Skip to main content

God With Us - In the Fire and Through It


What does the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have to do with Mary and Joseph? Being Christmas time and all, it seems obvious that our attention would shift to the young newlyweds...excuse me, they haven't tied that knot quite yet. In fact, this fact is part of what got them into such hot water...or maybe we can say they came under fire? 

In the book of Daniel we know that God helped the three youngsters when they were thrown into the furnace. God was with them. However, sometimes it is easy to forget that the reason they were thrown into the furnace was for the same reason: because God was with them. They took a stand for God and wound up in the fire. 

Now we can see a connection to Mary and Joseph. They got engaged and somewhere between signing up for their gift registry at Target and deciding whether or not to have a dance at their reception they found themselves up to their necks in controversy. What was it, you ask? It was Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). I certainly don't want to give you all the wrong idea about this. This is ultimately good news. However, what we shouldn't miss is the fact that carrying baby Jesus for Mary put her in the crosshairs of death. How?

The quickest way to summarize it was that Mary was pregnant before she was married. The assumption around the village would have been obvious: Mary and Joseph couldn't wait and they sinned sexually. We have to check our own cultural baggage at the door at this point. We read this from the perspective of a culture that celebrates sex before marriage. In Jewish culture in the first century it was condemned. Under Jewish law Mary was subject to death for such an offense (Deuteronomy 22:21). Had Joseph publicly divorced her it could have spelled her death because it would have reinforced any suspicion that Mary had been unfaithful and promiscuous. At the same time, if Joseph had stayed with her he would have found condemnation because people would assume he was the guilty party when he wasn't. When we see that Joseph had resolved to quietly divorce Mary (Matthew 1:19) we can start to grasp how difficult and agonizing this decision was for the both of them. We can see that Joseph cared for Mary and wrestled to make the best decision possible for the both of them at the time. 

We should ask ourselves again, how did they both get into this fire? Wasn't it this, that God was with them? In a very real way, Jesus was being knit together in the womb of Mary who was now facing death row. It really begs the question, why would God do it this way? If you brought the Savior of the world into the earth you probably wouldn't choose to do it this way! Did God know that impregnating Mary before she was married would put her in the fire? Didn't he understand that her reputation would be seriously questioned? Why would he subject these teens, probably not even old enough to drive or smoke cigarettes to such a trial for bringing the Savior of the world to life upon this earth? 

We have to face the very real fact that God doesn't just deliver his people from the fire, he puts them in it. God with us might put us into the fire, God with us will also bring us out. Psalm 77:19 tells us that "your way was through the sea" even when it would have been a more direct route for the Israelites to avoid it altogether. 

Consider Isaiah 43:1b-3a

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Perhaps one of the reasons God causes his people to wind up in the fire is to build their faith. Through the fire is where faith is forged and shaped. Only through the fire do we get tested and purified so that "dross is consumed and gold is refined."  

As we celebrate Christmas we celebrate the way God desires to bring his people into the fire and prove to them that he is with them when he brings them out. Interestingly, when Mary and Joseph were delivered from their impossible situation it also tells us that God with us is able to deliver and redeem all his people from the impossible situation of the consequences of sin. If God can get sinners out of their sin and its offense to a Holy God, surely he can deliver Mary and Joseph, with baby intact, from Jewish law and wicked kings.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Worship Songs, October 15, 2017

We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. My Redeemers Love Hope Has Come I Will Glory In My Redeemer Blessed Be Your Name Here In Your Presence Your Glory Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) -- Sermon Text: John 11:1-16 That the next generation will set their hope in God and not forget the works of God (Psalm 78:7).

God Displays His Beauty While Lifting Heavy Burdens by Pastor Kevin

I know I am a little bit overweight. My doctor tells me so. The mirror that I look into affirms it and the scale (that I mostly avoid) reminds me every time I step on it. All of that makes what I am about to say so much more impressive. I had the privilege of sitting on the beaches of Florida's Atlantic coast for 8 days on our most recent family trip. For me there is something magical about the beach, especially on the Atlantic side with the waves washing up against the shoreline. We have been lucky enough to find a sleepy beach town to vacation at. A nook, if you will, that typically features retired folks or families with kids. Out of the way of those who want to party, the beach is truly a relaxing place for me.  Let me tell you something that I gleaned this time around that never quite landed on me. This last week it landed on me, almost literally. My son Ben and I are the more adventurous specimens in the Feder five. We actually get into the salty water where there are jelly f...

We Will Feast in the House of Zion by Patience Griswold

No one ever plans to have their lives upended. We know that the world is broken and bound in futility, we know that everything can change in an instant, and yet crises still have the ability to shake us to our core. None of us entered 2020 planning to experience a global pandemic this year, but here we are, practicing social distancing, wondering how the virus will affect us and our families, and wondering when we will be able to return to our regular rhythms and routines as what can feel a little like the world falling apart around us.  In the midst of social distancing, I miss my church family. I miss my Bible study, the kids in my Sunday school class, the ability to meet people for coffee, and I know that I am not alone in this. It is not wrong to grieve the temporary loss of these things. In fact, we ought to grieve, even as we seek to live joyfully and find satisfaction in Christ in the midst of difficult circumstances. If we feel no grief whatsoever over the loss of some...