A Hope Fulfilled - Advent DevotionalSample

During the Advent season, we often hear the modern Christian classic song, Mary, Did You Know?, over the radio or perhaps at a church Christmas service. Its signature rhetorical question, “Mary, did you know that your baby boy…?” rings out in prominence as it enquires into the wonderful Christian doctrines of salvation, the Incarnation, the Son’s role in creation, and the Kingdom of God. While a range of wonderful biblical truths about Jesus’ identity are poetically expressed in this song, its recurring question may lead the listener to wonder what Mary did, in fact, know as she expected the birth of her baby. In Luke 1:30–33, we are told that Mary was quite well informed of the extent of the extraordinary blessing that awaited her and all of God’s people. Gabriel, the Lord’s angel, makes four glorious declarations about this child that would fulfill the messianic oracles of the prophets Nathan in 2 Samuel 7 and Isaiah in Isaiah 9:6–7. First, Nathan prophesied that David’s successor would be called “great” (2 Samuel 7:9). This is the first attribute ascribed to Jesus in Gabriel’s announcement (Luke 1:32). Second, the Lord reveals through Nathan that God Himself would be a father to David’s offspring and his successor would be God’s Son (2 Samuel 7:14). This identity is ascribed to Jesus being called “the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). The “Most High” is an expression used in the Old and New Testaments to emphasize the utter uniqueness of God as the One who is above all (Genesis 14:18; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28). Third, Nathan prophesied that the Lord would establish a kingdom through David’s offspring (2 Samuel 7:13), and this throne is declared to belong to Jesus (Luke 1:32). Fourth, the throne of this messianic figure is foretold to last forever (see yesterday’s devotional), which is fulfilled through the tremendous declaration that not only will this kingdom last for eternity, but it will be Jesus who reigns “over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33), a statement that can only be attributed to the One who is eternal in His nature and being. Jesus’ divine sonship, messiahship, and eternal kingship are all combined in Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, and God ordained everything she would experience to fulfill His purpose in salvation history long ago. Mary certainly did know who the child was whom she carried. Her response to magnify the name of the Lord is the response we should all seek to emulate as this child was given to us all so that we might experience the great joy of salvation through Jesus, the Son of God, our savior, messiah, and king.

Prayer

Almighty God, let your name be magnified on earth as it is in heaven for the great things you have done. Your grace and mercy abound in our lives, and we give you praise, honor, and glory for the eternal kingdom you have inaugurated with the coming of your Son. As his servants, we eagerly await his second Advent so that we can enjoy the consummation of your kingdom and Christ’s reign for eternity. Let the peace that can only be known through the Prince of Peace fill our hearts, permeate our families, and change our communities as we seek to serve you faithfully day by day. Amen.

Zachary Dawson, Ph.D., serves as assistant professor of Biblical Studies for the Regent University School of Divinity.