The Important, and often Untold, Precursors to the Christmas Story
Many of us know the traditional Christmas story found in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, but this is only part of the amazing story of God bringing light into the world amid great darkness. Much preceded the birth of Jesus. With this in mind, let’s turn to Jeremiah 29-33.
In Jeremiah 29, we see the Lord prophesy through Jeremiah that Israel will be delivered into the hands of the Babylonians. In verses 10-11, He promises that after “‘seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.’ ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.’” After this, He promises in verses 12-14, “‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.’ ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’ ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations…’”
In Jeremiah 30 and 31, God promises even more to Israel, which brings joy to their hearts. But this all changes in Jeremiah 32, where Jerusalem is besieged by the Babylonians, and the prophets are silenced. In this dark and bleak moment, when the Israelites wondered where God was and if He would show up, He asks Jeremiah to buy some land, seal the deed in jars, and keep it safe so it would be a testimony of what God did when He delivered them.
In Chapter 33, God promises the Israelites that He will restore Jerusalem through the “Branch of David.” As the Israelites longed for a specific day when this Savior would come, the Lord replied, “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.’ ‘In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth, and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth.’”
In Israel’s darkest hour, God made them a promise—a promise fulfilled in the birth of the Savior of the world. Jesus’ birth is undoubtedly one of the most significant days in the history of the world, but many reasons make His birth even more amazing than we could imagine. Firstly, Jesus’ birth is a testimony of God fulfilling His promises made all the way back in the book of Jeremiah. Secondly, when all hope seemed lost—in the world and in Israel—and darkness seemed to cover the earth, God burst onto the scene, and His light shone through the darkness. May we remember this when we find ourselves in similar circumstances. Our world is in distress, chaos, and darkness, but we must always remember that God keeps His promises. The Light will always overcome the darkness.
Not only is Christmas about the Savior of the world being born, but it’s also a crucial reminder that God will always fulfill His promises. Although life may feel like utter darkness, it was in this same darkness that God made a promise to the people of Israel, and it was in this same darkness that our Lord, Jesus, was born.