Day 4 - Luke 1:29-38

OK, lets get back into this.

Luke 1:29-38. Gabriel is still talking to Mary.

"Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be." Read this, it shows examples of Angels appearing in the Old Testament, which is what Mary thought of when she was afraid and wondering. Angels were guardians and protectors, angels were warriors, angels were messengers, angels gave good news, angels were encouragers, angels were scary (they didn't always look like the perfect images we see as angels in art, and God gave them power. Yes, I would be in fear more than I would be in awe) Angels also appear as eternally singing to God. So Mary didn't really know what to expect when she saw an angel before her. "Why is he here? Why is this happening to me? What did I do?" is probably what ran through her mind as Gabriel is making his opening speech. Which might be why he had to repeat himself in verse 30.

In verse 31, Gabriel gets down to business and says what he came to say. Some of this is pretty straight forward and self explanatory. So lets skip to the "throne of his father David" part. We know that David was the King of Israel.

Let's start quick on Saul. Saul was the first King of Israel. He was the first because God had told his people to have no other gods (meaning focuses of worship) before Him and that God is their leader. But the people felt they were at a disadvantage to other nations who had kings. Then had been conquered before, they probably feared being conquered again, so they wanted a king and Saul was chosen. (fast forward in time and summarizing) Saul disobeyed God and so God regretting putting Saul on a throne.
God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse (David's father, who lived in Bethlehem) and told him one of Jesse's son would be the king after Saul. Samuel goes there and interviews all 7 sons. David was the youngest and smallest, but he had a good heart. God does not look at outward appearance, He looks at the heart.
You know the scene from Cinderella (yesterday is actually the 64th anniversary of that movie being released. Funny that it should come up) when the shoe is being fitted on the stepsisters and they are fighting over the shoe trying to make it fit and the grand advisor just has this awful headache. He's done for the day. He's done searching for this maiden. He just wants to go home. Imagine Samuel as the grand advisor (because as prophet, he was like an advisor to King Saul. Thank you Disney for analogies) and Samuel is tired after his journey to this little town of Bethlehem and he just wants to sit down to dinner with this nice man, Jesse. He's probably thinking, "God are you sure one of these will be king? You told me not to look at appearance and all of these guys are just... built" and just like the grand advisor asks if there are any maidens in the house to try on the slipper, Samuel asks if Jesse has anymore sons. Lady Tremaine had Cinderella locked away because she knew she was the one they were looking for. But Jesse doubts his youngest son. He doubts the plan that God has for him. But he tells Samuel of his youngest and smallest son. Sure enough, Samuel brings David back to Jerusalem.
At this point, Saul begins to have bad dreams and is "tormented by an evil spirit". I feel this tormenting was done by God because it was how He knew He would reach the man who had rejected His instructions. one of the servants calls for David because he plays the lyre (similar to a harp) and David is able to calm the bad dreams with his music and Saul likes this boy. So he sends a letter to Jesse asking if David can stay with him and be an armor-bearer (though if you get a letter from the king, you better give him permission)
Years later, after defeating the giant and becoming best friends with Jonathan (Saul's brother), David marries the king's daughter, Michal. When Saul and all of his sons are killed in battle, David is named king. David's descendants ruled the throne of Israel until Zedekiah (about 420 years) is conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. From this point for the rest of the Old Testament, the line of David does not have the throne, they aren't celebrities, and they aren't even remotely popular. It's not like a pedigree that the descendants of David walked around with.

Man, do I ramble...

Ok. "Jacob's descendants". Jacob was also given the name of Israel and Jacob was the one who had the 12 sons, each son was the leader of a tribe, hence, the 12 tribes of Israel. Notice, it doesn't say the descendants of Abraham. Abraham was the father of all nations (Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac was the father of Jacob and Esau) it said that Jesus would be king of Jacob's descendants, not Esau's descendants. You find out Esau is the father of the arabs, and therefore the father of the Islamic faith. God fully knows that Muslims have a hard time accepting Christianity because Jesus was not supposed to be their king.

"his kingdom will never end" this goes to my first post about how we were originally intended to be eternal beings. Our lives are supposed to last forever. His reign is over us always.

So now Mary's questioning the angel. Before, when angels have spoken to people that they will have children in their old age, they at least had already been married and had sex with each other first. Mary is not yet married to Joseph so she doesn't understand how she can become pregnant.
Gabriel explains that the Holy Spirit will be upon her. Think of it as spiritual insemination. Being that it is God who creates the life inside her, Jesus is called the Son of God.
To prove the power of God, he tells her that her cousin Elizabeth is pregnant for the first time in her old age.

And this is what I love. Instead of doubting the angel or laughing at his face, or anything else that anyone could've done, Mary has a peace over her. She accepts the situation and turns it into a moment of worshipping God and allowing herself to be His servant.

Stopping here and we'll get into Mary visiting Elizabeth tomorrow.