A Man of His Word
As I have begun my annual journey through scripture I encountered four unique prophecies which were fulfilled to the letter in the first few chapters of Matthew. Events were shaped and people were seamlessly integrated into this narrative, to insure the inspired eternal word was carried out in the sovereign plan of God.
The Miracle
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’” (Matthew 1:22-23)
The Place
“In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:5-6)
Out of Egypt
“He rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” (Matthew 2:14-15)
Tragic Fallout
“Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children;’” (Matthew 2:17-18)
The Nazarene
“And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.” (Matthew 3:23)
Watching
“Then the LORD said to me, You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.’” (Jeremiah 1:12)
Charles Spurgeon said “No word he has spoken shall ever be broken.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17)
I take renewed courage and faith knowing I can trust each and every “precious and very great promises” (2 Peter 1:4) recorded in scripture. From “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) to “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36) every word is tried and true.
Not only is God’s word accurate and trustworthy, God Himself is reliable. God is a man of His word. God is worthy of our trust for God is true. As the hymn says, “We may trust Him fully, all for us to do; They who trust Him wholly, find Him wholly true.” (Like a River Glorious by Frances Havergal)
May you each have a blessed 2017 trusting God and His word,
Steve