For most of us, the words Christmas scriptures bring to mind the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke. We may even remember the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah.
Rarely will we think of the psalms as part of the Christmas story, yet at least a dozen passages from the Book of Songs include references related to Christ’s birth. A few qualify as outright prophecies; other statements are less direct, but hindsight allows us to make delightful connections.
So for each passage quoted below, see if an aspect of the Christmas story doesn’t come to mind! (To keep this post from getting too long, I’ve included just six examples. Answers appear below.)
1. “The Lord said, ‘I have made a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David, My servant, I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations” (Psalm 89:3-4 HCSB).
2. “[The Lord] himself will redeem Israel from all their sins” (Psalm 130:8).
3. “Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart” (Psalm 97:11).
4. “The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory” (Psalm 97:6).
5. “Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me” (Psalm 86:17 NLT).
6. “Praise the LORD and pray in his name! Tell everyone what he has done” (Psalm 105:1).
7. “Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring you gifts (Psalm 68:29).
Answers:
1. Jesus’ lineage and reign described in Matthew and Luke fulfill this prophecy perfectly (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32-33).
2. Psalm 130:8 sounds very similar to Matthew 1:21, doesn’t it?
3. The Light of the world began to shine that night in Bethlehem, and the angel of the Lord proclaimed great joy for all people (Luke 2:9-10).
4. The psalmist may have thought he was writing about the stars, sun, and moon—all declaring the power and glory of God. Little did he know his words foreshadowed events on the night Jesus was born, when the heavenly host proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest heaven” (Luke 2:9) and the shepherds saw the glory of the Lord shining around them (v. 9, 13-14).
5. This verse also brings to mind the lowly shepherds (whom others often despised) as well as the angel’s words, “This shall be a sign unto you . . .” The birth of the Messiah brought great help and comfort to all his people, but perhaps especially the marginalized. For everyone, the long wait for his appearing was over.
6. The shepherds followed this directive as they left Jesus’ birthplace and “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (Luke 2:17). They glorified and praised God for all the things they’d seen and heard, just as they had been told (v. 20).
7. That’s exactly where the Magi went first—Jerusalem—seeking the one born king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-2.) And of course they came bearing gifts–gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:10-11).
Isn’t it amazing–from the Book of Songs written eons ago, come the distant strains of the exquisite, eternal Christmas Song that we celebrate to this day:
All your works declare Your glory;
all creation joins to sing.
Praise resounds as earth rejoices
in the birth of Christ the King (2)!*
*the last four lines of “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” stanza 2)
Art & photo credits: Steve Ruegg; http://www.stockvault.net; http://www.pixabay.com; http://www.wikimedia.org (2); http://www.pixabay.com.
From the Inside Out 