I waited decades to see the Messiah. Israel waited millennia. But God kept His promise to us both.
For well over a millennium before His birth, prophets foretold the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.
In 1450 BC, Balaam prophesied about a “star from Jacob” who would destroy Israel’s enemies (Numbers 24:17)…
In 930 BC, Nathan prophesied about a descendent of David who would reign on his royal throne (2 Samuel 7:13-14)…
In 742 BC, Micah predicted a ruler who would emerge from Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-3)...
In 700 BC, Isaiah prophesied about the birth of a child who would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 7:14)…
In 520 BC, Zechariah spoke about a righteous king who would come on a donkey and “proclaim peace to the nations” (Zechariah 9:9-10)…
Then, for over 400 years—silence.
As the centuries stretched on and the prophets remained mute, Israel’s time of waiting for their Savior must have felt infinite. Yet, in His perfect time, God fulfilled His promise. Here’s how I imagine the arrival of the Messiah and the consummation of the ancient prophecies might have been experienced by four Israelites:
1. Disappointed Zacharias
I’ve inhaled knowledge of God since infancy. As a member of the priesthood by birth, it was bred into my bones and embedded into my everyday life. I’ve always known about the Messiah. I’ve always served God and done my best to do right—to honor God, Whom I cannot see, yet I choose to believe.
Despite my confidence in His existence, I can’t say I’ve never felt disappointed. Though I’ve faithfully observed God’s commands, my righteousness failed to earn me one of my deepest desires: a son.
One day, when I was very old, I was chosen to go into the temple to burn incense. I had been waiting my whole life for this day, but what happened when I entered the Holy Place was beyond my expectations.
While inside, an angel appeared!
“Zacharias,” he said, “Don’t be afraid. For I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. You will both have great joy and gladness at his birth, and many will rejoice with you. For he will be one of the Lord’s great men. He must never touch wine or hard liquor—and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from before his birth! And he will persuade many a Jew to turn to the Lord his God. He will be a man of rugged spirit and power like Elijah, the prophet of old; and he will precede the coming of the Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival” (Luke 1:13-17, TLB).
This was more than I could believe.
Did I want a son? Yes, more than anything! But I was too old! And so was Elizabeth. The curse of time had taken its toll; I’d given up on that dream long ago.
And the Messiah? I still believed in the Messiah—I’d never given up on Him. He would surely come someday. But that he was coming soon? And that my impossibly miraculous son would have something to do with it? This I struggled to believe.
Yet everything the angel said came to be. Any doubts I had about the imminence of the Messiah’s coming were laid to rest six months into Elizabeth’s promised pregnancy when our niece Mary appeared at our door bearing Good News.
Though I doubted, God kept His promise.
2. Confident Mary
As a little girl, I learned about the Messiah. I knew He was a strong but kind King coming to set everything right. When I fell and scraped my knee in our rocky courtyard, I pictured Him wrapping my wounds. When I felt alone and misunderstood, I imagined His warm hand holding mine. He was never far from my thoughts. And yet, He was even closer than I had dreamed…
One day while I was walking in the hills near my home, an angel appeared. “Do not be afraid, Mary,” the angel said. “You have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30-33, NIV).
“How will this be,” I asked, “since I am a virgin” (v. 34)?
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (v. 35).
When the angel first appeared, I was terrified, but as he spoke, the presence I’d felt since childhood welled up within me more powerfully than I’d ever experienced. I had so many questions, but I had no doubt that God was with me.
I was confident that He would keep His promise.
3. An Uncertain Shepherd
I’d heard about the Messiah, of course. What Jew hadn’t? I thought about Him from time to time, on Sabbath or during religious feasts. But truthfully, religion was pretty far removed from my everyday life. I’m a simple shepherd—a common laborer, covered in dirt and lanolin. I know a lot more about stables and shearing sheep than Holy Scripture. And as to whether the Messiah was a myth…I honestly had no clue.
But one quiet night, I was out in the fields tending my flocks. Suddenly, the sky was filled with blinding light—brighter than the noonday sun! An angel appeared and declared: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10b-12, NIV).
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14, NIV).
In that instant, any doubt I had vanished like shadows at the break of dawn.
The Messiah was real! The prophecies were true!
The promise had come to pass!
4. Patient Simeon
Since ancient times, prophets have foretold the coming of a Savior—the Messiah. For thousands of years, we’ve waited for Him to appear. Many have lost hope in the waiting. We’re a people imprisoned in a system of lifeless law, fettered by foreign rulers, with no end in sight. Weariness has worn us down. “How long,” many ask, “how long must we wait?”
But though there have been no public declarations concerning the Messiah for nearly 500 years, God has spoken privately, in whispers to listening hearts. I’m one He spoke to. When I was a young man, He said, “Before you breathe your last breath, Simeon, you will set eyes on the Messiah.”
One morning many years later, when I awoke, though it appeared to be an ordinary day, I sensed that something was different. At the Spirit’s prompting, I made my way to the temple. With each step, my awareness of God’s presence grew. When I passed through the temple gate, there He was! The Messiah!
Overcome with the Holy Spirit, I declared: “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-31, NLT)!
I once was young, and now I am old. I waited decades to see the Messiah. Israel waited millennia. But God kept His promise to us both.
Here is what I know: God is not slow, as we imagine Him to be. It’s never too late, and the wait is never too long. God is right on time.
Praise Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us!
He fulfills every promise!
Hold on to the Promise
Are you waiting on a promise? Just as He kept His covenant with the Israelites, God will be faithful to you. Hold on to His promise, even when the wait is long!
Photo Credit: ©Greyson Joralemon/Unsplash
