A Prayer for Israel this Christmas
Rethinking the Manger Scene
At Christmas, our minds are drawn to the sweet scene of Jesus’s birth. We see Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus surrounded by animals adoring him.
The word manger stood out while I read the Christmas story this morning. I stopped, and looked it up. I am thrown back at the place it led me to.
The word manger is only used in Luke’s account of Jesus’s birth. Even more intriguing is that the word manger is only used 3 times in this story. (Luke 3:7, 2:22, 2:26)
Manger is a nice word for feeding trough where animals like Donkeys and Oxen ate. Imagine Mary swaddling her newborn son Jesus and laying him in a farm animal feeding trough.
The word manger gets more intriguing.
I enjoy reading like Jewish scholars and students of the Torah. They pay close attention to repetitions and patterns in the text. Where patterns and repetition are, more layers of meaning usually follow.
Here is the mysterious use of a word 3 times. I wondered, would the word manger be in the Old Testament also? New Testament books use Greek translation, and the Old Testament uses Hebrew translation. I looked for the same rendering of the singular word manger as a feeding trough. The same pattern of 3 is there! (Job 39:9, Proverbs 14:14, Isaiah 1:3)
A personal devotion idea: Sit with God’s heart and compare His usage of the word manger or feeding trough by seeing if they align with the story of our Messiah’s birth.
As I read the verses and chapters surrounding it, I found a prophecy from God’s heart over Israel. It’s frightening. But there is grace, promises, and the mercy of God all wrapped up in this section. It led me to write this article today.
First, a quick word about Isaiah.
Historically, Isaiah is considered a significant figure for his religious impact and influence on religious thought, literature, and art through the centuries. His prophecies have been subject to various interpretations, reflecting changing contexts and theological perspectives.
He is seen as a major prophet in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He lived during the 8th century BCE (681–740 years before Jesus’s birth).
The Book of Isaiah was written during significant political and social turmoil in Judah and Jerusalem. He witnessed the expansion of the Assyrian Empire and the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to Assyria in 722 BCE. His messages were prophetic and directed toward those kingdoms.
Isaiah’s prophecies are known for their richness and depth. They combine messages of judgment and condemnation for social injustice and idolatry. They include visions of a future restoration and the coming of a messianic figure who would establish a reign of peace and justice.
Rethinking the Manger Scene:
Isaiah starts out entitled:
Rebellion of God’s People
(2) Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.
(3) The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.*
*Remind you of our sweet manger scene? Remember, it was penned 500 years before Jesus’s birth.
What follows from Isaiah is a frightening warning to Israel from God, Himself. (read the entire chapter here.)
The purpose of this article is to provide a way to pray for Israel. Not only in these perilous times but always. For our prayers to align with God’s heart as spoken through the prophet Isaiah 500 years before Jesus was born and laid in a feeding trough.
I support Israel. They are God’s chosen people.
What I do not support is the pain and loss of precious life for people in both Palestine and Israel or anywhere. People in Palestine and Israel are mourning the horrific losses of loved ones and their way of life while we celebrate Christmas. It’s hard to process.
While many of us struggle with what to say to God about it all, we can stand in solidarity with God’s heart to and for Israel straight out of Isaiah Chapter 1:
Isaiah Chapter 1:2
Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me.
1:3
The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.
Did you see our sweet manger scene?
There, at the feeding trough, the ox knows and the donkey knows its owner’s manger. But Israel does not know, yet. God’s people, Israel, do not understand.
My prayer for Israel this Christmas morning is that their eyes will be open to their precious Messiah, Jesus Christ. Their King has come and was swaddled and laid in the feeding trough 2,000 years ago.
The day of birth does not matter!
What does matter, is that God opens their eyes so they can know their King has come. So they can see Him in their hearts, minds, and souls.
The entire first chapter of Isaiah is a roller coaster of amazing, frightening, and finally the redeeming grace and mercy of God to His people, Israel.
Awake oh Israel, for your Savior has come.
Read more…and hear God’s heart over His people, Israel. I’m going to skip to Chapter 16. But again, the entire section is something to read:
Chapter 1:16 Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.
1: 17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
1: 18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;
1: 20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
May your Christmas be blessed, and may you have prayers in your heart toward God’s people this season.
Until next time,
Stay HOT
Annie
