Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. We are preparing for Christmas—the celebration of Jesus’ birth. But we are also waiting for the second coming of Christ, for it was promised Jesus would return to judge the living and the dead, and to right all that is wrong with the world. Then God will recreate the heavens and the earth, and we will live with God forever in Paradise.
But in the meantime, we are waiting.
Waiting is an important part of God’s plan for His people. It can feel like nothing happens while you wait, but God is at work. This series will examine what happened to God’s people in the period in between
the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament while they waited for
the Messiah to be born. This series is also design to help you in those times when you feel
stuck in between, waiting.
The Bible is divided into two Testaments – the Old Testament & the New Testament. The Old Testament primarily deals with God’s covenant with Israel. The New Testament primarily deals with God’s new covenant with all people, made possible through God’s only begotten Son, Jesus, who was the Messiah the Jews longed for.
Here’s a quick review of the Bible.
First there was Abraham (circa 1900s BC). About 400 years later, one of Abraham's decedents, Joseph, went down to Egypt. Then the Israelites became slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Next, Moses delivered the Israelites (circa 1300s BC). About 400 years later, David was annointed king of Israel followed by David's son King Solomon (900s BC). After Solomon, there was a civil war between the northern and southern tribes of Israel. Israel split into two kingdoms--Samaria in the North and Judea in the South (we get the name "Jews" from Judea). In 586 BC, Judea was conquered by Babylon and all the inhabitants were taken away into captivity in Babylon. about 70 years later, the captives were allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem & the Temple (515 BC). Finally, the last book of the Old Testament was composed about 475 BC.
Nothing else was added to the Bible until the New Testament detailed the events from the first century AD after Christ was born. What happened during the 400 or so years between the Old and New Testament? We find a clue in the Book of Nehemiah, which was written close to the end
of the OT. In particular, Nehemiah 9:36-37 was written about events that happened about 515 BC.
36 “So now today we are slaves in the land of plenty that you gave our ancestors for their enjoyment! We are slaves here in this good land. 37 The lush produce of this land piles up in the hands of the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins. They have power over us and our livestock. We serve them at their pleasure, and we are in great misery.”
Nehemiah was living as one of the conquered Jewish exiles in Persia when the king of Persia (Artaxerxes) decided to let the Jewish exiles return home to Jerusalem. The king of Persia commissioned Nehemiah to govern Jerusalem and help oversee the rebuilding of the city and the Temple.
It was a time of great hope for Jews. They hoped that Jerusalem might return to the glory of Solomon’s days. They hoped to achieve religious freedom, peace, and prosperity. They longed to rebuild and worship in their own Temple once again.
Unfortunately their hopes were never fully realized. The Temple was rebuilt, but it was a shadow of its former glory. In fact, the Bible record that the people who had known the glory of Solomon's Temple wept because the new Temple was only a shadow of it's former glory. The reality is the Jews were “slaves in the land” of Israel (Nehemiah 9:36). They remained vassels, subjugated to the more powerful Kingdoms around them. Throughout the 400-500 year period between the Old and New Testaments, the Jews were passed around between the various empires that rose to power in the region. They were not treated with dignity or respect. They were merely pawns in an international chess match. They were disposable, vulnerable, and a commodity to be used by more powerful people. Nehemiah 9:37 says, “We serve them at their pleasure, and we are in great misery.” And that about sums up the Jewish people’s 400 year experience from the time they returned from exile until the time when Jesus was born—the entire period between the Old and New Testaments.
And while in former times, God had sent prophet's like Isaiah and Jeremiah and Hosea and Micah to speak His word to them--words so powerfully inspired people collected them in our Bible--no one spoke inspired words worthy of being included in the Bible for 400 years after the completion of Malachi. It seems as if God was silent.
Remember, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years before God sent Moses to deliver them. At least during the intertestamental period they were slaves in their own land.
Still,
it’s hard to patiently suffer and wait on God when it feels like He is being silent
and doesn’t care. God does care, but
sometimes, He has to let us wait and ripen until the time is right to fulfill
His plan.
In
the meantime, we have to be patient and wait on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for
the Lord.”
And
James 5:7 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the
Lord’s return.”
Even if you suffer while you wait, God can use it to bless you when you trust Him & are faithful. God gives you time to think and grow while you wait for the right opportunities and pass on the wrong ones. God helps you when you are really hungry and waiting for good food. He teaches you, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God." Waiting for God gives you time to realize, He is Your only hope.
Sometimes, people pause for effect before they say something really important. After the Old Testament, God paused to let people know He was about to speak the most important Word He woudl ever give--the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.
The Israelites had to wait for 400 years before their Messiah came, but that 400 years was time for important work in the hearts of HIs people.
Israel was a small, insignificant land stuck in between
massively powerful empires. They were never going to have enough resources or a powerful enough army to
dominate others.
Their only hope was the Lord. Again and again the Jews tried to establish their own
kingdom by their own hands, but again and again they failed. By the time Jesus came, most people realized their only
hope was the Lord. It would only be by the direct intervention of God Almighty
that they would find salvation. The name “Messiah”, means the one chosen by God to save. Jesus is the Messiah.
What about you? Do
you realize your only hope is the Lord?
Have you been trying to make your own plans work by your own hand?
Don’t you realize, any “kingdom” you build will not stand. It will fail.
But the plans of the Lord will last forever.
Learn to wait on the Lord.
Since Israel had to
compromise on many things in order to survive in a hostile world surround by more powerful nations, they really had to learn their core values—the essentials of being faithful to God that they could not compromise. Not everything is worth fighting about.
But some things are worth
dying for. It's critical to know the difference.
What
about you? Do you know who you really
are?
What are the core values you can’t compromise?
What are the deal breakers for you?
How do you deal with people who cross the line?
Romans 12:18 says, “Do all that you can to live in peace with
everyone.”
How do you live that out? How do you
know if it’s time to compromise or take a stand?
How do you avoid sin and honor God when you take your stand?
Waiting for something important can either drive you away from God or draw you closer. Some Israelites tried to build their own kingdoms. In the weeks ahead, we will learn about some of the different political and religious groups in Israel and how they tried to build their own kingdoms of Israel. Thanksfully, there were also many people (like The Wisemen in the East, and Simeon and Anna in Luke 2) who grew closer to God by waiting on God, praying, worshiping, and patiently trusting God's plan.
How about you?
How can you grow closer to
God as you wait faithfully through prayer, study, fasting, and serving?
Closing Thoughts to Contemplate
Contemplate how you can grow closer to the Lord as you prepare for Christmas?
What will it take for you to finally realize you are hopeless
without God?
What are your core values?
What practical steps could you take this season to truly
depend upon God, discover who you really are, and prepare for the coming of the
Lord?
