sin.
Just as the manger was a place where animals could freely eat of hay for their sustenance, spiritual food is freely available as we feed on the Word of God. Jesus is called the living Word, as John 1:1,4 states: In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Verse 12 says But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
English author, academic and Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis once stated: "The Son of God became the Son of man so that the sons of men could become the sons of God".
Jesus said to His disciples: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. His food supply never runs out. The gift of salvation He offers to every man, woman and child on earth is freely available to those who would partake of the Bread of Life.
Much of what I have shared above was gleaned from a couple of radio programs in the series "Running With Fire" with Pastor Tak Bhana. If you would like to listen to these and other uplifting and challenging radio programs, please go to www.vision.org.au. Click on the RADIO tab near the top of the page, then click on Listen now, then hold and drag down to On demand Podcasts - where you will see a number of programs you may listen to, including "Running with Fire" with Tak Bhana. God Bless. Have a happy, holy and safe Christmas!
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